San Diego might be about to tap the brakes on its higher special-event parking fees around Petco Park. On Jan. 7, Councilmember Raul Campillo rolled out a “5/5/5” proposal that would cut the special-event meter rate to $5 an hour, limit enforcement to five hours, and shrink the special-event area to roughly five blocks around the ballpark. Campillo is pitching the plan as targeted relief for workers, residents, and small businesses feeling the sting of the city’s $10 special-event rate. The measure is expected to run through the committee process before any final City Council vote.
What the 5/5/5 plan would change
In a press release from the City of San Diego, Campillo spelled out the trio of tweaks: cut the special-event hourly meter rate from $10 to $5, trim enforcement from six hours to five, and confine the special-event parking zone to five blocks immediately surrounding Petco Park. The release quoted him saying the goal is to keep downtown welcoming and accessible, not punitive while still managing heavy event demand. Campillo also said he would work with the City Attorney’s Office on municipal code amendments and ask the council president to place the item on the Rules Committee agenda.
Budget trade-offs
The city’s Office of the Independent Budget Analyst has projected that special-event meter changes, including the $10 special-event rate, account for about $6.3 million in revenue for the 2026 fiscal year, with extended enforcement hours adding roughly $1.3 million, according to the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst. That math sits at the center of the policy fight: the same analysis indicates rolling back parts of the program could shave an estimated $1.3 million off expected meter revenue, a gap budget planners had already built into the city’s 2026 spending plan, as the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst noted.
Supporters and critics
At a press event backing the 5/5/5 proposal, downtown business groups and hospitality workers argued that the higher event rates scare off customers and hit employees the hardest, who have little choice but to park near their workplaces. Betsy Brennan of the Downtown San Diego Partnership likened the higher fees to an “entrance fee” that keeps people away, and the California Restaurant Association’s San Diego chapter also praised the proposed changes, according to the Times of San Diego. The Padres organization has likewise criticized the original $10 policy, saying the increase was adopted without meaningful input from key stakeholders.
What happens next
Campillo told reporters he plans to work with the City Attorney to draft ordinance language and ask the Council President to place the item on the Rules Committee calendar, according to the City of San Diego. If the committee signs off on the amendments, the measure would head back to the full City Council for a final vote, NBC 7 San Diego reports. Any adjustment that trims projected meter revenue would also ripple into budget talks for programs the city expected to fund with that income.
How this could affect fans and workers
Lowering the headline price on event meters would make street parking cheaper for some fans and downtown employees, but it would also mean a smaller zone where the special-event rate applies and a shorter enforcement window. When the city moved to roll out the $10-per-hour rate last fall, officials urged people heading to game nights to lean on transit and pre-booked parking lots as alternatives. For now, the 5/5/5 plan functions as a political middle path: it softens the hit for drivers while forcing city leaders to confront how they will replace any lost meter dollars.
