Community members discuss new management and funding solutions for Balboa Park after a public forum in San Diego.
San Diego community members are calling for major changes to how Balboa Park is governed and funded, following a public forum held at the Mission Valley Library. Dozens of people attended the meeting, organized by the San Diego Community Coalition, to discuss ongoing concerns about the park’s future.
The conversation centered on management structure, funding, and long-term oversight of one of the city’s most iconic public spaces.Vicki Estrada, a community member and moderator of the forum, said the most pressing issue raised by attendees was governance. “What I heard at the session we just had, over and over today I heard governance, governance, you know, what we are doing now with the city is not working, that we need a new system on how to govern Balboa Park. And that can mean as detailed as, you know, you want to build a new building. You don't have to go to the city anymore. We go to this new entity that the Balboa Park ... because Forever Balboa Park is, in fact, a conservancy. And I think initially the previous director had hopes that it would be a true conservancy in that they would be in charge, the conservancy would be in charge of everything that happens in the park. That's not the way it is today,” Estrada said. Estrada described the forum as productive but emphasized the level of frustration among participants. “What I heard today is people are so frustrated. We've got to do something that, we've got to keep this going. And the plan is for us to meet again in a few months, and we'll have a white paper preparing for some summarizing what we heard today. And then, looking at other places, more detail, some of the, the lists of some of the organization, some of the drawings and the plans. And I've done that. Others have done, I'm going to put it on a site that that people will be able to access and get a link to download them all at once. They don't have to go over the city to download all these documents. But I think this meeting was a catalyst to get people kicking by saying, all right, you guys want to change something? 3 or 4 people can't do it. We all have to do it. We have to keep the momentum going. And I heard pretty positive response. Yeah, we have to do that. But it can't just be talk, right? We've got to have action,” Estrada said. Organizers say the conversation will continue in the coming months, with plans to compile feedback into a formal document outlining potential solutions and models used elsewhere.Estrada added that the coalition hopes to bring its proposal to San Diego City Council and the County Board of Supervisors. One idea under consideration is shifting Balboa Park from city management to a county-managed system. Supporters argue that because residents from across San Diego County use and benefit from Balboa Park, funding and oversight should extend beyond the city, allowing broader tax support and shared responsibility for maintenance and improvements. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.
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