District 4 · North Central Austin
José “Chito” Vela
Immigration and criminal-defense attorney; Mayor Pro Tem for 2026; led Austin’s deprioritization of abortion-related criminal enforcement.
Immigration and criminal-defense attorney; Mayor Pro Tem for 2026; led Austin’s deprioritization of abortion-related criminal enforcement.
José “Chito” Vela was born in Laredo and moved to Austin in 1992 after high school. He earned a bachelor’s in history, a master’s in public affairs, and a law degree, all from the University of Texas at Austin. He has lived in Windsor Park for nearly two decades.
Before council he practiced as an immigration and criminal-defense attorney. His earlier career included roles as General Counsel to a Texas State Representative and Assistant Attorney General in the Open Records Division of the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Vela won a January 2022 special election to fill the District 4 seat and took office February 4, 2022. He was reelected in November 2024 to a full term that runs through January 2029. His colleagues elected him Mayor Pro Tem for 2026.
On council he has been one of the most aggressive sponsors of land-development-code reform aimed at lowering housing costs, a strong supporter of Project Connect, and a champion of capping I-35 in central Austin. He authored the 2022 resolution deprioritizing the criminal enforcement of abortion-related laws within Austin city limits.
District 4 covers north central austin Austin and includes neighborhoods such as Windsor Park, North Loop, Highland, Brentwood (east portion), Crestview (east edge), St. John’s, Coronado Hills, Wooten. 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.
Co-led the 2024 HOME initiative and lot-size reductions to expand legal housing supply.
Vocal supporter of the $7.1 billion light rail and BRT plan.
Backed the proposal to cap a portion of the rebuilt I-35 to stitch downtown back together.
Sponsored the resolution deprioritizing abortion-related criminal enforcement in Austin.
Oversight of the city-owned utility’s rates, reliability, and clean-energy targets.
Austin residents can contact any council member, but for district-specific issues (zoning, code enforcement, neighborhood concerns) the District 4 office is the right starting point.
