Nearly 300 people made history by attending the first annual Coronado State of the City Address on May 24, at the Coronado Performing Arts Center. The ROTC Color Guard regally presented the flags and then Grace Dabbieri, 10, melodically sang the National Anthem after which the audience gave her a standing ovation. Mayor Bailey and each of the Councilmembers presented a Coronado Coin and a certificate to five residents who they felt went above and beyond in making Coronado great.
Mayor Bailey honored Alisa Kerr for her many contributions to the City, including helping to found the Islander Ladies Club, which is dedicated to bettering and serving our community through service and giving. She is also involved in other community endeavors, and is a co-chair of 92118 Day.
Councilmember Sandke chose Chuck Howe as his honoree. He highlighted Howe’s military service including Commanding Officer at Camp David and work at the Antarctica Nuclear Power Plant. He is active in the Christ Episcopal Church as a volunteer and other service areas. He also serves as the Board of Director Emeritus for Student and Family Enrichment (SAFE), and helps in a variety of ways in Coronado Rotary, from pulling weeds to building water purification kits.
Councilmember Downey selected Ann Mitchell for exemplifying the best type of Coronado resident, and one who has lived 70 of her 94 years here. Through the years, she has opened her home to those in need including Navy and retired folks. When Downey needed host families for Japanese students, Mitchell, at the age of 90, was the first person to call and volunteer her home. She is known for her positive attitude and always complimenting those around her.
Councilmember Benzian picked Doug Mustin St. Denis to be honored, citing her dedication as a family inherited characteristic. She embodies the spirit of the community and country, having had a family member serve in the military since the 19th century. She is known as a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ for consistently and enthusiastically giving her time to community causes. She is also co-founder of the Coronado Island Film Festival.
Councilmember Donovan highlighted Mary Berube for her total commitment to the Grand Caribe Shoreline Park (GCSP). As a Coronado Cays resident, she has a vested interested in keeping the park looking its best for the residents and wildlife with native plants. She led the restoration efforts for the park, soliciting grants and working with the Port Commission as an environmental steward.
In his State of the City Address, Mayor Bailey pointed out that keeping the city beautiful, the beaches pristine, maintaining public safety and updating the infrastructure of the city are all priorities. The city receives $56 million in tax revenues, half of which comes from property tax and 25 percent from the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). Approximately half of those funds go to safety, directed to police, fire, lifeguards and infrastructure. When he mentioned that there is currently a $68 million surplus in the budget and the city has zero debt, the audience clapped enthusiastically. Coronado is tied for the fourth lowest city assessed property and sales tax rates in California. It was recently the first city in San Diego County to eliminate the Business License Tax, and have an Aaa Bond Rating from Moody’s. He praised the current and past city councils and government for exercising financial restraint to make this good fiscal health possible. New items are being implemented to make the city even better for residents, including expanding library hours, adding smart signals on the Strand and starting the process to create underground utilities in the city. He highlighted that Councilmembers Downey and Donovan are currently in the process of reforming the historic designation process. Other projects include reconfiguring the five points intersection at Glorietta, Pomona and 10th Street, and supporting Coronado SAFE which supports prevention and intervention for youth and family mental health.
Public safety is a top priority. The fire department responded to 2100 calls last year and lifeguards saved 800 people on Coronado beaches. Last year, the Police Department focused on safety on 3rd and 4th Streets and Orange Avenue with a 50 percent increase in speeding citations. They have added body cameras and the remotely monitored “bait bike,” which has been stolen 58 times and resulted in 81 arrests. Bicycle thefts are down fifty percent in the last five years.
One of the hiccups in the city finances is CalPERS lowering their rate of return from seven and a half percent to seven percent, which increases the budget from $4.5 million to $8.5 million dollars from 2016 to 2023. The city is using a multi-pronged approach by taking measure to prepay, building dedicated investment funds and continuing to push for changes for local control.
There have been inroads made with Caltrans, and Mayor Bailey praised Councilmember Sandke for helping with this collaboration. Previously, it has taken years to get roads painted or dead foliage removed, but two months ago, the City negotiated a deal where City personnel can do the tasks and bill Caltrans for the service. This has resulted in faster, high quality service.
Mayor Bailey highlighted that the environment is an important issue and cited that a new irrigation system was recently installed at the Golf Course which will save $100,000 annually and thousands of gallons of water. A wastewater recycling plant has also been proposed. Regarding the Tijuana Sewage Spill problem, the San Diego Region has come together on this issue and Coronado is pursuing diplomatic options. The Mayor and Councilmember Benzian met with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC recently and will be part of a working group that will convene in June to start identifying solutions for this problem.
The Coronado bridge suicide issue was brought forth as a priority three years ago by Wayne Strickland to the City Council. More than 400 suicides have occurred on the bridge, with 35 deaths in 2016. The City has been advocating for a solution, and Caltrans recently complete a feasibility study on building a barrier and is now looking at an interim solution which could be potentially be installed within a year.
The Mayor closed the evening by saying that even though things in Coronado change, the people of Coronado are a special breed who make our town great and can’t be replaced.
