San Diego Council Repeals Balboa Park Paid Parking and Lowers Trash Fee as It Passes FY2026‑27 Budget

Overview

• The City Council unanimously adopted a closed‑session settlement and the balanced FY2026‑27 budget that formally ends paid parking at Balboa Park on Dec. 31 and reduces the typical 95‑gallon single‑family trash fee to $38.75 next year, with a scheduled rise to $39.91 on July 1, 2028.
• The settlement requires the homeowners who sued over Measure B to drop their litigation and stops ballot repeal efforts, and the city will stop selling yearly Balboa Park passes immediately, end quarterly pass sales on Sept. 30, end monthly pass sales on Nov. 30, and issue prorated refunds for existing yearly passholders.
• Council restored roughly $10.3 million in arts funding through a public‑private plan that includes a $3 million Prebys Foundation grant and shifting $6 million of Transient Occupancy Tax/Measure C funds, and the mayor has a five‑business‑day veto window before the budget must be codified by June 30.
• City officials and the independent budget analyst warn the repeal and fee cut remove expected revenues and add to an existing structural shortfall, with the mayor citing potential losses in the tens of millions to more than $150 million and the Independent Budget Analyst noting a roughly $118 million ongoing deficit.
• The changes aim to restore park access and ease costs for residents but carry trade‑offs for people who use city services: museums reported steep attendance drops since paid parking began, some shelter and service restorations were narrowly preserved, and officials say future choices could include cuts to bulky‑item pickup, delays to an electric‑vehicle rollout, or other service reductions.