SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — On Monday, Mayor Todd Gloria’s new budget proposal goes before the San Diego City Council. It will be the first time they hash out what to cut and what to save, as the city stares down a $258 million budget deficit.
As part of Gloria's proposal, all libraries would be closed on Sundays and Mondays; 339 city positions would be eliminated; and additional cuts would hit local recreation centers.
The proposal would cut recreation center hours from 60 or 45 hours, down to 40. Some people who go to recreation centers question whether those cuts would would be worth it.
Under the budget passed for this year, the Parks and Recreation Department was allocated just under $7 million. In next year’s proposed budget, that funding would drop to less than $5.5 million.
The plan wouldn’t just cut hours for recreation centers, it would also reduce hours for some public restrooms and include lower spending on park maintenance.
One man told ABC 10News he’s concerned about hours being reduced for recreation centers, since programs like line dancing have become a key part of his routine ever since his wife passed away.
“I was, because my wife just died. So I started coming here again,” said Feliciano De La Cruz, who says he visits recreation centers five days a week. “That’s my happiness right there. I come here for about four hours, but some of the guys here also.”
Right now, it’s unclear which hours could be cut from recreation centers, and how programs could be impacted.
