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 The partnership said that unless the fees were rescinded or reduced, they were sure to lead to layoffs and reduced exhibitions.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?

Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement unfolded across San Diego County on Friday, with demonstrations reported in Escondido, El Cajon, Lakeside and Mira Mesa. Protesters called for ICE to leave their communities and urged corporations to stop housing agents in local hotels.

In Escondido, demonstrators voiced strong opposition to ICE activity.

“I want ICE out of my community and I want them out now,” one protester said.

In El Cajon, residents said concerns about ICE presence have been growing.

“Well, there are rumors that it’s coming to our city, and I think it’s only a matter of time. So the sooner and quicker that we all push back, and the harder we push back, the better,” said protestor Gabriel Medina.

In Lakeside, dozens of people gathered, expressing fear and frustration over ICE operations.

“It’s like being punched in the gut. It’s just horrible that our country could come to this. That masked thugs could be on our streets hauling people off our streets. Sometimes they’re American citizens, sometimes they’re children. It’s just deplorable that our country has come to this,” said Suzanne Davis.

Traffic safety improvements are in the works at some of San Diego’s most dangerous intersections, part of a list released Thursday by the city’s traffic engineering team.

That team annually conducts a review of the city’s intersections to pinpoint where safety measures are most needed. The team looked at city traffic collision data from calendar year 2024 and “evaluated intersections where five or more injury or fatal crashes had occurred,” a city statement read. Engineers also looked at intersections where vehicles had hit pedestrians, where injuries were prevalent and more.

“Our engineers and field operations teams are working hand in hand to ensure these safety upgrades are implemented to maximize safety for all road users,” said Transportation Department Interim Assistant Director Margaret McCormick. “Being able to carry out these projects with our in-house teams is important so the work can be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

The locations prioritized for potential safety enhancements are:

• 15th Street at F Street;
• 8th Avenue at Broadway;
• Bayard Street at Grand Avenue;
• 8th Avenue at University;
• Kettner Boulevard at Sassafras Street;
• 10th Avenue at A Street;
• Otay Center Drive at Siempre Viva Road;
• Garnet Avenue at Mission Bay Drive;
• Fairmount Avenue between Montezuma Road and Talmadge Canyon Row;
• Imperial Avenue between 53rd Street and Jacinto Drive;
• Main Street between the I-5 off ramp and Woden Street;
• Midway Drive between Kemper Street and Duke Street; and
• Mission Gorge Road between Twain Avenue and Mission Gorge Place.

Transportation crews have finished, or are in the process of completing, safety improvements at several locations, including the segments of Fairmount Ave., Main St. Mission Gorge Rd. and Imperial Ave., but some must be completed through the city’s Capital Improvement Program and will require additional funding to implement, a city statement read.

Some of the safety recommendations for the above intersections are additional signs, flashing beacons and crosswalks to increase pedestrian visibility and have a traffic calming effect. The recommendations at other locations call for upgrading traffic signal lights, replacing or adding speed limit signs and installing pedestrian countdown timers.

Additionally, intersections may receive longer red curbs as part of the new “Daylighting Law,” which prohibits vehicles from parking within 20 feet of a marked or unmarked crosswalk.

A full list and the city’s efforts to combat traffic fatalities are available at sandiego.gov/VisionZero.