On Wednesday, July 24th, State District Judge Sol Casseb III approved an agreement by business groups suing the City of San Antonio and the City Attorney’s Office to “stay” the implementation of the City’s sick leave ordinance until December 1st, and to “abate” the case until amendment of the ordinance or November 7th, whichever is earlier.
The court-approved agreement capped a hectic days in which a different judge on Monday delayed approval of the agreement to Wednesday, the groups TOPS and MOVE Texas who had intervened in the case opposed the agreement, and Mayor Nirenberg and several City Council members publicly opposed a delay the implementation of the ordinance. Ultimately, however, efforts to defeat the agreement were in vain, as the City Attorney reports to the City Manager, not the Mayor or City Council.
The ball is now in the court of the City’s Paid Sick Leave Commission, which is to confer with stakeholders, study the ordinance, and recommend revisions to the Mayor and City Council. Even if the Commission recommends revisions and the ordinance is amended, there is no guarantee that litigation over it will not proceed anyway.