SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego residents continue to push back against the idea of paid parking at the city’s beaches and bays — and a city councilmember wants to let voters make free parking the law.

Councilmember Raul Campillo said he is bringing the item forward for a specific reason.

“In hopes of making sure the City does not repeat the same mistake we saw with the proposed parking fees at Balboa Park,” he told ABC 10News. “This is about making sure access to our most treasured public spaces remains clear, protected, and accountable to the people of San Diego – and it’s just one part of a larger series of transparency and accountability initiatives I will be bringing forward in an effort to clean up City Hall and ensure we have the right protocols in place moving forward.”

Last November, four city councilmembers explored the idea of charging people, particularly non-residents, to park along the city’s shoreline as a way to help address San Diego’s $120 million budget deficit for the next fiscal year. After pushback, the proposal was left off the council’s latest list of budget priorities.

Even though paid parking at beaches and bays does not appear to be on the table for now, it could come up again in future budget discussions — and even if such a policy were adopted, it could always be reversed by future administrations.

A voter-approved measure, however, would make free parking at beaches and bays a city law.

Many San Diego residents say they want exactly that kind of protection.

“My thoughts on that would be a no-go,” said TJ Bradley, visiting Mission Beach with his daughter Tuesday.

Bradley said a vote would offer lasting certainty.

“If I know the residents that live here, I think, the voting thing — and then we don’t have to worry about it again. I think that’s the way to go.”

San Diego residents Nancy and Troy Vanos said paid parking would be “wrong,” and the current, free policy benefits everyone.

“It’s so nice that everybody can just come down here from any part of the city and enjoy a few hours without getting stuck with a $2, $3, $5, $10 bill,” Troy said.

San Diego resident Charlotte Wear, celebrating her birthday at the beach Tuesday, said she hopes free parking stays in place.

“It would be really sad if we had to pay for another thing.”

Wear said she values free parking as a resident and worries about how a change could impact people’s interest in visiting the coast.

“I think it’s really nice that we have the privilege of free parking as a citizen and I hope that they don’t make us pay, and, yeah, just because I think it’s a deterrent,” she said.

The proposal could appear on the November 2026 ballot. Before that happens, it needs to pass through the Rules Committee Wednesday, the first step in a process that could put it in front of the full City Council in July for approval to be placed before voters.

Follow ABC 10News Weather Anchor Max Goldwasser on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.