San Diego City Council finally concedes on parking fees at Balboa Park

San Diego City Council members voted unanimously to settle a lawsuit brought by homeowners who previously had trash pickup from single-family homes for free. The city agreed to reduce trash fees and end paid parking at Balboa Park by January 1, 2027 rather than continue fighting in court. The settlement is expected to reduce upcoming fiscal year revenue by $2.2 million. The mayor said the agreement prevents larger potential budget cuts that could have affected essential services such as police, fire protection, libraries, and parks. Paid parking was implemented in September 2025 to address a budget deficit, generating nearly $2 million in total revenue from meters and more than $334,000 from paid parking permits, with monthly meter revenue rising from about $380,000 to nearly $635,000 by March. Fees faced strong opposition, including from the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, which reported significant visitor losses at museums during early 2026.

"On Wednesday, at a closed meeting, San Diego City Council members unanimously voted to settle a lawsuit filed by a collection of San Diego homeowners who previously had trash picked up from their single-family homes for free. Rather than pay to fight the lawsuit in court, the city settled, agreeing to slash trash fees and end paid parking at Balboa Park by Jan. 1, 2027. The settlement will result in a $2.2 million revenue loss for the upcoming fiscal year, according to the Times of San Diego."

""The settlement is a compromise that resolves multiple existing threats that could have forced more than $150 million in additional cuts. To reach this agreement, both sides had to make concessions," Mayor Todd Gloria told the Times of San Diego in a statement. "... My responsibility is to protect what matters most for San Diegans, and on the whole, this agreement does that by protecting San Diegans from far deeper cuts to essential services like police, fire protection, libraries, and parks.""

"In a 6-2 vote in September 2025, the San Diego City Council voted to implement the fees to fill a deficit in the budget. In April, city records collected by SFGATE showed that San Diego gained nearly $2 million in total revenue from meters and more than $334,000 in paid parking permits since paid parking began. In January, meter revenue was about $380,000. In February, that number rose to nearly $495,000 and in March, it was almost $635,000."

"The fees were largely unpopular. The Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, which manages the museums inside the park, was one of the largest opponents. In a report published in April, the partnership found that museums lost an average of 34% of visitors in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period the year prior and collectivel"

Read at SFGATE