Coronado City Council candidate Ricky Hoyt wants the city to tie cross-border sewage cleanup to ongoing U.S.-Mexico trade negotiations and track progress on a public scorecard.

Hoyt, a Navy Reserve pilot and small-business owner, laid out the proposals in the Coronado Eagle & Journal's weekly candidates' forum published Thursday, Sept. 24. The forum asked all four candidates running for two open council seats what they would do about the Tijuana sewage crisis, both short-term and long-term.

Hoyt pointed to Minute 333, a binational agreement signed Dec. 15, 2025, by the U.S. and Mexican sections of the International Boundary and Water Commission. IBWC records describe it as a plan for comprehensive actions to address the border sanitation problem between San Diego and Tijuana. Hoyt said the agreement covers future Tijuana growth, long-term operations and maintenance, Mexico-side infrastructure, expanded treatment capacity and real-time monitoring.

"Importantly, Minute 333 does not obligate additional U.S. taxpayer funding for these new commitments," Hoyt wrote in his forum response.

The EPA's summary of Minute 333 adds a condition: new Border Water Infrastructure Program funding for Tijuana projects beyond those already identified would depend on existing projects staying on schedule.

Hoyt also argued that the USMCA trade agreement gives the U.S. leverage. The United States did not agree to renew the agreement in its current form during a July 1 joint review, according to a White & Case analysis. The deal remains in force while annual reviews continue. Hoyt said cross-border water quality should be part of those negotiations.

His third proposal: a public scorecard. It would track major sewage-infrastructure projects, funding, deadlines and completion milestones. He called for "defined consequences" if Mexico misses agreed wastewater targets.

Hoyt, who served 13 years on active duty, said contaminated coastal waters affect military training in Coronado. He noted the EPA has identified impacts on Navy SEAL training specifically. CalMatters reported in March that Tijuana River sewage pollution has endangered SEALs training in Coronado.

"During my 13 years on active duty, I saw firsthand how water-quality problems affected the Navy," Hoyt wrote. "That makes this personal to me."

In a Sept. 15 Coronado News Q&A on the same issue, Hoyt said he supports the city's sewage emergency declaration but cautioned against treating it as an end in itself. "The accomplishment is getting the infrastructure built, holding governments accountable and permanently stopping the sewage," he said at the time.

Hoyt is one of four candidates competing for two four-year council seats in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election. The other candidates are Rebecca King, incumbent Kelly Purvis and Andrew Gade. The seats are currently held by Purvis and Councilmember Carrie Downey.

The weekly candidates' forum continues through late October in the Coronado Eagle & Journal.