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.
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."
Read MoreSan 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.”
Read MoreThe 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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