SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Museums in Balboa Park expect to lose $10 million this year, and they blame the decline on the new paid parking program.
Paid parking went into effect at the park in January.
Steven Snyder, president and CEO of the Fleet Science Center, said visitation across all museums has dropped 34%.
"We've seen a significant decline in attendance, really, over the first three months," Snyder said.
"We're down about 28.5% in our visitation. It's about 20,000 people fewer than we saw the year before," Snyder said.
"We've already had to freeze positions in hiring. We've already started pulling back on expenses. We have to pull back on programming as well," Snyder said.
While the museums say paid parking is driving people away, city data shows they have collected more than $1.9 million from meters and parking kiosks at Balboa Park.
"We're getting revenue from parking, but you're killing the organizations that drive the parking in the first place. That's not a good long term plan," Snyder said.
Snyder said museums are experiencing a pandemic-level impact between federal cuts in 2025, losing revenue due to paid parking, and potential budget cuts to arts and culture programs.
"It's like their foot's on our neck and they're just squeezing harder. It's just too much," Snyder said.
In a statement, a city spokesperson said, "Balboa Park’s paid parking program creates a reliable source of funding to support the care and operation of the park. Many of the institutions raising concerns operate in City-owned buildings with little to no rent. That makes it critical we have a sustainable way to maintain the park they call home. We will continue to monitor the program, make adjustments as needed, and work with park stakeholders to ensure it is working as intended."
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