What is the city of San Antonio, Texas doing that apparently San Diego is not

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – On a recent trip to San Antonio, Texas, for a wedding, I couldn’t help but notice San Antonio’s “welcoming” atmosphere and its famed Riverwalk.

My fiancé and I spent a few days in downtown San Antonio enjoying the Riverwalk, and we weren’t disappointed. It truly is a destination city.

Daytime view of the San Antonio Riverwalk

But it gets better, downtown San Antonio, through which the river meanders, is clean. Not one homeless tent. A far cry from the dozens upon dozens on every sidewalk or underpass we have normalized here in San Diego.

There were no underpasses marked with graffiti, no overturned trash cans, and essentially no trash littering the streets.

After the first day or so, I began walking all around downtown to see if I was missing the “dirty” part of town. I walked many miles every day, as I compared the cleanliness of San Antonio, to the current state of Downtown San Diego.

I was told there are pockets of homeless and there is some concern, but clearly, San Antonio is doing something right.

I saw maybe 20 homeless people while I was there, and I walked everywhere.

One morning at the Alamo, there was a Texas Ranger monitoring a sleeping homeless man on a stone bench. No rousting, just observing.

Another day, I witnessed another encounter between a Texas Ranger and a homeless man who had just gotten off his bike. The Texas Ranger approached the man and said, “Hi, you don’t want to leave your bike there, it could get stolen.” A polite encounter, but the homeless man was well aware that authorities are paying attention to their actions in the public space.

Crews cleaning the Riverwalk in the early morning.

Another day I got up very early to run/walk along the river. I ventured along the river for miles, traveling far away from the well populated, tourist areas. There wasn’t a single location where I felt unsafe.

In fact, my run/walk proved to me how beautifully landscaped and maintained the 15-mile long Riverwalk is, even well away from the heart of downtown San Antonio.

I noticed that at least twice a day, including in the early hours of the mornings, crews not only swept the river, but they maintained the walk with great detail. I saw crews replacing chipped stones, and painting the railings that were set up in certain areas.

One morning, I purposely got up “really” early to document that at 5:00 a.m., there are no safety issues, all underpasses are well-lighted, including city parks, even those outside the heart of downtown. Again, no tents, no one sleeping on a bench.

I was on a tight schedule as I was visiting for a wedding, so unfortunately, I wasn’t able to reach out to San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s office, but I will in the days ahead.

Yes, housing is much more affordable in San Antonio compared to San Diego, but clearly, the city knows what it’s doing.