The city of San Diego’s implementation of paid parking at Balboa Park in January has led to dissent from residents, rollout issues, and backlash from Balboa Park organizations. In response, city leaders are partially reversing the policy, according to Mayor Todd Gloria’s Feb. 6 press release. 

Gloria will shorten enforcement times to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and add free parking locations around the park for San Diego residents, effective March 2. Prior to this operational change, paid parking enforcement times ended at 8 p.m. 

Though San Diego residents will still be charged $5 for four hours or $8 for a full day of parking in the premium lots — Space Theater, Casa de Balboa, Alcazar, Organ Pavilion, and South Carousel — Gloria has added free parking locations for verified residents. These lots include Pepper Grove, Federal, Upper Inspiration Point, Lower Inspiration Point, Marston Point, Palisades, and Bea Evenson lots. Most of these are further from the park center compared to the premium lots. 

The resident verification process, which was one of many rollout issues for the policy, is not changing. San Diegans must register online for verification by paying a one-time $5 fee and providing one form of residence verification, such as a driver’s license. More than 3,000 San Diegans have registered via the city’s online portal so far, the press release reported.

Gloria’s announcement follows a proposal led by Council President Joe LaCava and Councilmembers Kent Lee and Sean Elo-Rivera to indefinitely suspend the paid parking program, which was to be voted on by the City Council three days later on Feb. 9. The vote is now canceled.

LaCava said that the mayor’s reforms address the impacts paid parking has had on residents and park institutions, and “align with [their] calls for action,” according to an NBC 7 report.

Lee released a statement responding to Gloria’s announcement on Instagram.

“Any movement to acknowledge the outcry from the community is something I welcome, yet today’s actions still do not do enough to address the concerns felt by the community and Balboa Park stakeholders,” Lee wrote.

The current paid parking program went into effect on Jan. 5, ending Balboa Park’s century-long history of offering free parking to visitors.

Since paid parking has been enforced, the city has collected nearly $700,000 in fees. In the 2026 fiscal year adopted budget, unadjusted for the rollback, parking fees were projected to generate approximately $12.5 million in revenue over the year.

Gloria said his partial reversal is a response to feedback from the community.

Organizations such as the San Diego Museum of Art saw a sharp decline in visitors immediately after paid parking went into effect. The Balboa Park Cultural Partnership reported a 25% drop in local visitors in the first week. The partnership has since launched the website Save Balboa Park, urging the community to voice its concerns to city leaders, seeking reconsideration of their votes supporting the paid parking program and the consideration of alternative solutions.

“Good governing also means listening,” Gloria wrote in his press release. “I’ve heard from residents and from members of the City Council about how this program is affecting San Diegans who love Balboa Park as much as I do. That feedback matters, and it’s why I am eliminating parking fees for City residents in select lots in the park.” 

Balboa Park Cultural Partnership Executive Director Peter Comiskey responded in a public statement.

“Administrative action to return free parking for city residents to several lots and make other improvements is the start of movement in the right direction,” Comiskey wrote. “Our board supports this as a first step and believes there is more that must be done to restore free parking for everyone, but we will closely monitor the effects of this change to see whether, and how much, it reverses the dramatic decline in visitors.” 

All other paid parking initiatives will remain in place. Parking meters for roads along Balboa Park charge $2.50 per hour, capped at $10 per day. Monthly passes are $30, quarterly passes are $60, and annual passes are $150. 

Costs for nonresidents will also remain unchanged, ranging from $10 to $16 per day, depending on the location and duration. Monthly passes are $40, quarterly passes are $120, and annual passes are $300.