El Paso City Council passes resolution to address school violence

EL PASO, Texas -- Two council items led to extended discussion at Tuesday morning's city council meeting.

The first item was a resolution that called for additional school safety in order to better protect schools from violence.

This item was written in response to the mass shooting in Uvalde, TX. On the item, the measures included additional funding for training, hiring retired military or law enforcement officers and calling for minimum safety standards and protocols for all Texas schools.

Representative Claudia Rodriguez put it on the agenda. She said it was important to protect schools and children.

Ultimately, this item failed in a 5-2 vote. Only representatives Rodriguez and Salcido were in favor.

Some city council representatives said they didn't want to vote for it since it was a similar item to the second item that was passed.

The second item that was up for discussion was a resolution to stand in solidarity with Uvalde and encourage the Texas legislature to act on gun violence issues.

Many people who spoke during public comment were against this item.

However, this item was more robust and further addresses the gun violence issue.

The item would have City Manager Tommy Gonzalez to work with El Paso state legislations, El Paso school districts and other government entities.

Representative Rodriguez said she was one of the original authors of this item but removed her name because she said she didn't want this to be a 'gun debate.'

Ultimately, the item passed in a 5-2 vote. Representatives Claudia Rodriguez and Joe Molinar voted against it.