Coronado City Council Two Seats Open<\/p>\n
Week #4<\/p>\n
“The City of Coronado faces challenges to its local make-up from multiple agencies and rule-making bodies (eg RNHA requirements, SB79). What steps do you propose to protect Coronado\u2019s unique charm & character?”<\/p>\n
Local control does not mean isolation. Protecting local control requires strong regional leadership.<\/p>\n
Coronado cannot afford to be an island politically simply because we are an island geographically. As part of SANDAG, regional decisions involving transportation, housing and infrastructure can affect our community. We need to be at the table early\u2014building coalitions and advocating for Coronado before decisions are made rather than reacting afterward.<\/p>\n
SB 79 demonstrates why that regional involvement matters. The law establishes state development standards for qualifying housing projects near specified transit stops, while state law requires SANDAG to map qualifying transit-oriented development stops and zones using SB 79 criteria. We cannot treat regional transportation and local land use as entirely separate issues. Coronado should closely monitor SB 79 implementation and future regional transportation decisions so we can identify potential impacts early and advocate before decisions are finalized.<\/p>\n
The same principle applies in Sacramento. We should work aggressively with our state representatives and similarly situated communities to oppose one-size-fits-all mandates and seek flexibility recognizing Coronado\u2019s unique circumstances. When requirements become law, we should comply intelligently while preserving every bit of local discretion available. We should not waste taxpayer money on litigation simply to make a political statement, but when our attorneys believe there is sound legal basis to challenge an unreasonable mandate, I support defending Coronado\u2019s local control.<\/p>\n
We must also use the tools we still control to protect Coronado\u2019s physical character. The Mills Act incentivizes preservation of qualifying historic properties through property-tax benefits tied to preservation commitments. Coronado\u2019s development standards also allow residential projects to earn additional floor area ratio (FAR) for specified design features, including qualifying porches, pitched roofs and eaves, landscaping, trees and setbacks.<\/p>\n
Objective design standards provide another tool. As part of Coronado\u2019s Housing Element certification, HCD required standards for multifamily and mixed-use development. Clear, measurable exterior-design requirements can help new development complement its surroundings while complying with state law. Together, these tools help preserve important pieces of Coronado\u2019s past while influencing how the Coronado of tomorrow develops.<\/p>\n
Preserving our character also requires planning ahead for mandates we know are coming. We need to prepare now for the next housing cycle, and that means working closely with the Navy.<\/p>\n
The current Housing Element demonstrates what creative local problem-solving can accomplish: 374 Navy housing units are included in Coronado\u2019s housing-capacity analysis\u2014about 41 percent of our 912-unit RHNA allocation. That shows how City-Navy cooperation can help Coronado respond to outside housing requirements while protecting our community\u2019s interests. The Council elected this November will be in office as Coronado begins navigating the next housing cycle. We should strengthen those relationships well before 2029.<\/p>\n
That partnership also highlights the practical value of military experience on our next Council. I am the only City Council candidate in this election with military service, and if elected, I would be the only member of the next Council with military experience. Looking back over roughly the last 50 years of Coronado City Councils, I have not found a time when there wasn\u2019t at least one councilmember with military experience. I spent most of my 13 years on active duty at North Island and continue serving here as a Navy Reserve pilot. In a community where housing, land use, infrastructure, traffic and public safety frequently intersect with the Navy, a firsthand understanding of how the Navy operates has real-world implications for City policy.<\/p>\n
Military experience does not mean automatically agreeing with the Navy. A councilmember\u2019s responsibility is to represent Coronado residents. But understanding how the Navy operates and building relationships before we need something can help protect Coronado\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, protecting Coronado requires resolve and relationships: defend our authority locally, advocate in Sacramento, lead regionally at SANDAG, use every lawful tool available to preserve our character, and strengthen our partnership with the Navy.<\/p>\n
Local control does not mean isolation. It means ensuring Coronado has a strong voice wherever decisions affecting our community are made. As California changes around us, our responsibility is to make sure Coronado remains Coronado\u2014and to keep Coronado the California Exception.<\/p>\n
VOL. 116, NO. 39 – Sept. 30, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Coronado City Council Two Seats Open Week #4 “The City of Coronado faces challenges to its local make-up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":484068,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[20304,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-484067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-coronado_city_news","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/484068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=484067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}