San Diego City Councilmembers are scheduled to discuss Wednesday a ballot measure to make parking free in Balboa Park on Sundays – their first discussion related to Balboa Park paid parking since it took effect Jan. 5.

Some critics of the new parking fees, which are highly unpopular with residents and Balboa Park leaders, say Wednesday’s meeting is an opportunity for council members to signal support for repeal.

While the proposed ballot measure would only prohibit parking fees on Sunday in the park, council members could broaden it to cover every day of the week before the measure is finalized and placed on the June ballot.

Council members could also reject the proposed ballot measure, but express support instead for repealing or adjusting the fees by city ordinance or in some other way.

Mayor Todd Gloria has repeatedly said he has no plans to repeal or reconsider the fees, so it appears that action either by the council or voters will be necessary for the fees to be adjusted or repealed.

The ballot measure, which will be discussed at 9 a.m. Wednesday by the council’s Rules Committee, is being proposed by Shane Harris, a community organizer and activist who made a brief run for council in 2023.

Harris said Monday that he will follow through with presenting the proposed ballot measure to the Rules Committee, but that he would prefer the council repeal the fees seven days a week with a city ordinance.

“I am following through with Wednesday’s item because it gives San Diegans the opportunity to discuss their displeasure with the City Council regarding paid parking in Balboa Park,” Harris said.

Former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey said Monday that if the council does not discuss within two weeks a formal proposal to repeal the fees, he will begin gathering signatures to place a separate measure on the ballot.

Bailey, who says he is considering a run this spring for San Diego’s District 2 council seat, has established a website for his “repeal the fees” ballot measure campaign.

Three of the council’s nine members are strongly against the fees: Vivian Moreno, Raul Campillo and Stephen Whitburn.

Councilmembers Kent Lee and Sean Elo-Rivera sent the mayor a memo earlier this month calling implementation of paid parking “haphazard” and “not ready for prime time.”

While they asked the mayor to waive fees for residents until they have had time to adapt and learn, Lee and Elo-Rivera stopped short of expressing support for repealing or adjusting the fees.

It’s possible six votes – not five – would be needed for an ordinance or policy change to repeal or adjust the fees. A change approved by the council in a 5-4 vote could be vetoed by the mayor, which could be overridden by a six-vote supermajority.

Calls for repeal come with leaders of Balboa Park museums and other organizations saying that declines in park visits have ranged from 20% to more than 50% and that overall annual revenue could drop by $20 million to $30 million.

The Balboa Park Cultural Partnership has created a new website, savebalboapark.org, where opponents of the paid parking are encouraged to post demands that city leaders immediately end the fees.

In addition, a new poll of San Diego residents shows 80% want the fees either eliminated or reduced and that 69% say the new fees will make them visit the park less often.

The poll, sponsored by the Union-Tribune and 10News, found that only a relatively small portion of residents were swayed by arguments from the mayor and council that revenue from the fees is needed to avoid budget cuts.

When told revenue from the fees could help the city avoid budget cuts, 51% still said parking should always be free in Balboa Park, with 11% unsure and 37% saying the fees are OK if they help avoid budget cuts.

The ballot measure sponsored by Harris was scheduled to be considered by the Rules Committee in November, but the committee lost a required quorum before it could be discussed.

If the committee endorses the measure, it would be forwarded to the full council for possible placement on the June 2 ballot. The deadline for council action on ballot measures is March 6.