EDITOR’S NOTE - A previous story incorrectly listed the union’s pay proposal at 14 percent. It is 12 percent. The error has been corrected in the text below.

New data obtained by KSAT 12 from the Bexar County Elections Department showed how each precinct voted on Proposition B.

The ballot measure to strip San Antonio police officers of their collective bargaining power fell short by 3,475 votes - a 2.3 percent margin. To Fix SAPD, the group that circulated the petition to get the issue onto the ballot, that slim defeat shows “the community is ready for change.”

San Antonio voters are just a day away from deciding the fate of a contentious ballot measure, Proposition B, and both sides are trying to make their last-minute cases to voters.

The most contentious item in this year’s city election came down to the wire on Saturday night as the controversial Proposition B was defeated by a little more than two percentage points.

Proposition B is not the only aspect of the negotiations between the city and police union that made for a nasty, public battle.

The quickest path to police reform depends on who you ask on either side of Proposition B.

San Antonio voters who are hoping to learn more about Proposition B have the chance to hear both sides make their pitch after a debate hosted by KSAT, San Antonio Report and Bexar Facts.

The results of a newly released poll show that the fate of Prop B, a high-profile initiative that would strip San Antonio police of their collective bargaining power, looks to be a toss up with less than a month to go before the May 1 election.

And it appears possible that, depending on the terms, there could be enough council members willing to vote on such a deal ahead of the election. That’s when the city council is scheduled to canvas the election results and make them official. The union has expressed doubt that council members would be willing to vote on a deal while the election is happening. AdIt’s true that considering a pre-election police contract would put council members in a tight spot. KSAT contacted each council member’s office to ask about their willingness to vote on a contract before voters make their decision on Proposition B.

The debate over whether to repeal San Antonio police officers’ collective bargaining power is already in full swing, but what would the passage of Proposition B on May 1 actually do?

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio municipal election is slated for May 1, the first Saturday in May. We’ve collected everything you need to know about voting in the 2021 city election below. AdEarly voting for the 2021 San Antonio municipal election begins on Monday, April 19 and ends on Tuesday, April 27. San Antonio MayorIn the race for San Antonio mayor, incumbent Ron Nirenberg and former city councilman Greg Brockhouse headline a 14-candidate field. Brockhouse was elected to City Council in 2017 and has served in several senior roles for other City Council members.

SAPOA President Danny Diaz accused Fix SAPD — the organization that spearheaded the movement behind Prop B — of lying to the voters about the true intentions of the proposal. “These organizations work on a wealth of issues from fixing police contracts to supporting candidates for some of them, district attorney reform, mobilizing black voters, aiding refugee and immigrant families. But Diaz said the repeal amounts to defunding by taking away their seat at the bargaining table. Diaz also invited Alonzio Hardin, the president of the San Antonio Black Police Officers Coalition, to speak. AdREAD MORE: Protections for police officers accused of misconduct in San Antonio

The May killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police sparked international protests, including weeks of demonstrations in San Antonio. Just yelling, yelling in their faces,” said Fix SAPD Deputy Director Ananda Tomas, who added that it was far from an isolated incident. It impacts us in a great way when we have a bully that just will not let San Antonio be, will not let San Antonio speak.”Ad“(SAPOA is) a club. Back SA Blue social media accounts have used pictures of Fix SAPD petitioners in many of their posts. Martin said any repeal measures pushed by Fix SAPD would only apply to SAPD, and not to other first responders in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO – A petition filed by Fix SAPD was validated Thursday, allowing the potential repeal of San Antonio police officers’ collective bargaining rights, City Clerk Tina Flores announced in news release Thursday. With the petition certified, voters will now choose whether to opt out of a state law that provides collective bargaining rights for San Antonio police officers in the May 1 election. Effectively, if voters approve measure, the police union’s leverage over negotiations with city officials would be kneecapped. AdThe current collective bargaining agreement contains several protections for officers accused of misconduct, making it difficult for disciplinary action to withstand the appeal process. If voters do not repeal the collective bargaining rights of police officers, city officials hope to address many of those protections in the upcoming contract negotiations.

SAN ANTONIO – Changes to police officer discipline will be the City of San Antonio’s focus when it meets with the San Antonio Police Officers Association next month to begin negotiations over the next police union contract. City staff laid out the city’s priorities for the upcoming collective bargaining process during Wednesday’s city council meeting. The city now seeks that all past misconduct is considered in the discipline process. Most of the department’s budget -- about $387 million -- is determined by the current union contract. The evergreen clause in effect would allow the current contract to remain in place for up to eight years if negotiations are unsuccessful.

SAN ANTONIO – Members of group whose say their goal is to hold bad San Antonio police officers accountable want to refute what they say are “false claims” about them. The San Antonio Coalition for Police Accountability says it plans to call out the San Antonio Police Officers Association at a press event set for Saturday. Fix SAPD is currently campaigning to gather enough signatures from citizens to revoke two laws that they say weaken officer accountability. And I personally know these people that are all from San Antonio,” Salas said. Salas said SAPOA has falsely claimed Fix SAPD was being funded by dark money, and that their petitioners were threatening people.

Fix SAPD announced that their petition to repeal Chapter 174 — which allows for police officers to participate in collective bargaining for a contract — on the next ballot in May. The petition received the 20,000 signatures necessary to give voters the chance to opt out of the law that makes collective bargaining possible for first responders in San Antonio. But in a recent appearance with the new president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association, McManus appeared to oppose Fix SAPD’s efforts. “Let me answer it this way, I’m not opposed to collective bargaining. Prior history can be used as evidence if the allegations include “violence, substance abuse and incompetence,” according to the collective bargaining agreement.

SAN ANTONIO – A leader of Fix SAPD, a group focused on police accountability, joined KSAT Q&A Tuesday to share the group’s goal of getting the San Antonio police union to revisit two of the most controversial chapters in the union contract. “We’re not looking to overthrow the system, but we are for is a commonsense solution,” said Amanda Tomas, one of the group’s organizers. Fix SAPD need 20,000 signatures to get chapter 174, which allows for police officers and firefighters to participate in collective bargaining for a contract, on the ballot. “These laws protects bad officers, good officers don’t need them,” Tomas said. Though the current collective bargaining agreement expires Sep. 30, 2021, it also has an eight-year evergreen clause that Helle says would keep it in effect until Sep. 30, 2029.

The special found that between 2010 and 2019, two-thirds of SAPD officers who were fired ended up getting their jobs back. Allowing bad police officers to still wear that badge and still wear that uniform is actually a disservice to good police officers, Martin said. Its actually sad because a lot of these issues we can resolve at the negotiating table, said Mike Helle, president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association. She said she feels the only SAPD officers who would quit are the ones with bad intentions. The petitions will have to have tens of thousands of signatures, and only then will the possible repeals be put before San Antonio voters in the May 2021 election.

San Antonio female activist launches 'Fix SAPD’ campaignPublished: June 12, 2020, 5:26 pmA San Antonio mother turned activist says there are two laws regarding how police officers get disciplined that must go.