Editor’s note: The 2024 council candidates running for the two open council seats are Andrew Gade, Mark Fleming, Christine Mott, Amy Steward, Mark Warner and Laura Wilkinson Sinton. A third council member may be selected in the process depending on the mayoral result. Three current council members — John Duncan, Mike Donovan and Casey Tanaka — are running for mayor.
The Coronado News reached out to Gade and all candidates with questions to learn more about their priorities and philosophy. Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity, including additional information from a follow-up conversation.
Gade, 43, has been passionate about Coronado and its people from the day he moved onto the island, answering many of his questions with anecdotes of him personally talking to residents through his regular civic involvements to see what it is the community wants.
Gade moved to Coronado three years ago after having lived in San Diego since 2001 to finish his economics degree at San Diego State University.
Twenty years after his move to Southern California, he realized San Diego was not the city he thought it would be and made the switch to the island.
Gade has since made his way onto the Fourth of July board, the Mobility Commission, is a member of the Coronado Chamber of Commerce, a new member of the Rotary Club of Coronado and most importantly, in the Coronado Beer Club, he jokes.
He credits the residents and says that the city has so much pride for where they live, with volunteering and community service and being able to work together with local government.
Gade wants to live the rest of his life in Coronado, and he feels that by running for local office, he can help protect what he holds dear in this city and to continue maintaining the relationship between city government and residents.
Q: Why did you choose to run for City Council?
Gade: “I have been looking to get involved in local government for the last decade and after I became a business (owner) and a homeowner, I realized the importance and impact of good governance. Ever since the first day I moved to Coronado, I have become very involved in the community and running for office was always part of the plan.”
Q: What is your stance on the Cays Park Master plan?
Gade: “Don’t change Cays Park. Update restroom facilities, irrigation, children’s playground equipment, fence off dog run and keep up with maintenance.”
In response to a follow-up question, Gade said the approved master plan, which will cost $31.2 million, is just too expensive.
“What I’m hearing from residents is they’re saying, ‘We like the park the way it is.’ It needs maintenance, it needs restrooms…those are in dire need of probably being rebuilt,” Gade said. “For [the residents], don’t turn our park into some elaborate, you know, regional park that’s going to draw a lot more people here.”
Q: Can you spell out specific plans you’d advocate for fixing the stormwater infrastructure?
Gade: “Prioritize funding and expedite repairs and upgrades. Look at ways to overlap repairs with street maintenance, telecommunications and utility undergrounding.”
Q: What are tangible examples of efforts you’ve made with the Tijuana sewage crisis. Or, what do you hope to do during your time in office?
Gade: “I have attended IBWC meetings discussing the current progress on fixing our current treatment plant and the progress on construction of the secondary plant. I have sent letters to Gavin Newsom, Senator Toni Atkins, Alex Padilla, Laphonza Butler and Congressman Scott Peters demanding action and declaring the sewage issue a state of emergency.”
Q: What is your stance on the affordable housing allocation? (SANDAG is a regional planning organization for San Diego County and for the 2021-2029 planning period, they directed Coronado to allocate 912 planned new housing units.)
Gade: “I’m not in favor of SANDAG dictating our local zoning and mandating more housing when we don’t have the infrastructure to support it. Coronado is the most densely packed city in the county and we already have parking and traffic issues that will only be exacerbated.”
In response to a follow-up question, Gade said the good thing is that while Coronado was able to allocate the correct amount of space, the city doesn’t actually need to build on it because much of it is private property.
“Personally, I have an issue with not wanting to overbuild Coronado,” Gade said. “If we’re truly trying to build affordable housing, Coronado is not the place to do it.”
Additionally, in response to a follow-up question, Gade said he hopes that the weighted vote with SANDAG, which has overruled smaller cities in the past, will be taken into consideration so that Coronado has more of a say in the future with housing allocations.
Q: Do you favor an ordinance with greater E-bike regulations?
Gade: “Absolutely; at the Mobility Commission we have been working with the city and law enforcement on this matter. California is currently working on legislation to require safety classes and licensing for younger riders.”
Q: What is a topic/issue in Coronado that was not referenced in these questions that you believe you can bring expertise to?
Gade: “Coronado can do a better job with cleanliness and trash removal, especially in the business district. The city needs to put pressure on the Port [of San Diego] to do a better job of maintaining the restroom facilities, bikeway, trash removal and landscaping at the Ferry Landing and Tidelands Park.”
In a follow-up question, Gade said that he bikes along the Bayshore bikeway often and usually has to slow down because of the sand that builds up on the sidewalks that can cause his tires to slip.
“It’s a liability; it’s a safety issue; it also looks sloppy,” Gade said. “We have a bunch of extra money with the Port right now. They could very easily, you know, put a little bit more into making sure they’re keeping up with the maintenance and cleanliness of it.”
He wants to work more with the Port on the maintenance side but personally, he would “like to see Coronado be able to take control over that area.”
Additionally in a follow-up question, he said he also noticed that the trash cans on Orange Avenue are oftentimes overflowing during peak hours or days and he doesn’t want that to be a picture of Coronado.
“That’s something I’ve actually heard from a few residents,” Gade said. “I think the city could just be a little more proactive and making sure that we’re emptying trash cans. Maybe we’re putting an extra few in here and there.”
Q: City-wide ordinances have not been implemented for things like a single-use plastic ban. Where do you stand on this?
Gade: “I support a single-use plastic ban, and many other cities have already implemented local ordinances that we could emulate. We need to work with our local businesses on a realistic time frame for implementation.”
Q: Local cities and governmental entities have declared local emergencies for the ongoing Tijuana sewage crisis. Will you push for Coronado to do the same?
Gade: “The sewage issue is an emergency, and the city is currently treating it as such. California needs to declare the sewage issue an emergency.”
