District 3 · East & South Austin
José Velásquez
East Austin native, Huston-Tillotson alumnus, and former Mayor’s Anti-Displacement Taskforce member.
East Austin native, Huston-Tillotson alumnus, and former Mayor’s Anti-Displacement Taskforce member.
José M.A. Velásquez grew up in East Austin, raised by a single mother who worked multiple jobs while still serving the community. He attended Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School and Austin High School, then earned his degree from Huston-Tillotson University — one of the few sitting council members to graduate from a Historically Black College or University.
Before council he served with the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Latinitas Austin, the East Austin Conservancy, the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Commission, and the Mayor’s Anti-Displacement Taskforce. He frames his work on council around three principles: affordability, accessibility, and action.
Now serving as Chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee, Velásquez is positioned at the center of the city’s ongoing debates over Austin Police staffing, response times, and accountability.
District 3 covers east & south austin Austin and includes neighborhoods such as Holly, East Riverside, Montopolis, Govalle, St. Elmo, Pleasant Valley, Oltorf-South Lakeshore, Travis Heights (eastern edge). Council members are accountable to the residents of their single district as well as to the city as a whole — that is the core idea of the 10-1 system.
Standing committees do most of the early-stage policy work before items reach the full council. Chair and vice-chair roles confer meaningful agenda-setting power.
Tenant protections, rental assistance, and code enforcement so longtime residents are not displaced.
Sidewalk, transit, and ADA-compliance investments in historically under-served corridors.
APD staffing, civilian oversight, and 911 response-time improvements.
Protecting East Austin’s Latino and Black cultural anchors as the district gentrifies.
Austin residents can contact any council member, but for district-specific issues (zoning, code enforcement, neighborhood concerns) the District 3 office is the right starting point.
