Overview
- The City Council approved the change Thursday in a 7-4 vote, with Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and council members Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, Teri Castillo, and Ric Galvan voting no.
- The $5 charge applies to people 13 and older after 6 p.m. on most weekdays and after 1 p.m. on weekends and Battle of Flowers Friday, and anyone who enters earlier can stay without paying.
- Organizers say the fee will cover fencing and screening added after shootings in 2023 and 2024, which led to about $143,000 in losses for the event last year.
- A city memo projects about $400,000 in ticket revenue this year, with the first $250,000 to the Rey Feo Consejo and any extra split 75% to the nonprofit and 25% to the city as the site’s 2025 security and cleanup costs topped roughly $730,000.
- Market Square merchants oppose the new fee for the city-owned public market, warning it could reduce foot traffic and limit access for families, while some council members want to revisit who pays for security in future years.