Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra is taking his long-running feud with San Marcos City Hall back to court, filing a lawsuit to stop the city from tearing down a modest downtown building he owns at 201 South LBJ Drive, now home to Las Dos Fridas Cocina Mexicana. The complaint names City Manager Stephanie L. Reyes and the city's real estate manager, Cory Lime, and asks for emergency relief along with a jury trial. It is the latest flare-up in a yearslong fight over a slender strip of land that runs under part of the structure.
What the lawsuit alleges
Becerra's lawsuit argues that San Marcos officials pushed ahead with plans to demolish the building even though part of it sits on land controlled by the city, and contends that the way the city has handled the property violates local rules and state law. The filing leans on Article I, Section 17 of the Texas Constitution, which states that "no person's property shall be taken, damaged, or destroyed for or applied to public use without adequate compensation," and asks a judge to halt any demolition while the case plays out. The complaint also demands a jury trial, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
How the debt was handled
Years before this latest legal clash, the money side of the property was already a headache. City records show that in May 2018 the San Marcos City Council voted to wipe out back rent for 2013 through 2016, accept a partial payment for 2017 and then lock in a one-year lease in 2018 with a payment schedule to clean things up. Those minutes also highlight how tangled bookkeeping and confusion over lease terms at the site have helped fuel the broader dispute, according to City of San Marcos meeting minutes.
Politics and local land deals
The unassuming downtown spot has kept popping up in local development talks and negotiations between public entities, giving what might otherwise be a quiet landlord-tenant fight a noticeable political charge. Coverage of related land discussions involving the county and the school district has repeatedly pulled the building back into the spotlight, according to the San Marcos Record.
Legal stakes and what comes next
On paper, the relationship is spelled out in a short ground lease between the city and Becerra Corp. City documents show the council approved that agreement with 2025 rent set at $5,556 and a term that runs through Jan. 31, 2026. The lease lays out what the landlord can do if the tenant defaults, requires the tenant to move out when the term ends and explains how any tenant improvements can be removed, according to city lease documents.
Becerra's new lawsuit challenges the notices that city officials say brought that lease to an end and asks a Hays County state district court for a temporary restraining order to block demolition while those arguments are sorted out. The filing names the city manager and a city real estate official as defendants and calls for a jury to ultimately decide the matter, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
