“But too many people now climb onto the cross merely to be seen from a greater distance, even if they have to trample somewhat on the one who has been there so long.” — Albert Camus
San Diego has a problem. The only time people are willing to lift up the working class is to use them as a shield to pair with their own axe to grind. In July 2024, city officials warned of a structural budget deficit. The city acted responsibly by putting Measure E on the ballot.
City officials warned that without additional revenue, services would be cut. Measure E was meant to resolve those structural issues, but voters rejected it by a small margin. Opponents of Measure E invoked “low-income families” to build support. They were told voting no would result in service cuts. They said fine.
After Measure E failed, the city turned to service cuts and fee increases to balance the budget, including paid parking at Balboa Park. The fee is for an optional leisure activity. Visitors could avoid this fee by taking public transit.
The opposition invoked the harm parking fees would do to the working class. They demanded no fees. The city acquiesced and reduced the fees. The city told the loudest voices in the room that this would lead to service cuts or increased fees. They didn’t care.
In November 2022, voters passed Measure B, allowing the city to charge cost-recovery fees for trash pickup at eligible properties. Opponents of Measure B argued it would harm working-class San Diegans, even though lower-income San Diegans, who disproportionately live in multifamily housing, were already paying for private trash pickup.
When the city established the fee, homeowners protested, saying it would hurt those working-class San Diegans who happen to own million-dollar assets. The city even provided subsidies to help cover the costs for those with low incomes. The city said if those fees were cut, there would be service cuts and fee increases elsewhere. The loudest voices didn’t care.
The city followed voters’ demands and cut spending by closing 13 bathrooms in Mission Bay. This was meant to reduce spending by $546,000, but voters revolted and demanded the services be restored. The city acquiesced and restored the services without increasing revenue. The city said this would lead to service cuts or fee increases elsewhere. Those who protested didn’t care.
To increase transit revenue, transit advocates got enough signatures to put Measure G on the ballot as a countywide measure. Transit riders are disproportionately working class, and despite support from transit advocates, opponents claimed it would hurt the working class.
According to KPBS, a precinct breakdown of the final vote showed that wealthy suburban areas rejected Measure G. Still, the city of San Diego, where people depend on transit, voted for the measure at 54%. Advocates said that if Measure G didn’t pass, there would be service cuts or fee increases. The opposition didn’t care.
After all of this, San Diego arrived at the destination it always said it would: service cuts or fee increases. Transit riders who depend on transit to get to and from work, school, doctor’s appointments, grocery stores and leisure activities can’t afford service cuts. This leaves only the farebox.
Transit riders and advocates understood the trade-off and acted as the only adults in the room willing to make tough decisions. Now transit riders have to pay 50 cents more each way; monthly passes are going from $72 to $85 and eventually $95. Voters were told the working class would be charged more, and everyone using the working class as a shield to protect their own pockets said fine.
San Diego has a problem. The story plays on a loop. The city needs revenue for services, and people invoke the working class because they don’t want to pay. The city cuts services, and people revolt, again invoking the working class. When transit advocates asked voters to fund transit for the working class, they said no because it would hurt the working class.
Now that the bill has landed directly on those with the least, the people with the most are nowhere to be found.
Alex Jordan is a Pacific Beach resident and freelance writer and copywriter.
