San Diego, CA

Federal Funding Cuts Could Impact SD’s Natural Areas | San Diego Magazine

Published

10 months ago

March 5, 2025

Federal Funding Cuts Could Impact SD’s Natural Areas | San Diego Magazine

A reader recently reached out to tell me that a few weekends ago, she went to Joshua Tree National Park for a weekend of hiking and camping. This was after the news that the federal government was cutting funding to national parks, and that Joshua Tree would lay off six employees, leaving its job vacancy at about 30 percent. She said there was a very long line of cars to check into the park, and they had to wait about 40 minutes to get in.

I wasn’t able to reach anyone at Joshua Tree to see if this long wait time is unusual or whether there’s a link to the reduced staffing. However, according to a spokesperson for the National Park Service, “The [NPS] is hiring seasonal workers to continue enhancing the visitor experience as we embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management. We are focused on ensuring that every visitor has the chance to explore and connect with the incredible, iconic spaces of our national parks.”

Unfortunately, this still left me with questions, so I checked in with Mark Eller with the nonprofit Leave No Trace who says it’s clear that funding cuts are impacting hiking and camping across the state and around the San Diego region.

Courtesy of Joshua Tree National Park

“A lot of frontline workers that normally would be doing trail maintenance work to keep trails in good shape for the public may not be available, or might be getting pulled to other duties,” says, Eller. “We’ve definitely heard from a lot of our land manager partners that they’re concerned. Of course, there’s no clarity yet because the cuts are still subject to some lawsuits, and we’re not really trying to prognosticate who’s going to get cut or if it’s too early to say.”

Another example he’s heard repeatedly is trash piling up and overflowing in park trash cans. When staffing is reduced, everyday activities like getting litter into a receptacle can be more complicated. This can lead to stuffed trash cans and, when visitors are in the park, they’ll need to start carrying their own trash out themselves. Eller suggests bringing plastic or garbage bags with you the next time you visit.

“This has a big impact on the health of wildlife. If there’s trash being left out that normally would be emptied by a land manager, be prepared to deal with it yourself,” he says. “You don’t want to add to it because that’s going to draw in new wildlife trying to find that food, and that’s not healthy for them.”

Additionally, there will be no expansion to new lands and the cuts could also have a ripple effect to local and state parks. “Parks and natural areas around the country get different types of assistance from federal funds, or states can get into financial trouble in times like this, and they may have to divert resources from one thing for another,” he says.

San Diego's Carbillo National Park which is in jeopardy after the federal government cut funding and jobs — Photo Credit: Cole Novak
Cabrillo National Park’s Tidepools

In San Diego, it’s unclear whether there has been an impact on places like Cabrillo National Monument—a spokeswoman for the foundation says they can’t comment and referred questions to the federal national parks system.

Jennifer Morrissey with the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the park, says during times like these, local governments can lean more on nonprofits.

“The MTRP Foundation has provided more than $15 million in support to the park since our founding in 1988,” Morrissey says. “Some of this funding has been for capital projects and, more recently, for land acquisition, but we are a consistent source of funding to ensure Mission Trails can continue to be maintained and improved. With the city’s current budget shortfall, we will be able to help keep park projects going and fences mended.”

Eller says lean times are also good opportunities for people to think about how they personally impact trails and parks. He encourages locals to continue getting outdoors and spending time in natural areas but to be mindful of how they are protecting the places they love most.

One way to do that, he says, is to follow the seven principles of Leave No Trace including planning ahead, camping on durable surfaces, and disposing of waste properly. He adds that volunteering with your local park is a great option, too, and make sure that you’re always staying on designated paths.

“People [should] stay on the trail or walk in the middle of the trail, as opposed to taking switchbacks or taking shortcuts, [because] those behaviors just add to trail erosion. A lot of people come to parks [with an] attitude of, ‘Well, somebody else will fix it,’” he says. “But that’s increasingly not true. And every time you do a little bit better in terms of your leading the safe behaviors, that helps protect the natural world from the impacts of people out enjoying it.”

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San Diego, CA

Mayor Gloria defends Balboa Park paid parking, blames council for rocky rollout

Published

7 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Mayor Gloria defends Balboa Park paid parking, blames council for rocky rollout

San Diego will put off issuing citations for paid parking in Balboa Park for about one month while improvements are made, but Mayor Todd Gloria says the new system is functioning well and being “actively adopted.”

In a long and harshly worded memo released Thursday, Gloria said recent calls by City Council members to suspend the program were politically motivated and examples of bad governance and erratic decision-making.

Gloria also deflected blame for the chaotic way enforcement began Monday, when city officials raced to put stickers about resident discounts on parking kiosks and lobbied a vendor to deliver crucial missing signs.

The mayor said the council had “shaped, amended and approved” paid parking in Balboa Park and contended an accelerated timeline chosen by the council made it hard for his administration to implement it flawlessly.

The mayor’s memo came in response to a Tuesday memo from Councilmembers Kent Lee and Sean Elo-Rivera in which they called implementation of paid parking “haphazard” and “not ready for prime time.”

Lee and Elo-Rivera said the process for city residents to get approved for discounts was so complex, cumbersome and confusing that Gloria should waive fees for residents until they have had time to adapt and learn.

While Gloria rejected that suggestion in part of his memo, he later said “enforcement remains focused on education, not punishment, during this early phase, to ensure park users are aware of the new parking fees.”

Dave Rolland, a spokesperson for Gloria, said Thursday that no specific date had been set for when the city would shift from education to enforcement. But he added that “about a month” would be an accurate timeline.

City officials have already corrected one key mistake: Signs that were missing Monday — alerting drivers that the 951-space lower Inspiration Point lot is free for three hours — have since been installed.

Lee and Elo-Rivera in their memo decried “an inadequate effort to educate the public on how to use this new system.”

They said San Diegans had not been clearly informed about when a portal for city resident discounts would go live or how to use it.

And they complained that residents weren’t told they couldn’t buy discounted parking passes in person, or when enforcement with citations would actually begin.

City residents must apply for discounts online, pay $5 to have their residency verified, then wait two days for that verification and choose the day they will visit in advance.

Lee and Elo-Rivera called the city’s efforts “a haphazard rollout that will surely lead to San Diegans missing out on their resident discount and paying higher parking rates than they have to.”

Gloria said the city collected $23,000 in parking fees on Monday and Tuesday and another $106,000 in daily, monthly and quarterly passes — mostly from residents who get discounts on such passes.

“Early data shows that the program is functioning and being used,” he said. “These are not the metrics of a system that is failing to function. They are the metrics of a system that is new, actively being adopted, and continuing to improve as public familiarity increases.”

While Gloria conceded that some improvements are still necessary, he rejected calls from Lee and Elo-Rivera for a suspension, citing his concerns it would jeopardize city finances and confuse the public.

“Your proposal to suspend paid parking for residents two days into the new program would have immediate and serious fiscal consequences,” Gloria said. “This reversal could introduce confusion among park users and would disregard investments already made to establish the system, potentially compromising the program’s effectiveness.”

Paid parking in Balboa Park is expected to generate about $3.7 million during the fiscal year that ends June 30, but revenue is expected to rise substantially when the fees are in place for a full fiscal year.

Gloria said the money is a small part of the city’s overall solution to recurring deficits it faces of more than $100 million per year.

“What we will not do is reverse course days into implementation in a way that undermines fiscal stability, creates uncertainty, and sends the message that addressing a decades-old structural budget deficit that has plagued our city is optional because it is politically uncomfortable,” he said. “That kind of erratic decision-making is not good governance, and San Diegans deserve better.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the San Diego Zoo said Thursday that paid parking there has continued to go smoothly since it began on Monday.

The zoo, which is using Ace Parking for enforcement, opted for immediate citations instead of an educational grace period.

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San Diego, CA

Barricaded individual in custody following police response in Mission Valley

Published

19 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Barricaded individual in custody following police response in Mission Valley

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego Police responded to a barricaded individual in the Mission Valley area Thursday afternoon, prompting a heavy law enforcement presence.

The Nexstar Media video above details resources for crime victims

The department confirmed around 1 p.m. that officers were on scene in the 1400 block of Hotel Circle North, and are working to safely resolve the situation. Authorities asked the public to avoid the area and allow officers the space needed to conduct their operations.

Police described the incident as a domestic violence restraining order violation. At this time, it’s unknown if the person is armed.

No injuries have been reported.

The suspect was taken into custody within an hour.

Further details about the barricaded person were not immediately released. Police say updates will be shared as more information becomes available.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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San Diego, CA

Padres roster review: Luis Campusano

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Padres roster review: Luis Campusano – San Diego Union-Tribune

LUIS CAMPUSANO

Position(s): Catcher
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2026 opening day age: 27
Height / Weight: 5-foot-10 / 232 pounds
How acquired: Second round of the draft in 2017 (Cross Creek HS, Ga.)
Contract status: Will make $900,000 after agreeing to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration; Will not be a free agent until 2029.
fWAR in 2025: Minus-0.4
Key 2025 stats: .000 AVG, .222 OBP, .000 SLG, 0 HRs, 0 RBIs, 0 runs, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts, 0 steals (10 games, 27 plate appearances)

STAT TO NOTE

1 — The number of plate appearances for Campusano while in the majors between June 1 and June 13 and the one at-bat resulted in a weak, pinch-hit groundout against a position player (Kike Hernandez) on the mound in mop-up duty. Campusano was recalled to the majors four times in 2025 but did not get a real opportunity get settled after he went 0-for-6 with four walks and a strikeout in three straight starts as a DH in early May. Of course, hitting .227/.281/.361 with eight homers over 299 plate appearances after getting the first real chance to start in 2024 likely informed how the Padres viewed his opportunity in 2025.

Down — Called up a final time on the last day of the regular season, Campusano balked at the idea that the season did not go the way he wanted. “I had a great season,” he said as he and his teammates packed for the NL Wild Card Series in Chicago. And he did … for Triple-A El Paso. He hit more home runs than ever (25), drove in more runs (95) and finished with a career-high 1.036 OPS, tops among all qualifying Triple-A hitters. The disappointment inferred in the question posed to Campusano was that he was not able to impact the big-league team in any way in 2025, which began with the team choosing to bring in a 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel a chance on the opening day roster over a homegrown product. Once billed as the catcher of the future, Campusno did not catch a single game in the majors, nor did he get any hits, although the opportunity to play was sporadic after getting three straight starts as a DH in early May (see stat to note). The Padres even lost back-up catcher Elias Díaz to an oblique injury over the final weekend of the regular season, but Campusano — who played out the string for a Triple-A El Paso team that did not make the playoffs rather than participate in the majors as a September call-up — was added to the postseason roster more as a right-handed bat than a third catcher (Martín Maldonado was also re-added to the team for the playoffs as the defensive back-up to Freddy Fermin). Campusano, of course, was not asked to help the team in either capacity before the Padres were eliminated in three games.

2026 OUTLOOK

Campusano is finally out of minor league options this year, so the Padres will either have to carry him on the roster, trade him or expose him to waivers. He has fans in the organization, but two big-league staffs headed by Bob Melvin and Mike Shildt seemingly lost faith in his ability to catch a game and all the responsibilities that come with that. It remains to be seen what impact the arrival of robo umps will have on how new manager Craig Stammen views Campusano’s ability behind the plate, but he’s been a potent minor league hitter who has yet to truly get on track in the majors beyond the second half of 2023 (.875 OPS, 6 HRs). Campusano has dabbled at first base in recent years in the minors (12 starts total), so perhaps he settles into a role as a second catcher/right-handed DH/first base option to start 2026.

Luis Campusano #15 of the San Diego Padres and Nick Pivetta #27 walk to the dugout during a practice before the Wildcard series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sept. 29, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)