NEWS
July 31, 2024
The Sandra Tenorio Foundation is committed to empowering our neighbors through community awareness, education and leadership development. Our mission is to foster a culture of learning, inspire leadership, and create opportunities for growth and advancement. Through innovative programs and partnerships, we strive to make a positive impact on Hays County and beyond, helping people realize their full potential and contribute to a brighter future for all.
As we honor and remember Sandra Tenorio, the very best way to celebrate her life and legacy is to challenge ourselves to help others. It was always at the forefront of her mind to help the underserved in our community further their educational opportunities and fill the gap where they might not receive help otherwise.
To that end, we have formed The Sandra Tenorio Foundation and your donation will help realize her vision.
Below are a few examples of Sandra’s generosity in life that the foundation will continue and expand on:
- College scholarships.
- School supply drives.
- Funding financial shortfalls for student participation in educational activities.
- Mentoring.
- Holiday donations.
You may donate through the Venmo or PayPal buttons below, or send a check to:
The Sandra Tenorio Foundation, 373 Tobin Drive, Buda, Texas 78610.
About Sandra
'We've truly lost a giant in Hays County': Sandra Tenorio dies at 64
Austin American Statesman
(August 6, 2023)
When Sandra Tenorio had something to say, everyone in the room wanted to hear what she was thinking.
Spending her life working across all levels of government in Central Texas, Tenorio had a knack for spotting fresh political talent, an eye for helping find solutions to local and statewide issues and a dogged persistence to follow through.
For the friends she made over decades in public service, they saw her as a titan. A vivacious foodie who loved to travel with her closest friends. Someone who always operated fairly and ethically but had the chops and knowledge to go toe to toe with anyone in the political arena.
She died Monday, July 31, 2023, at the age of 64.
Growing up in Kyle
Tenorio was raised in her father and uncle's grocery store in Kyle and became a recognizable face in a family that was a pillar of the Hays County community.
Her initial foray into politics came in Kyle, too. She was elected to the City Council, and then in 1986, at age 28, she became the city's first Hispanic mayor, also becoming the youngest mayor in Texas at the time.
Carlos Lopez, a close friend to Tenorio who currently serves as a Travis County constable, said she was a natural leader.
"She was very much involved and so her credibility was just second to none when it came down to decision making," Lopez said. "She gained that reputation."
Working to expand Hispanic and Latino representation in Texas politics, Tenorio and Lopez, along with many others, worked to build Tejano Democrats, a grassroots organization aimed at discovering, supporting and helping elect Hispanic candidates to all levels of government.
"Someone has to take the lead on that, and she was all about, you know, improving the lives of the Hispanic community, improving the lives of people out in rural America, rural Texas, always trying to improve the lives of others," Lopez said.
'She did so much'
Tenorio had gained experience in helping people during the 1970s and 1980s working under Judge Bob Perkins, from his service as a justice of the peace, county court-at-law judge and district court judge in Travis County.
Reflecting on Tenorio's time working in the court system before jumping into local politics, Perkins remembered that it was easy to depend on Tenorio, who eventually served as a director of border and immigration issues and a liaison to the Mexican government in Gov. Ann Richards' administration.
"When you think about it, she's sort of a force of nature kind of person," Perkins said. "She was smart as a whip, and she was very, very good in terms of dealing with the public, and I can't speak highly enough of her."
"I mean, she did so much," Perkins said.
An avid reader and seen as a voice of reason by many, Tenorio was tapped to lead border initiatives when Richards became governor in 1991. Many of those efforts revolved around bringing water and resources to underserved and neglected communities throughout the Texas-Mexico border.
"And I was a little bit younger than her and I remember thinking that woman has swagger and confidence," said Celia Israel, who met Tenorio while also working in Richards' office.
Israel saw the fellow Latina Democrat as a policy wonk with a fighting spirit, passionate to effect change through recruiting smart and qualified Tejanos into the political realm. That meant she took on roles from grassroots campaigning to working behind the scenes to pull the levers of political power and being there as a shoulder to cry on during hard times.
"She was an activist in the truest sense of the word. 'What is the action that is going to go behind us having that meeting and getting together? What are we going to get done?'" said Israel, who went on to represent Austin in the Texas House. "It was a breath of fresh air for all of us who have been in the trenches over the years, and if Sandra was in the meeting, the agenda was going to be action oriented. We're going to miss that spirit so much." Tenorio's spirit felt like it was partly born from being raised in a state that largely muted Hispanic voices throughout its history and into the 1960s and 1970s, said Gonzalo Barrientos, a former Texas state senator and friend and colleague of Tenorio.
"It was the era when there were no Hispanic or Mexican American elected officials in Travis County," Barrientos said, reflecting on the period when public schools in Texas were segregated by race.
Tenorio, who was younger than Barrientos, grew up at the tail end of segregation, but she saw the effect that policies built on race had on minority communities, and she was part of a society that was reckoning with its ugly past.
"And when you grow up in that, you want to do something about that to make it right," Barrientos said. "She was one of those people that wanted to make things right.
"I wish that we had a hundred more Sandras, a thousand more Sandras."
Along with her numerous positions on boards, committees and councils, Tenorio was often recognized with awards for her work in both business and politics, receiving different woman of the year accolades over her time in public service.
She would later return to local politics, taking a seat on the Buda City Council in 2005 and even serving a stint as mayor of Buda after that town's top elected official resigned.
'The world lost a titan'
Tenorio died unexpectedly in an Austin hospital Monday after a short stint with pneumonia.
In the wake of her passing, numerous area politicians sent messages of condolences to the family and community after losing someone so many viewed as a close friend.
“A friend of 40 years, Sandra used her local government positions in Hays County to respond meaningfully to the needs of her neighbors, making a difference in the lives of so many," U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said in a statement. "No Democrat sought office in Hays County without consulting her. Her political engagement reached across the State, and her professional endeavors reached often neglected small rural communities."
Austin City Council Member José Velásquez wrote on Facebook of Tenorio: "The world lost a titan. I am so heartbroken. The Hon. Sandra Tenorio was as brilliant as she was compassionate. She was always willing to take a call, always willing to listen, and always investing in the next gen of Latino leaders."
"She opened the door for many Tejanos and leaves behind an amazing legacy," tweeted U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin.
During the Kyle City Council's regular meeting Tuesday, a day after Tenorio's passing, officials held a moment of silence in her honor. Members of the public then spoke about her, even suggesting to the council that it name its chamber after Tenorio.
Outside of politics, Tenorio could be found traveling the world in search of good food alongside close friends.
"Every time she traveled, she tried to go to the restaurants with the chefs that she was following to see who was the up-and-coming chef in that town, that area," said Nora Linares-Moeller, who worked alongside Tenorio as she oversaw the loan portfolio for Texas Rural Communities, an organization that provides real estate loans to farms, ranches and nonprofits in rural areas throughout the state.
"But I think the best thing and most personal thing about her is she just loved her family, and she loved her friends," Linares-Moeller said. "And she had all these segments of friends that she would travel with, which is awesome."
But there was always work to be done and a candidate to prepare for office.
Chevo Pastrano grew up seeing Tenorio's work in Hays County and was humbled when she approached him about running for a seat in the Texas House in 2024.
Despite her death, Pastrano said that Tenorio, as she always did, had a plan in place well in advance of election season, setting up a road map for the next several months.
"We've truly lost a giant in Hays County," Pastrano said. "Having this giant come to you and say, 'You're next, and I believe in you, and I'm going to support you, and I'm going to do everything I can to help you.'
"There's no words to describe the feeling that you get whenever somebody who you have that deep of respect for comes saying that it's your time."
"But I think the best thing and most personal thing about her is she just loved her family, and she loved her friends," Linares-Moeller said. "And she had all these segments of friends that she would travel with, which is awesome."
But there was always work to be done and a candidate to prepare for office.
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“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.
CORETTA SCOTT KING
Our Impact
Community mourns loss of public servant
Tenorio leads 'Right to Know' program for Texas Farm Workers
Tenorio leads 'Right to Know' program for Texas Farm Workers
Hays Free Press , August 9, 2023
(photo from 1986 mayoral election)
https://www.haysfreepress.com/2023/08/09/community-mourns-loss-public-servant/
Friend, mentor, family, bright, strong and intelligent are all words that have been used to describe the late Sandra Tenorio.
Sandra Tenorio (from 1986 campaign)
Born and raised in Kyle, Tenorio
Hays Free Press , August 9, 2023
(photo from 1986 mayoral election)
https://www.haysfreepress.com/2023/08/09/community-mourns-loss-public-servant/
Friend, mentor, family, bright, strong and intelligent are all words that have been used to describe the late Sandra Tenorio.
Sandra Tenorio (from 1986 campaign)
Born and raised in Kyle, Tenorio worked at her family’s grocery store, Tenorio’s Grocery Store, then located at 110 W. Center St. There, she mainly worked at the cash register, which is perhaps where her love of service grew. After graduating from Hays High School, she was appointed to the Kyle Housing Authority Board as vice chairman in 1981 and to Kyle City Council in 1982. In 1986, at the age of 27, she ran and was elected mayor of Kyle in a 319-97 vote against Richard “Rik” Burnett, becoming Kyle’s first Hispanic mayor. After serving three years as Kyle’s mayor, she worked in numerous positions, including Travis County, Department of Agriculture, Comptroller’s office and Buda City Council.
Tenorio has touched many hearts in her lifetime, local attorney and state representative candidate Chevo Pastrano being one of them. To Pastrano, she was a great mentor and was his encouragement to run for office.
“I remember as a teenager that I [would] just recall thinking she was just absolutely beautiful, but she was also a very intelligent woman,” said Pastrano, reminiscing. “She certainly was a huge presence in a room … Everybody really respected her and when she spoke, people listened with respect.”
The list of Tenorio’s positive characteristics go on and on and the many friends she has acquired across the state have never left her side. According to many, she was a bright light in their lives, whether she encouraged, supported or taught them.
“Sandra was our best friend. She made you feel valued. She makes you feel important,” said Pastrano. “I’m so grateful for [Tenorio], because if it had not been for her, I would have never confronted this possibility in my life … There are a lot of people struggling right now because they realize that who they identified as one of their best friends is gone.”
Despite her passing, Tenorio’s legacy will live on. For more than 30 years, she was a leader in politics. Tenorio took the political world by storm, inspiring those around her.
According to Lucy Johnson, former Kyle mayor, Tenorio was a force to be reckoned with.
“[She would] forcefully argue her point, take no prisoners and demand actions on important issues, particularly when it came to [League of United Latin American Citizens] or the Latino causes in Texas,” she said.
Johnson was the youngest mayor Kyle had seen at the age of 26. She was only one year younger than Tenorio was when she won her term. Having sat in the same seat as Johnson in a world dominated by older men, Tenorio never failed to mentor and protect the young politician.
“She was there in a way to mentor me, particularly when I was 26 and mayor. Honestly, at times [I was] scared of doing the wrong thing or saying the wrong thing — almost scared of my own shadow,” explained Johnson. “She was there to mentor me and she’d take me out for margaritas and tell me stories.”
Johnson also explained that there was a time when an older man dismissed everything she presented at the meeting and Tenorio, not liking one bit of it, “jumped up from the table and was like, ‘Do you know who you’re talking to? This woman has won three campaigns in as many years and I don’t see any credentials on your end.’”
As someone who was constantly prepared and did not take nonsense from anyone, she was someone Johnson could look up to.
One of Tenorio’s biggest achievements was the development of the Kyle Correctional Center. At the time, it was extremely controversial, as residents were convinced that crime would rise and the city would become a dangerous place. But not only did it provide hundreds of jobs, it also gave inmates an opportunity to contribute to the community.
Former Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos joked that she was a part of a “gang,” as he called it, of several women who were passionate about doing things not only in politics, but for people.
When describing Tenorio, he stated that she was a person who would naturally radiate positive energy.
“It’s who you are, your home, how you grew up, the love you got from home. Learning from your mistakes and it’s even better when you learn from other people’s mistakes,” said Barrientos. “She was down to earth and had common sense. She had that family background and so she was a natural.”
Tenorio was also involved in the Texas Democratic Party, State Tejano Democrats and other organizations that promoted minorities in politics during the ’70s.
“A friend of 40 years, Sandra used her local government positions in Hays County to respond meaningfully to the needs of her neighbors, making a difference in the lives of so many. No Democrat sought office in Hays County without consulting her. Her political engagement reached across the state, and her professional endeavors reached often neglected small rural communities,” said United States Rep. Lloyd Doggett. “While she was certainly an advocate for Hispanics, she stood by me even when my district was gerrymandered to ensure a vigorous Hispanic opponent. Compassionate, committed to building a Texas that offers more opportunities for all, a loyal and insightful friend who will be greatly missed.”
Tenorio was highly respected in the community and will be missed by many.
“I can’t speak highly enough of her. She was a great person. Not only did she want people to do good things in government, but she just wanted for people to be good people,” said Pastrano.
A pillar in the Hays County community, Tenorio will be honored with a proclamation at the Aug. 15 Kyle City Council meeting.
Tenorio leads 'Right to Know' program for Texas Farm Workers
Tenorio leads 'Right to Know' program for Texas Farm Workers
Tenorio leads 'Right to Know' program for Texas Farm Workers
https://peopleshistoryintexas.org/sandra-tenorio/
Photo - Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation
“Some of my first meetings as director (of TDA’s Right to Know Program), imagine this room: Rebecca Harrington from the United Farmworkers, Jon Fisher from the Chemical Council, somebody from the Farm Bureau, somebody from the Farmers Union an
https://peopleshistoryintexas.org/sandra-tenorio/
Photo - Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation
“Some of my first meetings as director (of TDA’s Right to Know Program), imagine this room: Rebecca Harrington from the United Farmworkers, Jon Fisher from the Chemical Council, somebody from the Farm Bureau, somebody from the Farmers Union and then we had somebody from Legal Aid. Those were the five entities that were in the room to negotiate the regulations for the Right to Know law. You talk about having five different perspectives and five different ideas about how to proceed. You had two or three ideas that didn’t want to proceed at all. It was absolutely the most contentious of processes because there were some people in that room that had completely opposite agendas. It took a long time to get those regulations done but they got done and they got published and it was great. I learned to respect that they had extremely different views and the best thing to do is pretend that I did not notice how rude they were being on all sides.
The big message was pesticides are dangerous so please wait. Producers had to post the pesticide application notice. Farmworkers were trained to be aware of the signs and to wait before going into the field. That was the biggest message that the program got across. Then the second message was what to do if you are exposed and how to recognize those symptoms and what to do about it. TDA had crop sheets for every possible crop and what chemicals were used. The message was to be aware of the postings, be aware of the signs, be aware of crop dusters, and then what to do if you were exposed. That was TDA’s main message. “
Sandra Tenorio was hired in 1989 as an assistant to Ellen Widess, who directed the Pesticide Enforcement division. That included the Right to Know program, Pesticide Registration and Pesticide Enforcement. Eight months later she became the director of the Right to Know program. Part of her job was to develop crop sheets to train farmworkers and producers on the various pesticides. The crop sheets were unique to Texas. There was a sheet for each chemical and the sheet had pictures of the different vegetables or produce that the chemical was used on. It had a wait period. All of that was articulated or presented in the form of almost a comic book. It was illustrated. It was in English and Spanish, one side was English, and one side was Spanish. But you have people that can’t read so it was intended for people to be able to look at it and get the message across.
Tenorio elected first female chair of Texan Democrats
Tenorio leads 'Right to Know' program for Texas Farm Workers
Tenorio elected first female chair of Texan Democrats
August 24, 2011
Buda resident and council member Sandra Tenorio has been elected chair of the State Tejano Democrats, the first woman to hold that position in the organization’s history.
Tenorio, who has also served as mayor of Kyle, has been a Tejano Democrat member since the organization’s founding and has served as chair and vice chair o
August 24, 2011
Buda resident and council member Sandra Tenorio has been elected chair of the State Tejano Democrats, the first woman to hold that position in the organization’s history.
Tenorio, who has also served as mayor of Kyle, has been a Tejano Democrat member since the organization’s founding and has served as chair and vice chair of the group’s Austin chapter. She follows former State Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos as chair of the statewide organization.
Tenorio has served as treasurer of the Texas Democratic Party, as a founding member of Texas Democratic Women and a founding member of Capitol Area Democratic Women. She was director of border and immigration issues for former Gov. Ann Richards and has worked for former Agriculture Commissioner Jim High-tower and former Comptroller John Sharp.
At the State Tejano Democrat’s meeting last weekend in San Antonio, members also elected Peter Vallecillo of Van Ormy and Debra Flores-Robles of Lubbock as vice presidents; Sylvia Camarillo as treasurer; and Joseph Nazaroff as secretary.
Speaking at the group’s luncheon, retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq from 2003-2004, said he would run for U.S. Senate as a Democrat. Other speakers included U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett and State Rep. Joaquin Castro, both of whom are running for Congress in newly created District 35.