David Garcia knows the struggles of a small business owner.
From 1996 to 2008 his family owned Lupita’s Meat Market on Highland Avenue in National City where Garcia would often work as a teen to help the family business.
He knows the challenges of running and operating a business in National City such as applying for a business license.
And for this reason, the 26-year-old is one of seven candiates running for city council in National City.
“There is a lot of support for business but there is not a lot of support for small business owners,” he said. “I grew up here and some of the things that I saw is that there hasn’t been a lot of push for a lot of investment and development until recently.”
He said as a councilman he would be the voice for small business owners, helping create a more fluid process in its permitting process.
He also wants to focus on a business development cooridor on Highland Avenue.
Garcia,26, a graduate of Sweetwater High School, left National City to attend the University of California Davis, Garcia moved back to National City after receiving a bachlor’s degree in International Agricultural Development and Anthropolgy.
At UC Davis, Garcia was on a team that helped students at charter schools in the areas go to college or get a job.
He said charter schools were targeting students from rural and low-income households. He said these students would receive a GED or high school diplom and that the charter schools were not informing their students about about colleges or having a skilled job.
“If we go through a system where the only capability you have is getting a high school diploma, you’re not really going to find a job whether it be a skilled trade or job training,” he said about the reason he helped start the program.
Garcia and others formed a partnerhip with UC Davis and the charter school system where charter school students were introduced to work readiness programs and resumé building.
Garcia said he moved back to National City after college to be closer to family. He quickly got a job with Juma Ventures, a nonprofit youth development program.
He said he wants to bring these principles to National City businesses.
“My whole vision for the city is bringing that employment and job training piece back to the city,” he said.
Garcia currently serves National City as a Civil Service Commissioner and president of the National City Rotary Club, and a committee member of the Maytime Band Review.
