San Diego, CA

Less than three weeks in, it’s plain that Balboa parking fee is backfiring

Published

5 months ago

January 24, 2026

Less than three weeks in, it’s plain that Balboa parking fee is backfiring

After City Hall initiatives go awry, they often end up triggering relatively specific reactions.

When Mayor Kevin Faulconer and the City Council rushed into a costly lease-to-own deal in 2016 for an Ash Street office tower only to find out that asbestos contamination and other issues made it unusable without extremely expensive renovations, public incredulity was universal.

Last year, after Mayor Todd Gloria and the council completed a long-term con job that imposed trash fees on 220,000-plus homes at rates that were far higher than promised in 2022, anger was common.

And after the imposition of first-ever parking fees at beloved Balboa Park on Jan. 5, anguish has been a frequent response. Brad Taylor’s essay on our pages about how the change had created a sense of “tremendous loss” resonated with many locals.

But Wednesday’s report about the parking fees quickly backfiring should turn this melancholy into fury. For months, critics warned the plan would drastically limit visits by the many San Diegans who struggle with the cost of living. It’s already clear that is happening. Using data from January 2025 as a baseline, Balboa Park museums saw a 20% to more than 50% decline in visitors depending on the day and venue.

“If the minimum projected decline of 20% is maintained and applied across all museums, the total annual revenue loss would be a staggering $20-$30 million,” Jessica Hanson York, president of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, wrote in a letter to Gloria and the City Council. The partnership said that unless the fees were rescinded or reduced, they were sure to lead to layoffs and reduced exhibitions.

A blame game has already broken out. Councilmembers Sean Elo-Rivera and Kent Lee — who joined Joe LaCava, Jennifer Campbell, Marni von Wilpert and Henry Foster in a 6-2 vote to approve the fees on Sept. 15 — issued a memo Jan. 6 that decried the “haphazard” way the program was being implemented by Gloria. But even if the rollout was flawless, the fees would still have caused visitors to stay home. It’s possible that the fee program could cost the city so much in lost revenue due to lost visits that it is a net financial negative.

In other words, a policy decision that has diminished the quality of life in San Diego could end up costing the city money. How can Gloria, Elo-Rivera, Lee, LaCava, Campbell, von Wilpert and Foster sleep at night?

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San Diego, CA

San Diego begins installing parking meters in San Ysidro business district

Published

7 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

San Diego begins installing parking meters in San Ysidro business district

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – The City of San Diego is beginning to install 286 metered parking spaces this week in downtown San Ysidro in an effort to increase parking turnover, it was announced Thursday.

To develop the plan, city leaders worked with the San Ysidro business community. Revenue collected from the meters is reserved for transportation, parking and safety improvements in San Ysidro.

“Feeding parking meters feeds neighborhood repairs, and we can’t wait to get to work for the San Ysidro community,” said Naomi Chavez, interim director of the city’s Transportation Department. “This new parking zone will bring long overdue change that will help support local business activity and generate revenue that will be reinvested directly into improving neighborhood quality of life in San Ysidro.”

Crews began preparing the bases for the meters last week and installation work is expected to last through June. According to the city, these will be multi-space meter kiosks and drivers should be aware that they will need to go to the nearest kiosk to pay for parking since there won’t be a meter at each space.

Metered parking goes into effect on July 1 and will be enforced 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, excluding holidays. The parking rate is $2.50 an hour, with a maximum time limit of four hours.

City-led parking studies determined vehicles were parking on the streets of the neighborhood for hours or days at a time, making street parking for the area’s businesses scarce.

Drivers who customarily use free street parking when traveling across the border to Mexico are encouraged to use “one of the many paid off-street parking lots in the area,” a city statement read.

“The findings [of the parking study] clearly demonstrate the need for action. High parking occupancy on unregulated segments, along with data showing that 37% of vehicles exceed the existing two-hour limit and an average parking duration of over five hours, indicate that current conditions reduce turnover and limit access for local businesses and visitors,” wrote Alfredo Ripa, president of the San Ysidro Community Economic Development Corporation. “The proposed introduction of approximately 286 metered spaces, along with better signage, clearer designations and continued enforcement, represents a thoughtful and data-driven approach to improving parking availability and supporting economic activity in the community.”

Areas where the meter kiosks will be installed include:

— East San Ysidro Boulevard between Border Village Road to Camino De La Plaza (both sides);

— Border Village Road between East San Ysidro Boulevard (north) to East San Ysidro Boulevard (south), (both sides);

— Front Street between Border Village Road to end of cul-de-sac (south side);

— Bolton Hall Road between East San Ysidro Boulevard to Border Village Road (south side);

— Louisiana Avenue between East San Ysidro Boulevard to end of cul-de- sac (south side);

— Virginia Avenue between East San Ysidro Boulevard to Border Village Road (both sides); and

— East San Ysidro Boulevard between Willow Road and East Park Avenue (south side).

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San Diego, CA

San Diego County Sheriff’s Office seeks information on missing Poway man

Published

18 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

San Diego County Sheriff’s Office seeks information on missing Poway man

POWAY, Calif. (KGTV) — The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office is asking for any information regarding the whereabouts of a missing Poway man.

59-year-old William Clayton Miller was reported missing by his sister, who last saw him on March 2, 2026.

Miller’s car was later found at the Blue Sky Ecological Preserve in the City of Poway, where it sat for several weeks, according to authorities.

On Saturday, June 13, around 80 Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers and detectives from the Major Crimes Division conducted a search of the Lake Poway area and found nothing of significance.

This is the second coordinated search by the Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue teams.

Miller is described as a white male adult, 6 feet 0 inches tall, 210 pounds, bald, of medium build, with brown eyes and white hair.

Miller has been categorized as a voluntary missing adult and is not known to have any life-threatening medical conditions, nor does he require life- sustaining medications.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of William Clayton Miller is urged to contact the Major Crimes Division at 858‑285‑6330.

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