Coronado Councilmember Kelly Purvis wants cities like Santee to absorb housing units Coronado cannot build. That idea anchors her campaign for a full four-year council term.

Purvis, appointed in January 2025 after then-Councilmember John Duncan won the mayoral election, was selected over nine other applicants to fill Duncan's seat. She told the Coronado Times she wants four more years to tackle housing mandates, the Tijuana sewage crisis and fire station construction.

"The 912 number, in my opinion, was unrealistic," Purvis said of Coronado's last Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA. "Coronado is very built out, and we have another housing cycle coming up fast."

The state required Coronado to zone for 912 units, plus a 15 percent buffer pushing the total to 1,049. Coronado fought the number in court, lost and lost again on appeal. The California Supreme Court declined to hear the case. In 2024, the city passed a compliant housing element after years of resistance.

The zoning hasn't translated into construction. Coronado added just 37 housing units in 2025, and none were affordable, the Coronado Times reported March 15.

Purvis said she is using her seat on the CalCities Housing and Economic Development Committee to build coalitions with other built-out coastal cities facing similar mandates. Her strategy centers on a regional trade-off model. Under that approach, Coronado could contribute to housing numbers in communities that want the growth instead of absorbing units locally.

Santee Mayor John Minto said at a 2024 SANDAG meeting that his city was trying to develop 2,600 acres and would be open to taking more of the region's housing allocation, according to the Coronado Times.

Beyond housing, Purvis serves as Coronado's representative on the Metropolitan Wastewater Joint Powers Authority, or Metro JPA. She said the region's water future worries her as much as the current cross-border sewage crisis. She has floated building a pure water facility somewhere in San Diego County that would treat wastewater to drinking-water standards, a concept known as potable reuse.

Purvis also wants to speed up two fire station projects already on the city's capital improvement and risk assessment lists. She supports statewide e-bike regulations, including a minimum riding age of 16, required helmets and insurance, and a ban on phone use while riding.

Purvis is one of four qualified candidates competing for two council seats on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The others are Andrew Gade, a small business owner; Rebecca King, an attorney; and Ricky Hoyt, listed as an aviator and business owner, according to the city's election page. Vote-by-mail ballots are scheduled to go out Monday, Oct. 5, and voter registration closes Monday, Oct. 19.