Rebecca King pitched e-bike enforcement, aging pipe replacement and resistance to housing mandates as priorities in her first candidate statement for the Tuesday, Nov. 3 Coronado council race.

King, a former deputy city attorney and Coronado Planning and Design Review Commissioner, laid out a five-point platform in a written forum submission published by the Coronado Eagle & Journal on Thursday, Sept. 10. The submission was part of the Coronado Democratic Club's candidates forum held Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the Coronado Unified School District Boardroom. Local resident and Vietnam War veteran Dan Brancaccio moderated.

King listed five priorities: a permanent fix for the Tijuana River sewage crisis, transparency on privatized city contracts, modern fire station construction paired with e-bike ordinance enforcement, replacement of aging water and wastewater pipes, and preserving Coronado's small-town character against state housing mandates.

"I believe my deep understanding of how municipal government works and my legal background and advocacy have prepared me well to protect what makes Coronado special now and for generations to come," King wrote.

E-bikes and public safety

King called for "strengthening public safety by prioritizing the construction of modern fire stations and enforcing/amending our e-bike ordinance." The issue isn't new. A November 2024 council report found 72% of e-bike collisions were caused by the operator, often due to unsafe speeds, according to San Diego Documenters coverage. At that time, police had issued 162 warnings and 23 citations and seized nine bikes.

Council members recommended banning e-bikes from all sidewalks and certain high-pedestrian areas in November 2024. King's forum statement did not specify what amendments she would pursue.

Water infrastructure and housing

King also called for "replacing our aging water and wastewater pipes before they fail." She framed the Tijuana River sewage crisis as her top priority, describing it as a threat to Coronado's "health and economy."

In an Aug. 31 Coronado Times profile, King argued Coronado should build a regional coalition to press for solutions. "If we're sending a council member and a mayor from Coronado (to advocate), … that's about 10 to 11 thousand registered voters," she said then. "But if we go as a part of a larger coalition within San Diego County, with the cities and NGOs that are pushing for solutions, that represents a much larger voting bloc."

On housing, King pledged to make "every effort within the bounds of the law to prevent overdevelopment and preserve our small-town character as Coronado faces future state housing mandates."

Background

King spent roughly a decade as a deputy and assistant city attorney in Norfolk, Virginia, before moving to Coronado in 2007 when the Navy stationed her husband at Balboa Hospital. The family returned east in 2010 and came back permanently in 2017 after her husband retired from the Navy. She served three years on the city's Planning and Design Review Commission and volunteered with the Coronado School of the Arts Foundation, the Coronado Woman's Club and the Naval Officer Spouses' Club.

King is one of four qualified candidates competing for two council seats on the Nov. 3 ballot, according to city election records. The other qualified candidates are Andrew Gade, Kelly Purvis and Ricky Hoyt. A fifth candidate, Keith James, has filed nomination papers but was not yet qualified as of the city's last update. The seats carry four-year terms ending in December 2030. Vote-by-mail ballots are scheduled to go out Monday, Oct. 5, and the voter registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 19.