Residents and workers in San Diego’s Kensington neighborhood are voicing frustration as parking meters along Adams Avenue officially go live Monday. The paid parking program is part of the city’s effort to raise revenue while addressing San Diego’s $118 million budget deficit. City leaders say the money collected through parking meters stays within the communities where it is generated and helps fund infrastructure improvements. The meters and enforcement signs are already in place along Adams Avenue. “Just the finances, the inconvenience, you name it all,” said Peggy Stone, who works in Kensington. Stone said the added cost will hurt people already struggling financially. “It’s just a terrible hassle for everyone and expensive. People are already hurting financially, really hurting financially, and they do not need the extra expense,” Stone said. Residents also worry the meters could discourage people from visiting the neighborhood. “I think it’s creating another round of discouragement within the community,” said Kensington resident Michael Penny, thinking ahead of the struggle his friends and family will face when they visit him. According to the city, additional parking fees are one of the ways San Diego is increasing revenue to help manage its budget shortfall. In a social media post, Mayor Todd Gloria said parking meter revenue has delivered “real results” in areas including Mid-City, which includes Normal Heights and Kensington. The city said nearly 2,000 streetlights have been fixed and more than 3,000 potholes repaired within the four parking meter zones that include Downtown, Mid-City, Pacific Beach and Uptown. Kensington Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera also voiced support for the program. I’m “proud to support this effort because making San Diego work for San Diegans means putting public dollars toward the needs people feel every day,” Elo-Rivera said. Still, some residents believe the city should look elsewhere for additional revenue. “I could appreciate the want to nickel and dime the community in regards to trying to find gaps where they might be, but in all reality, I think that they need to be looking elsewhere,” Penny said. “There are plenty of wealthy people in the city that they could probably tap, rather than what are increasingly the working poor,” Stone said. The city has also launched a sticker campaign seen on the meters emphasizing that parking meter revenue stays within the neighborhood where it is collected. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less