San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and Gaslamp Quarter Association Executive Director Michael Trimble are in a heated war of words over sharply increased parking meter fees in the city.
Starting September 1, the city has enacted a quadrupling of the street meter fees, to $10 per hour, during large-crowd special events at Petco Park.
Under new Special Event Parking Regulations, on nights of Padres games or events at Petco Park that draws attendance of 10,000 or more, drivers who park within a half mile of the ballpark will be required to pay $60 for six hours at a meter.
Numerous downtown residents, businesses and associations, as well as the San Diego Padres, have decried the new fees. The most vocal opponent of the city’s new policy is the GQA’s Trimble.
Trimble posted an open letter to the mayor on Instagram dated August 25. The mayor publicly responded on August 29 and Trimble fired back another letter that same day.
In Trimble’s latest letter to the mayor, he called Gloria’s response “condescending, evasive and profoundly out of touch with the people you claim to serve.”
Trimble went on to note: “This is no longer about parking. This is about trust, and you’ve lost it.” He concluded, “We are not going away. We will not be silent. And we will not stop fighting for the workforce and the businesses that make downtown San Diego a place worth visiting.”
In Gloria’s August 29 letter, he wrote to Trimble that “the establishment of this special event zone is necessary for effective parking management.”
Gloria also noted that “San Diego offers robust public transit options to Petco Park. Visitors are always encouraged to use bus and trolley lines or other services like ride share.”
Here is Trimble original Instagram post.
This is Gloria’s August 29 letter.
Here is Trimble’s same-day response.
This rare, public brawl appears heading toward continued conflict. Stay tuned. SDSun
