OB Rag Staff Report
At the same time City Hall claims new parking fees are increasing support for Balboa Park, the city’s proposed FY2027 budget will actually decrease Park funding by more than $1.8 million, a 12-percent reduction.
General fund expenditures for Balboa Park will fall from $15.5 million in 2026 to $13.6 million in 2027. This is happening concurrently with the elimination of $11.8 million in city funding to local arts organizations, including a number of Park institutions.
A new item in the 2027 budget, “Developed Regional Parks,” accounts for a first-time allocation of $10.8 million. Balboa Park is considered a “developed regional park,” but it isn’t clear if it will receive any money from that allocation.
And it still isn’t clear what, if anything, the Park is receiving from the new parking fees, which were imposed to help fill the City’s budget gap.
In a recent statement, the city said that “Balboa Park’s paid parking program creates a reliable source of funding to support the care and operation of the park.”
That vague claim raises questions that need specific answers. Does this mean parking fee revenues are going directly to the Park as over-and-above support? Or are they instead deposited into the general fund and siphoned off for other uses?
The FY2027 drop in Park resource allocation is taking place just as the City is embarking on a new Balboa Park Master Plan Update. Such updates typically identify park needs and park improvements that will require new funding.
We know long-time Balboa Park advocates dedicate time and effort to the periodic master plan update process. And we respect their dedication.
But we must ask them: Do you feel at all exploited when the City recruits you to work on a plan update it will never fund? And given those circumstances, what incentive does the public have to participate in the planning process?
As the City’s investment in Balboa Park continues to shrink, the issue of Park governance becomes more urgent. As long as the City has complete control over this “crown jewel,” the park’s future prospects will grow dimmer.
The time has come to make Forever Balboa Park a full-fledged conservancy. Let’s work now to begin the transition to a more viable management structure.
I was skeptical at first of giving up the park’s governance. Partly because some advocates were calling it a private/public partnership. When people use these words it usually means public resources being used for private interests. But it has become obvious that the city is not even interested in enhancing or even maintaining this public park. We need management that understands the cultural and recreational value of Balboa Park. So I applaud those who are making the effort and I will, going forward fully support this endeavor. And it goes without saying that we need to repeal the parking fees.
Now that I think of it, how about a Mission Bay Park Conservancy?
When the City of San Diego’s created paid metered parking in Balboa Park they purposefully refuse to create a Balboa Park Parking District that would have required all Parking Revenue to used within the park. Now the Parking Meter Revenue goes into the General Fund. I think paid parking should be eliminated park wide.
I think the Balboa Park Conservancy idea is great.
A potential funding solution for the new Balboa Park Conservancy could be Mandy Havlik and my TOT Reform Ballot Measures for the November 2026 Election. Our Measure 2 is a 4% Replacement Special Tax TOT. With 1% for Penny for the Arts, Balboa Park, and Libraries. Each 1% of TOT = $30 million.
Therefore, there is new revenue of $10 million each for the Arts community which will make them whole, $10 million for Balboa Park Improvements, and $10 million to stop cuts to our Library hours.
Our request for Mayor Todd Gloria’s FY-2027 Draft Budget is to keep on funding the Arts, Balboa Park, and Libraries for 6 months using a 10 year loan from the hoarded $465 million in the SDG&E Underground Surcharge Fund Balance, at 0% interest rate. Then if our Ballot Measures are approved in November 2026, then no cuts are needed, our structural budget deficit is deleted, and the Balboa Park Conservancy can have a dedicated new revenue stream that can offset the anticipated revenue from parking revenue.
Thanks to Kate Callen and her collaborators for keeping us informed on Balboa Park finances. We can only hope the Mayor and City Council will honestly and openly address the issues raised in this — and other — credible news reports and comments on social media expressing similar concerns about the opacity of the budget process related to Balboa Park, parking revenue, and the city’s general fund deficit.
I love the thought of using the hoarded SDG&E underground funding… they certainly are NOT using it to underground utilities .. I’ve been waiting for 35 years, and plan to have to wait another 35 before any meaningful amount gets done. One thing that no one mentions, and perhaps it is not known, is HOW much did the city spend on trash collection before it instituted the new trash fee.. and what is that money going for now?? Is it counted in the city’s revenue stream? or is it gravy that no one will notice. That money should have been considered in creating the new trash fee… and the fee should not have been started as a zero-base cost.
How about going bigger than just Balboa Park?
Why not a Metropolitan Park District of all City Parks?
Separate funding structure, separate Elected Board of Directors and a seaparate Parks Foundation for all parks.
How about the San Diego Parks Conservancy?
I am not usually a fan of anything with “private” in it as it usually costs us more money. However, as far as Balboa Park is concerned I must say we need to get the City out of it. After some checking I’ve seen how a public/private conservancy can work. One of the Cities that Kate pointed out that has gone to this type of structure is St. Louis. Here is a quick overview of what went on in Forest Park in St. Louis (just declared the best city park in the country.)
Missouri History Museum
April 8 at 10:08?AM
When decades of neglect threatened Forest Park, a group of St. Louisans rolled up their sleeves
Around kitchen tables in 1986, they founded a grassroots organization called Forest Park Forever, inspired by St. Louis County Executive Chauncey Shultz’s promise at the park’s 1876 opening:
“I present to you, the people of the County of St. Louis, your own, this large and beautiful Forest Park for the enjoyment of yourselves, your children and your children’s children forever…”
What began as small efforts – raising funds for benches and trees – grew into a nonprofit conservancy overseeing multimillion-dollar restorations and funding over half of the park’s annual maintenance
ensuring the park could thrive for generations to come.
Learn more about the origins of America’s best urban park in our atrium exhibit, “Yours Forever: Forest Park at 150.” Support for this exhibit provided by HOK and Forest Park Forever.
If we only had the $85 million that Todd Gloria backroom okey-doked to pay for an uninhabitable asbestos ridden building, and the $65-$85 million pissed away on RIFD trash cans to replace perfectly good ones. The millions spent on ridiculous bollards, concrete for turn a-bouts instead of cost effective stop signs If we stopped wasting millions going to private asphalt companies to line bike lanes that are actually injuring more bicyclists rather than protecting them. If we only had the $25 million spent on hush money to overpay middle managers to mislead the public on behalf of City Hall. If we could get back the $ Millions spent on police overtime, wasted training money on underpaid officers entering the incessant revolving door that soon quit with such frequency we have some of the highest turnover in the nation. If we stopped the excessive coastal sunset excursions every evening in the two police helicopters our city tax money pays for when aviation fuel is probably $12-$14/gallon. If we eliminated corporate landlord density apartment subsidies. Stopped passing legislation that results in costly lawsuits because of legal malpractice from the incompetent overpaid City Attorneys. If we taxed campaign donations at 60%. And if we recalled Todd Gloria we will no longer perpetuate this insanity and send a message to those so eager to do us all harm to advance their own egregious personal agenda.
For those not aware: The City of San Diego Charter protects Dedicated city parks. For parks not protected, they are called designated Parks. The difference is that designated parks are subject to sale or other uses. Gemini tells us, “The primary protection for parks in the City of San Diego is established in Section 55 of the City Charter. This section creates a legal ‘firewall’ that restricts how parkland can be used and makes it difficult for the city to sell or repurpose it without public consent.” For designated parks, “According to Council Policy 700-17, these areas can be used for other public purposes if deemed necessary by the Council.”
The only exceptions is to use any public park like Balboa Park or Mission Bay Park for Homeless during an Emergency Shelter Crisis.
Homeless shelter are not subject to the City Charter, Municipal Code, CEQA, public hearing except for money. See Barrack H in Liberty Station NTC. And Lot O in Balboa Park for tents.
Nostalgic, you make an excellent point. People may not realize it but the Barnes Tennis Center and, if I remember correctly, the Mariners Cove apartments, are located on Pueblo Lot 212. Pueblo Lot 212 was, at that time, “designated” parkland, not “dedicated” park land. This allowed the city to establish a private tennis club on park land, as well as privately developed, market rate apartments. Although the tennis club is held by a non-profit, it is only open to members who pay for a $500 and up membership fee.
The city likes to play this game of dedicated v. designated. They look at the designated park land and include it in the total park land for the area, but without giving it the higher level of protection of dedicating it to park uses. Kind of a shell game.
I may have some details wrong as it was in the early to mid 80s that this was happening. But the fact remains that the Pueblo lands were to be held in trust by the City of San Diego for the benefit of its citizens, much like tidelands are held by the State Lands Commission. The history of how the lands were sold off is long and a little complex, along with accusations of inappropriate sales, below market prices, etc.
The $10.8 million dedicated for “Developed Regional Parks” includes a $1.4 million appropriation for Balboa Park. There is also another $400K dedicated for Casa del Prado. This effectively appears to be an accounting adjustment, keeping funding proposed for Balboa Park whole at $13.6 million. This information can be found in the budget notes
That said, I am certainly not opposed to exploring governance options for Balboa Park. But the question will always be “show me the money.” Any source of new public moneys will require a public vote. On the other hand, if the city backs off on the parking fees, those revenues will disappear, making balancing the budget all the harder. This is not an arguement for retaining the parking fees. It’s just stating the obvious facts.
Don, thanks for pointing that out. So the city finds $1.8 million for Balboa Park in one pot, and it immediately deducts that amount from its Park allocation. How miserly. You can say that makes Park funding “whole.” But it’s still “meager” — it means City Hall will not put one more dime into the Park. And that brings us back to the question of where exactly the parking fee revenues are going.
I don’t expect to see new public money for the Park. Like conservancies around the country, ours could generate new money through philanthropic support (kept safe from city plundering) and better financial management. And no, this doesn’t mean selling out the Park through crass commercialism. The public, which is the principal stakeholder of Balboa Park, has been galvanized and will be watching closely.
Don, a follow-up question: You say “this information can be found in budget notes.” Where exactly? I assume those budget notes are publicly available. Do I have to file a PRA request to see them, or can you direct me to their location? Thanks.
Time to throw the bums out! Every single member of the City Council and King Gloria need to be ushered out to the gutter in the soonest election cycle. Bad enough they are driving voting, taxpaying citizens out of Balboa Park, but to abscond with the parking fees we pay to enjoy the park is an unacceptable crime. Time to throw all the bums out and get us a new round of leadership! Time to bring back Larry Turner!