Mitch Beauchamp has held various positions in National City throughout his 24-year elected career.
For the past decade, Beauchamp has been National City’s city treasurer where, among other tasks, he monitors the status of investments the city has made.
Before that he was a two-term councilman from 1994 to 2006.
Adding to his public service, Beauchamp was a board member at the Sweetwater Authority for six years.
But one the elected office that Beauchamp has not held is mayor of National City, though he has unsuccessfully ran for that seat in 2006.
Now, he seeking that office once again. Beauchamp, 72, is one of four National City mayoral candidates on the November ballot.
Beauchamp said he decided to run for mayor this time around because with so much political turmoil on the city council, National City needs a mayor that can provide be the voice of reason.
“In that (mayoral) position I can do a better job (than the other candidates) in trying to calm the waters,” he said.
He points to the relationships he has with current mayor Ron Morrison, who’s a city council candidate and Councilwomen Mona Rios and Alejandra Sotelo Solis as being able to be a mediator on the dais, Beauchamp whose family has lived in the city for three generations, said he’s worked with Morrison over the years, he has history with Sotelo-Solis’ family and is on good terms with Rios.
He said those relationships will be vital with moving the city forward.
“I feel that I can work with all sides and try to bring together some harmony in the management of this city,” he said.
If elected mayor, Beauchamp said his priorities would include getting control of the homeless problem, improve traffic calming and preserving the history of National City.
In regards to the homeless problem, Beauchamp said the city hasn’t found the answer.
They’ve tried the Alpha Project and other methods to get the problem under control, but those have not worked, he said.
Beauchamp said he does not have the immediate answer to the homeless issue but as mayor he said he would work to find a viable solution.
Beauchamp, who is on the South Bay Historical Society board, said preserving the history of the city includes designating homes in National City as historic, homes don’t have that designation.
He said National City does not have any official designations for historic homes and he would like to work on that.
Beauchamp said in June he voted against both measures that had to do with term limits for National City office holders.
He said he is not a fan of term limits as voters should decide when someone’s time is up.
“If you have a candidate that is better than who’s in there now,put them in there,” he said. “Let the people decide.”
Beauchamp said he also opposes Prop. W, a rent control measure on the November ballot.
“I think it will … destroy property values and it will lead to the degradation of housing equality,” he said. “And we will not have investment of any more rentals in this town.”
Beauchamp said as the city treasurer he does not know much about the in-custody police death of Earl McNeil other then what’s been made public.
He said he has not sat in closed session when the council would discuss the matter so the information that he knows about the case is very limited.
Regardless, he said, with the information he has he would like to see the National City Police Department meet the demands of protestors by releasing all videos leading up to McNeil’s death.
“I don’t know what happened,” he said. “I just know somebody needs to show some videos pretty quick. These people need to be told what happened, good or bad.”
Beauchamp said now is a great time to be National City’s next mayor because the city has a positive outlook.
He said the city has managed its budget where it would be fiscally sound for the next few years, he said potholes are being filled and crime has been down.
Being city treasurer is a part-time job for Beauchamp. He’s a full-time biological consultant who does environmental assessments. Since 1976 he has owned Pacific Southwest Biological Services, and at one point, he said he employed 50 people.
Beauchamp said he has dual citizenship with Mexico and is fluent in Spanish. He used to be the manager of the freight railroad between Tijuana and Tecate, he said.
In his free time, Beauchamp said he plays the organ every Sunday morning at two National City churches.
In April Beauchamp was charged by the District Attorney with cruelty to animals. The prosecution stemmed from a 2017 incident in which he drowned skunks, Beauchamp said.
The city treasurer said that he would occasionally trap skunks that came onto his property and relocate them to the Otay Valley Regional Park.
However, one time three trapped skunks sprayed him before he could transport them so in anger he drowned them at his home, Beauchamp said.
He entered into a diversion agreement May 8, requiring that he complete 80 hours of volunteer work, pay $900 to the police department’s Animal Control Division and violate no laws for six months.
