Council President Joe LaCava proposes suspending Balboa Park parking fees for San Diego residents after poll shows 80% want fees eliminated.
SAN DIEGO — Just 22 days after implementing paid parking at Balboa Park, Council President Joe LaCava announced Tuesday he will propose suspending fees for San Diego residents, citing public opposition and failing revenue projections.
LaCava, joined by Council President Pro Tem Kent Lee and Councilmember Sean Elo Rivera, said three factors changed his position: the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership shifting its stance due to declining visitation, polling data showing residents’ willingness to accept budget cuts over parking fees, and the increasingly politicized nature of the debate.
“A trusted partner has shifted their position… the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership,” LaCava said at a news conference Tuesday. “Second, the polling that actually said people were willing to undertake cuts to eliminate paid parking in Balboa Park. That caught me by surprise. And last, the conversation unfortunately is increasingly becoming politicized.”
A recent poll published by The San Diego Union-Tribune and 10News showed 80% of San Diego residents want the new parking fees eliminated or reduced, and 51% said they would prefer reductions in city services over continuation of paid parking.
The parking program, which charges $2.50 per hour with a $10 daily maximum, launched earlier this month. However, the city has not yet implemented strict enforcement, allowing visitors time to acclimate to the new system.
San Diego residents visiting the park Tuesday welcomed the proposed changes.
“I think it’s great. I don’t think we should have to pay to park here,” said Mark Warner, a local resident.
Sophia Rogers echoed that sentiment: “I’ve come here my whole life and haven’t had to pay and I think it’s stupid that now citizens have to pay to access things that should be free.”
The Mayor’s office confirmed the city is already short nearly $9 million from original revenue projections for the program.
Under the proposed suspension, San Diego residents would register their license plates through an online portal. The system would screen plates upon entry, residents would park free while tourists and visitors would still pay standard rates.
“I’m not going to pretend like there aren’t going to be hard conversations about cuts,” Elo Rivera said.
The Mayor’s office responded to the proposal with a statement emphasizing fiscal responsibility.
“The City Council adopted a budget last June that depended on millions of dollars in parking revenue from Balboa Park,” the statement read. “If the Council now moves to suspend that program, it must also propose how to replace that revenue to keep the budget balanced. That would almost certainly mean cuts to other city services, the same type of cuts the Council previously rejected, and I stand ready to have that discussion with them.”
The statement continued: “While Councilmembers consider their next steps, I remain focused on making the hard but necessary choices to restore fiscal discipline and eliminate the city’s structural budget deficit.”
LaCava plans to bring the proposal before the full City Council for a vote on Feb. 9.
In a separate but related development Tuesday afternoon, the City Council sent a previously discussed Sunday parking permit program back to staff without taking a vote. The permits would have allowed residents in Downtown, Uptown and Mid-City neighborhoods to purchase annual passes for $141.50 to $150, avoiding new Sunday meter rates. As of now, there is no Sunday permit program and no meter enforcement on Sundays in those zones, according to city officials.
Additionally, the council’s Rules Committee will consider a ballot measure Wednesday submitted by public advocate Shane Harris that would ask voters to approve free Sunday parking at Balboa Park.
Lee said the council previously requested the mayor suspend resident parking fees earlier this month, but the administration rejected that request.
“Unfortunately, the administration rejected that request,” Lee said. “So instead of requesting, we want to bring this to a vote.”
When asked about timeline, council members said the mayor has the operational authority to suspend fees immediately, though the council is taking a policy route through the Feb. 9 vote.
LaCava acknowledged the proposal would require deeper budget cuts in the upcoming mid-year adjustments.
“If this proposal is ratified today, I commit that I will match reduction in revenue with cuts to balance our budget,” LaCava said.
