Unidentified individuals vandalized at least 12 parking meters and kiosks in Balboa Park during the last month, the San Diego Police Department said to The UCSD Guardian via email on Friday, Jan. 9. This vandalism comes in response to the city’s recent implementation of paid parking in the area.
Suspects are still unknown and SDPD’s investigation into the string of vandalism is ongoing.
Between Dec. 1, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2026, vandals damaged the newly installed kiosks along the 1800 to 2200 blocks of Sixth Avenue in Bankers Hill using spray foam and sealant in the card readers, green spray paint, and glue. In one instance, suspects used “biological material, believed to be fecal matter,” to vandalize meters.
The damage made the machines “inoperable” and “[prevented] the processing of both cash and card payments,” according to SDPD. On Wednesday, Jan. 7, Leslie Wolf Branscomb — the city of San Diego’s senior public information officer — said in a written statement to The Guardian that the costs to repair the damaged parking meter kiosks are unknown.
The city of San Diego implemented parking fees in Balboa Park starting on Monday, Jan. 5. Before the paid parking program, Balboa Park had offered free parking since its opening in 1868.
The park now charges visitors between $2.50 to $3 per hour, depending on the area and demand, with a maximum of $10 per day. This does not include the San Diego Zoo lots, which charge a separate parking fee for nonmembers.
Park visit and the surrounding areas can pay via text or the Park Smarter mobile app. Residents and nonresidents of San Diego County can also purchase a parking pass online at daily, monthly, quarterly, or annual rates.
“Damaging the parking kiosks will not halt the implementation of paid parking,” Branscomb said. “However, it will cost the City staff time and taxpayers’ money to repair the damaged property. These are funds that could be put to much better use maintaining and improving our beloved park.”