State Rep. Diego Bernal

As a social worker, he helped young gang members in Detroit transition out of a rough life and into school or the workforce. He continued this work in Harlingen, Texas with Communities in Schools (CIS), working with at-risk youth to improve literacy by founding a student newspaper. During law school, he devoted himself to civil rights advocacy, spending a summer in New York City with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and a year at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) back in San Antonio. After graduating from law school, he returned to San Antonio permanently as a MALDEF staff attorney, advocating and litigating on behalf of working people, children, and immigrant communities.

In June 2011, Diego was elected to the San Antonio City Council representing District 1. He worked alongside Mayor Julián Castro, former Secretary of Housing & Urban Development. He wrote and passed the strictest payday loan regulation in the state of Texas and also passed the Non-Discrimination Ordinance (NDO).

Rep. Bernal was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in February 2015. He represents District 123, home to downtown and north central San Antonio, parts of the city’s West Side, along with the City of Castle Hills.

Outside of his legal and legislative work, Diego is a musician and has released four albums. He is the father of Xan Rosa Bernal.