Ricky Hoyt saw a lot of the world from the deck of a Navy ship. His first deployment brought several port calls, and exploring left him grateful for his life back home.
It left him inspired. This, he thought, is why good governance matters. In some countries, he saw what happens when a community has neither public service nor private enterprise. What fills the gap, he said, is corruption and a buddy system that runs from the national level all the way down.
He came home resolved to do two things: start a business and, eventually, get involved in local government. He has since built a real estate business. And now, after retiring from active duty six months ago, he is now running for Coronado City Council while remaining a Navy pilot in the Reserves.
Hoyt’s campaign rests on those two careers. He says his Navy experience and connections will help the city work with the base on everything from the upcoming Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) cycle to flight paths. He also says his business background makes him the kind of fiscally conservative, data-driven leader Coronado needs as it faces several major capital projects. He wants to keep up the pressure on Mexico over the Tijuana sewage crisis, step up enforcement on e-bikes and speeding, and protect the small-town character he calls “the California exception.”
“I care about Coronado,” he said. “I want to be part of the legacy that’s kept Coronado so exceptional.”
Like many in Coronado, Hoyt came here with the military. He fell in love with the city, got married, and plans to raise a family here. When he left active duty, he said, he felt called to give back. He talked with mentors and several former mayors and council members before deciding to run. His goals for the city include mitigating the Tijuana sewage crisis, strengthening Navy and regional ties, budgeting for capital improvement projects, and focusing on public safety.
The Tijuana sewage crisis
“I think the current council and mayor have made huge improvements in the last five years,” Hoyt said. “I want to continue the push that they’ve been doing.”
He calls for a three-pronged approach: the treatment plant on the American side, keeping the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) funded, and holding Mexico accountable for its waste.
Hoyt said the local emergency declaration was a first step. Next, he wants to work through regional bodies like the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to tie the issue to trade and the border crossing, which would require federal cooperation.
“I’m not trying to stop business at all, but this is a piece of leverage we have right now,” he said. “They want something from us, but we need them to fix their issue.”
He argued Mexico hasn’t fixed the problem because not fixing it hasn’t cost them enough. It’s time for leaders in the U.S. to insist on the changes, even if that means putting economic pressure on Mexico.
“On good faith is not going to work,” Hoyt said. “If that was going to fix it, it would have been fixed already.”
Navy and regional ties
“I think my military service is a huge advantage in a lot of ways,” Hoyt said. “I understand how the base works, I understand daily operations.”
He named the upcoming Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) cycle as something the city will need to work through with the Navy. In the last cycle, Coronado was able to count planned barracks housing in its housing element. He also named utility undergrounding, a joint effort between the city and military, and flight paths, as areas where his Navy experience could help.
He also wants stronger regional relationships “with SANDAG, the (California) Coastal Commission, the Port (of San Diego).” In the Navy, he worked with the Air Force and Army. Each branch has its own requirements and procedures, and Hoyt said he learned to bridge those differences to reach a common goal.
Business and the budget
Hoyt describes himself as data-driven and fiscally conservative. That’s how he built his real estate business, and it’s how he intends to govern Coronado.
He started his business with a VA loan on a triplex, which he fixed up himself. He later renovated and rented out duplexes and more properties, growing from there, and living “extremely frugally,” he said, to make it happen. He got his real estate license about three years ago, after becoming the go-to real estate person among his fellow Osprey pilots.
“We’re in a good financial position as a city,” he said, citing reserves and income from hotel and property taxes. “But we also have some pretty big capital improvement projects coming. With good stewardship, these can be executed successfully.”
The city’s library, fire stations, and police department all need upgrades, he said. He wants the city to keep up with maintenance so that neglect doesn’t cost taxpayers more later. His approach, he said, is “listen, learn, discern, and lead”: gather input from experts and bids, make an informed decision, hold contractors accountable, and adjust when new information comes in.
Public safety, traffic, and e-bikes
“Supporting police and fire are a huge part of the safety equation,” Hoyt said. “That means giving them the equipment, the training, the facilities they need to do the job.”
He also would like to use data and technology to discern where speeding or noise violations happen the most, so police know where more enforcement is needed. But, he said, he does not support Flock cameras or surveillance of individual people or vehicles.
On traffic, he credited the Navy’s Southwest Inbound Fast Traffic (SWIFT) Lanes with helping inbound traffic, but said signal timing on Third and Fourth streets needs work. He also suggested looking at Hillcrest’s use of “friction”: putting the bike lane between the sidewalk and parked cars so the road feels narrower, which can reduce speeding.
On e-bikes, he said, “These are essentially electric motorcycles.” He wants more regulation and stricter enforcement of rules.
“I think kids will smarten up pretty quickly when they see their friend’s e-bike getting impounded,” he said.
The California exception
In the military, you meet people and they move or you move or both, but your paths tend to cross again. Hoyt said he had a running joke for encounters with old colleagues and friends: When people asked where he was stationed these days, Hoyt would say it was a small town by the water where people leave their doors unlocked, waiting for them to assume he had left California.
“I’d laugh and say, actually, I’m still in California,” he said. He calls Coronado “the California exception.”
He credits Coronado’s volunteers, its residents, and its police and fire personnel for keeping that feel. He was shocked when he moved to Coronado as a junior officer and was embraced by the community and its neighborhood charm.
In addition to the people, Hoyt also credits tools like the Mills Act for maintaining the city’s charm. He cited a rule that lets homeowners build extra square footage if the house has a front porch. The city can’t tell people what to do with their land, he said, but it can offer incentives. He also wants to keep as much control local as possible.
“This place is exceptional. It’s where I want to raise my family,” he said. “And it’s not by accident that it’s exceptional.”
