SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego residents are expressing frustration over new parking fees at Balboa Park, prompting city council members to consider a ballot measure that would restore free parking on Sundays.
The city eliminated decades of free parking at the popular destination at the start of January, implementing fees seven days a week as part of an effort to address a major budget deficit. The revenue from parking fees is intended to help pay down the city's financial shortfall.
Jamie Newbold, a San Diego resident since the late 1950s, said the park has been a cornerstone for his family across generations.
"My father brought me here when I was a child. I brought my son here when he was a child. I brought my granddaughter here when she was a child," Newbold said.
Newbold visits Balboa Park four to five days a week for hiking, sometimes with his wife and friends. He said the new parking fees have changed the experience for visitors.
"Nobody feels like it's their park. It feels like the city is taking it away," Newbold said.
On Wednesday, a city council committee debated a potential ballot measure proposed by Shane Harris that would allow voters to weigh in on the possibility of restoring free parking on Sundays. City Councilor Raul Campillo questioned the fairness of charging visitors from surrounding areas.
"Why a visitor coming from El Cajon or Vista or Murrieta... my parents, who are from El Cajon, are treated like they're coming from the Hamptons," Campillo said.
While Newbold is open to the Sunday free parking idea, he remains skeptical about its effectiveness.
"There's hiking in the park. There's everything. There's people watching. And it's all here for us. There's no place else like this in San Diego," Newbold said.
The council committee did not move the free Sunday parking proposal forward during Wednesday's meeting.
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