The San Diego City Council’s Infrastructure Committee voted Wednesday to move forward with budget adjustments that would fund renovations to the city-leased 101 Ash Street office building, which has been the subject of delays and tens of millions of dollars in projected cost overruns.
The committee vote was 3-1, with Councilman David Alvarez casting the dissenting vote.
“We were told we were getting something that we did not get or come close to getting. Now I’m supposed to trust we’re supposed to get this other thing for this cost, and I have a hard time actually believing that,” he said.
Alvarez has been going pretty much non-stop since he entered the race for mayor. His challenge is a big one: Before he can even think about winning, he has to get San Diegans outside of his district just to know who he is. David Alvarez grew up in Barrio Logan. Alvarez is the son of a janitor and a fast-food worker, both immigrants from the Jalisco region of Mexico. He was the youngest of six kids, five brothers and one sister. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school.
Read MoreLess than seven months after San Diegans overwhelmingly decided to hold elections when the most people could participate, Mayor Kevin Faulconer is pushing the City Council to schedule a special off-year election for two ballot initiatives.
Read MoreCommunity leaders pursuing a Chicano Park museum took a key step forward this week when San Diego officials agreed to lease an empty building in the park to them for 20 years so they can begin fundraising for renovations. Alvarez said previous success by community leaders in creating the park and turning it into something special are a strong indication that they will successfully make the museum happen. “The community built this park,” he said. “So we know that the museum and cultural center will be built.”
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