Ron Morrison, the 76-year-old mayor who has shaped National City politics for most of the past three decades, announced outside City Hall that he will not seek re-election, closing out a term that ends in December. In a farewell address that ran roughly 40 minutes, Morrison used his exit to warn of looming financial trouble, endorse allies, and take aim at political rivals on his way out the door.
Morrison first won a seat on the National City Council in 1992 — the same year Bill Clinton was elected president — and has held office for 16 of the past 20 years, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. He was elected mayor in 2006, termed out in 2018 under Measure C, returned to the council that same year, and reclaimed the mayor's office in 2022 after edging challenger Jose Rodriguez by just 68 votes in a three-way race, a margin previously reported by KPBS. The nickname that has followed him through it all — Mr. National City — was invoked again by National City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Karen Azhocar McManus, who said Morrison has served honorably but it is time for him to enjoy the rest of his life, the paper reported.
A Farewell Full Of Warnings, Not Retreat
Despite bowing out of the race, Morrison insisted he will not be a lame duck during his remaining months in office. He said the current budget needs trimming as soon as possible to avoid running out of money, and he plans to institute a hiring freeze in the coming weeks, according to the same report. He also said he intends to re-examine a senior nutrition program, arguing it is broadly used by people who do not live in National City.
Those warnings echo the city's own numbers. National City passed a balanced budget in June, but city manager Doug Schulze told the council earlier this month that the city could face insolvency as soon as 2030 — a caution that follows the council's adoption of an $89.1 million general-fund budget for the current fiscal year, one that Hoodline has reported leaves the city with narrow reserves as expenditures continue to outpace revenue. In his address, Morrison warned that outside interests are pushing National City to spend beyond its means, and he criticized the council for resisting tax increases, business fees and other revenue measures even as it approved staff raises and new positions at City Hall.
Legal Bills Mounting Against A Shrinking Budget
The fiscal alarm bells are ringing loudest around the police department, where a San Diego County jury awarded former officer Ashley Cummins $10 million in 2025 after she claimed she faced sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation from department co-workers and supervisors. With post-trial interest and legal costs, that award has since grown to about $15 million — a sum Hoodline has noted equals almost half the police department's entire annual budget. The city has continued to resist broader revenue fixes; the council rejected a gross-receipts business license tax overhaul this month that staff estimated could have generated $7.5 million a year, pushing any structural budget solution to 2028.
Morrison and fellow official Josie Flores-Clark are also facing accusations, which they have denied, that they wrongfully influenced a proposed car wash, gas station and convenience store development — a project the National City Planning Commission ultimately rejected and whose applicant, Adeeb Brikho, later withdrew his application. A pending lawsuit is seeking release of emails and other records concerning the alleged improper communications; a judge said in June the court has serious concerns about the relationship between the developers and city leadership, though the same judge denied, in a tentative ruling, the plaintiff's motion to compel release of texts and emails under the California Public Records Act. The dispute was presented at a follow-up hearing on July 24, and a decision remains pending.
Endorsements — And a Pointed Silence After This Race
Even as he steps back, Morrison used his farewell platform to weigh in on the November ballot. He endorsed Councilmember Luz Molina for re-election to the District 1 seat, backed Edward Nieto for the District 3 seat, and threw his support behind District 4 Councilmember Marcus Bush in the mayor's race. Bush is being challenged by Rodriguez, the same opponent who nearly unseated Morrison in 2022 and who was censured by a divided council in a 3-1 vote in December 2024 — with Morrison among those voting to censure — over allegations of improper use of city funds for travel and community events, allegations Rodriguez called politically motivated.
Despite that history, Rodriguez praised Morrison's longtime service following the announcement. For his part, Bush said he looks forward to making the difficult decisions needed to balance the budget. Morrison, who still sports a vanity license plate reading NATCITY, said he will no longer involve himself in city elections after this cycle, framing the endorsements as his last word on National City politics before formally retiring.
National City, incorporated in 1887 as San Diego County's second-oldest municipality, spans roughly 9 square miles and is home to an estimated 56,000 residents. Morrison noted the city has seen declines in killings, drug activity and gang violence during his tenure, even as it now confronts a five-member council and an incoming mayor who will inherit both a fragile budget and a legal bill that threatens to reshape city services for years to come.
