SAN DIEGO – To offset a $258 million budget shortfall, the city of San Diego has proposed deep cuts to parks, libraries, recreation centers, youth programs, bathrooms during the off season, beach fire pits, and San Diego Humane Society’s animal services.
Is this necessary? Is there a better way? What areas should be cut? Not cut? What other ways are there for the city to address its budgetary woes?
With fiscal matters uppermost in the public’s mind now that San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s revised Fiscal Year 2026 budget is in the rearview mirror, we asked coastal residents to get their take on the budgetary crisis and how the city is handling it.
Here’s what they said:
Budget-cutting blowback
Asked Judith Crowley of Fleetridge East: “How many regular folks live 300% over our home budget because we think we can ‘catch up’ on it later or, better yet, live on credit card debt? Not too many, although apparently, this City Council does. They give themselves raises, and the deficit goes up. Why have we, the people, allowed those who are supposed to represent us to be stupid about a budget?”
Closing restrooms
“Bathrooms, libraries, etc., it’s going cost more if they aren’t open,” said Sha Rose of Ocean Beach. “This isn’t the answer.”
“If they close the restrooms, it will be a huge mess,” said Point Loma nursery owner Walter Andersen. “Mission Bay is a huge asset to the City and should be funded properly. This should include fire rings. I see the lifeguard stations need some attention, also. This should have been planned for, too. Who’s running the show?”
Mary Munk, who has extensive experience with bathrooms at Kellogg Park in La Jolla Shores, is adamantly opposed to their being closed. “Every time there is a budget shortfall, funding for parks and beaches, comfort stations, and recreation centers is the first items added to the list of cuts,” she said.
“These are the heart of what makes San Diego ‘America’s Finest City.’ Previously, when there were budget shortfalls and comfort stations were closed, or badly kept, global visitors were appalled and often said that they would ‘never’ come back to San Diego again.
“The award-winning Kellogg Park South Comfort Station is on the mayor’s list of restrooms to be closed,” added Munk. “It is next to the Junior Lifeguard-themed playground that is usually filled with children of all ages, located where swimmers start their workouts, the prime location for scuba divers to become certified and enjoy our underwater canyons, the closest restrooms to the boat launch where hundreds of kayakers launch year-round, and are adjacent to the $1.5 million LithoMosaic (map of La Jolla’s canyons).
“Both comfort stations have been designed so that half of the stalls could be closed in the low season. If it is necessary to cut funding, please leave six of the 12 stalls open on both comfort stations. Previously, when the restrooms were all locked, Parks and Rec staff often found urine and stool in front of the stall doors in the morning when they arrived for work…when you gotta go.”
Follow the feds
Bill Zent of Pacific Beach believes the City ought to be following the federal government’s example when it comes to budget cost-cutting. “What San Diego needs is a DOGE department,” he said.
Zent’s sentiment was shared by Michael Pallamary of Bay Ho Alcott. “The mayor and City Council have created a new agency called DODGE,” he said. “They advise our elected officials on how to dodge questions about where our tax dollars are going. Down the drain we go. A City in ruin.”
Jeffrey Rosan of PB North concurred with both Zent and Pallamary. “Regarding the city’s purported budget shortage, a DOGE-like approach should be used to see if the money is being spent appropriately, and a condensed budget analysis that everyone could comprehend would be a big step in seeing what is going on here,” he said.
Parks & Rec cuts
Henish Pulickal of Pacific Beach favors sparing parks and rec centers from the budget ax contending that “parks and recreation centers are considered essential utilities to communities for health and safety.
“We encourage the city to restore the assistant recreation center director positions in Parks and Rec as they are vital to keeping the full park hours intact, while delivering vital programming to our youth and families that is needed. We urge the City to explore other non-essential options to cut across departments that do not have such a devastating and direct impact to communities as a public safety and health issue.”
Better alternatives
“Sell or lease excess city property,” said Mike Frattali of University City.
“Don’t spend $250 million on unwanted bike Lanes,” said Natalie A. of Clairemont.
Sandy Silverman of La Playa has an idea. “How about a small tax on every boat?” she asked. “Please keep parking in parks free. Keep beach and park restrooms open (or at least half at each location). Youth programs are essential services. Keep libraries open.”
By voting down tax hikes, Mark Linsky of Bird Rock believes the city has placed itself between a budgetary rock and a hard place. “One thing that can be done is to eliminate administrative positions with the city either by leaving vacancies unfilled or engineering buyouts,” he said.
“More user fees should be brought into play, as well as permitting fees for those who want to build here. Some of the cutbacks in parks/libraries/rec centers should be modified but not eliminated.
“Mostly, those of us who love this town and believe it is America’s Finest City, have to put our money where our mouths are and accept the fact that while not every penny is spent as we’d wish, in the long run, you get what you pay for,” he said.
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