The Brief: San Antonio, El Paso elect new leadership

Happy Monday, folks! This is Cassi Pollock, and starting today, I'll be writing The Brief. You may notice a few minor changes — let me know what you think by emailing me anytime at thebrief@texastribune.org. — CP

What you need to know

Voters in San Antonio and El Paso elected new mayors on Saturday. Here's what you need to know:

• Ivy Taylor's three-year tenure as San Antonio mayor ended. In a runoff election, Taylor was defeated by City Councilman Ron Nirenberg. With the backing of former Mayor Julián Castro, Nirenberg won 55 percent of the vote to Taylor's 45 percent.

• A former state lawmaker is the next mayor of El Paso. Dee Margo, a former Republican state representative, defeated David Saucedo, a newcomer to city politics, with 57 percent of the vote. Margo is set to replace outgoing Mayor Oscar Leeser. 

• The state's new "sanctuary" law played a notable role in both cities' races. In San Antonio, Taylor disagreed with the City Council's decision to join a lawsuit against Senate Bill 4, while Nirenberg said he backed it. In El Paso, Margo and Saucedo said they would defer to the city's police chief on the matter — an apparent pivot for Margo, who voted for a version of the bill in the Texas Legislature in 2011. 

Tribune today

• From Ross Ramsey: During the special session, Texas lawmakers will be talking about your rising property taxes again, but that does not mean your tax bill is going to get any smaller. 

• Gov. Greg Abbott's schedule during May provides a glimpse into the final stretch of the legislative session, where the governor tried to bring together lawmakers to avoid a special session.

• Give us your take: Should state regulations override local ride-hailing rules? 

News from home

Register for the 2017 Texas Tribune Festival! Join us for three days of the best conversations in politics and public policy, Sept. 22-24. Register here.

What we're reading

Links below lead to outside websites; we've noted paywall content with $.

Republican lawmakers refuse to back Trump's attacks on Comey, Politico

Former Edinburg mayor's daughter to run for same post, The Monitor

Counter-protest derails 'March against Sharia' in Austin, Texas Observer

Armed protesters at Hermann Park defend Sam Houston statue, The Houston Chronicle ($)

Chief: Sanctuary city ban won't change policy, Daily Sentinel ($)

All 3 incumbents losing Dallas City Council runoffs with some mail-in votes left to be counted, The Dallas Morning News ($)

Quote to note

"We're just different bodies. I've served in both, and they just operate differently."

— State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, about why a deal to prevent a special legislative session was unsuccessful.

Feedback? Questions? Email us at thebrief@texastribune.org. As always, thanks for reading The Brief — if you liked what you read today, become a member or make a donation here.