As part of the draft budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 that was released on April 15, 2025, the City of San Diego will keep recreation centers and swimming pools open and maintain public access to open space areas, skate parks, dog parks, golf courses and other park facilities. The Parks and Recreation Department budget presentation and discussion are scheduled for this afternoon.

As part of a host of measures to balance the budget amid a $258 million deficit, the budget proposes strategic reductions to service levels at parks and recreation facilities, along with opportunities for new revenue that can help minimize additional cuts. 

The FY26 budget does include funding for new park facilities where construction is already underway. Downtown’s East Village Green is anticipated to open in 2026, and work continues on new park facilities as part of Parks For All of Us, an initiative to invest in park-deficient neighborhoods.   

In order to close the budget deficit caused by declining growth in revenues as costs increase sharply, the draft FY26 budget includes a net reduction of 3%, or $5.5 million, to the Parks and Recreation Department budget for FY26, compared to the previous fiscal year. To do so, the draft budget includes: 

•  Reducing hours at recreation centers citywide to 40 hours per week, keeping all 60 centers open, but prioritizing hours of highest use at each location.
• Scaling back contracts for landscaping and maintenance.
• Eliminating fire rings at City beaches and bays. This will save costs associated with cleanup and maintenance of the sand areas around the fire rings and will reduce potentially dangerous pollution from entering waterways.
• Closing some permanent and portable restroom facilities in Mission Bay, Fiesta Island, Downtown and Balboa Park to limit the ongoing need for maintenance and costly repairs at these locations. In most cases, a nearby restroom will be available within walking distance of the closed facility. 

"San Diegans love our beautiful parks, open spaces and activities provided at our recreation facilities citywide. Our goal with this budget proposal is to maintain public access to these locations and services," said Andy Field, Parks and Recreation Department Director. "We are taking a strategic approach to limit the impacts of this year’s budget reductions and ensure we can keep recreation centers and parks open, along with our swimming pools. We’re prioritizing open hours during the times when the facilities are the most used. Given limited resources, we propose to scale back non-critical maintenance projects where possible but will strive toward safe and clean parks for everyone to enjoy.” 

Parks and Recreation maintains more than 42,000 acres of park assets, including almost 27,000 acres of open space and aquatics areas, 400 parks and 27 miles of waterfront, 60 recreation centers, 15 pools, 13 skate parks, and three golf complexes. 

To help offset the City’s budget deficit, new revenue opportunities are identified in the draft FY26 budget, including a proposal to add paid parking in Balboa Park, which could generate $11 million in annual revenue. The draft FY26 budget for Parks and Recreation also includes funding for a comprehensive evaluation of department user fees for recreation programs and facility rentals. The study will determine how the department can adjust user fees to recover costs. 

To learn more, visit the City’s Fiscal Year 2026 Draft Budget webpage.