Unequal Parking Enforcement in San Diego’s District 4 Demands Data and Accountability

By Francine Maxwell

San Diego’s parking enforcement is not equal across the city, and District 4 residents see the consequences every day.

In July, a San Diego resident filed a Get It Done report [see above] about a car parked in the wrong direction on 68th Street. The violation was clear — a 72-hour parking violation. The city’s response was just as clear:

“Due to limited resources, SDPD was not yet able to address your report. If the vehicle has moved, please Close Your Report. If the vehicle is still there, it will be addressed as SDPD resources are available.”

This response is common in District 4. But the lack of enforcement doesn’t stop at cars parked the wrong way. It invites larger problems. On Streamview, illegal dumping piles up when abandoned cars are left on the street. Missed enforcement also means more unsafe encampments, repeated Oversized Vehicle Ordinance (OVO) and Vehicle Habitation Ordinance (VHO) violations, and blocked street sweeping that leaves our neighborhoods dirty and drains unchecked.

The OVO and VHO were both challenged in court and are now under a settlement that limits how they can be enforced. San Diego Police Department policy also requires officers to use progressive enforcement — including service referrals and documentation — before acting on vehicle habitation cases. These rules apply citywide. But the difference is where and how enforcement is carried out.

Reports show that OVO enforcement is concentrated in high-visibility beach and coastal areas like Mission Bay, while neighborhoods in District 4 wait weeks for basic 72-hour violations to be addressed. Residents in Encanto, Valencia Park, and Skyline ask a simple question: why do other districts get swift action while ours gets “no resources available”?

This is not about demanding extra attention. It’s about demanding the same level of service every San Diego taxpayer is owed. Parking enforcement and street sweeping are baseline city functions, not special favors. When they are consistently missed in one district, the result is predictable: trash left behind, unsafe conditions for both housed and unhoused residents, and a feeling of neglect that undermines trust in city government.

The fix is straightforward. The City should:

• Publish parking enforcement response times by council district.
• Prioritize clearing 72-hour violations and blocking vehicles tied to illegal dumping and street sweeping delays.
• Ensure Public Works and SDPD coordinate when vehicles interfere with scheduled street sweeping.
• Audit any new downtown parking initiatives to confirm they are not diverting enforcement away from southeastern neighborhoods.
• District 4 residents are not asking for more than others. We are asking for the same basic services that San Diego already provides elsewhere. Equity in enforcement is not an abstract concept — it is measurable. Show us the data, publish the response times, and hold the system accountable.

Until that happens, the message to District 4 remains the same: your neighborhood does not matter as much as others. That is a message San Diego can no longer afford to send.

Citations

1. Settlement on San Diego’s Oversized Vehicle Ordinance (OVO) and Vehicle Habitation Ordinance (VHO), Voice of San Diego (2023).
2. San Diego Police Department bulletin on progressive enforcement of VHO, City of San Diego (2023).
3. Reporting on OVO enforcement concentration in beach areas, San Diego Union-Tribune (2024).