Overview
- Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones, El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells and La Mesa Councilmember Laura Lothian urged San Diego to end the new parking charges, citing added burdens on lower-income families.
- Community advocate Shane Harris announced a proposed ordinance to repeal the program, end enforcement and designate the lots as free public parking with alternative funding strategies.
- Mayor Todd Gloria rejected repeal calls, arguing paid parking is necessary to fund operations and improvements and that revenue is legally required to stay in Balboa Park.
- As of Sunday, 1,754 parking passes had been issued, including 1,628 to San Diego residents who receive a 50% discount on the passes.
- Inside City Hall, Councilmember Stephen Whitburn is seeking a full repeal, while Council President Sean Elo-Rivera and Councilmember Kent Lee want to pause charging city residents during the rollout.