SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava announced plans to suspend paid parking fees at Balboa Park for city residents, acknowledging widespread community frustration with the program that launched earlier this month.
LaCava will propose eliminating parking fees for San Diego residents at the Feb. 9 city council meeting, while maintaining current rates for non-residents.
"This proposal maintains current rates for non-residents and preserves the investments we've already made in kiosks, meters, and the online portal," LaCava said.
The announcement came Tuesday afternoon with support from Council President Pro Tem Kent Lee and Council Member Sean Elo-Rivera.
"Our intent here is to alleviate frustration from the community that I think we understand where it's coming from," Elo-Rivera said.
The paid parking program began earlier this month as part of efforts to address the city's $300 million budget deficit. However, the fees have significantly impacted Balboa Park's cultural institutions.
David Neville, communications director for the San Diego Air and Space Museum, said museums have experienced substantial visitor drops since the program launched.
"In the short term, we've seen about a 20 to 25% drop off here at our museum. Other museums have experienced other levels, some of them much higher," Neville said.
He warned that sustained decreases could devastate the museum community, which relies heavily on foot traffic.
"Over a year, if we see 20 to 25 percent downturn because of the paid parking at the museums, it will cost between 20 to $30 million in revenue for all the museums put together, so that's very worrisome," Neville said.
LaCava acknowledged that suspending resident parking fees would require deeper budget cuts elsewhere to maintain fiscal balance.
"In the next few weeks, we will be discussing mid-year adjustments to keep us on track for a balanced budget. The cuts that will be announced soon will have to be deeper with the reduction in revenue if this proposal is ratified. I commit that I will match reduction in revenue with cuts to balance our budget," LaCava said.
Questions remain about what will happen to residents who already purchased annual parking passes if the proposal is approved.
Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement that if the council suspends the program, it must propose how to replace the revenue to keep the budget balanced, which would mean cuts to other city services. He added that he remains focused on choices that will restore the city's budget.
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