All four candidates for Coronado City Council agree the city needs tougher e-bike enforcement, but their proposals diverge on fines, age limits and impoundment.

Kelly Purvis, Andrew Gade, Ricky Hoyt and Rebecca King laid out their positions in a Coronado News Q&A published Monday, Oct. 5. Two seats are on the ballot in the Nov. 3 election.

Purvis, an appointed councilmember, wants the state to raise the minimum e-bike riding age to 16, require registration, insurance, helmets for all riders and a rules-of-the-road test. She said she met with Assemblymember Tasha Boerner in Sacramento in April to push for those changes. Coronado's current ordinance, adopted in late 2024, bans riders under 12 from operating Class 1 or 2 e-bikes under a San Diego County pilot program created by Assembly Bill 2234 (AB 2234). That pilot expires Jan. 1, 2029.

Purvis cited American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons research showing pediatric e-bike accidents in San Diego rose more than 300% from 2019 to 2023. She also described being struck by two youths on an e-bike in 2024. "The driver of the bike wore no helmet and had a phone in his hand," Purvis said. "His passenger … was transported to the hospital by ambulance and suffered a concussion."

Gade, a small business owner and Coronado Mobility Committee member, called the current $25 fine too low. He said he would support a larger fine or one that increases for repeat offenses. Gade backed the existing under-12 age restriction and did not call for raising it. He said enforcement should focus on educating riders about safety and the law.

Hoyt, an aviator and business owner, called e-bikes an efficient alternative to cars when ridden responsibly but said irresponsible operation is the real problem. He proposed requiring students who ride e-bikes to school to complete safety training and receive a parking permit. He pointed to Carlsbad's ordinance, adopted Feb. 24, as a model. Under that law, when a minor's violation creates a public safety risk, the e-bike can be impounded and the rider must finish a safety course before a parent can retrieve it.

Hoyt said he would keep the under-12 restriction but added that "reaching a certain birthday doesn't automatically make someone a safe rider."

King, an attorney, said Coronado already has the legal tools it needs but is not using them. She noted state law allows fines of up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year and $500 after that for violations such as riding on sidewalks and boardwalks. She proposed an education campaign, including a police video and social media posts explaining e-bike laws, paired with consistent enforcement.

King also urged the city to push for making the under-12 pilot program permanent before it sunsets in 2029. She supports the existing state requirement that riders be at least 16 to operate a Class 3 e-bike, which can reach 28 mph.

As of a November 2024 council report, Coronado police had issued 162 warnings and 23 citations and seized nine unsafe bikes since 2023. That report also found that since 2021, 72% of e-bike collisions in the city were caused by the operator.

The general municipal election is Nov. 3.

Voters will choose two of the four candidates for four-year terms.