Parking meters won't matter from Nov. 30 to Jan. 1, as the city again allows free two-hour parking in commercial corridors for the holiday shopping season.
San Diego, California – The San Diego County Grand Jury has issued a scathing report blasting the City of San Diego’s parking program. The report, released this month, cites a lack of transparency, confusing signage, and questionable management of revenue from parking meters. It urges immediate reforms to improve clarity for drivers and ensure that public funds are being used lawfully and effectively.
According to the Grand Jury, drivers navigating San Diego’s streets face a “daily scavenger hunt” for affordable parking. The city’s network of meters, apps, signs, and fluctuating policies has created what the report describes as a confusing and inconsistent experience—one made worse by a recent across-the-board parking meter rate hike, doubling fees to $2.50 an hour in many locations.
The rate increase is part of the city’s strategy to help address a projected $258 million budget shortfall for the next fiscal year. However, the Grand Jury emphasized that parking meter funds must be used strictly for traffic-related purposes — not to close general budget gaps — a point the City Attorney has repeatedly reminded officials.
“The City should take immediate steps to report revenues collected from all parking meters and how it uses those revenues,” the report stated, criticizing the city’s lack of transparency and poor public communication on how funds are allocated.
In addition to calling for financial clarity, the Grand Jury recommended a complete overhaul of the city’s parking signage. Drivers often have little information about what they’ll pay or what forms of payment are accepted until they’re already at the meter or payment kiosk. In some privately owned commercial lots, fees are not visible from the street — a problem the report suggests should be addressed through new city requirements.
The report also targeted how the city handles parking around Petco Park, San Diego’s downtown stadium. City policy requires “No Parking” signage to be posted 72 hours ahead of events, but the Grand Jury found that this standard is not consistently followed for stadium events, creating confusion and frustration for residents and visitors alike.
A key recommendation from the report is to disband the city’s Community Parking Districts (CPDs), which currently advise on local parking and transportation matters. The Grand Jury criticized CPDs for poor financial reporting and for using a significant portion of meter revenue on administrative costs. It recommends that local community planning groups take over those responsibilities instead.
Meanwhile, the future of San Diego’s parking system remains uncertain. A new parking meter contract has yet to be awarded, and the city may implement additional policy changes before the fiscal year ends on June 30, 2025. The recent dissolution of the Office of Sustainability and Mobility has only added to the instability.
“The Grand Jury feels this is the moment to press the City for improved service and transparency,” the report concludes.
Whether city leaders will take these recommendations seriously — and act on them — remains to be seen.
