At 72-years-old Luis Natividad has no plans of slowing down.
He keeps busy with his part-time job as a senior community advisor for San Diego District 4 Councilwoman Myrtle Cole where he is responsible for constituent services.
And since August he has remained active running his campaign for National City City council
As the oldest candidate in the six-person race, Natividad said he still has plenty to offer.
“I am getting older but my mind is still working,” he said. “I have great ideas [for National City]. I want to do things. My body is OK.”
Natividad campaigns with the vision of keeping neighborhoods and schools safe by fully funding the police and fire department. He wants to continue to fix and maintain the city’s streets, sidewalks and community parks. Other plans include attracting businesses that hire large amounts of people and offer high-paying jobs.
“We want to be a big city and have a lot of restaurants and things but we think small,” he said.
Natividad said he can deliver on his campaign promises because as a former councilman who served National City for 10 years, he knows what it takes to get the job done.
In 1966, Natividad first ran for political office at 29-years-old, losing to then councilman Mike Dalla by 65 votes.
Not to be deterred, Natividad sought election on to the National School District board of trustees. He lost that race, too.
After consecutive defeats, he decided to take a break from seeking elected office and continued his work as a community activist.
Turns out he did not return to politics until three decades later where he ran for city council again in 2001 and finally won. He served on the dais for six years, leaving in the middle of his second term to work for the U.S. Census Bureau.
He came back to the council in 2010 and lost his bid for mayor in 2014.
Natividad said he is proud of a lot of things that he accomplished as a councilman, particularly prohibiting smoking at city parks. He also created a student trustee position to sit on the dais to be the voice of the students.
Natividad said his age works to his benefit while on the dais.
“I’m more experienced, I’m more calmed, I’m more understanding, I’m more tolerant at this age. I know how to serve National City.”
