Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1966 melon strike, the San Antonio Express-News referenced Ernesto Cortes for helping lay the groundwork for a generation of Mexican-American political activity in Texas:

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Speaking on behalf of COPS / Metro Alliance, Fr. Walter D'Heedene of Sacred Heart Catholic Church reported to the San Antonio Express News that the organization plans to build on their living wage wins of 2015 by raising all public sector jobs in the city to a living wage of $15 /hour. He also mentioned that the organization plans to address predatory lending and criminal justice reforms, including those related to employment in 2016.

Agenda 2016: Community Leaders' Top Priorities for 2016, San Antonio Express News

According to the editorial board of the San Antonio Express-News:

There is something of a social justice component to the budget presented recently to the San Antonio City Council. It contains a commendable step toward a living wage for those city employees who are paid the least.

City Manager Sheryl Sculley outlined a...2016 budget that includes a raise to $13 per hour, beginning Jan. 1, for the city's lowest-paid workers...

While $11.47 is well above the state and federal minimum wage of $7.25, ...Communities Organized for Public Service/Metro Alliance have correctly stressed the need for a "living wage."

Additional background here.

Living Wage for City Workers, San Antonio Express-News

According to San Antonio Express News business columnist Michael Taylor, he "might be wrong" in his concerns over living wage hikes -- he publicly acknowledged that economist experts familiar with historical data disagree with him on a couple concerns. Taylor went further to distinguish the local efforts of COPS / Metro from national living wage campaigns in that the organization is focusing on public sector wages. He notes that government sector wage raises "cannot lead to greater unemployment" as those workers cannot generally be outsourced.

He also noted that, "most important, public employers have a greater obligation to address the moral issue of 'a living wage' than do private employers. Unlike private companies, public entities (such as governments) explicitly purport to represent the 'public good' in everything they do. The public good should reasonably include paying workers so they can live above the federal poverty level."

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