Three of four Coronado City Council candidates laid out their environmental priorities in a Q&A published by local nonprofit Emerald Keepers on Thursday, Oct. 8. Ricky Hoyt, the fourth candidate, did not respond to either question.

Rebecca King, Kelly Purvis and Andrew Gade each answered two questions about how Coronado can become an environmental leader and what their priorities would be on the council. The Q&A, first reported by the Coronado Times, excluded the Tijuana sewage crisis because it had been addressed in earlier candidate forums.

Two seats are on the Nov. 3 ballot. The winners will serve four-year terms ending in December 2030. Vote-by-mail ballots went out Oct. 5, and the voter registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 19.

King: enforce existing plans

Attorney and planning commissioner Rebecca King said the city has adopted a Climate Action Plan and a Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Adaptation Plan but needs to follow through.

"Coronado has already adopted several plans … but to be an environmental leader, the City needs to implement them," King wrote.

King said the city should enforce its single-use plastics ordinance with public compliance reports and penalties for repeat violators. She also called for replacing aging stormwater and wastewater pipes, adding solar to new city facilities, and protecting Coronado's tree canopy. She said the council should review the Street Tree Master Plan and assess whether merging the Street Tree Committee into the Parks and Recreation Commission has affected tree protection.

Purvis: regional partnerships

Kelly Purvis, the appointed incumbent on the council, said she pushed for Coronado's recent membership in San Diego Community Power (SDCP) and will serve as the city's representative on its board.

"I will work to ensure our community benefits from cleaner, more affordable energy choices, local programs and incentives, and opportunities for innovation," Purvis wrote.

On environmental priorities, Purvis said the city's single-use plastics ordinance must be consistently enforced and that residents, businesses and visitors need to understand it. She also named protecting beaches and coastal waters, reducing waste and strengthening environmental education through nonprofit partnerships.

Gade: stay the course

Andrew Gade, a small business owner who has served on the Coronado Mobility Committee, wrote that Coronado is already on track to be an environmental leader. He added that environmental sustainability and fiscal responsibility can be achieved at the same time.

Hoyt: no response

Ricky Hoyt, a Navy Reserve pilot and business owner who has lived in Coronado since 2015, did not respond to either question. The Emerald Keepers Q&A listed "Did not respond" under both prompts. No reason for the non-response was given.

Coronado adopted its single-use plastics ordinance on Feb. 18, 2025. The ordinance bans single-use plastic and polystyrene food packaging citywide at all retail and food businesses and allows only paper carryout bags at a minimum cost of 10 cents.