San Diego doubles hourly parking meter rates
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Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Street parking is about to get much more expensive in San Diego.
Why it matters: The City Council raised parking rates Tuesday to help close a projected $260 million budget deficit in the upcoming fiscal year. The increase is effective Feb. 1.
State of play: The council voted 8-1 to increase the hourly rate for the majority of meters in the city from $1.25 to $2.50.
- Council members emphasized that not increasing revenue would mean cutting services that would diminish quality of life, and even after the increase, San Diego would charge less than other large California cities.
- Councilmember Vivian Moreno, the lone no vote, said the increase would fall hardest on residents with the lowest incomes, like many of her constituents.
By the numbers: The change is expected to bring in $4 million in the remainder of the current fiscal year and nearly $10 million annually going forward.
- 89% of the city's 5,332 parking meters are in downtown or Uptown, per a report from the city's budget analyst to the council.
Between the lines: The mayor's office is expected to propose more parking policy changes for additional revenue in the coming months.
- That could include extending meter hours or implementing demand-responsive pricing, while Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera has pushed to charge for beach parking.
How it works: Meter revenue goes to parking districts, which can use it on projects like sidewalk improvements, crosswalk enhancements and road repairs.
- Increased funds for parking districts is expected to save city general fund money that would otherwise be spent on those same projects.
Context: City officials are seeking out new revenue after the November defeat of a sales tax increase that would have brought in $400 million a year to address a structural budget shortfall.
- San Diego avoided service cuts last year by relying on short-term fixes, but Mayor Todd Gloria has since welcomed an era of austerity, promising spending cuts to solve an imbalance between the city's ongoing commitments and its anticipated collections.
The intrigue: Officials are expected this summer to begin charging trash fees to about 300,000 homes, eventually saving $80 million per year the city currently spends on trash collection.
- The search for new revenue through new fees and increased parking rates coincides with the creation of a city council committee focused on tackling the city's cost-of-living crisis.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show San Diego is facing a $260 million budget deficit (not billion).