Promising no new fees, LaCava spoke to District 1 residents at the La Jolla Recreation Center about priorities, policy and projects.

With a bit of self-admitted snark and a lot of information, San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava hosted his third 2026 District 1 Town Hall in La Jolla March 4.

Accompanied by San Diego police Capt Jo Makwana, lifeguard Chief James Gartland, fire-rescue Chief Robert Logan and other public safety personnel, LaCava laid out the budget timeline for the city of San Diego and answered written questions from audience members.

Reviewing pushback on City Council decisions to launch resident-paid trash service and the rollout of paid parking in Balboa Park, “2025 was a heck of a year,” LaCava said. “I think we figured out more ways to piss off more people” than ever before. 

This year, LaCava said he’s “trying to do things a little bit differently and a [be] little more thoughtful.”

FY 2026-27 budget priorities

Thoughtfulness starts with the Fiscal Year 2027 (which begins July 1) budget, which LaCava called  his top priority for this year.

The City Council and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria are charged with balancing the budget and tackling a $120 million deficit this year.

“We’ve gotten the message loud and clear from the public,” LaCava said: “No new revenue.”

City residents have expressed they’re tired of the extra fees imposed by Council last year, he said. 

“No new fees,” LaCava promised. “No clever ideas.”

Instead, the city will have to balance the budget with cuts, as there is no help coming from the state or federal government this year, he said. “We’re all off on our own.”

LaCava, his City Council colleague and the mayor are in agreement “about protecting public safety, because that is the number one thing that we’re responsible for, is keeping you all safe,” he said, adding there will be the fewest cuts to the police, fire-rescue and lifeguard departments.

“From there, to be very candid as you’ve come to know me to be,” he said, “everything else is on the table.”

All city departments are being asked to cut, LaCava said; some of those cuts will be “unpopular.”

Cuts are inevitable as it’s important that the city not only balance the budget but also eliminate the structural deficit, the result of long-term city spending that’s outpaced revenue.

City Council needs to “know the budget that we adopt can actually be sustainable going forward,” he said.

Gloria will release his proposed budget on April 15 and present it to City Council Monday, April 20.

The so-called “May Revise” will be available by May 15, with council members reviewing the proposals and adopting the budget in the weeks to follow.

Gloria’s office has launched a digital resident budget survey to gather input from City residents to be used in budget decisions; District 1 constituents may also reach out to LaCava’s office with ideas.

Policy and infrastructure projects

LaCava spoke about many issues on La Jollans’ minds, from speeding cars to building housing, noting he and his colleagues are working on solutions.

E-bikes

LaCava feels strongly about supporting further regulation of the use of electric bicycles, or e-bikes, which are often in the news for teenagers’ misuse and carelessness.

E-bikes have “proved to be problematic,” he said, adding the council wants to give police more tools to help with enforcement and education for “young folks on e-bikes who don’t understand how erratic cars are and how erratic drivers are.”

Streetscape

LaCava commended the La Jolla Community Foundation for its fundraising and navigating city bureaucracy to bring forth the Streetscape project, which will improve Girard Avenue from Prospect to Silverado streets. 

“La Jolla has an opportunity to define itself with private dollars doing public improvements,” he said. “I want to make sure the process is easy and doesn’t … discourage you going forward.”

Crosswalk, sidewalk and repaving

La Jolla is “finally” getting crosswalks at the intersection of Glenbrook Way and Torrey Pines Road in the next few weeks, LaCava said, to aid those crossing the busy roads there with children who play soccer at Allen Field.

Also imminent: The sidewalk widening at Ellen Browning Scripps Park, he said, which should begin this month.

“This is the year we’re going to pave Via Capri,” LaCava said with a laugh, acknowledging he has said that same sentence three years running.