OB’s Robb Field plus a number of beach restrooms could close due to the latest proposed budget by Mayor Gloria. The budget process is not over as City Council members must submit their own final budget proposals by Wednesday, May 20, and the council is scheduled to adopt a budget on Tuesday, June 9. It must be adopted by Tuesday, June 30.
Yet, it’s unmistakable.
The Robb Field Recreation Center in Ocean Beach remains a target for potential closure,” reports the Point Loma -OB Monthly (a U-T publication).
“Gloria’s initial proposal last month included a scenario in which 16 rec centers around the city, including Robb Field’s, could be shuttered. Under the new plan, nine recreation centers would fully close, and the Robb Field center remains on the list.”
In addition, Voice of San Diego reports:
At least 33 public restrooms in downtown, Balboa Park and Mission Bay would close under the current plan, according to an Independent Budget Analyst report. These areas, which are heavily trafficked by tourists and locals alike, currently house 66 public restrooms – which means the number would be cut by half. This does not account for additional reductions to restroom access that would result from proposed cuts to libraries and recreation centers.
Close to OB, these proposed closures include:
- Thirteen out of the 28 restrooms in Mission Bay Park
- Seven out of 14 portable restrooms on Fiesta Island
- (those additional restrooms at Robb Field)
And don’t forget dear reader, that Robb Field is part of Mission Bay Park – so those 13 out of 28 public toilets could include those at Robb Field, particularly the east section.
As the PL-OB Monthly reported:
Gloria announced his revised budget proposal May 13.
A month earlier as part of the annual budget process, he had released a 40-page analysis ranking the city’s 56 recreation centers and 37 library branches based on what the report considered their importance to their communities. The rankings were intended to provide the City Council with possible scenarios to consider when making budget cuts to help close a $146 million deficit projected for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which begins July 1.
The Robb Field Recreation Center at 2525 Bacon St. was not on the list of the 10 centers considered least needed in the rankings, though it did land on the latest list of the nine that would be closed.
When Gloria released his initial proposed budget April 15, he said libraries and recreation centers must sustain cuts so the city could avoid severe reductions in higher priorities such as public safety, infrastructure, transportation and homelessness programs. …
The Ocean Beach Recreation Center at 4726 Santa Monica Ave. is slated to remain open. (Rag emphasis.)
Of course, this array on the possible chopping block does not set well with people in OB and Pt Loma. Eric Law, chair of the Peninsula Community Planning Board, summed it up well for the Monthly:
“It’s quite clear that the mayor’s budget is punitive. Rather than cut the administrative bloat in recently added staff middle management positions, he intends to inflict pain on San Diegans through closing parks, libraries and recreation centers. This is not leadership, it’s pettiness.
“His campaign to balance the budget on the backs of the people is completely tone-deaf. … Deep cuts to staff and non-core programs are required. We must get leaner, eliminate overhead and focus on being good at the basics of governance. Closing Robb Field and reducing library hours will have a disproportionate impact on the young, old and lower-income earners, which is precisely the wrong place to start.”
The Point Loma/Hervey Library would lose half its Saturday hours. The library currently is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays.
And Gloria and the City are gaining additional budget savings from the extended closure of the Ocean Beach Library branch for renovations (as is the Rancho Peñasquitos branch).
From the PL-OB Monthly:
The long-planned renovation and expansion of the Ocean Beach Library at 4801 Santa Monica Ave. would remodel the existing 5,066-square-foot building and add a 2,738-square-foot extension after demolition of a two-story annex building on an adjacent parcel. The proposal includes a new community meeting room, a teen area, an outdoor gathering space, office space, an expanded book collection area, new restrooms, new landscaping and more. Project leaders hope to begin construction on the estimated 15-month, $13.4 million plan this winter, according to the San Diego Engineering & Capital Projects Department.
The Monthly also explained:
Gloria says his revised proposal prioritizes libraries and rec centers in low-income City Council Districts 4, 8 and 9 — all south of Interstate 8 — and focuses proposed cuts elsewhere in the city.
Rankings for the recreation centers and libraries were based on a variety of factors, including the average income nearby, the variety of programs offered at the site, the crime rate and the site’s proximity to similar city facilities. Another factor considered for rec centers was whether similar programs are offered nearby by nonprofit organizations or commercial facilities.
City budget hearings took place last week amid widespread opposition to Gloria’s initial plans, particularly his proposed cuts to arts, libraries and recreation.
Sick of these gummint feckin’ eejits gummin’ up the works with poor accounting practices. Cut the bloat! Perhaps all peronnel take a 5 per cent pay cut for X amount of time to help balance the budget. Hell, I’ve already done my part; several weeks ago I was double charged on my credit card at a parking meter. Rather than hunt done one person in the gummint, I let the charge slide. (Hero medal, please)
Now, what do we have to do, reserve a job-john on a trailer from somewhere like Rocketjohns just to go to the beach? I could rent the set-up, park where needed & then charge fifty cents per use, plus sales tax. I’d have a line around the parking lot.
And another thing. . .
(Apologies Chris: No on Bailey. Thank you for the mulligan.)
Todd Gloria and the City Council have reached a catastrophic level of corruption and negligent incompetence. The corrupted Mayor and City Council pissed $65 million away on replacing perfectly good trash bins so they could be replaced with new trash bins fitted with RIFD tags. These overpriced RIFD tags are essentially useless because the City is overcharging residents via a flat monthly fee for trash and recycling pick up. This F’d-up back door payout and ill-conceived policy provides no incentive for to reduce waste going to an ever increasing Miramar Landfill Mountain that will soon surpass Mt Fortuna in height in the next few years.
Why this publication refuses to endorse or help coordinate any kind of support for a Todd Gloria recall, especially in the face of such flagrant corrupted policy practices is infuriating.
Jesus Christ Mateo! How many times do we have to go back and forth on this?? We have no qualms of you or someone else putting together a recall campaign vs Gloria but we ain’t gonna manage it, dude! And I’ve told you why a thousand times! Why don’t you do it if you feel so strongly about this??
Well, ya know, after the 30 mil police shooting settlement, then we’re paying 16.45 mil for these city shenagans. And yet, we’re the evil ones.
https://www.sandiegoville.com/2026/05/city-of-san-diego-hit-with-1645-million.html