Contact Info:

City Hall
1243 National City Blvd
National City, CA 91950
(619) 336-4238
mbush@nationalcityca.gov

Councilmember Marcus Bush Newsletters

Biography

Born to a Mexican American mother and African-American father, Councilmember Bush grew up in National City, attending Lincoln Acres Elementary, Granger Junior High, and Sweetwater High School (Class of 2006). While at Granger and SUHi, Councilmember Bush was part of the first cohort of Compact for Success, a Sweetwater Union High School District program that guaranteed admission to San Diego State University. At SDSU, Marcus double majored in City Planning and Spanish.

Councilmember Bush began his first job as a warehouse worker and union member at PETCO Park while in high school and continued that work while studying at SDSU. When he attended a union meeting, the UNITE HERE Local 30 President saw his passion to improve working conditions for fellow workers and offered him an internship as an organizer in the union. Eventually, he became a union organizer for his fellow workers at PETCO Park and other hotel and restaurant workers in the region.

Shortly after Councilmember Bush graduated from SDSU, he left UNITE HERE and transitioned his career to city planning, where he worked as a City Planner in both the public and private sector working on regional issues related to housing and transportation in National City and throughout the San Diego region.

Councilmember Bush became increasingly engaged in National City: in city government, the business community, and community nonprofit groups. In 2011, Vice Mayor Bush was appointed to the Civil Service Commission and in 2013 was appointed to the Planning Commission. He became the youngest Planning Commission Chair in the city’s history at age 26 in 2015. He also served on the Board of Directors for the National City Chamber of Commerce and President of the National City Rotary Club.

In 2018, Councilmember Mayor Bush earned his master’s degree in Real Estate Development from Portland State University’s Graduate School of Business, becoming the first in his family to earn a master’s degree. During that time, he also worked as a Policy Advisor on land use and transportation issues for Council President Georgette Gómez in the City of San Diego. Vice Mayor Bush currently works as as a project manager developing affordable housing in the San Diego region.

First elected to City Council in 2020, Councilmember Bush is focused on addressing the housing & homelessness crisis, environmental health & climate change, and supporting small businesses with increased access to high-quality jobs for our residents.

Councilmember Bush is the proud father of two children, Leticia (9) and Julian (7) who attend public school in National City. He currently lives with his wife Marilyn and children in National City, where he bought his first home.