Coronado declared a local state of emergency over El Niño storm conditions at its Tuesday, Oct. 20, City Council meeting.

The council adopted Resolution 2026-59, declaring the existence of a local emergency resulting from El Niño, according to the meeting's post agenda. The move follows similar declarations by Del Mar on Sept. 22 and San Diego County on Sept. 30, as well as Gov. Gavin Newsom's statewide emergency proclamation on Sept. 21.

The declaration comes as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported Oct. 8 that El Niño continues to strengthen, with greater than 83% probability of a strong-to-very-strong event through March 2027, The Coronado News reported.

City Manager Tina Friend highlighted Coronado's exposure at a Sept. 15 council meeting. The low-lying community received 4.25 inches of rain in a few hours during a January 2024 storm, the heaviest single-day rainfall in more than a century across San Diego County, according to municipal records cited by The Coronado News. Officials stressed the storm system did not fail, but the volume combined with high tides impaired drainage and contributed to flooding.

"We are just intrinsically vulnerable … We are flat. We are at sea level. We are surrounded by water," Friend said in August, when the city's new $32 million Parker Pump Station was completed ahead of the El Niño season.

Council Member Amy Steward, vice chair of the League of California Cities' Coastal Cities Group leadership committee, told The Coronado News that Coronado's South Beach is disappearing faster than North Beach, Grand Caribe and Tidelands. The Parker Pump Station is now operational with a permanent generator, Friend told The Coronado News. Steward said the city also plans a temporary drainage system near Five Points, where runoff will be pumped into Glorietta Bay.

Rideshare pilot and other business

The council also directed staff to negotiate a contract with Crosby Street Transit LLC, known as VIA, for an all-electric, on-demand rideshare program. The city manager was authorized to negotiate terms, set program parameters and amend the fiscal year 2026-27 budget using General Fund reserves, according to the post agenda.

In other action, the council authorized a $236,375 construction contract to Southwest Construction Services for the police women's locker expansion project. The total project budget was set at $474,364, including $66,903 for construction management support from The Barrie & Company, Inc. A bid from Grace Builders Inc. was rejected.

The council also introduced Ordinance 2026-10, a one-word amendment to the municipal code clarifying the process for serving public nuisance abatement notices. A separate ordinance, 2026-11, would repeal and replace massage establishment regulations to conform with state law.

Residents can find storm preparedness information at projectcoronado.org/storm-preparedness.