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.
Read MoreNovember 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.
Read MoreOctober 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.
Read MoreSeptember 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.
Read MoreSeptember 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.
Read MoreAugust 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.
Read MoreAugust 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.
Read MoreAugust 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.”
Read MoreAugust 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.”
Read MoreJuly 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.”
Read MoreJuly 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.
Read MoreJune 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.”
Read MoreJune 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.
Read MoreJune 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.”
Read MoreMay 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.
Read MoreMay 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.
Read MoreMay 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.”
Read MoreMarch 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.
Read MoreMarch 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.
Read MoreJanuary 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.
Read MoreJanuary 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.
Read MoreJanuary 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.
Read MoreJanuary 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.
Read MoreNovember 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.”
Read MoreNovember 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.”
Read MoreNovember 7, 2017
San Diego voters could decide next year whether to direct increases in the city's hotel room tax revenue toward permanent supportive housing for homeless families and individuals under a plan outlined Tuesday by Councilman David Alvarez. "To date, every proposal brought forward, from industrial tents to campgrounds have been largely ineffective," Alvarez wrote in the memo. "It is abundantly clear that 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."
Read MoreNovember 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.
Read MoreOctober 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.
Read MoreSeptember 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."
Read MoreSeptember 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.
Read MoreAugust 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.
Read MoreJune 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.
Read MoreJune 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.”
Read MoreJune 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."
Read MoreMay 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.
Read MoreMay 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.
Read MoreMay 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.
Read MoreMay 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.
Read MoreApril 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.
Read MoreApril 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.
Read MoreApril 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.”
Read MoreMarch 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.”
Read MoreFebruary 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.”
Read MoreJanuary 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.
Read MoreJanuary 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."
Read MoreOctober 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.”
Read MoreOctober 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.
Read MoreOctober 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.”
Read MoreOctober 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."
Read MoreSeptember 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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