Councilmember Elo-Rivera Wants the City to Stop Killing ‘Free Fun’

San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera wants the city to stop with the bad vibes.  

“We need to stop killing fun, especially free fun,” he said at Politifest on Saturday, Oct. 4.  

Elo-Rivera’s statement echoed a sentiment San Diegans are all too familiar with.  

Families across the city are struggling to keep up with the cost of living. From groceries, gas and childcare to new fees adopted by the city.  

Elo-Rivera pointed to different scenarios where the city shut down “free fun.”  

This included a DJ in Golden Hill that the city shut down after hundreds of people showed up, and a recent debate on whether free yoga classes needed a permit to practice on beaches. 

Currently, the city requires a ground use permit for groups of 50 or more who hold fitness classes across some of the city’s parks. Nonprofits, for example, are charged $12.43 an hour and have a two-hour minimum and four-hour maximum to do their activities.  

“It is cruel to live in a city that’s expensive and not make it easy to have free fun,” said Elo-Rivera. 

This summer, free yoga classes at San Diego’s parks and beaches also came head-to-head with the city on permits. The city tried to crackdown on donation-based classes at Sunset Cliffs, but a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded the city’s actions were unconstitutional. 

In a recent debate on Balboa Park paid parking, Elo-Rivera also expressed his concern for working class San Diegans to use the park. 

Back in July, the Mayor’s Office presented the first iteration on the parking proposal in the hopes to generate millions for the park’s maintenance. 

Residents were pissed. The crown jewel of San Diego has historically had free parking. It’s a go-to weekend destination for many.  

The paid parking proposal debate brought out hundreds of people to Council in September. After hours of back and forth, the City Council pushed the highest rate down to $8 daily. They also created the option for annual and quarterly passes for residents – though it’s TBD.  

Still, Councilmember Elo-Rivera drilled down on the idea that visitors need to pay their “fair share.” 

“The current model of people coming to this city, using its resources and not paying their fair share is unsustainable, it simply will not work,” he said in September during a City Council meeting.  

“At a certain point the city needs to stop subsidizing the travel of other people to this city at the cost of the lowest income and most left behind San Diego communities,” he said in the same meeting.  

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