LIBERTY STATION (KGTV) — Signature gatherers were back on the streets of San Diego this Mother's Day, pushing two petitions — one to repeal the city's trash fee and another to eliminate paid parking at Balboa Park.
Margaret Virissimo, founder of San Diego United Communities, spent Sunday afternoon at Liberty Station collecting signatures from churchgoers and shoppers.
"We're out here today. It's Mother's Day. We're out here outside of Rock Church talking to a couple 100 San Diegans on the importance of making their voices heard through our petition drive," Virissimo said.
The two petitions must each reach 81,000 signatures by June for both issues to appear on the November ballot. Collecting 24,500 signatures would force the City Council to at least rehear the issues and potentially repeal the fees without a public vote.
Virissimo said the campaign is entirely community-driven.
"Getting together grassroots 100% to make their voices heard in the current administration," Virissimo said.
Both fees have faced significant pushback since taking effect — the trash fee in October and paid parking at Balboa Park in January. The city has made adjustments to both programs, but resident opposition continues.
Veronica Haynes drove from Tierrasanta to Liberty Station specifically to sign the petition.
"Sometimes it just takes a group of people that says, 'Hey, we're being taxed without being represented.' It goes all the way back to 1776, when we were being taxed without being represented. So if somebody can get a group together and do this on a small scale, others get involved, and they say, 'Hey, look, look what they did, we can do that too,'" Haynes said.
ABC 10News reached out to the City of San Diego for a statement. As of the deadline, the city did not respond.
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