Dear Neighbor, 

We’re taking the first step toward transforming Golden Hall into a new educational and arts hub in the heart of Downtown. 

Today, I joined the San Diego Community College District, the Prebys Foundation, and the Downtown San Diego Partnership to launch a feasibility effort exploring a new future for this longtime civic space. The vision includes classrooms, performance space, and museum space for the Mesa College World Art Collection. 

Golden Hall has served San Diegans for over 60 years. It has hosted concerts, conventions, community events, and temporary shelter when it was needed most. Now, we have an opportunity to reimagine how this space in the heart of Downtown can better serve our city for generations to come. 

This is about making smarter use of public space, creating more opportunity in our urban core, and investing in arts, education, and community connection. 

Any future plans will come before the City Council with opportunities for public input. 

As always, it’s an honor to serve as your Mayor. 

Since releasing the City’s draft budget on April 15, I’ve heard from many residents, community groups, and advocates about what these proposals mean for their neighborhoods. Throughout the rest of the budget process, I’ll continue to answer some of the most common questions here. 

Last week, City departments and representatives from my office presented their budget proposals to the City Council’s Budget Review Committee, and City Council members and residents provided feedback through public hearings, emails, calls, and the City’s budget survey. Updated financial information, City Council feedback, and community input will help shape the revised budget proposal that we will release on May 13 before the City Council considers adoption of a final budget on June 9. 

Question: Why are libraries and recreation centers facing reduced hours? 

Answer: The City is facing a serious budget deficit this year. Because the Library and Parks & Recreation departments make up a large share of our general‑fund spending, they can’t be fully shielded from the cuts needed to balance the budget. It is impossible to close the budget deficit without a reduction in the workforce, which impacts City operations like parks and libraries.

To help close that gap with less staff, the City Council was presented with multiple options for reducing library and recreation center hours. Those options included targeted reductions at some library branches, broader citywide hour reductions, and changes to recreation center operating hours. These were difficult options developed as part of the larger effort to balance the budget while ensuring the core services most residents rely on are protected: public safety, fixing roads and infrastructure, reducing homelessness, and building more homes. 

We are continuing to look for ways to restore at least some hours in some neighborhoods as part of the May Revise process. 

Libraries and recreation centers remain important parts of our neighborhoods. They are places where families gather, students learn, seniors stay active, and communities stay connected. Even with the proposed reductions, the City will continue investing in these services and working to maintain access for residents across San Diego.   

The proposed library budget is more than $73 million. The Parks and Recreation budget is more than $255 million, which is larger than last year’s budget even with the proposed reductions included. 

The new Jacaranda on 9th affordable housing community is bringing 87 new homes to Cortez Hill for residents experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including transitional-aged youth, seniors, and people rebuilding their lives. 

Supported by the City’s Bridge to Home program, the development transformed an aging former hotel into long-term affordable housing with on-site supportive services and access to transit and neighborhood amenities. Fourteen homes are designated for people experiencing chronic homelessness. 

Since launching Bridge to Home in 2021, the City has helped build 561 affordable homes, with nearly 2,000 more under construction or in financing. 

Last week’s question: Which venue will host Olympic soccer matches in San Diego in 2028? 

Here’s how you voted: 

✅▪️ Snapdragon Stadium — 92.07% 
▪️ Petco Park — 4.88% 
▪️ Torero Stadium — 3.05% 

The correct answer: Snapdragon Stadium. San Diego will host 11 Olympic soccer matches during the 2028 Summer Games, including semifinal and bronze medal matches for both the men’s and women’s tournaments. That’s more Olympic soccer than any other host city in the country. The games will bring fans from around the world to San Diego and showcase our city on a global stage. 

This week’s question: Which of these parks is NOT located at least partly within the City of San Diego? 

• San Diego Zoo Safari Park 
• SeaWorld 
• LEGOLAND 

Answer below or send your guess to AskTheMayor@sandiego.gov and check back next week to see if you got it right. 

Help Shape a New Community Shuttle in San Ysidro The City of San Diego is partnering with Casa Familiar to support the La Semilla Community Resilience Center, a vibrant new community hub in San Ysidro. La Semilla will feature a new zero-emission electric community shuttle, an effort made possible by State grant funding. This pilot program aims to improve mobility, reduce pollution and better connect people to destinations throughout San Ysidro. 

Community input will help us design how the shuttle operates, and Casa Familiar has launched a survey to gather feedback on potential routes, stops and features. San Ysidro community members are encouraged to participate by sharing their feedback to help design a shuttle that will best serve them. The survey will remain open until May 15.  

Learn more about the shuttle and take the survey. 

Starting this week, the City of San Diego will begin delivering new light blue recycling bins to households eligible for City-provided trash and recycling service. The updated bins are more durable, easier to identify, and equipped with scannable tags to improve service reliability and accountability. 

Deliveries will take place on regular collection days and continue citywide over several months, with some households receiving their bins later this year. Crews will also remove older dark blue bins, which will be recycled and repurposed. Residents can expect notifications ahead of their delivery and can look up their estimated timeline online. 

After customers receive their new light blue recycling bins, the City will collect only from those new bins. Until then, the City will continue servicing old containers to avoid disruption in customer service. Collection of recycling materials will remain bi-weekly.

Weekly recycling service will begin July 1, 2027. 

There is important relief available for San Diego homeowners impacted by the 2024 storms and flooding. 

The Governor’s Office has confirmed that the January 2024 San Diego flood qualifies under the expanded CalAssist Mortgage Fund program. That means eligible disaster-affected homeowners may now receive up to 12 months of mortgage payments, paid directly to their mortgage servicer, with assistance totaling up to $100,000 that does not need to be repaid. 

The expansion increases the relief period from three months to a full year and broadens income eligibility so more families can qualify. This support is designed to help homeowners stabilize while they rebuild, navigate insurance claims, and recover from disaster impacts. 

Homeowners can review the full list of qualified disasters and apply at www.calassistmortgagefund.org. 

Downtown’s Civic Center Plaza is getting a vibrant refresh with Plaza Central — a new series of pop-up events bringing food, music, and art to the heart of the city. The activations are free and open to the public every Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering a lively preview of the area’s long-term revitalization. 

 
Learn more about Plaza Central events.