2026 Candidate for Coronado City Council

Rebecca King

I’m a former deputy city attorney, City of Coronado Design Review Commissioner/Chair, retired military spouse, and long-time community volunteer. I’m running for Council to bring practical, local government experience and greater transparency to the City my family calls home.

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2026 Candidate for Coronado City Council

Rebecca King

I’m a former deputy city attorney, City of Coronado Design Review Commissioner/Chair, retired military spouse, and long-time community volunteer. I’m running for Council to bring practical, local government experience and greater transparency to the City my family calls home.

Donate

Former Local Government Attorney

11-Year Coronado Resident

Local Civic and Community Service

Meet Rebecca

I first moved to Coronado in 2007, when the Navy stationed my husband, a Navy physician and Surface Warfare Officer, at Naval Medical Center San Diego. Like so many military families, we fell in love with this place and were incredibly fortunate to make it our permanent home in 2018. We raised our sons here. Our eldest attended Coronado public schools from 2007-2010, and our youngest attended Coronado public schools from 2018 until his graduation from Coronado High School in 2024. During my family’s eleven years here, I have strived to give back to this special community by volunteering for Coronado nonprofits, in our public schools, and serving on the City’s Planning & Design Review Commission.

Before moving here in 2007, I had practiced law full-time for 10 years, most of that time as a Deputy and Assistant City Attorney for the City of Norfolk, VA. In that role, I represented the city and its employees across a broad range of litigation and counseled city departments and employees on federal, state, and city laws. I have firsthand knowledge of how municipal governments operate and how to build consensus among competing interests.

Education

Washington and Lee University School of Law — J.D., cum laude

Burks Scholar; W. Baker Hall Memorial Scholarship recipient

West Virginia University — B.A., International Studies, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Licensed to practice law in Virginia (1995) and California (2025)

Community Involvement

It was my honor to serve on the City of Coronado’s Planning and Design Review Commission from 2022-2025.

I have also been privileged to serve our community in other ways:

  • Coronado Unified School District’s Guiding Coalition, Member
  • Coronado School of the Arts (CoSA) Foundation Board, Member
  • CoSA’s 25th Anniversary Gala, Software Chair
  • Coronado Island Film Festival, 2024 Village Theater Venue Co-Manager
  • Volunteer, Buyer, and Manager of the non-profit Naval Officers’ Spouses’ Club’s Sand Dollar Too shop on Naval Air Station North Island
 

I am an active member of the Coronado Woman’s Club and a former member of the Junior Woman’s Club.

My Priorities

1

Clean Water, Beaches, and Air.

The Tijuana River cross-border sewage and toxic runoff crisis is the greatest public health and economic threat our community faces. Our children, Navy Seals, lifeguards, residents, and guests deserve a safe ocean and beaches.

  • Stop the runoff: Pursue every viable option to halt the toxic sewage flow.

  • Amplify our voice: Push for Coronado to be a regional leader in demanding a permanent fix.

  • Unite regional power: Build a coalition of neighboring cities, nonprofits, and business leaders to consolidate and coordinate our political and economic power to force state and federal action.

2

Trust Through Transparency.

Government works best when it operates in the light.

  • Contracts: Insist on transparency, especially when the City outsources government services to private vendors to ensure accountability and protect taxpayer dollars.

  • City Council Agendas: Publish City Council agenda packets earlier than the current two-business-day window so residents have sufficient time to engage.

3

Public Safety.​

A city’s most fundamental obligation is to keep its citizens safe.

  • Fire and Police: Deliver the facilities, tools, staffing, and retention packages to hire and retain top-tier public safety officers.

  • E-Bikes: Amend our e-bike laws to allow officers to impound an e-bike, with release contingent upon completion of a mandatory e-bike safety course, when its operator created an immediate and substantial risk to public safety. Enforce existing e-bike laws.

4

Resilient Infrastructure.​

Coronado has a backlog of aging infrastructure.


  • Fire Stations: Replace our 56-year-old fire stations with modern ones.

  • Water and Wastewater Pipes: Replace Coronado’s deteriorating pipes that are 70+ years old.

  • Climate Resilience: Ensure new infrastructure is built to withstand future severe weather.

5

Parking.​

We all know it’s a problem.


  • Enforce Parking Requirements: Require new hotels to build sufficient off-street parking.

  • Oppose Lowering Minimum Parking Requirements: Push back on attempts to change our Code to lower parking requirements.

6

Preserving Coronado's Character.

  • Stop overdevelopment: Make every effort within the bounds of the law to prevent overdevelopment as the City faces future state housing mandates.

  • Preserve What Makes Coronado Unique: Fight to preserve our historical resources and small-town charm.
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Why I'm Running

From the moment I first drove across the Coronado Bridge in 2007, I fell in love with this place.  I’ve given back through my volunteer activities, and now I want to play a greater policy role in protecting what makes this community special. I believe my local government law background and civic engagement have prepared me to represent the best interests of current and future generations of Coronadans.

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Endorsed By

Carrie DowneyCoronado Councilmember
Coronado Firefighters association
Coronado Firefighters association
Casey TanakaFormer Coronado Mayor
Bill SandkeFormer Councilmember
Paloma AguirreSan Diego County Supervisor, District 1 Former Mayor of Imperial Beach

“I’m excited to endorse Rebecca King for the Coronado City Council because she has taken the time to study our issues and is ready on day one to address Coronado’s problems. Rebecca’s legal background gives her a leg up on the other candidates in terms of understanding the context and legal nuances of the many bureaucratic problems our City faces. Rebecca is the smart choice to represent our community on the Coronado City Council.”

Casey Tanaka

"Rebecca King’s years of experience as a city attorney, service on the City of Coronado’s Design Review Commission, and her deep knowledge of local government make her ideal to serve on the Coronado City Council. She has supported my efforts to find permanent solutions to the Tijuana River sewage crisis that plagues our South Bay communities, and I look forward to collaborating with her on this issue as one of your new City Council members."

Paloma Aguirre

“Rebecca is a thoughtful and intelligent woman who will serve our Community in an open-minded way with balance and dedication.”







Bill Sandke

Contact Rebecca

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In The News

The Coronado Times | Rebecca King wants receipts: How her law background shaped her push for accountability

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Paid for by Rebecca King for Coronado City Council 2026. | FPPC No. 1494739.