Anything & Everything with Matt Reyna
Anything and Everything with Matt Reyna is the podcast where no topic is off limits. From hot takes on current events and real-life stories to life lessons, laughs, culture, and the kind of conversations that usually happen when good friends get together, Matt Reyna brings it all to the table. Expect honest discussions, different perspectives, unpredictable moments, and plenty of substance mixed with personality. Whether it’s something serious, something funny, or something completely random, this show is all about diving into anything and everything.
Anything & Everything with Matt Reyna
Marcus Cardenas on Running for Texas Senate | South Side to Politics
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What happens when a kid from the South Side of San Antonio decides he wants to make a difference in his community? In this episode, Matt Reyna sits down with Texas Senate District 19 candidate Marcus Cardenas to talk about growing up together, family, faith, business, politics, property taxes, education, and what inspired Marcus to run for office. This is an honest conversation about leadership, community, and the challenges facing everyday Texans.
🎙️ In this episode:
• Growing up on the South Side of San Antonio
• Childhood memories and family roots
• Marcus' path into politics
• Why he left the Democratic Party
• Running for Texas Senate District 19
• Property taxes and home affordability
• School districts and education concerns
• Small business and economic development
• Losing his brother and overcoming adversity
• Faith, perseverance, and personal growth
🧠What you'll learn:
• Why local politics impacts your daily life
• The importance of understanding who represents you
• Challenges facing Texas homeowners
• How school boards influence communities
• Lessons from entrepreneurship and leadership
• How adversity can shape your future
• Why community involvement matters
⏱️ CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro & Marcus Cardenas Joins the Podcast
00:24 Campaign Update & Senate Runoff Victory
01:16 Growing Up Together on San Antonio's South Side
03:09 Childhood, Community & Early Influences
04:11 Getting Involved in Politics
05:36 Why Marcus Stepped Away from the Democratic Party
07:30 Political Beliefs & Community Priorities
08:50 Property Taxes & Homeownership Challenges
10:33 School Boards & Education Issues
11:27 What Is Texas Senate District 19?
13:27 Family Support & Running for Office
14:04 Losing His Brother & Life Lessons
15:00 Faith, Patience & Personal Growth
15:50 Spurs Analogy & Perspective on Success
📢 About the Podcast
Anything & Everything with Matt Reyna is a podcast featuring real conversations about life, business, sports, current events, entrepreneurship, politics, and the stories that shape our communities.
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Anything and Everything Podcast, episode 15. I got a very, very special guest today, Marcus Cardenas, running for Senate District 19. Bro, I'm very proud of you, man. And this is exactly one of the reasons why I made the podcast for my peeps, the people that I've grown up with, doing bigger and better things day by day, bro. So, how's the campaign been going? What's been going on? Bring me up to date, man.
SPEAKER_01Let's go. Going really well, man. We just uh first of all, thank you for having me. Oh, yeah, man, of course. It's the second podcast we've ever done.
SPEAKER_00So that you've ever done. Yeah. I think I saw you on the other one, man. How did it go?
SPEAKER_01Uh well, first time. I didn't know it was a podcast. They just said, come over, we're gonna ask you some questions. Went over there. He sus got on the camera.
SPEAKER_00And I was like, I I saw you, bro, and I was like, you know what? I need to reach out, man, because you had mentioned something that's uh gonna happen within the next couple of uh couple of weeks or or what or whatnot, right? Or uh it was supposed to be in May.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, May we had a runoff. Okay, yeah. So we got through the primary. So primary is when the Republicans go after Republicans and Democrats go after each other. We had three people in the race, including myself. We didn't get over 50%, so we had a runoff in May.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01And May happened already. We got through that runoff, we won with 52% of the vote.
SPEAKER_00Nice, man. Congratulations, brother.
SPEAKER_01Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Well, let's let's uh let's start at the beginning, bro. How far do our families go back?
SPEAKER_01Whoo cheek too too far back, man. You know, we we grew up in the same neighborhood. Yeah, it was a big, big neighborhood, but you were on one side, I was on the other side.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, definitely. So uh for everybody who doesn't know, we're from the south side of San Antonio, represent uh graduate of South San 05, right?
SPEAKER_0105, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, 05, I'm 07. So um he used to pick on me when we were kids. No comment. No, so uh Kazen Middle School también, right?
SPEAKER_01Uh Winna Kazen, yeah, one year after St. Joseph's. Okay. Yeah, so I went I went David Barkley in the West Side because my grandma lived in the West Site. Okay, what part? Uh Guadalupe in Sasamora. Okay. Yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah. That part.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so we're down commerce. Uh, our our uh right X, uh we're down commerce towards Castroville. Okay, yeah. Yeah. Uh I'm sorry, we're down Castroville. Castroville and General McMahon. Castroville and General McMahon. Okay. Yeah, so that's where my Walita was at. You you've been to my grandma's house, right? Uh I think so back in the day.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, back in the day.
SPEAKER_00So anyway. So uh migrated to the South Side. So, oh, so elementary, you didn't go to Hutchins or Paladin.
SPEAKER_01I did go to Hutchins. Oh, did you? I did like one year uh David Barkley Elementary, went to Hutchins. That's where I met, you know, Desmond, Jennifer, uh Bonda, all those people. That was a long time ago. Nice. Then my brother was gonna go to middle school. My parents said, no, you know what? Caden's pretty, it's pretty uh pretty gangster. Let's be real. Uh so they threw us all to St. Joseph's right down New Dorado Highway. Oh, okay. Where TJ's burgers was at. It still is, yeah. Oh, gotcha.
SPEAKER_00The renovated TJ's.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, the renovated TJ's.
SPEAKER_00Hey, man, I tell people that that's a that's a staple right there.
SPEAKER_01It is, man. I still go over there, still eat the burgers. I shouldn't, but I still do. Oh, yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_00So um, and y'all have always been in the house over there by Ramirez.
SPEAKER_01Yes, Roder Chaser Chief Ramirez.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so for everybody who doesn't have the background to uh Marcus Gadlinus, uh tell them about how your childhood was growing up in South Side of San Antonio. What what how would you describe yourself as a kid coming up?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, at a disadvantage, but we didn't know it at the time. You know, that's a great way to put it. Yeah, we didn't know. We didn't know, but we had great times. We played in the streets, we you know played basketball at either PA or Ramirez Park. Uh I still go to Ramirez Park to walk. Not that much. I should walk more.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But uh get your thousand steps in. Yeah, I tried to, I'm probably at what? Let's see. I'll tell you right now 3,400. Not bad. Not bad.
SPEAKER_00Hey, we're walking.
SPEAKER_01Hey, we uh, you know, we we grew up in the south side. It was uh it was our home. Well, it still is my home, still work there, still still live there. Uh, like I said, we didn't know we're at a disadvantage, but growing up, we we saw the all the fighting between our politicians, our school boards always fighting. We always hear the cheese myth. Uh, you know, so after high school, I got involved. I was like, let me get involved, see how it how it is.
SPEAKER_00And then uh That's what I was gonna ask you, just to cut you off real quick. What is it that sprung you to get involved? Was there a particular thing, or was it kind of like um a particular thing that happened, or something that you were kind of seeing that was repetitive that you were kind of tired of, or things that you just you wanted to put your imprint on, I guess?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, you know, my whole life, my parents have always, you know, they worked hard and we were okay. My my father had a plumbing company. So I saw him giving back a lot.
SPEAKER_00I remember, bro, from the outside looking in. I remember we always assumed that y'all did pretty well for y'all.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you know, we we we moved in when I was like three months old. My father added to the house, you know, made it two-story. Remember, did all that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh, because he wanted to stay on the south side because my grandparents lived on commercial. You know, my father's a product of McCullum, Harland OISD. So my father didn't want to move so far away where he couldn't take care of his parents. So that's why, you know, we stuck in the South Side. So looking at that, and now I've, you know, I'm taking a play from his book, and I stayed in the Southside. I want to be close to my parents and the community that I I care for so much. Uh, seeing everything that was happening, I said, you know what, I want to try to help. Let's see if politics was the way. So I got involved, started going to groups and and clubs, and became a precinct chair, a member of the Texas Democratic Party, you know, working my way up. And uh yeah, no, it wasn't for me. I uh I saw what they were doing from the inside, and I said, nah, this is it's too much.
SPEAKER_00Okay, explain that to me because honestly, Mark, I'm a little bit uh jaded when it comes to politics. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? Absolutely. And and I think a lot of people are. Um, I guess I don't know if it's because of a lack of just awareness or whatnot, but at the same time, it I I think from after a while, you just kind of get this sentiment of like, are they really doing something for us? Are they really within their their own interests uh for the most part? Are they really kind of trying to line their own pockets, trying to get constituents that they're gonna do this and that? You know what I'm saying? No, did did something like that? Did you see anything like that?
SPEAKER_01It was, and part of the reason was I was hanging around, you know, with with elected officials. Okay, and there are some good ones out there that really have the best, you know, their best interest for the community. And there were some that, like, why are you even in this? So seeing all that, I stepped away. I said, I want to make something for myself, my family, become a little more successful, then one day run. Because you know, we joked around even growing up after high school. You, you know, I have friends that call me the mayor because they knew I was really involved. I wanted to run one day. So when I stepped away, I started growing the business, and growing the business, I started to hang around with different people. When I say different, I mean Republicans. And you know, they they want to help you, they want to guide you through life. And I see the Democrats, it was like that before. You see a JFK speech, and you know, the Democrats back then, they wanted to help the working class because that's what builds and everything is the working class. Now and they listen to the Democrats, it's all about social issues. You know, I don't care if you're gay, I don't care if you're this or that, but don't push it on us and don't make it like the main objective. Like that's all we gotta be doing. Let's let's focus on the working, the working man, the small business owner like yourself, like your brother. You know, let's focus on that, and that's how we're gonna develop our community. Let's bring jobs to our community. Let's not push them away.
SPEAKER_00Let me let me give you a little bit of pushback on that, just plain devil's advocate. Yeah. Why wouldn't you, Mark? Why is it that you would have to go Republican as opposed to let's take the Democratic Party back to what is what it what it what it was when we were growing up, or the way that you said what you kind of signed up for to begin with. Why why not that?
SPEAKER_01That that's so far. That's they went too far left. You know what's funny?
SPEAKER_00You know what's funny? I've heard before and and I understand the sentiment. It's like, man, it's not that I'm I'm more Republican now or whatever, right? It's like the line got pushed on me. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? The line got pushed, and I'm like, I I can kind of appreciate what you're saying. I could see what you're saying. You know what I'm saying? Um, you know, at the same time, man, I mean, I like I said, I'm not very, you know, political or or whatnot. I believe that everybody has their um their right to kind of go after whatever, whatever they're they they want, man. I mean, as far as you know, your religion on things, your sexual orientation, whatever. You know what I'm saying? Um, but at the same time, too, you know, there is such a thing as the community as a field, like where are our tax dollars going? You know what I'm saying? Um, in that sense, what would you say that you're kind of the biggest proponent of moving moving forward or whatnot?
SPEAKER_01You know, when you mentioned taxes, I think property taxes right off the bat. And you as a relator, you see it, you know, people can't afford homes because they're gonna get in there and they're gonna pay six, seven hundred dollars a month just on taxes. And then you got people that've been in their homes like my parents for over 40 years, still paying taxes, and then it just goes up.
SPEAKER_00What it just goes up. We pay my mom's taxes. You know what I'm saying? No, I know it's it's like, you know, yeah, and I the same thing.
SPEAKER_01And my mom's house paid off. And you're still paying. And you're still paying, and that one line item is public school, and we pay a shit ton of money to South Sand, and it's the truth. But we then we we go to South Sand and it has to get taken over by the state because we elect these officials, these school board members, that I guess they don't know how to manage. They don't know how to, I don't know, man. We and we just keep electing. You know, growing up we had this official at Southsanne, and we hear her name, and I'll say the name. I'm not embarrassed, it's the Prado family. It was Connie Prado, and it started with her husband, Raul, that was a city council member, got in trouble. And but we still elected the wife to Southsanne school board over and over and over. And all you you hear throughout the community, oh, that Connie Praddle, this, that, that. And she stayed in office for all those years. We just we're just like you say, and you and you said it right now, I'm not real involved. I don't know the politics, but hey, sometimes we got to get involved. We got to know the people we're electing, where they came from, what they believe in, because it at the end of the day, it's costing our taxpayer money. So we see all these schools, it's not just South Sand. You know, Judson's going through it right now with their school board, they're may or may not be taking over, but you wouldn't see that. You will only see it on the Southside, West Side, and East Side of these school board members always fighting, and there was always now we're seeing it all over. So, I mean, is there a pattern to it?
SPEAKER_00Well, what do you know? Well, I mean, you being closer to that than us, what do you think the the shift is or or whatnot? Why do you think that that is?
SPEAKER_01You know, I think a lot of people get elected, and once they get elected, they get a big head, and it's me, me, me. And then you start seeing that fighting between members of the school board. You know, they they forget why they ran for school board. And it's one reason why they ran for school board is to see those kids succeed. You you want to see those students succeed in life. They they forget all that, you know, they worry more about themselves, how they're gonna look, how their Facebook's gonna look, and you know, they they post stuff just bloating on themselves and gloating on themselves like, hey, it's me. No, it's about the kids, man. And they forgot about that. They really have. And there's a lot of school board members that are great, but then they get that little fraction that are just always bumping heads. And you know, it's sad to see. You know, I I I go visit superintendents throughout because we got 45 school districts in Senate District 19.
SPEAKER_00Okay. It's huge. Yeah, I was gonna tell you, man, for you know, like talk to me like if I'm, you know, not like District 19. Where does it encompass or whatnot?
SPEAKER_01All right, we're gonna go all the way to the east. So it starts off in Seguin, Texas. Okay, downtown area comes up the Itan corridor, then it jumps to like Universal Shirts, Cibelo area, Randolph Air Force Base, jumps to the east side of San Antonio, then it comes down to the south side. And then it kind of Pac-Man's it way its way up to like this area, La Cantera, Alamo Ranch. Okay. A lot of outside 604, Alamo Ranch, uh 151 area.
SPEAKER_00So it doesn't encompass all of San Antonio.
SPEAKER_01No, it's only like 34% of Bear County. Uh yeah, like I don't have downtown San Antonio, I don't have uh Stone Oak area. I don't know. Gotcha. I got this side of I-10, which is La Cantera, the Rock, those are all inside the district. The rim is not. Then we go down 90, down 35 to it goes to Pearsall, Texas, Frio County, some out of Scosa County. It goes down 57, like on the way to Eagle Pass. Uh-huh. So it goes Eagle Pass, Zavala County.
SPEAKER_00Down down 35. Yeah. So you can go. If we go south, are you on the left or the right side?
SPEAKER_01Uh both sides. Then we get into once you get to Dilly, it ends right there.
SPEAKER_00Okay, cool.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So then you have Palo Alto, you have everywhere that we're from.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, all that area.
SPEAKER_00Okay, gotcha.
SPEAKER_01We got that. That's the heart of it. Gotcha. Honestly, that's where the vote's gonna come out. We're looking at it, it's like that's uh really yeah.
SPEAKER_00Now, whenever it comes to that, how speaking of our side, exactly where we're from, how active would you say that they are? You know, like it do you get a good turnout?
SPEAKER_01There is a good turnout, but they tend to vote Democratic.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Because in the years past, that's the only person we had on the ballot was somebody from the South side of San Antonio, which is a person that's in office right now. But he moved into the South Side to run for office.
SPEAKER_00Gotcha.
SPEAKER_01You know, so he's and uh I mean, like my parents say, if you got nothing nice to say, don't say it at all. So we'll keep it at that. But I'm I'm born, raised, live, and still work in the South Side. Gotcha.
SPEAKER_00So okay, gotcha. Um, as far as what uh speaking of, you know, you just mentioned uh your parents right now, um, what are they thinking about everything that you're doing, about you running or whatnot?
SPEAKER_01Uh just like the typical, typical Hispanic parents, they're gonna support you. They're gonna, you know, they're gonna they'll they'll say, have you thought about it? Yes, you prayed about it, yes. So but they're they're on board.
SPEAKER_00Was there uh ever a specific challenge that your family specifically or you with along with your family kind of went through or anything like that that kind of made you want to get more more involved?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so you know, growing up, we uh there was three of us. Uh 2007 I lost my brother, and I was at Palo Alto trying to, you know, become an attorney.
SPEAKER_00I kind of wanted to get into that too, but go ahead, go ahead.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah. So uh, you know, we lost my brother, so I got back into business and and uh just started working hard. You know, I yeah, I wish I would have gone to school, finished school, but sometimes that's not uh God's plan. God's plan, you know, it's gonna throw you a curveball and you gotta adjust, adapt, and move forward.
SPEAKER_00I think that's the best way to put it. Yeah, I was talking to a buddy of mine at the gym today, and he's going through this leg injury, right? And he just saw like, man, you know, like this and that. And and and I just I like to ask people these questions, and I said, What do you think's kind of like the thing that you learn most of it? And he was like, just patience, man, patience with everything. And then I kind of thought to myself, God can't give you a can of patience and say, drink it. You know what I'm saying? You gotta sometimes go through something, you know, and uh meeting Xavier were talking about something on the way over here, too. Like things that I have going on with business and stuff like that, man, and it's just like sometimes they're up in the air and you don't know how it's gonna land. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? And I'm just like, man, but after a while, you kind of just have to have faith and everything's gonna be all right. You know what I'm saying? It may not go the way that you want, but it's kind of working in your favor, like um all the way. Excellent. Uh how we were saying about working for your uh on your fa for your favor. Um I know that I was I was talking about that, right? And you were saying, man, when you start seeing it that way, you start kind of looking at at things a little bit, a little bit different, right? So um, yeah, something something happened the other day, man, and I was just like, or, or you know what's a good analogy? Spurs right now.
SPEAKER_01There you go. Let's go. Let's go with Spurs.
SPEAKER_00What's it called? That's a good analogy. Um, I was telling somebody, look, it's either A, we're gonna win it right now, or B, you know, we're not going to, and then it's gonna light the fire in us to maybe win the next two, three straight. Oh, yeah. You know what I'm saying? So sometimes, man, you know, you not getting what you're looking for could be the biggest blessing of them all. You know what I'm saying?