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.
Read MoreSan 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.
Read MoreThere 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."
Read MoreJust months ago, David Alvarez was a mostly unknown City Councilman. The mayoral race, where he was buoyed by his own compelling personal narrative and millions of dollars from labor groups, has catapulted him to a contender getting attention from the New York Times and President Barack Obama.
Read MoreNow 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?
Read MorePresident 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.
Read MorePresident 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.
Read MoreNow 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.
Read MoreWhen it comes to whom we're endorsing, there ain't much suspense. We endorsed Alvarez in the primary, and he's still in the race, so he's still our guy. Alvarez would lead from the bottom up. He'd make decisions based on what's best for the middle class and those who are struggling to join it. As he's shown in Barrio Logan, he'd have the backs of neighborhood residents when they need equal access to services or are up against powerful interests.
Read MoreAlvarez 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 MoreIn front of a full audience, the Ocean Beach Town Council held their mayoral election forum with candidates David Alvarez and Mike Aguirre. David Alvarez – a native San Diegan and current City Councilmember – took the floor and explained his modest beginnings. He got into politics as a community activist for his neighborhood and, stressing that his campaign and office would focus on the neighborhoods of the city, Alvarez said,”San Diego is a neighborhood city.”
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreFirst-term San Diego Councilman David Alvarez is said by some to be the progressive voice in this mayoral special election. We'll find out where he stands on policy and politics.
Read MoreWe 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.
Read MoreThe San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council endorsed City Councilman David Alvarez for mayor Friday night, exposing a split among unions. Alvarez, who announced on Twitter Thursday he was entering the race, was quickly embraced by union members and some Democrats looking for an alternative to Fletcher.
Read MoreCity Councilman David Alvarez joined the San Diego mayor’s race Thursday as the field of candidates continued to grow on the Democratic side. Alvarez, 33, a first-term councilman who represents the city’s southernmost neighborhoods, is a progressive Democrat with many of the same political views as Mayor Bob Filner, who resigned last week amid a sexual harassment scandal.
Read More"I really want to focus on my communities and neighborhoods in district eight which have been neglected for a long time. That message was loud and clear from voters when I was talking to them, walking door to door, we had a succession of politicians who get elected to the seat, going back 20 years now, where they basically each select who their council member is gonna be, and this is a drastic change in that. It's because people want to see who's gonna be accountable to them and their needs. And like I said, our neighborhoods are so diverse, and each individual needs individualized attention and focus to see the things that people want to see get done. So my focus will be first and foremost on the people of district 8 and the neighborhoods of district eight. And most definitely on the challenges facing our city and how that impacts district 8 directly."
Read MoreCandidates David Alvarez and Felipe Hueso are running to represent District 8. They join us this morning on These Days to debate the issues. "I'm David Alvarez, and I'm running for City Council because I believe our city deserves a fresh start, it's ready for a fresh start. I think in particular in district eight, residents are fed up with the mismanagement, and incompetence that has occurred in our city over the last several years."
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