San Diegans feel squeeze from multiple fee hikes
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
From parking to sports fields to trash, San Diegans were served a long menu of rising fees in 2025.
Why it matters: City leaders say these fees are necessary to help with a budget shortfall of $318 million, even as they left residents feeling crunched.
Friction point: The fees, paired with city budget cuts, had to be raised because the city had run out of "low-hanging fruit" to close the financial gap, Mayor Todd Gloria told Axios.
- "Every choice available to myself or the City Council now is difficult because all the easy options were previously taken, and so I'm pushing the council, the public, to make the tough choices," Gloria said.
Yes, but: Those tough choices have been hard for some city leaders and the public to swallow.
- "Voters want to understand that you've done everything at your disposal before going to them and asking for fee increases," Chris Cate, CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, told Axios. "People want to see the government run efficiently."
Catch up quick: New or increased fees in 2025 include:
🗑️ Trash: Single-family homeowners now pay around $40 a month for trash pickup, or slightly less if they opted in for a smaller bin.
🚿 Water: The City Council approved a 30% increase in water rates over the next two years.
🚘 Parking fees: Visitors to Balboa Park now have to pay for parking, with fees ranging from $150 for a year to $5 a day ($300 to $10 for nonresidents).
🅿️ More parking fees: The city also doubled the rate at parking meters to $2.50 an hour and extended the times you have to pay to park.
🚗 Valet parking: Hotels and restaurants now must pay more for reserved valet parking spots, from $6 to $20 a day and $600 to $1,000 for a permit, plus a new $5,000 annual fee.
⚽ Recreation field use: The council approved a 185% fee increase for public fields and courts, meaning players in rec leagues could see costs go from $60 to $140 a season.
🎟️ Event fees: Organizers saw on average a 20% increase to fees related to hosting events, including permits and police security.
🏠 Short-term rental fees: The city increased fees for short-term vacation rentals from $59 to $129.
State of play: Gloria said he doesn't expect more fee increases for the next fiscal year, which starts in July, because "there aren't additional revenue sources I can think of."
- There's still a $110 million budget deficit, and that means cuts.
- Gloria asked every city department to suggest 7% in cuts, which will provide new options for balancing the budget.
What we're watching: The city also has to renegotiate contracts with its employees next year, and the $110 million budget deficit assumes cost-of-living increases for employees, but nothing more.
- Gloria said the city will need to be "very thoughtful on how we retain employees that provide the services San Diegans depend upon, but in a way that does not require cuts beyond those that we're already contemplating."