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 – San Diego drivers will soon have to dig a little deeper into their wallets. Starting this week, the city is rolling out extended parking meter hours across four Community Parking Districts, stretching enforcement later into the evening and, for the first time, into Sundays.
The changes, which begin Thursday in Pacific Beach and Mid-City, will eventually touch Uptown and Downtown by September. In Pacific Beach, meters that once ended at 8 p.m. will now run until 10 p.m., including Sundays. In Mid-City, meters along El Cajon Boulevard will extend to 8 p.m. and also add Sunday enforcement. Uptown and Downtown will follow with similar changes in the coming weeks.
For City Hall, the reforms—approved by the City Council in June—are about keeping pace with other large California cities. Officials say longer meter hours will encourage turnover, reduce congestion from cars circling for spots, and make it easier for visitors and businesses to access high-demand areas. They also argue that the new revenue will stay local, funding infrastructure improvements like sidewalk repairs, street upgrades, and general maintenance.
On the ground, though, residents are less convinced. In Pacific Beach, where some of the updated signs are already up, the pushback has been immediate. “It’s terrible. It’s a tragedy,” said one resident, summing up a common frustration. Hailey, another local, put it more plainly: “San Diego is already expensive, and they’re just making people not want to come down here as much.”
Her friend Annie pointed to the tension between beach access and parking costs. “People wanna come down here and enjoy the beach, which is free. But then if you have to pay for parking, it kind of defeats the whole purpose of getting out here and just getting to enjoy PB,” she said.
Others criticized how the city rolled out the new policy. “I think they should give some better notices to people, instead of just slapping a sticker on a sign,” said Brendon Jasso, who lives nearby. City crews have been applying decals to parking signs as part of the transition.
Not every area will feel the impact. Starting hours—typically 8 or 10 a.m.—will remain the same, and meters along the Port District waterfront aren’t affected. Drivers with disabled placards will still be able to park free of charge.
Still, for residents and business owners in places like Pacific Beach, the change represents a cultural shift. For years, meter rules in San Diego had gone largely unchanged. Now, with hours extending later and into weekends, many worry about how the policy will affect local nightlife, tourism, and the ease of a simple trip to the beach.
For city leaders, however, the bigger picture is clear: the changes mark another step toward modernizing how San Diego manages its roads, its businesses, and its public space.
