Five candidates are vying for two National City Council seats in the Nov. 3 general election. The winners will join a body grappling with a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall, years of staff turnover and public division among its members.
Both seats are held by incumbents seeking re-election. Vice Mayor Luz Molina has represented District 1 since 2022, after being elected city clerk in 2020. Councilmember Ditas Yamane represents District 3. The council also includes Mayor Ron Morrison and Councilmembers Jose Rodriguez and Marcus Bush, who are both running for mayor.
In District 1, Molina faces Cindy López, a National School District governing board member.
In District 3, Yamane, a real estate broker, faces Edward Nieto, a retired governmental accountant who spent about 37 years with the County of San Diego, and Jerry Cano, an environmental protection specialist, according to his ballot designation.
In the interest of consistency, each candidate was asked the same three questions. They covered the city’s budget shortfall, staff turnover and division on the council, and the rising cost of living for residents.
Each candidate was also given the opportunity to raise an additional issue of their choosing.
District 1
Cindy López, candidate for National City City Council, District 1. (Cindy López)
Cindy López
López, a National School District governing board member, is challenging Molina for the District 1 seat. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and Latin American studies and a multiple subject teaching credential with bilingual authorization, both from San Diego State University.
On the budget, López said the council and mayor are responsible for approving the yearly budget and analyzing audited actuals “to better understand the economic state of the city.” She said she “would review where and how the budget is being allocated to reflect the Council’s priorities in its service to residents.”
“I do not support laying off city workers or cutting back programs that our seniors, youth, and residents rely on,” she wrote.
López said she supports the initiative to increase the business license fee to ensure “multi-million (dollar) corporations, who do business in our city, pay a fee appropriate to the revenue they generate from us.”
“This is a fee that these multi-million (dollar) corporations already pay in other cities, and we should not continue to be shortchanged,” she wrote.
On governance, López said city councils “have a duty to perform their roles for the greater good of the public.” She said she would listen “to understand the various points of views from other council members and staff.” She also said she would connect with residents and stakeholders on the issues important to them.
On cost of living, López pointed to her school board record. She said she recently asked her district to provide a second-chance breakfast or snack for students during recess “to alleviate the costs of additional food items for families.” She said she worked with MTS last year to add benches or shelters at bus stops across the city.
She said she intends to pursue more frequent public transit and expanded after-hours service on the Blue Line. She said she would also champion more workforce training opportunities, more diverse afterschool programming, state and federal grants, more affordable housing units and community land trusts, and protections for tenants against wrongful evictions or “random rental fees.”
As an additional issue, López said it is “crucial that we have an operating city that meets the needs of our residents.” She listed safe neighborhoods, well-maintained streets, fully staffed fire stations, protection against more air pollution and fresh groceries on the west side.
“The issues have piled up over the years, and it is time that our City works together to get things done and improve the lives of our residents,” she wrote.
Luz Molina, incumbent candidate for National City City Council, District 1. (Luz Molina campaign)
Luz Molina
Molina, 49, is seeking re-election to the District 1 seat she has held since 2022. She is a contract and grant analyst in the Office of Contract and Grant Administration at UC San Diego. She graduated from Sweetwater High School and holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from UC Berkeley.
Molina called the budget “the most pressing issue of this election.” She said closing a $13 million deficit “requires action, honesty and accountability from the City Council.”
“For too long, the hard decisions were put off in favor of easier choices,” she wrote.
She said that for years residents were told the city’s reserves were healthy while one-time federal relief money covered a budget deficit. She credited City Manager Doug Schulze with giving the council “a candid assessment” and a five-year strategic plan to close the gap.
Molina said the council should back that plan, report spending against the budget every quarter and stop using one-time money to pay ongoing costs. She also called for budgets built on actual spending, a move to zero-based budgeting, and the use of data and performance measures to guide decisions.
She said she supports updating the city’s business license tax, which she said “hasn’t been modernized in decades,” but called the measure proposed for November “rushed.”
“Some people are now blaming our deficit on this decision, but the shortfall built up over many years, and no single measure would have closed it,” she wrote.
On governance, Molina said the lack of a permanent city manager “led to blurred lines between Council and City administration.” She said the city is “in a better place now” and that the council’s job is to give Schulze “the tools and authority to carry out that plan, rely on his expertise, and hold him to results.”
She wrote that employees need “one chain of command, not five councilmembers giving direction.” She pledged support for annual goal setting and for audits and financial reports delivered on time.
Molina disagreed that council dynamics detract from the day-to-day running of the city. She said the council’s voting record “shows far more unanimous votes than split ones.”
“We split on some hard questions, and we should. That’s how a council is supposed to work,” she wrote.
On cost of living, Molina said she and her husband, feel the pressure of rising costs while raising their three sons.
“The City can’t set the price of gas or groceries, and I won’t pretend it can,” she wrote.
She said she would apply one test to every fee, tax and ordinance: “Who ultimately pays, and what does it mean for working families?” She cited the proposed business license tax as an example, saying businesses can pass increased costs on to renters and customers.
Molina also pointed to the vacation rental ordinance she championed to protect housing for long-term residents. She said she supports faster, simpler and more predictable permitting, and pursuing state, federal and regional funding rather than placing the entire burden on local taxpayers.
As an additional issue, Molina highlighted the waterfront and the westside, most of which she said is in District 1. She said westside families live next to “the heaviest industry on San Diego Bay,” but many have never had easy access to the bay a few blocks from their homes.
She cited the council’s 5-0 vote against a proposed fuel depot near westside homes and schools. She also cited her support before the California Coastal Commission for the National City Balanced Plan, which the commission certified unanimously in December 2025.
“I want westside families to finally share in the benefits of their own waterfront,” she wrote.
District 3
Edward Nieto, candidate for National City City Council, District 3. (Jon Bigornia, JB Photography)
Edward Nieto
Nieto, 70, is a retired accountant who spent about 37 years as a governmental accountant for the County of San Diego. A Sweetwater High School graduate, he holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from San Diego State University. He said he has regularly taken part in council meetings and budget discussions as a resident.
He said he is running because “residents deserve sound decisions, honest and transparent financial reporting, and City services that deliver results.”
“The Council must take ownership of the City’s financial decisions,” Nieto wrote. He said economic conditions outside the city’s control contributed to the shortfall, “but significant spending decisions were within the City’s control.”
He said it is “perplexing to taxpayers” that city officials could make spending commitments beyond the city’s resources “while working-class families in National City are already financially stretched.”
Nieto noted that the new city manager has listed actions in a preliminary Fiscal Solvency Plan. He said the council needs to explain why each action is proposed and how it will verify that the measures work.
He said he would review discretionary spending, require reporting of the full cost of programs and projects, and improve cost recovery where city fees fall short. He also said he would adopt a clear policy to rebuild flexible reserves and the unassigned fund balance.
“Like the Council majority, I oppose rushing a new business license tax initiative to the ballot before the City explains the underlying problem, demonstrates what it has done to control costs, and shows how the tax would affect different businesses,” he wrote.
He said reform is needed but should be approached “thoughtfully and methodically.”
On governance, Nieto said city employees need “clear priorities, realistic workloads, and confidence that the City will keep its commitments to them.” He cited his experience as a former county SEIU employee. He said National City has “several weak or missing policies” and that strategic goals “have been discussed for years.”
“I will disagree with colleagues when the evidence calls for it, but I will work respectfully with them to solve problems,” he wrote. He added that council discussions should focus on “facts, costs, and outcomes.”
“The Council cannot set grocery or fuel prices,” Nieto wrote. He said residents deserve a clear explanation of what city government can do and where its authority is limited. He said he would scrutinize the costs behind proposed taxes and fees and maintain basic services “before neglect makes them more costly.”
He said he supports practical housing and homeownership opportunities within the city’s authority. He said residents should see the full cost, financial terms and expected public benefit of any proposal that uses city land or public money before the council votes.
As an additional issue, Nieto highlighted public trust. He said the city’s financial outlook “has raised serious questions about how the City is governed.”
“Restoring trust requires more than promises,” he wrote. He said he would strengthen oversight and make financial information and service results easier for the public to understand.
Ditas Yamane, incumbent candidate for National City City Council, District 3. (ReElect Ditas Yamane Council 2026)
Ditas Yamane
Yamane, the incumbent District 3 council member, is seeking re-election. She is a real estate broker with Premium Real Estate Services and listed her education as business real estate.
On the budget, Yamane said the council, in its fiscal oversight role, “must scrutinize all departmental budgets to eliminate inefficiencies, redundancies, and non-essential expenditures.” She said the council’s primary fiduciary duty is to balance the budget while keeping essential services uninterrupted for residents and businesses.
She said the council has directed the city manager to freeze non-essential hiring, consolidate departmental functions, review revenue enhancements for full cost recovery and prioritize core services.
She said “compromising public safety and infrastructure maintenance is out of the question,” and that she remains “fully committed to protecting our emergency services,” including police, fire and public works.
“It is unfortunate that the city council took as long as it did to appoint a permanent City Manager,” Yamane wrote. She said he is now in place “and performing well, thanks to the strong support of our department heads and staff.”
She said she hopes the council “will prioritize governance and oversight over political maneuvering.” She said the prolonged transition “created an unstable environment, where outdated strategic plans and a lack of clear policies led to staff confusion and council discord.”
She said an upcoming strategic planning session will build a roadmap focused on organizational health, supportive leadership and workplace stability.
On cost of living, Yamane said the council, through the city manager, has directed staff to reevaluate current regulations. She said staff will develop solutions focused on housing stability, tenant protections and a supportive business environment.
She said she has “urged staff to aggressively pursue local, state, and federal grants” to subsidize utility assistance, emergency home repairs and food security initiatives. She said new affordable housing developments will prioritize local residents and veterans who live or work in the community.
She also said she has directed the city manager to review and restructure all long-standing, revenue-generating contracts to update outdated fee structures.
Jerry Cano
Cano, an environmental protection specialist according to his ballot designation, did not respond to the questionnaire.