Some of Coonerty's efforts have received national attention, including the creation of an Ayuda Linea (Help Line) for day laborers to report incidents of abuse, and a policy to invest part of the City's reserve funds in local financial institutions, an effort praised by the National Center for Local Sustainability. Coonerty also founded Santa Cruz NEXT, a non-partisan organization dedicated to engaging the next generation of Santa Cruz in the civic life of the community. In 2008, he was selected "as one of the nation’s most promising young leaders" to be a Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership at the Aspen Institute.