Re “Backlash against San Diego’s proposed parking overhaul forces city to look for compromises” (April 6): If the current city istration eliminates free parking at Balboa Park and eliminates free street parking in some neighborhoods on Sundays, I predict we’ll soon have a Republican City Hall. Issuing $9 residential parking permits is a pretty one-sided compromise. It’s bad enough that entrance fees at most of the museums in Balboa Park (not to mention the zoo) are so high that many San Diegans have never visited them. Add parking fees and we might as well put up “Not Welcome” signs. Surely “America’s Finest City” can do better.
— Stephen Bailey, Columbia District
The new parking charges are another tax in disguise for city residents as the mayor and City Council try to “trim” the massive budget deficit they created. The 101 Ash Street fiasco and the 25% wage increase given to city workers a few years ago both led to this mess.
The parking “reforms” could raise as much as $100 million, but that of course is likely to be a gross overestimate. We were lied to when the trash fee was originally proposed and it’s now double the original estimate — and that’s for services not needed nor requested.
The city needs major cuts, not just “trims,” and unfortunately the only recourse is to cut staff in all departments to achieve a balanced budget. We cannot afford to kick the can down the road any further!
— Jack Resnick, La Jolla
