San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria now has five days to sign the budget, which would restore recreation center hours and restroom access in La Jolla.

The San Diego City Council voted 7-2 June 10 to approve a Fiscal Year 2026 budget (which would begin July 1) that reverses several cuts proposed in San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s draft budget.

Gloria’s Draft Budget was released April 15 per City Charter requirements and attempts to tackle a $258 million budget deficit, anticipated for years due to a drop in revenue from sales tax, an increase in employee pension costs and other reasons.

The draft budget and revision would have closed all city libraries Sundays and Mondays; limited all recreation centers from operating 60 hours per week to 40 hours per week; eliminated fire rings at city beaches and bays, including the three fire rings at La Jolla Shores; and closed various restrooms and comfort station closures throughout city parks, including the Kellogg Park North Comfort Station and four of eight stalls at The Children’s Pool during slower seasons, among other cutbacks.

The June 10 version approved at City Council would restore much of the above-referenced cuts. Library hours will be restored Mondays at several branches, though not in La Jolla.

Recreation Center hours are fully restored at all locations.

The fire rings will return, which may no longer need grant funding from San Diego County previously announced by Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer.

All bathrooms at shoreline beaches, including those at La Jolla, will remain open.

The cuts rely largely on new revenue sources for FY 2026, including increasing parking meter rates, citation penalties, forthcoming new trash pickup fees and a hotel room tax increase.

During the June 10 City Council meeting, the city’s Independent Budget Analyst cautioned the restoration of cuts relies on several revenue sources not yet implemented and warned of the potential of an economic downturn or recession.

The council’s actions add “tens of millions of dollars in new spending and changes,” Gloria’s office said in a statement.

Gloria and his team will closely review the council’s amendments “to ensure the final budget meets the level of fiscal responsibility this moment demands,” the statement adds.

Gloria has five days to sign the budget into law or exercise line-item vetoes; the council may then override any vetoes with six votes.

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