news articles

Newsom signs law allowing in-state college tuition for some students in Mexico

October 16, 2023

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Middle-Income Homes Bonus Law by Assemblymember Alvarez Will Boost Affordable Housing

October 23, 2023

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Assemblyman David Alvarez introduces bill that would overturn bans on cruising in California

February 8, 2023

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San Diego Lowriders, and Assemblymember David Alvarez, Take Fight Against Cruising to Sacramento

October 23, 2023

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ASM Alvarez Introduces Bi-National Tuition Exemption Pilot Program for Local Community Colleges

February 9, 2023

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Bill to improve Imperial Beach water quality passes committee

April 19, 2023

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David Alvarez Speaks to Fox40 on affordable housing

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Assemblymember David Alvarez addresses district in first townhall

February 7, 2023

Some of the bills introduced at Tuesday night's meeting range from rental protection to improving college education for binational residents.

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KPBS: As He Leaves City Council, David Alvarez Turns Attention To Border Relations

December 5, 2018

San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez is leaving his job representing southern communities such as Barrio Logan and San Ysidro after eight years. On a rainy morning last week, Alvarez's office was a mess. He had pulled everything down off the bookshelves, and it was now covering his desk. He and his staff worked to box up the documents that had passed through their office in the past eight years to all be archived by the City Clerk. Alvarez took a break from packing for this exit interview.

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Jobs, Homes and the Border Loom Large as Otay Mesa's Maps Its Future

March 10, 2014

Otay Mesa wants to be a big part of the solution to San Diego’s housing crisis. Its new community plan – which is up for a City Council vote Tuesday – aims to make the area a manufacturing jobs center, and to provide thousands of new homes to help meet the city’s shortage. “This plan creates a middle-class job center for the region, and from my standpoint and a general plan standpoint, that’s the priority of the plan,” said Councilman David Alvarez, who represents the area.

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Project aims to make Brown Field airport into an economic catalyst near the border with new hangars, hotels and more

November 4, 2018

Efforts to make Otay Mesa’s Brown Field an economic catalyst took a step forward recently when San Diego approved plans for three dozen new hangars, two hotels and 1.5 million square feet of retail and industrial buildings. The project will boost the cross-border economy, said Councilman David Alvarez of Logan Heights, whose district includes the city’s border communities.

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Voice of San Diego: San Ysidro Is Finally Getting its Sidewalk – Finally

June 18, 2014

City Councilman David Alvarez called them together Wednesday afternoon to announce the city finally had all the money it needed to build a sidewalk on the hill between San Ysidro High School and San Ysidro Middle School. “This sidewalk is extremely important to the many students of San Ysidro who use it to go to and from school,” Alvarez said. “And obviously, just as important to the parents, the grandparents and those who care for those kids.”

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Voice of San Diego: Alvarez Strikes Another Big Compromise

March 11, 2014

Once again, Councilman David Alvarez has negotiated a compromise on a contentious land use decision in his district. The City Council on Tuesday approved a new community plan for Otay Mesa. Alvarez orchestrated a last-minute change to address the biggest outstanding dispute over the plan.

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La Prensa: City Council Seeks Explanation for Spending on Protection of Border Wall Prototypes

March 1, 2018

The San Diego City Council will seek an explanation from law enforcement officials on why thousands of dollars from public funds were invested into the protection of the construction zone of the border wall prototypes. “They took resources that could have been used in our communities,” the councilman Alvarez criticized. “Obviously we have to be careful, but I think it was done in a very exaggerated way,” he added.

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Washington Post: Build a wall on the border? No thanks, says San Diego.

October 31, 2015

While Trump and other GOP presidential candidates push for a giant wall between the United States and Mexico, San Diego is literally building a bridge. In San Diego, Alvarez said, Republicans have changed. Although he is frequently critical of Sanders’s mayoral tenure and unsuccessfully ran against Faulconer for mayor, Alvarez agrees with their stances on the border. “We have a common goal,” he said.

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Fox News: David Alvarez Seeks To Make History As The First Latino Mayor Of San Diego

October 8, 2013

The son of Mexican immigrants, David Alvarez, a first-term San Diego Councilman, is shaking things up in the race to replace former Mayor Bob Filner, who resigned Aug. 30 amid a sexual harassment scandal. Although other mayoral candidates have more political experience, Alvarez’s campaign has gained momentum lately as he secures endorsements from heavy hitters in San Diego, including the San Diego County Democratic Party, the San Diego Democrats for Equality and the San Diego County Labor Council.

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CBS 8: Construction of border wall prototypes begins in San Diego

September 26, 2017

Construction began in San Diego Tuesday on prototypes for a new border wall between the United States and Mexico. "The border wall is a stupid idea," Councilman David Alvarez said. "The border can become efficient and safe with investments in infrastructure and technology instead of wasting billions of taxpayer dollars for a wall, which will accomplish nothing."

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San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego leaders vote to oppose Trump's border wall

September 19, 2017

The San Diego City Council approved a resolution on Tuesday opposing President Trump’s enhanced border wall and seeking disclosure of all companies involved in financing or construction of the proposed project. Councilman David Alvarez said it was sad that the council and the country even need to have a conversation about such a “stupid” idea, but he agreed it was important for San Diego to take a stand and lobby against the wall.

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NBC 7: City Council Plans to Sue Federal Government Over Tijuana Sewage Spills

October 4, 2017

The San Diego City Council has announced plans Wednesday to sue the federal government over millions of gallons of raw sewage that poured into the Tijuana River. City Councilmember David Alvarez said that the City of San Diego will join forces with the cities of Chula Vista and Imperial Beach, along with the Port of San Diego, in taking the first step to prevent sewage spills in the future.

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San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego accelerates new water supply

October 27, 2016

San Diego’s landmark water recycling system took several key steps forward this week when the City Council approved an accelerated timeline and a comprehensive environmental analysis. “The honest truth is the cost of water has gone up and will continue to go up regardless of whether we do this or not,” said Councilman David Alvarez, touting the program as a chance for San Diego to control its own destiny. “These are all the steps that need to be taken to ensure that Pure Water is a reality.”

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ABC 10: San Diego City Council considers $3B plan to recycle wastewater into drinking water

October 25, 2016

The San Diego City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to certify an environmental impact report for the city's nearly $3 billion plan to recycle wastewater into drinking water, and approved the plan itself. Councilman David Alvarez, who heads the panel's Environment Committee, said "sustainability, an ability to control our own destiny a little bit better, to be less harmful and impactful on the environment through discharge -- for many reasons -- this program makes sense."

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San Diego Union-Tribune:

July 18, 2018

San Diego approved this week a 50-unit apartment complex in San Ysidro for formerly homeless senior citizens that will include on-site counseling for mental health problems, drug addiction and other challenges. Councilman David Alvarez of Logan Heights, whose district includes San Ysidro, hailed the project as a model when the council unanimously approved it on Tuesday. “This is how we solve the homelessness problem,” he said. “These are going to be units for people who are in shelters and need support systems in order to be successful and get out of homelessness.”

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Council members push for homeless housing at vacant Chargers Park

November 6, 2017

San Diego City Council members David Alvarez and Lorie Zapf called on the city Monday morning to convert the old Chargers headquarters on Murphy Canyon Road into temporary housing for homeless people, including a growing number who are camping along the nearby San Diego River.

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Times of San Diego: San Diego Bicycle Plan Getting Real: Panel Eyes $312M Bike Network

June 21, 2018

The San Diego City Council’s Environment Committee Thursday unanimously approved a strategic implementation plan for the city’s current Bicycle Master Plan, adopted in 2013. “San Diego has what it takes to become a city where bicycles are used for everyday transportation, recreation and general mobility,” said Councilman David Alvarez.

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Independent Voter Network: Councilman David Alvarez Talks Homelessness, Housing and His Future

November 17, 2017

Councilman Alvarez talks about making San Diego housing more affordable. “In order to get ourselves out of this we need more units. That’s the bottom line. I want to make it clear to everyone it’s not because there’s more people coming to San Diego at a disproportionate number, this is coming from growth within our own community. San Diego needs more housing due to our families growing, and for them to have a place to call home in San Diego we have to make more units available.”

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KUSI: City officials break ground on new library in San Ysidro

January 12, 2018

City officials broke ground Friday on a library in San Ysidro, following more than two decades of discussion and planning. Councilman David Alvarez, who represents San Ysidro, spearheaded fundraising efforts for the library, which is expected to open in 2019, the mayor said. Alvarez said building a new library was one of his top priorities upon being elected.

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Construction of new San Ysidro library to begin

January 22, 2018

City and community leaders recently broke ground on a highly anticipated library in San Ysidro. Councilman David Alvarez, whose district includes San Ysidro, said the project has been a “top priority” of his since he was elected in 2010. “I was proud to work with the community to secure the site and funding for this long-awaited project,” he said in a statement.

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Housing crisis may prompt softening of rules for mixed-use urban projects

November 22, 2017

A new plan could help solve San Diego’s housing shortage and reduce a rash of vacant storefronts in buildings that were intended to have ground-floor commercial tenants operating below multiple stories of housing. “While the development overall is great, the opportunity lost in terms of space because the commercial uses aren’t being maximized has been a concern of mine for some time,” Alvarez said. “It’s sometimes a blight in a community when there are vacant spaces.”

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Project to include affordable units for developmentally disabled

October 15, 2018

Three apartment buildings expected to open in Otay Mesa next July will provide some relief for area families in need of affordable housing and also answer a pressing need to help people with mental health issues live independently.

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Fox 5: City Council approves lease for Chicano Park museum

August 7, 2018

The San Diego City Council Tuesday unanimously approved a 20-year lease that will pave the way for a museum and community center at a city-owned property adjacent to Chicano Park. “I want to thank you for saying ‘yes’ to the community this time because this community has heard ‘no’ a lot more than it has heard ‘yes’ over the years,” he told his colleagues. “Chicano Park is what it is today because of the community… The museum and cultural center will be successful because of the community.”

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Fox 5: City committee moves forward with Ash Street building renovations

May 23, 2018

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.

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San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego cracking down on landlords who reject federal housing vouchers

August 1, 2018

San Diego is cracking down on income discrimination by landlords with a new policy prohibiting the rejection of potential tenants based on their use of federal housing vouchers. “This is long overdue,” City Councilman David Alvarez of Logan Heights said on Tuesday before the council voted 6-1 to adopt the policy. “Allowing people to discriminate based on income is a way of continuing to segregate our community.”

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Times of San Diego: San Diego City Council Proclaims Rey Mysterio Day

June 19, 2018

World-famous luchador and South Bay resident was honored Tuesday when the San Diego City Council proclaimed it to be Rey Mysterio Day. Councilman David Alvarez presented Mysterio with the proclamation citing his work in the community where he has organized and participated in “various charity events, educational campaigns and wrestling matches at schools and community centers.”

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Proposed Chicano Park museum gets boost with 20-year city lease

June 26, 2018

Community 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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NBC 7: SD Councilmember Opposes Mayor's Transitional Storage Center For Homeless

March 20, 2018

San Diego City Councilmember David Alvarez is holding a public meeting in San Diego Tuesday afternoon to oppose a proposal from Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Alvarez opposes the idea, saying the area is within close proximity to a school, about 15-20 feet away. He added a residential neighborhood in the area is already experiencing issues with public safety and quality-of-life.

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Alvarez announces 2020 run for county supervisor

January 18, 2017

San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez announced Wednesday that he will run for county supervisor in 2020, when longtime supervisor Greg Cox is termed out of office.

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Push is on for Cesar Solis Park

April 16, 2015

Alvarez’s office said residents have been waiting for a park with facilities since the neighborhood was built. Development began in the late 1990s. Parks have become a priority for the councilman, who said his district lacks sufficient park space. “Residents are tired of waiting for improvements in their neighborhood,” Alvarez said. “Currently, park deficiencies across the city is one of the best examples of our lack of equity in every community.”

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Community celebrates opening of park named for retired assistant police chief

September 25, 2018

The 15-acre Cesar Solis Park, off Del Sol Boulevard, is the result of more than a decade’s work. “It actually feels a little bit unbelievable,” Councilman David Alvarez said of the park’s opening. “It’s one of the most satisfying days of the eight years on the council.” Alvarez, whose district includes Ocean View Hills, was instrumental over the years in pushing for funding for the roughly $17 million park.

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San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego council rejects aquatic safety center ballot measure

August 7, 2018

An aquatic safety center proposed for Mission Bay Bark won’t be on the November ballot based on concerns that supporters haven’t conducted enough community outreach. Councilman David Alvarez of Logan Heights said the aquatic center is a worthy project that would bolster the city’s nonprofit junior lifeguard program, but voted against placing it on the ballot because he said the community needs more information.

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Times of San Diego: San Diego City Council Renews Tent Shelter Contracts With Misgivings

May 22, 2018

The San Diego City Council, also operating as the Housing Authority, Tuesday renewed operating and oversight agreements for the city’s three temporary tent shelters for the homeless over the objections of Councilman David Alvarez, who called the shelters a “complete failure.” “It’s been a tremendous, tremendous waste of money,” said Alvarez, who cast the lone dissenting vote against renewal. “At the path we’re going, we’re going to continue spending millions and millions of dollars to not get people housed.”

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Center opens in San Ysidro to help residents get jobs

September 17, 2018

San Ysidro is home to a new center that offers free services to residents who are on the hunt for a job. Councilman David Alvarez, whose district includes the low-income community, said he was excited to welcome the center to San Ysidro. “This employment center will help enrich our community’s workforce and overall bring new opportunities,” Alvarez said.

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Fox 5: Students rally to save San Diego High School

October 29, 2016

Students of San Diego High School hosted a rally Saturday to save their school by supporting Measure I on the November ballot. Both councilmembers Alvarez — a former SDHS alumni — and Todd Gloria back Measure I, calling it a no-brainer. They said if it doesn’t pass, it comes with an additional cost.

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KPBS: City Council Moves To Save San Diego High School

June 14, 2016

The San Diego City Council on Tuesday directed the city attorney's office to draft ballot measure language that would allow San Diego High School to continue operating at the current Park Boulevard location after its lease runs out in 2024."It might seem like a long time until 2024, but if you have a child entering first grade and we do nothing to continue the operations of the school, then that child will not be able to enter (San Diego) High School by that year," said Councilman David Alvarez, who represents an area that sends numerous students to the school.

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San Diego gay & Lesbian News: Mayoral candidate David Alvarez says San Diego has a "bright future"

November 18, 2013

The 33-year-old Democrat has spent much of his adult life fighting for social, economic and environmental justice and began his career as a social services worker and after-school teacher. "San Diego has a bright future. In the next decade, I believe that we have the opportunity to invest more heavily in our neighborhoods and communities that have been neglected for years in favor of large downtown projects and special interests," Alvarez said.

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CBS 8: Mayoral Candidates in the Hot Seat: David Alvarez

November 13, 2013

"I've always been about putting neighborhoods first. When I ran for Council four years ago, that was what my campaign was about. We have underinvested in neighborhoods and put all of our money downtown. It is time to focus our attention on putting money back into neighborhoods," Councilmember Alvarez said.

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The Daily Aztec: David Alvarez chats with The Aztec

November 4, 2013

"I’m the first one of my family to graduate high school, go to college. I’m a native San Diegan, born and raised—San Diego High School, San Diego State University. I’m raising my family now in the community where I grew up here in San Diego. We want to give back. My wife is an educator; we’re all about service to others and I think that’s a value that often times gets overlooked in our leaders. Everybody really wants to do something for the community."

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San Diego Reader: Councilman Alvarez rides the neighborhood, promises money for bikes

May 6, 2017

City councilmember David Alvarez met with more than 100 cycling enthusiasts assembled by the San Diego Bike Coalition on Thursday afternoon to lead a ride through his native Barrio Logan. "When you're on a bike, it makes a world of difference to help understand what's happening in the community," said Alvarez, who told the group he commutes by bike two to three times a week.

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Times of San Diego: David Alvarez Raises $119,000 for County Supervisor Race—in 2020

May 29, 2018

San Diego Councilman David Alvarez is barred by term limits from running for re-election this year, but he’s not done with local politics. Alvarez has already raised a little more than $119,000 for a bid in 2020 to replace county Supervisor Greg Cox — more than some supervisor candidates running this year have raised.

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ABC 10: Councilman David Alvarez calls for state of emergency over homeless crisis

August 31, 2017

San Diego City Councilmember David Alvarez called on Mayor Kevin Faulconer Thursday to declare a state of emergency over the city's homeless crisis. "I am extremely concerned that our homeless population has continued to grow and the city still isn't providing sufficient shelter beds," Alvarez's memo to Mayor Faulconer read.

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ABC 10: Thousands of San Diegans hit the streets for 'People's Climate March'

April 29, 2017

Thousands of San Diegans are set to hit the streets Saturday in support of climate marches across the country. Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, councilmember David Alvarez, and Jeffrey Severinghaus, a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, are set to speak before demonstrators.

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Voice of San Diego: None of the Explanations for a Rushed, Costly Special Election Add Up

May 30, 2017

Less 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.

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San Diego Reader: Sidewalk danger from South San Diego to Normal Heights

April 14, 2017

In the last couple of weeks, the buzz on some of the San Diego street-threads is on the subject of sidewalks. Some residents say that they have to split the expense with the city. Councilmember David Alvarez wants the City of San Diego to foot the bill 100%. Last month he proposed to “determine best how best to revise Council Policy 200-12, the Sidewalk Maintenance Policy.”

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KPBS: San Diego City Council Rejects November Special Election

June 12, 2017

The City Council Monday rejected a plan to conduct a special election for this fall that potentially would have included Mayor Kevin Faulconer's plan to expand the San Diego Convention Center. "This isn't ready to come forward, it just really isn't," Councilman David Alvarez said about the convention center proposal. "Shovels can't be ready, and cranes can't be ready, because the land doesn't belong to the city."

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San Diego CityBeat: No affordable housing panacea

March 1, 2017

Councilmember David Alvarez—who sits on the MTS board—vented frustration in dealing with MTS. “What I see around trolley stations is not homes, not development that’s transit oriented,” he said, instead “a lot of industrial” or “nothing.”

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Profile: David Alvarez, ready to serve

January 18, 2014

Now Alvarez is running to become San Diego’s first Latino mayor and its youngest mayor in more than a century. Backed by the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, he is the surprise contender in Feb. 11’s special election, facing off against Republican and fellow Councilman Kevin Faulconer.

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Voice of San Diego: 5 Things David Alvarez Has Done

September 26, 2013

In nearly three years on the City Council, mayoral candidate David Alvarez has pushed for a foreclosure registry, consistently opposed downtown interests and brokered a last-minute tourism marketing deal.

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KPBS: Alvarez Calls For Additional $1M For San Diego Arts Programs

June 3, 2015

Councilman David Alvarez called Wednesday on Mayor Kevin Faulconer to add $1 million to support San Diego's arts and culture programs in his budget proposal, which will be considered for adoption by the City Council next week.

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San Diego CityBeat: City council session turns into a circus

May 10, 2017

Hundreds of people, in fact, and of all artistic stripes—from gallery owners and curators, to theatre directors and choreographers—came out to the council’s city budget hearing to voice their concerns with the cuts. They were joined outside by City Council members David Alvarez, Lorie Zapf and Chris Ward, all of whom expressed their support for finding a way to keep the city’s arts funding at its current levels.

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San Diego CityBeat: Our city officials aren’t measuring up

August 8, 2018

To make matters worse, the city council on Monday voted 5-2 to kill Councilmember David Alvarez’s hotel tax measure (an increase of 1 percent) where the money would have gone directly to homeless programs. The measure was seen as a longshot to make the ballot since the mayor’s convention center bill had already been approved for the ballot, but it stings nonetheless.

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San Diego CityBeat: Local arts and culture groups have the budget blues

April 26, 2017

City Council Members David Alvarez and Lori Zapf have shown great support for the arts and culture community and the commission’s budget in recent years. I trust that again they will provide leadership for an increase to the Mayor’s proposed 30 percent cut to the budget of the Commission for Arts and Culture and that the Mayor will again show his support for arts and culture in San Diego by not using his veto power.

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ABC 10: Mayor to tackle costly housing, homeless crisis

January 12, 2017

City Councilmember David Alvarez responded to Falconers speech with a statement that reads, in part: "The City is experiencing an explosion in the homeless. The Mayor must create new shelter space downtown near existing service providers to allow for people to sleep indoors rather than camp on the street. If he does not do this, the homeless population will continue to grow in downtown and throughout the City."

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Voice of San Diego: San Diego Has Fallen Behind on Combating Police Racial Profiling

January 6, 2014

City Councilman David Alvarez, a mayoral candidate, said he believes the department has racially profiled recently, too. He cited the lawsuit over the 2010 City Heights traffic stop during a debate in the fall. Alvarez wants to see the department take profiling issues more seriously.

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Racial concerns prompt enhanced police training, changes in San Diego

February 27, 2017

Councilman David Alvarez criticized his colleagues for not being more aggressive in the face of the SDSU report, which showed that blacks and Hispanics are significantly more likely to be searched and questioned in the field after being stopped by police. "I'm not seeing us take any real action," said Alvarez, urging his colleagues to be more bold. “The City of San Diego needs to accept this uncomfortable reality and must address it with swift and decisive action.”

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NBC 7: City Council Fails to Overturn Mayor Faulconer's Budget Veto Despite Democratic Vitriol

June 13, 2017

An effort to overturn San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s budget veto failed to win support Tuesday, despite strong criticism from angry Democrats on the council. Councilmember David Alvarez called the mayor’s action to slash district funds ‘shameful’, and criticized the mayor for “failing to show his face here.”

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San Diego Free Press: 10 San Diego Progressives Who Brought Down Mickey Kasparian

May 17, 2017

Councilmember David Alvarez of San Diego was the most prominent elected official to express early support for the accusers. Kasparian was once a strong political ally of Councilmember Alvarez, having endorsed Alvarez and spending millions to support his campaign for Mayor in 2013. However, their relationship began to deteriorate in 2016 as Alvarez says he began to experience the same type of bullying behavior and intimidation tactics that former employees of Kasparian have reported.

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San Diego Union Tribune: Why San Diego's sidewalk policy is unfair to taxpayers

January 5, 2018

The first step in fixing our sidewalks is taking responsibility for all of them. We must do everything we can to fix them before the next major accident results in serious injury to a resident and costs the city millions of dollars in a settlement.

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KUSI: ‘Crime rates are likely to rise’ if police retention isn’t addressed, Alvarez says

April 13, 2016

In an effort to address the retention problem San Diego police departments are facing, Councilman David Alvarez proposed further pay increases and better training programs for officers. The city has spent or committed $140 million over four years, only to see more officers leave the police department, Alvarez, who represents San Diego’s District 8, said.

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Los Angeles Times: David Alvarez a surprise contender to replace San Diego ex-mayor Filner

November 2, 2013

"I think it's time for us to start growing this city in a way that is good for everybody," said Alvarez, standing by the weedy lot. "And I think there are a lot of people north of Interstate 8 that feel the same way."

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NBC 7: New Details Emerge Behind Project That Placed Rocks Below Overpass

June 15, 2016

NBC 7 has learned the motive for placing rocks below an underpass near downtown San Diego may have been to clear the area of homeless people before Padres games at Petco Park this season. City Councilmember David Alvarez for District 8 said his office was never notified of this project and no lights were ever installed. “The unfortunate thing about this project is, while the rocks were installed, there were no lights. So what the community was actually asking for has not occurred,” Alvarez said.

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San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diegans have a right to transparency in government

March 15, 2014

Last November, in partnership with Californians Aware, an open government advocacy nonprofit, I proposed amendments to our City Charter that would have made San Diego a leader in open government. It would have allowed the voting public, not the government or its agencies, to decide how open their government should be.

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Junior Achievement: Junior Achievement And San Ysidro School District Join Forces To Prepare And Inspire The Next Generation Of Leaders

June 2, 2016

“The District’s partnership with Junior Achievement will help us ensure all of our students have access to the highest quality curriculum so they can succeed in today’s global economy,” said Councilmember David Alvarez, District 8.

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KPBS: San Diego Launches New Working Group To Address Climate Change

February 25, 2016

Councilman David Alvarez announced Thursday the formation and composition of a working group that will help the city of San Diego implement the provisions of its plan to address climate change. "We worked closely with the mayor's office to structure the group in a way that will be useful both to this committee and to the work that city staff is conducting," Alvarez said as he opened a meeting of the council's environment committee.

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San Diego Reader: How tall is too tall in Point Loma?

October 30, 2016

On October 24, the city council voted 7-1 in favor of amending the Land Development Code to get developers in line with the intent of 1972's Proposition D. Councilmember David Alvarez was the dissenting vote. After questioning Development Services Department director Robert Vacchi and a senior planner, Alvarez said, “I still don’t have clarity. I’m not sure if you’re telling me when the 30 foot [limit] applies and when it doesn’t.”

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NBC 7: Groundbreaking for Improvements on San Ysidro's Larsen Field

September 14, 2016

Officials broke ground on a project that will bring two new playgrounds, accessibility upgrades and more to a San Ysidro playground.

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San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego's infrastructure funding gap grows by $310M

January 28, 2018

San Diego is facing decreased funding for infrastructure combined with a longer list of needed projects. Councilman David Alvarez of Logan Heights said he’s troubled that the city isn’t seeing a downward trend in infrastructure needs, despite sharply increasing capital expenditures on projects in recent years.

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San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego creating county's first low-income subsidy for water bills

June 26, 2017

The city of San Diego is creating the county’s first donation program to help low-income people pay their water and sewer bills, which have risen rapidly in recent years. “I’m so pleased that this program that I have strongly advocated for over the last few years will finally be made available to the public,” Councilman David Alvarez said.

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KPBS: ‘H2O’ Program Aims To Ease Burden Of Water Bills For The Poor

March 15, 2016

Four months after increasing water rates, the San Diego City Council on Tuesday approved a program to help poor water customers pay their bills. "Water is a human right," Councilman David Alvarez said. "We need to be focused on providing this ... to every person, so that everybody can have access to it and everybody can afford it."

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San Diego Free Press: A One-on-One Conversation with District 8 Councilman David Alvarez

September 18, 2014

In this first of two parts Councilman David Alvarez discusses the minimum wage, upgrades to Chicano Park, Barrio Art Crawl and creating a place to be on Sunday afternoons in Barrio Logan.

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NBC 7: 'We Cannot Walk Safely': Residents Press City to Fix Hazardous Sidewalks

March 16, 2016

South and Central San Diego residents gathered with their City councilmember Wednesday, pressing the City to fix what they called dangerous and hazardous cracked sidewalks in their neighborhoods. "Sidewalks have often been forgotten," Councilmember David Alvarez said. "We are standing at what I would consider one of the worst sidewalk issues here, and this community actually has a sidewalk. There are a whole bunch of communities that don't have sidewalks. And that's also a problem."

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San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego climate plan moves to full council

November 30, 2015

Members of the City Council’s environment committee unanimously approved the proposed Climate Action Plan. The city intends to form a working group that would report to the environment committee on how to put the plan into action, said Councilman David Alvarez, who chairs the committee.

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Orange County Register: San Diego leaders think Chargers are leaving town despite approval of environmental impact for new stadium

July 14, 2015

Even as the San Diego City Council authorized on Tuesday a controversial $2.1 million environmental impact report on a proposed $1.1 billion plus Mission Valley stadium, there were further signs that even the city’s political leaders are resigned to the Chargers relocating to Carson. Councilmember David Alvarez, citing the business acumen of NFL owners, said “business people do not make rushed decisions. Clearly here we don’t have a full plan.

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KPBS: San Diego’s Shoddy Code Enforcement Keeps Problem Landlords In Business

February 19, 2015

San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez has asked Mayor Kevin Faulconer to boost code compliance funding this year so the department can proactively address substandard housing. He also asked the council's land use committee to explore a program that would put liens on properties until the owners clean them up.

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Voice of San Diego: Residents Deserve Follow-Through on Code Complaints

February 20, 2015

In my district, and across the city, too many of our residents are living without running water or heat. Many have to raise their children in homes with bug or rat infestations, dangerous electrical wiring and crumbling lead paint. My staff and I proactively reach out to constituents to find and fix these problems. We build trust with residents, take down their concerns, and pass them on to the city’s Neighborhood Code Compliance Division.

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Patch: Mayors, Supes Want State of Emergency Declared in San Diego

December 1, 2015

San Diego has cleared six sediment-choked flood channels over the past year or so within its 133-mile network, while work continues in the Tijuana River Valley. However, San Diego Councilman David Alvarez said 25 channels are still at risk of flooding. The worst, according to a list provided by his office, are along Via de la Bandola in San Ysidro, Engineer Road in Kearny Mesa, Pomerado Road in Rancho Bernardo, and Washington Street in Hillcrest and Little Italy.

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Voice of San Diego: How Barrio Logan's Fumes Pushed David Alvarez into Politics

October 16, 2013

As a teenager, David Alvarez once heard another student ask of Barrio Logan, “Why would anyone want to live here?” Soon after, he attended his first community meeting. “I just felt like there was something really wrong and nobody was fixing the wrong,” Alvarez said.

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KPBS: President Obama Endorses Alvarez In San Diego Mayor’s Race

February 8, 2014

President Barack Obama weighed in on the San Diego mayor's race Saturday, endorsing fellow Democrat David Alvarez. "As a native San Diegan, David Alvarez has been a fierce advocate for his city, and on the Council, has led efforts to build a strong middle class, put neighborhoods first and expand opportunities for kids in and out of school," Obama said in a statement.

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KPBS: A Conversation With San Diego Mayoral Candidate David Alvarez

October 3, 2013

We will be speaking with each San Diego Mayoral candidates starting today with San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez. Alvarez has been representing District 8 on the City Council since 2010. The candidacy of this first-term councilman has been endorsed by a number of notable organizations including the Democratic Party of San Diego County and the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.

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KPBS: San Diego City Council Committee Advances Proposals To Fight Homelessness

July 11, 2018

The San Diego City Council's Rules Committee advanced a proposal from Councilman David Alvarez to increase the city's hotel tax by one cent in order to fund homelessness services. "To me there's a very clear nexus between promoting San Diego as a destination and making sure we have programs in place to ensure we don't have outbreaks, such as hepatitis A, or other dangerous pathogens," Alvarez said.

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KPBS: San Diego’s Climate Action Plan Moves To City Council

November 30, 2015

A plan to slash the city of San Diego’s carbon emissions in half in 20 years took another step closer to adoption Monday when the City Council’s Environment Committee voted unanimously to forward it to the full City Council. City Councilman David Alvarez, who chairs the environment committee, said the plan is legally binding, but also called for establishment of a working group to monitor the city's progress.

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Fox 5: City to give refunds for street sweeping tickets

March 13, 2015

If you’ve been ticketed recently for parking on the street during street sweeping hours, you may get a refund. That’s because the city hasn’t been doing it’s part when it comes to keeping San Diego’s streets clean. “The problem appears to be that the vehicles that are meant to go and sweep are non-functioning,” said City Councilman David Alvarez, who chairs the Environmental Committee.

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Fox 5: City Council approves Uber, Lyft airport pickup deal

February 19, 2015

Starting April 1st, Uber and Lyft will be allowed to pick up passengers at San Diego International Airport as a part of a pilot program, a San Diego City Councilman announced. Councilman David Alvarez said city officials approved a pilot program Thursday to allow drivers of ride-sharing services to pick up passengers who contact them through their app.

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FNS News: Tijuana Border Dump Generates More Controversy

October 28, 2014

An old landfill in the northern Mexican border city of Tijuana continues drawing binational scrutiny. In a recent meeting, San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez expressed concern to a Mexican counterpart that the closed El Jibarito dump site could endanger public health on both sides of the border.

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San Diego CityBeat: Team David Alvarez finds a silver lining

April 16, 2014

There was some interesting analysis of the recent special election offered by some sharp political minds, but Spin Cycle also wanted to see how City Councilmember David Alvarez, Faulconer's narrowly defeated mayoral opponent, was handling the loss. "When I first got into the race," Alvarez told the crowd, "the first poll, there was 4 percent of the people in the entire city of San Diego who knew who I was—4 percent of the people!" A poll he saw a month ago, Alvarez added, put that number at 92 percent of the electorate. "I hope that you all see this experience as I do," he said. "It was such a positive, well-run campaign."

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La Prensa: San Ysidro has secured funding for sidewalk to high school

June 27, 2014

The community of San Ysidro is celebrating –albeit with some reservations—the announcement of the securing of the final funding needed to complete a sidewalk that would connect San Ysidro with its high school. “A sidewalk in this location is vital to the students that use this route to go to and from school,” Alvarez said. “The community has been advocating for the construction of this sidewalk for far too long. For the entire time I have been in office, this has been and continues to be one of my top priorities.”

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New York Times: A Battle of Ideology in a City Unaccustomed to That Sort of Election

February 8, 2014

Now as voters prepare to elect Mr. Filner’s successor on Tuesday, the city is engaged in a fierce ideological battle: Will it elect David Alvarez, a Democrat and first-term city councilor who is championing a minimum-wage increase, or Kevin Faulconer, a Republican councilor who argues that the city must keep pensions down and attract new businesses?

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San Diego Free Press: David Alvarez Brokers Compromise on Siting of Winter Homeless Shelter

October 9, 2014

With his back against the wall, and a community within his district upset with the continued siting of the winter shelter in their neighborhood and the negative impact it brings, Councilmember David Alvarez stepped up and brokered a compromise.

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Politico: Obama endorses in San Diego

February 8, 2014

President Barack Obama weighed in on San Diego’s competitive mayoral election Saturday, throwing his support behind David Alvarez to become the city’s first Hispanic mayor. “Today, with the city’s economy and neighborhoods poised to make progress there is no question that David is the right choice to be San Diego’s next mayor,” Obama said in a statement released by the Alvarez campaign.

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San Diego Union Tribune: School board members endorse Alvarez

October 21, 2013

Two-thirds of San Diego's public school children qualify for the free and reduced lunch program, meaning they live in poverty, and 5,000 of the district's students are homeless. Monday morning, members of the San Diego school board, several parents and an elected county education official endorsed Councilman David Alvarez for mayor, saying his pro-neighborhood focus will help improve opportunities and outcomes for San Diego's most vulnerable children.

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San Diego Free Press: Reclaiming Public Spaces: The Art of the Alley in Logan Heights and North Park

Last weekend, hundreds of San Diego residents picked up shovels and paint brushes to successfully beautify and activate four alleyways in North Park and Logan Heights. Councilmember David Alvarez made an appearance and Radio Pulso del Barrio, the new grassroots community radio station, came with microphones and a recorder to collect stories from all the participants. Each site had at least ten different projects/activities happening at any given moment, too many things to list in this article.

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La Prensa: New pedestrian crossing in the works in west San Ysidro

May 23, 2014

Pedestrians who cross the border into and out of San Ysidro will have a new alternative in a couple of years. The San Ysidro PedWest is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2016. “We all agree we have an inefficient border,” said San Diego Councilmember David Alvarez, who represents San Ysidro. “We all hope to have a more efficient border.”

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David Alvarez with District 80 residents
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