Democratic Councilmember declares his candidacy for Mayor of San Diego.
By Andy Cohen
City Councilman David Alvarez officially entered the special election for the vacated San Diego mayoral office yesterday with a press conference in Presidio Park adjacent to Old Town. Alvarez joins 30 other potential candidates as listed by the City Clerk’s office, but becomes only the third “major” candidate, joining City Councilman Kevin Faulconer and former State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher as top contenders for a runoff. A potential candidate is someone who has filed a “Candidate Intention Statement” with the San Diego City Clerk’s office.
The special election is scheduled for November 19. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two candidates will take place within 49 days of the primary. The winner will complete the term of departed former mayor Bob Filner.
“The City has neglected the needs of neighborhoods and vital infrastructure, and has focused instead on giving taxpayer subsidies to well connected special interests. The City has been beset by corruption, conflict and scandal,” Alvarez said in a prepared statement.
“I’m running for mayor because I believe that San Diego is bigger than the special interests. That by coming together around our shared values we can solve our problems. That working families, not well connected businesses, are the heart of San Diego.”
If elected, Alvarez would become San Diego’s first Mexican-American mayor.
Critics have long lamented City Hall’s deference to wealthy business interests and the local government’s willingness to bend to the will of big business and its laser focus on Downtown development. Developers and the big hotel interests have long been the primary beneficiaries of perceived preferential treatment, sometimes for the betterment of San Diego, but more often to the detriment of ordinary taxpayers.
In 2006, the City of San Diego issued approvals for a 12 story building constructed by Sunroad Enterprises adjacent to Montgomery Field airport in defiance of Federal Aviation Administration regulations and admonitions. Former mayor Jerry Sanders was accused of complicity in the illegal and openly defiant Sunroad deal.
The company was eventually forced to remove the top two floors of its Centrum building to meet FAA regulations.
More recently, Sunroad asked for and received an easement of public property that was granted by the City Council. $200,000 worth of public property was given away to the developer for nothing.
In North Park, local residents are seething about a Jack-In-the-Box restaurant, where the fast food chain has allegedly blatantly disregarded an agreed upon renovation for its 30th and Upas location to build a new structure from the ground up in violation of city ordinances. Permits were issued by the City for a renovation, providing that the original exterior walls remain in place. The company agreed, but disregarded the permits and completely tore down the old structure with the City turning a blind eye until Mayor Bob Filner took up the issue personally. City zoning ordinances prohibit a drive-thru at that location, or any location so close to residential areas.
There was also the alleged secret agreement between developer and media mogul Doug Manchester and Republican former mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio to move San Diego’s City Hall to Manchester’s proposed Navy Broadway Complex development project, where the city would lease office space from Manchester in a relocation agreement should DeMaio have won the 2012 mayoral election. The list goes on and on.
Bob Filner was elected on a promise to change that culture of deference to big business and place a greater emphasis on neighborhood development, a vision that Alvarez says he shares. “We need to focus on giving back to neighborhoods and not subsidizing with taxpayer dollars the special interests,” said Alvarez.
“I think my policies will be very progressive. Maybe a lot of people haven’t been paying attention for the last two-and-a-half years, but I’ve been pretty progressive in pushing an agenda forward that really benefits communities that really need that type of investment and attention. I’ve been doing that since I’ve been on the City Council.”
Alvarez said that he will proactively seek funding from the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development in the form of Community Development and Block Grants to invest in outlying neighborhoods that he says have been neglected, such as his own Barrio Logan neighborhood. He also promoted the use of new market tax credits to encourage investment and development.
Asked about the differences between himself and his main Democratic rival Nathan Fletcher, who is also presumed to be Alvarez’ main obstacle for earning a spot in a runoff election, Alvarez noted Fletcher’s switch of party affiliation as his main hurdle. “People know who I am. Nathan, when he ran for mayor last year, I think he had a different set of values that he is trying to persuade voters that he has now. That’s going to be his hurdle. My hurdle is going to be being able to compete with all the money that’s going to be spinning out from a lot of the big corporations.”
“I’ve got a room full of people who are willing to give up their next two months to really be supportive, and we’re going to build an election that way, because that’s the way I won my last election, by getting people involved when nobody thought I could become a councilmember,” he said, adopting the underdog role.
Andy Cohen
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The more the spotlight is placed on the “under the table” methods that have dominated San Diego politics the more I miss what could have been with Bob Filner! Let’s get it right again…is Lori Saldana still available??? The major forces that have twisted arms in this city are repulsive and naked in the part they have played in the corporate, rich segment of SD. Where are the voices of the other forces? Let’s get busy and get organized whether you live in the city or not. We will all benefit from the leadership of a good SD mayor!
not surprised if san diegans are in a “show me” mood these days… umm, political hype, yes, we’ve had plenty of it… (charger hype too) no, don’t much believe it, nope, don’t wanna pay more for it… we need serious people who don’t just wanna invite the world to a party that we can’t really afford to throw “panem et circuses,” how about that?
“give someone a construction job, feed them for a year,
give them a public transportation job, feed them for a whole career”
let’s get san diegans around their own town for fun, for work, for the beach, and for reasonable sustainable costs, and the tourists and conventioneers will like that just fine too, i bet… downtowns to airports to beach connections….
i hope whoever wins the election will think on developing that for the future, thank you
David Alvarez was a highly qualified candidate for City Council when he ran and won in 2010. To his recent great credit, David brokered the deal which allowed Mayor Filner to reach a more community-friendly agreement with greedy hoteliers on Tourism Management District timeline and fund-sharing.
David Alvarez is highly qualified in experience and temperament to be Mayor of San Diego in the coming special election on November 19. Alvarez would be the first Latino to hold that position — which would be a much-needed something to celebrate in this majority Latino city. Furthermore, in a refreshing change, David is approachable, unaffected and modest by nature, while entirely dedicated to a progressive vision for improving the lives of all people in neighborhoods across this city.
Waiting for Godot at this point– the frustratingly distant, disorganized and dilatory Lori Saldana or anyone else — is a recipe for losing this election. Huge money from Irwin Jacobs and other Democrats in Name Only (DINOs) and Jacobs’ lackey press, VoiceofSanDiego.org, have lined up behind shape-shifting handsome boy Nathan Fletcher who expediently changed his political party registration three times in the last year. And that’s the best thing you can say about him. There’s more, but I’ll save it for another time. Suffice to say, he is bought and paid for by Irwin Jacobs and is already getting his picture taken around town and tweeted with black ministers and homeless people.
Then there’s the GOP public relations practitioner and business-as-usual-serve-the-downtown-power-elites Kevin Faulconer who will enjoy the financial backing of Doug Manchester and his yellow U-T newspaper and TV station. The best thing you can say about Faulconer is that he responsibly banned booze a few years ago from Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach. But that was only after a riot.
please…”first Latino Mayor” like “first Black President” really changed the country. More war, more corporate welfare, less civil liberties. How naive to think a persons skin color matters on their conduct , ethics, intelligence or commitment to the disinfranchised 99%. . Alvarez “highly” qualified- what has he really achieved ? I cannot understand your logic.
“If elected, Alvarez would become San Diego’s first Mexican-American mayor.” John, is that the one line that set your hair on fire?
Bobby D. , nice try . Either you completely do not understand my viewpoint or worse are using standard “NPR” argument of “racist” racist” to dismiss my viewpoint- which is completely what MLK said long ago. See my family taught me to admire King and he was indeed a Giant of a man. He was a man of integrity and leadership. To see Obama wage war and yet be given a peace prize is an insult to progressive. Growing up working class in the Detroit area 1960’s -70’s I saw how the situation in Detroit did not change and got worse under Coleman Young. Because Todd Gloria is gay does that mean he will be a better Mayor? Did Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa reshape Los Angeles? The issue is I want people to govern who have integrity, vision, keep the social and economic situation fair, especially for the lower-middle class- okay that is probably going to make you laugh but its an ideal. I do not care about skin color, sexual orientation , sex, physically challenged issues, etc…The person I want should be compassionate and understanding for the vast majority of disenfranchised people. To hail someone as mayor material based solely on other factors is not logical and plays into the most corrupt elements of society.