A push to guarantee free parking at more than 50 city-owned beach and Mission Bay lots moved forward Wednesday, with a San Diego City Council committee voting unanimously to advance an ordinance to the full council.
The vote came one day after the citywide Community Planners Committee voted 22-2 in support of the effort to keep spaces in city-run parking at lots free.
As introduced by Council President Joe LaCava and Councilmember Raul Campillo at the Rules Committee, the ordinance would add a section to the San Diego Municipal Code prohibiting the city from charging parking fees at city-owned lots with access to beaches and Mission Bay.
Materials shared by LaCava and Campillo’s offices initially showed that the ordinance would run through Dec. 31, 2036 – a 10-year sunset date chosen to align with a recent California Coastal Commission decision allowing the city to close certain beach and bay lots overnight.
But several speakers at the meeting, as well as Councilmember Kent Lee, said they were not comfortable with the time frame.
During public comment, Tom Darby, a Linda Vista resident, told the committee he supported the ordinance but wished it went further.
“My preference would be free parking in perpetuity,” Darby said, adding that he was disappointed the city had let the situation reach a point “where charging for the beaches in Mission Bay is even conceivable.”
After discussion, with Lee’s encouragement, the ordinance to be presented to the full council was changed, and the 2036 sunset date dropped.
Jillian Andolina of the city’s Independent Budget Analyst office told the committee that while the IBA wasn’t taking a position against the ordinance, the office “typically encourages council to preserve financial flexibility.”
Andolina said that if the city pursued paid parking at beach and bay lots, it could generate more than $10 million annually.
As far as local cities that generate funds from beach parking, Del Mar projected $1.35 million in annual parking revenue based on published figures from 2024. Farther afield, Santa Monica officials estimated in 2025 that it would make $9 million in parking revenue, but that figure includes other structures, not just beach lots.
From OB to La Jolla
The ordinance applies only to city-owned lots that provide beach or Mission Bay access – a list that includes Kellogg Park at La Jolla Shores, Windansea, Tourmaline, Fiesta Island, Mission Beach and Ocean Beach parking lots, and multiple Mission Bay-area lots such as Crown Point, De Anza Cove and Ski Beach.
It would not apply to on-street parking meters, or to city-owned lots leased to outside entities such as SeaWorld or Mission Bay-area hotels. The ordinance would not affect the city’s ability to issue parking citations, manage or operate lots, regulate commercial activity or issue permits for special events.
In addition to dropping the sunset date, the Rules Committee voted to narrow the ordinance’s scope to apply only to city of San Diego residents. Campillo raised concerns about the residents-only framing, noting that it could result in county residents who live just outside city limits being treated the same as out-of-state visitors.
Balboa Park lessons
The councilman said he brought the beach and bay parking fees item forward “to make sure the city learns from the lessons that the parking fees at Balboa Park pointed out.”
Campillo has been at the forefront of the beach and bay parking debate, which originated as a proposal to go before voters. That path was abandoned in favor of the ordinance approach.
The city of San Diego began charging for parking at Balboa Park on Jan. 5 to close a budget shortfall. But the move drew immediate backlash from residents, institutions and even other elected officials.
Balboa Park museum leaders said attendance dropped sharply in the program’s first weeks. Payment kiosks around the park were vandalized and mayors from neighboring cities publicly chastised San Diego for charging entry fees to a regional asset.
Eventually a deal was struck, and the city agreed to eliminate Balboa Park parking fees entirely by Jan. 1, 2027, in exchange for homeowners dropping a trash-fee lawsuit and a related repeal effort.
Comments at committee
Victoria LaBruzzo, the Community Planners Committee chair, told the Rules Committee that the group pulled up the ordinance text directly and reviewed comments submitted by the Pacific Beach Planning Group before voting.
“San Diego’s coastline belongs to the entire city – public access shouldn’t depend on whether you happen to live at the beach,” LaBruzzo said. “We need to maintain the free parking, and we appreciate this ordinance and support it.”
The committee hearing drew a diverse array of public comment, with the majority of speakers supporting the ordinance, but not all of them.
Manny Rodriguez, for instance, urged a “no” vote, noting the financial flexibility that potential parking revenue could provide for stormwater, street and lighting projects.
