National City mayoral race tightens as candidates fight over tax plan

Residents of National City will face tighter city services if the local government does not close a $13 million structural deficit. With the election scheduled for next week, the two leading mayoral candidates debated how to fix the city’s financial shortfall. City Manager Douglas Schulze warned that without new revenue, the city may have to cut funding for the library, the swimming pool, and the George H. Waters Nutrition Center.

The race to succeed outgoing Mayor Ron Morrison is close. Two Democrats, City Councilmembers Marcus Bush and Jose Rodriguez, are the front-runners in this working-class city. Two other candidates, Jacobb Castrejon and Mitch Beauchamp, are also on the ballot. Neither of those two candidates has reported receiving any endorsements or campaign donations.

The central economic debate centers on a proposed tax on local business licenses. Rodriguez argued that this measure is a standard step to support the community. He stated, “I think what we’re asking for is nothing out of the ordinary. We want to make sure that we have bigger businesses… help our community.” The tax could generate up to $7 million in new annual revenue. Rodriguez criticized Bush and other councilmembers for delaying a vote on the tax until at least 2027.

Bush defended the delay, saying the council needs to listen to the hundreds of businesses in the city. He pledged to rein in city spending and reach a compromise with local owners. “We have hundreds of businesses here in National City, and we have to do our job and our work to listen,” Bush said.

The candidates also outlined different approaches to housing affordability. Bush proposed allowing homeowners to sell accessory dwelling units separately under state law. He also promised to revive a grant program for homebuyer down payments that is currently shut down. Bush claimed the program was cut because the city was not spending money efficiently. “We don't have that anymore because we're not spending our money efficiently,” Bush said. “So we need to address that in order to give more opportunities for home ownership.”

Rodriguez focused on rent control. He pledged to expand local rent stabilization to include apartment buildings. Currently, National City’s rent stabilization rules only cover mobile home parks. Rodriguez said, “That's on one end to try to make sure that we control rent prices, and we keep the already-existing affordable [housing] affordable.”

Both candidates said they are open to raising the local minimum wage, though neither has committed to doing so. National City currently follows the state minimum wage of $16.90 per hour.

The forum also featured personal attacks regarding the handling of public funds. Rodriguez accused Bush of receiving travel reimbursements from the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System for trips that never happened. Bush said the agency over-reimbursed him by around $1,000 and that he was paying the money back. Voice of San Diego reported the amount is closer to $4,000. Bush serves as the city’s representative on the MTS board.

Bush countered by pointing to a $47,000 consultant contract Rodriguez signed two years ago. The consultant, Cindy Lopez, was the president of a local Democratic club and endorsed Rodriguez shortly after the contract was signed. Rodriguez later hired Lopez as an executive assistant. In December 2024, Bush and two other councilmembers voted to formally reprimand Rodriguez for allegedly violating city policies.

Lopez is currently running for City Council against incumbent Luz Molina. The money Rodriguez spent came from individual council funds, to which each member has access to $100,000. Bush is now pushing to reduce or eliminate those funds to help address the deficit. “What I've done is been honest with the voters and said, ‘Look, I have made mistakes,’” Bush said. “I haven't heard that from Jose.” Rodriguez called Bush a hypocrite but did not directly address the specific concerns about the consultant contract.