Bexar County’s next district attorney will inherit a smaller office as county commissioners transfer attorneys out, a decision that has sparked bipartisan opposition and questions about its legality.
As part of the current budget, commissioners court voted in September to transfer 16 positions, including six attorneys, to a separate county office. Two county commissioners and all three candidates vying to replace DA Joe Gonzales object to the decision and question its legality.
The DA’s civil division handles all of the county’s non-criminal legal disputes, including employment lawsuits involving the county’s workforce and civil rights cases filed against law enforcement. It also advises commissioners court, providing legal guidance to commissioners and negotiating county contracts…