Balboa Park is the heart of San Diego. It is where families spend weekends, seniors volunteer their time, students learn, veterans gather and small businesses thrive. For more than a century, it has been open, accessible, and free.
That is exactly why the San Diego City Council’s decision to impose parking fees at Balboa Park was wrong. And the half-measures now being floated, whether delaying enforcement, carving out exemptions, or charging some visitors but not others, only make a bad policy worse.
The only responsible solution is to eliminate the parking fees altogether and keep Balboa Park free.
This is first and foremost an affordability issue. San Diegans are already dealing with soaring housing costs, higher utility bills, increased gas prices, and a growing list of city fees and taxes. Now residents are also facing a new trash tax, despite the fact that trash collection has been provided without a direct charge for more than a hundred years. Adding parking fees at Balboa Park on top of an unnecessary trash tax sends a clear message that City Hall is more focused on raising revenue than fixing its spending problems.
For working families, seniors on fixed incomes, volunteers and everyday residents, these costs add up quickly. Charging people to access a public park their tax dollars already support creates a barrier that should never exist. Balboa Park should unite San Diego, not become another paywall.
The economic consequences are already being felt. Museum leaders have reported immediate drops in attendance since the parking fees were introduced. That decline does not just affect cultural institutions. It impacts nearby small businesses, vendors and workers who depend on consistent foot traffic. When attendance drops, revenue drops. And when revenue drops, tough decisions follow, including layoffs and reduced programming.
Delaying enforcement or selectively charging certain visitors does nothing to solve this problem. It only prolongs the damage. Every week of uncertainty means lost visitors, lost revenue, and growing strain on organizations that serve the public and employ San Diegans. Kicking the can down the road simply delays the moment when museums and small businesses are forced to make painful cuts.
There is also a broader issue at play. These policies reflect a troubling pattern at City Hall. Instead of prioritizing spending, reforming costs and making hard budget decisions, city leaders too often reach for new fees as an easy fix. That approach avoids accountability while shifting the burden onto residents and local businesses.
Balboa Park and basic city services should not be used to backfill budget stress caused by years of unchecked spending.
As Mayor, I worked to keep San Diego affordable, support small businesses and protect access to our shared public spaces. That meant setting priorities, making tough choices and saying no to policies that would hurt residents and the local economy.
The City Council should do the same now.
Balboa Park has always been free. Trash collection has always been covered by our property tax payments. Both should remain that way and residents shouldn’t be charged for either. City leaders must act decisively, eliminate the parking fees, rescind the trash tax and focus on responsible budgeting that does not punish the people these public services are meant to serve.
The Lincoln Club Business League will continue to fight for affordability, fiscal discipline and policies that strengthen San Diego’s economy rather than undermine it. And this is at the forefront of that fight for a more affordable San Diego region.
Kevin Faulconer served as the 36th mayor of San Diego and is now president and CEO of the Lincoln Club Business League.
