Written by Ann Bancroft
This article was originally published in the July 2025 Issue of Coronado Magazine. To read this article and more from Coronado Magazine, click the button below.
When Ron Mandelbaum first saw Coronado in 1969, he appraised the view south of the Hotel Del Coronado and saw “nothing but sand.” The Coronado-San Diego bridge was half finished, its middle section a gaping hole. Soon, work was to begin on the controversial Coronado Shores high-rise development, and Ron’s employer, Loews, sent him to Coronado to scope out a possible restaurant location for the planned high-rise community. The restaurant never materialized, but Mandelbaum and his wife Mercy fell in love with Coronado, eventually buying a second home in the Cays in 1976, moving permanently to Coronado in 1999, and to the village in 2004.
“Mercy grew up in a small town, where everybody was in everybody’s business,” he said. “Coronado isn’t like that. It has the advantages of being small, with good restaurants and cultural amenities, but you can have your privacy, and you’re ten minutes away from a major city.”
Ron and Mercy, an upbeat and lively couple, were inseparable for the 60 years of their marriage. Both gave generously of themselves to the city’s cultural, political, and historical resources. Mercy died in May of 2024, the most difficult experience of Ron Mandelbaum’s life. Still, Ron’s gregarious, affable personality enlivens social gatherings, meetings of the Coronado Democratic Club, and the Mandelbaum Family Lecture series, which Ron and Mercy started along with the Center for Jewish Culture in 2007.
“Mercy was born and raised Catholic. We’re not religious, and she really liked Jewish values and traditions,” says Ron, “such as strong family relationships, Jewish history, and cultural traditions,” Mandelbaum said. The idea of the lecture series was to provide exposure to non-Jews and Jews alike, and programs have included klezmer music, authors, and lecturers on Jewish-related subjects. The program has been popular with both Coronadans and visitors to the island. “We didn’t want just Jewish people to come; we wanted it to be for everybody,” Mandelbaum says.
The major Jewish holiday the Mandelbaums regularly observed was Passover, “because it was held in the house, with family, and we felt it was a good teaching opportunity for our children as they grew up, to show them the importance of working towards freedom and justice for all.”
Ron has two sons who live in Los Angeles, and Matt lives in Oakland. Ron’s greatest thrill is to watch them enjoy spending time with their families.
The couple were regular subscribers and supporters of Lamb’s Players Theatre and the Coronado Historical Association, where Mercy volunteered. Both were active members of the Coronado Democratic Club, with Ron serving as president multiple times. Soon after moving to the island, they marched with Coronado Democrats in the July 4th Parade (his favorite Coronado event). At the time, there were fewer than two dozen club members, so Ron decided to market as he would in real estate. He found addresses for every registered Democrat in the city, writing personal letters urging them to join. The club quickly grew to more than 100 members, and today it boasts 250.
Born in the Bronx, New York, in 1937, Ron graduated from City College of New York and attended Brooklyn Law School in the evenings, when he was “working at any job I could get.” After law school, he went to work for Loews, and the company sent him to Los Angeles to establish a real estate division.
“I loved my work. I was very lucky, and I was able to make a good living. My advice to my 16-year-old self would be to find a job that you really want to do, one that is enjoyable to you,” he said. “Don’t base choices on how much money you can make, but on how you can contribute to society.”
Ron enjoys problem-solving with clients, creatively and collaboratively reaching agreements. He’s also highly involved in networking—he understood the (business) aspect of people with the same interests and the advantages it brings. The best care is to know the customer’s needs first.
“Being busy, I was able to decide who I wanted to work with. And my family was very important to me, so I made it a priority to spend time with them. In business, it’s about making money, but you have to keep in mind the real value. ‘Let’s have dinner and chat,’ I couldn’t have it any other way.”
At 88, Mr. Mandelbaum still works part-time as a judge for the San Diego County Probate Court, valuing estate assets. He’s active with the Probate Referees Association, serving as its executive chairman and one-time president.
True to its mission to serve as Coronado’s primary center for community history, the Coronado Historical Association (CHA) conducts educational and research programs about Coronado’s history and people.
More photos of Ron Mandelbaum:
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