David Alvarez was born, raised, and is still living in Barrio Logan with his family. Assemblymember Alvarez is the current representative of the 80th district that includes the San Diego Communities of Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, Sherman Heights, City Heights, Azalea Park, Otay Mesa, and San Ysidro, as well as the cities of Chula Vista, National City, and Bonita. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, David Alvarez served as a San Diego City Councilmember for eight years for District 8. After 15 years of successful government service, David started Causa Consulting. He has served as a member of major San Diego public organizations including the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, San Diego Association of Governments, Metropolitan Transit System. He also served on the Board of the League of Cities’ Latino Caucus and the national
Everyone should have equal opportunities to live, work and play in clean and safe environment. However, Tijuana River Valley residents experience constant sewage spills, San Ysidro and Otay Mesa are impacted by heavy vehicle and truck traffic close to the border, and in Barrio Logan people suffer from one of the worst levels of air quality in California.
Addressing social equity issues has been one of David’s priorities throughout his career. Pollution and climate change affect disadvantaged communities disproportionately. That’s why it is important that the City prioritizes these communities and makes sure they have the services they need. Planting trees and building a green infrastructure is one example of low cost investments that can go a long way in these communities.
As a coastal city, water is essential for San Diegans in many ways. The city is known for its beautiful beaches and bays, but cross-border sewage spills have affected especially the South Bay. David has focused on cleaning and maintaining the City’s channels and creeks to prevent flooding and restrain the sewage spills.
The City of San Diego has limited control over its water supply as most of the water is imported. With the limited existing supply, population growth, and recurring droughts, our future is very uncertain unless we are able to recycle its water efficiently. During David’s eight year tenure as Chair of the Environment Committee, the Pure Water Program developed from an idea into reality. The program is an environmentally and fiscally responsible project that ensures water costs are limited, the waste water system does not pollute the ocean, and San Diego can control its water destiny.
Many residents find it increasingly difficult to afford living in San Diego. The County has attracted hundreds of thousands of new residents during the past decade, but housing builders have not been able to answer the increased demand. The housing prices have soared, and longtime residents have moved further away from the City in search of cheaper housing. During his tenure, David has advocated tirelessly for creating housing opportunities for everybody in every part of the city.
The housing crisis is caused by a housing shortage. The City has addressed the housing shortage by making it easier to build so-called granny flats, streamlining environmental reviews for some housing proposals, and by expediting the approval of projects that include affordable housing units. In addition, David has advocated for the City to take innovative steps to turn existing buildings and empty storefronts into housing units and live-work spaces.
The COMM22 project in Logan Heights is a great of example of a successful mix-use development project. The project has succeeded in creating affordable housing for families and senior citizens, as well as an opportunity to become a first-time homeowner.
Homelessness is a huge issue, and the hepatitis A crisis of 2017 showed that the City and the County need to step up their efforts. Affordable housing and housing vouchers are a part of the solution, but they are not enough for people who need health and human services. The most effective way to address homelessness is to have an ample supply of permanent supportive housing available for families and individuals that are close to or actually experiencing homelessness.
The quickest and cheapest way to create shelter is to open vacant or under-used City properties, like the old downtown library or the old Chargers training facility.
Homeless people have been pushed from one neighborhood to another, but that has not solved the issue. All neighborhoods in San Diego should fight homelessness together, and residents should be heard in the process. Several times in the past, Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, and Sherman Heights residents have heard about the temporary winter shelters and the homeless storage facilities coming to their neighborhood only when the plans were announced. Making these kinds of decisions without hearing the residents shows a total lack of respect for the community.
Being able to live close to where you work improves your quality of life. Instead of spending hours in traffic, you get to spend that time with your family and in your community. The majority of San Diego’s well-paying jobs are in the northern part of the City, and District 8 residents endure long commutes that have a negative environmental impact.
Creating more economic opportunities and well-paying jobs in District 8 benefits the whole community. David has focused in developing Otay Mesa into an economic engine for the area as well as supporting small businesses throughout the District.
Otay Mesa has the largest range of undeveloped, industrial-zoned land in the San Diego County. The area is growing rapidly and it has enormous potential. There are a lot of exciting development projects going on. In 2017, the City Council approved the Otay Mesa Enhanced Infrastructure District Public Financing Authority creating one of California’s first enhanced infrastructure financing districts. Property taxes will be kept in the neighborhood and reinvested into the community, instead of going downtown. This will help create the roads, parks and amenities Otay Mesa needs to become San Diego’s newest center of employment.
San Diego benefits of being located right by the border of Mexico. San Diego and Tijuana form a vibrant binational area with over 5 million people. Expanding ports of entry and sharing information on topics like ocean pollution, sewage spills, and roads for the movement of goods and services help strengthen our region. For example, the City is widening the Otay Truck Route to help improve the flow of cross-border commerce and relieve congestion on local roads.
The San Ysidro Port of Entry is the busiest port in the Western Hemisphere. With tens of thousands of people crossing the border every day, addressing the traffic issues in South Bay has been a continuous effort. The more people can come across to shop and spend their money, the more jobs are created in neighborhoods like San Ysidro.
David’s main focus as a newly elected Councilmember was to improve the quality of life of District 8 residents. The neglect of decades from City politicians were evident and felt by every neighborhood. Because the damage was so severe, David wanted to work with the community to identify its top priorities and got to work immediately to address as many issues as possible. It turned out that the biggest needs were simple. Residents wanted the things other communities had: parks and playgrounds, functioning street lights, well-maintained streets and sidewalks, community centers like libraries, and better access to public transportation.
Many large infrastructure projects in District 8 have been promised and postponed for decades. In recent years, the communities have finally received the parks and libraries they have been promised. Some major construction projects include the San Ysidro Library, Cesar Solis Park, Dennery Ranch Park and the road and sidewalk to the San Ysidro High School.
These projects make a huge difference in people’s lives. San Ysidro High School students can finally walk to their school on a sidewalk instead of using a dirt path along a winding road. Sherman Heights residents have new and safe streets thanks to the completion of the 10-year undergrounding project. The Ocean View Hills residents finally have their first community park where they can play sports, relax and have picnics. In addition to the Cesar Solis Park, progress has been made also at the nearby Dennery Ranch Park as well as Southwest Park in Nestor and the Beyer Park in San Ysidro. Furthermore, the San Ysidro residents will soon have access to a brand new library that features modern amenities, such as study rooms, a computer lab, and community meeting areas.
No matter who you are or where you come from, education can make a huge difference in your life. Children in District 8 often face many challenges, like being English language learners, having parents with little or no formal education, and coming from low income households. In addition, families might not be aware of all the services that are available for them and how to access those services.
Every student should have access to high-quality education in their neighborhood, all the way from elementary school to high school. San Diego High School is the only high school that serves children from many nearby communities like Logan Heights, Barrio Logan, Golden Hill and North Park. The school is the oldest high school in the county and one of the oldest public schools in California.
David is a San Diego High alumni, and in 2016 he worked tirelessly with many concerned alumni, staff and students to keep the school in its current location through championing San Diego City Proposition I on the ballot. The measure enabled the school to renew its lease and remain in Balboa Park.
David was the first one in his family to attend college, and he believes that college should be for everybody. Every high school student should have the possibility to attend community college. There should be no financial burdens or other barriers that prevent students from applying to the San Diego Community College.
Furthermore, continuing education offers any adult the opportunity to gain or improve their skills so that they can get a better job. The options are so vast, there is truly something for everyone.
Our education system has devalued arts, and many lower income residents don’t have access to arts programs. David has advocated for the City to take a more active role in connecting civic institutions, like Balboa Park, the San Diego Opera, Villa Musica and many others to schools and exposing young children to arts, music, and culture. Research shows that children who have access to arts do better academically.
The Penny for the Arts program ensures that local students have direct access to arts programming. The 5-year plan passed in 2012 and it is important for the City to meet the promised 9.5 percent of the City’s hotel tax collections toward arts programs.
Our Mental Health system in California is totally broken. As a result, ten thousand of our friends and neighbors have been left to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, the state is spending billions and we don’t know where it is going. Expecting all 58 counties in the state to handle mental health is unrealistic, and the State Auditor has found, California needs to step in and fix this system.
Violent crime is on the rise . In National City, violent crime is up by 12%, in Chula Vista it is up by 16%, and in San Diego it is up by 20%. The only way to deter violent crime is to ensure that our local police departments have enough officers to patrol our neighborhoods and ensure that if anyone breaks the law they will be held accountable.
When I served on the City Council, I advocated for the reform of our Police Department to improve the relationship between police officers and the community they serve. This included hiring more police officers to patrol our neighborhoods, engage the community, and deter crime. In 2017, San Diego had the fewest police officers in modern history with less than 1,800 officers. We paid police officers so poorly that many left San Diego for other cities to work for better pay. Thanks to my advocacy, we passed a historic increase in officer pay, and the department began growing again. But we need to do more. I will push for increased funding from the state to allow cities to increase the size of their police departments to address increasing violent crime while allowing them to reform the way they engage with the community they serve