Coronado's City Council will consider declaring a local state of emergency over El Niño storm conditions when it meets Tuesday at City Hall.

The emergency declaration tops a packed agenda that also includes a proposed all-electric rideshare program, a $474,364 police facility upgrade and a renewed fire dispatch agreement with San Diego.

El Niño emergency

Staff is recommending the council adopt Resolution 2026-59, which would formally declare a local emergency resulting from El Niño storm conditions expected to persist through early 2027. The resolution would follow similar declarations by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 21 and San Diego County on Sept. 30, according to the council's agenda packet.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has found a greater than 90% chance of a very strong El Niño event this fall and winter, with a substantial chance it reaches historic strength, the staff report states. Coronado's flat, sea-level topography and gravity-reliant storm drain system make the city especially exposed to flooding, beach erosion and infrastructure damage.

Declaring the emergency carries no direct cost. It would let staff expedite procurement and emergency permitting, and it would open the door to federal and state reimbursement for storm-related spending. The council would review the declaration at least every 60 days.

Council Member Amy Steward described the threat in an Oct. 10 report by The Coronado News: "We are flat as a pancake but the city has taken steps to make sure that we have pumps ready, we have everything that we possibly can do."

The city recently brought online its $32 million Parker Pump Station at 8th Street and Coronado Avenue and is planning a temporary drainage system near Five Points, where multiple streets converge near the yacht club, according to The Coronado News.

Electric rideshare with VIA

The council will also weigh launching an on-demand, all-electric rideshare service operated by Crosby Street Transit LLC, known as VIA. Staff is asking the council to authorize City Manager Tina Friend to negotiate a contract and set program parameters, with funding drawn from General Fund reserves.

Two fleet options are on the table. The first uses Volkswagen ID.Buzz electric vans and Ford eTransit wheelchair-accessible vehicles at $980,000 in the first year. The second uses neighborhood electric vehicles, or NEVs, at $799,000. An optional fixed-route service to the Coronado Cays would add about $460,000.

The program is not in the adopted fiscal year 2026-27 budget. A $500,000 grant application to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Flexible Fleets Pilot Grant Program was not recommended for funding, the staff report notes. The council may also consider directing up to $300,000 in Coronado Tourism Improvement District reserves toward the program.

The council will need to decide on fleet type, service area, schedule, fare structure and whether to allow in-vehicle advertising. Staff plans to return with a finalized contract for approval.

Police locker expansion

On the consent calendar, staff recommends awarding a $236,375 construction contract to SWCS Inc., doing business as Southwest Construction Services, for the Police Women's Locker Expansion Project. The lowest bidder, Grace Builders Inc. at $226,800, was disqualified for failing to include a required physical bid bond.

The total project budget would rise to $474,364, including $66,903 for construction management to The Barrie & Company. An additional $24,364 appropriation from the Capital Projects Fund would cover the gap. The existing locker room dates to 1996.

Fire dispatch agreement

Also on consent, the council will vote on a three-year agreement with San Diego's Emergency Command and Data Center (ECDC) for fire and emergency medical dispatch. The first-year cost is $200,966, a roughly 9% increase over fiscal year 2025-26. Coronado logged 2,715 dispatch calls in fiscal year 2026.

The meeting begins at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 1825 Strand Way.