Alvarez takes to the streets

You know it's election eve when you see the candidates trolling for votes in the pre-dawn darkness.  And there was David Alvarez at Market Creek Plaza, where the people congregate for morning coffee, and one of the few places you can find a crowd before the sun comes up.

On Good Morning San Diego, Ed Lenderman was with Alvarez when he boarded a trolley, as he did before the November primary.

“We did really well,” said Alvarez, referring to the last election. “We had a fantastic time meeting great people from throughout San Diego riding to work, school, and it was a really good time. We're doing it again today.”

The importance of election day turnout cannot be overstated, especially for Alvarez, who's concentrating on voters south of Interstate 8.

“We've got to remind everybody whether you ride the trolley or you drive your car, everybody, that election day is (Tuesday). We've got to make sure people remember that.”

Alvarez echoed Bob Filner's vision of a “walkable” San Diego.

“We've got to get people riding the trolley, riding their bike, and walking to work,” said Alvarez. “That's the future of San Diego, and we want to make sure people know that's important.”

Alvarez rode the trolley to Downtown, then on to Mission Valley. He spent the rest of the morning in a campaign meeting, doing an interview with CNN, and preparing for the afternoon's council meeting.

Here's what the mail ballots look like on the eve of the election: Over 166,000 have been returned to the registrar's office, and another 20,000 or so will come in by Tuesday evening. There are more Democrat ballots than Republican.

Campaign money was also an issue, specifically the independent committees supporting the campaigns. David Alvarez painted Kevin Faulconer as being in the pocket of business interests that funneled $1.3 million to independent committees supporting his campaign. Meanwhile, Kevin Faulconer hammered away at the unions funneling $3.7 million to committees supporting Alvarez, with the majority of union money coming from outside the city.

But for David Alvarez, this election is about voter turnout.

“We know that if people come out and vote, they're going to come out and vote for me, and that's why we're spending time everywhere in the community, throughout the city.”