Daniel Perez is running for city council in National City; he says it is his duty as a resident to “put up or shut up”.
The 39-year old real estate agent and loan officer who works under a family-owned brokerage leans on increased housing and enhanced neighborhood character as key to improving all of National City.
“I think National City has so much potential, not just in a business sense but also the neighborhood. I moved here in 2011, found an old house I really liked and after I was here I came to appreciate the small town feeling but also saw where it was lacking,” Perez said.
The city needs to focus on building homes, he said, rather than large apartment complexes designed for renters.
“Everyone talks about increasing home ownership in National City yet we continue building huge apartment complexes but nothing to increase home ownership. There’s lots of talk about it but nothing is getting approved,” Perez said.
As a real estate agent and loan officer, he says he gets frustrated watching city council members talk about a need for affordable housing as if they can decide what is or is not affordable.
“We don’t dictate what makes housing affordable in National City, the market does,” Perez said.
Rather than push for affordable housing, he would like to see city council work to promote community investment, help to create higher paying jobs that locals could benefit from and, as a result, better position themselves to buy a home.
He believes the low income housing market is a factor in why poverty rates are higher in National City at 19% than the national average of 11%.
“We are the low income housing mecca here in National City and we continue to promote low income housing so in a sense we’re promoting poverty. We need to get away from that low income housing component; that impacts that number, it goes hand in hand,” Perez said.
To reduce the poverty rate, he’d like to see low-income families given an education and “into something better” as a means to reduce the number of residents making minimum wage.
While analyzing neighborhoods, he’d also like to take a focused look at improving traffic patterns and what the city can do to improve the general look of National City.
“It’s important to keep the historical component of National City alive. They’re tearing down the storefronts- granted they’re not historical buildings but they’ve been there for a very long time and it would be nice to preserve the image of downtown,” Perez said.
Moving forward, he’d like to see business growth, wants the city to make it easy for people to come here and build businesses while also preserving history, he said.
He would like to see National City emulate neighborhoods like downtown La Mesa and the Gaslamp Quarter with their walkable sidewalks lined with small shops and restaurant-driven nightlife.
He also admires Coronado’s landscaping, wonders “why don’t we have grass instead of rocks and things? What is that? Image is everything. I’d like to see more green, no more of this dryscape stuff”.
Additionally, he’d like to see the city work on reducing homelessness, said it is a huge problem.
“Really, it’s really about the community. You go to almost any store here, Walmart or anywhere on Highland, you’re running into homeless people who are on something causing them to behave inappropriately or are out of their mind,” Perez said.
To solve that and other problems, he’d like to open up the line of communication between residents and city leaders.
“There seem to be a lot of complaints working with the city. I’ve had my share of problems with them as well, wanting to get things done and you have to jump through hoops. The relationship between the residents and the city needs to improve,” Perez said.
He would also like to reform how the police department functions.
“I don’t think there is a race problem but I do think there needs to be reform, training and learning how to better assess a situation. I don’t agree with the rioting and looting but do I think either side is perfect? Absolutely not,” Perez said.
In addition to police reform, he wants to see city government officials reform their approach to COVID-19 related recovery so there is a focus on promoting business growth rather than closures or other limitations.
“We can’t continue lying in fear, we have to open up and get businesses going. At this point, I think we’re doing more harm to our businesses than our health,” Perez said.
The community needs to feel a sense of value, he said, believe in their city and choices made by city leaders.
“I don’t want people to think I’m trying to come in and make it my city— I want people to know I’ll come in and be their voice. A perfect example is Ron Morrison; he’s been here forever and you can call him, shoot him a text, whatever and he’ll be there. Those little things give people a sense of value in their community. I want to be that voice”.
