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After weeks of debate and negotiations culminated June 9 with the San Diego City Council adopting a compromise budget for the next fiscal year that includes moves to at least partially reverse cuts proposed by Mayor Todd Gloria, La Jolla leaders weighed in on cuts that will affect the local library and recreation center, as well as restoration of funding for the arts.
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Gloria announced June 10 that he would sign the $2.2 billion council-approved budget and not use his line-item veto power to make any adjustments, despite having reservations.
Local cuts
The La Jolla/Riford Library is among four city library branches slated to have their Saturday hours cut in half. The current Saturday hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Two other branches will lose their Monday hours.
In addition, the La Jolla Recreation Center is among 14 rec centers citywide where hours are to be reduced to 40 per week. The La Jolla center currently is open 60 hours a week.
The changes will take effect Wednesday, July 1, with the start of the 2026-27 fiscal year, according to city spokesman Benny Cartwright.
Mark Mann, president of Friends of the La Jolla Library, expressed disappointment in the reduction of library hours.
“We all feel that it is unfortunate that the city finances have devolved to a state where we have to endure further cuts to our already-reduced operating hours,” Mann said, referring to the loss of Sunday hours last year. “It is difficult for our patrons and for the loyal and dedicated employees of the library.”
But Mann said he hopes the Friends can again step in and restore lost hours. Last year, the group – which helps the library through fundraising and volunteering – secured funds from philanthropists to keep the library from losing its Monday hours.
In April this year, Gloria initially proposed that the La Jolla library lose all of its Saturday hours, before he revised his budget plan in May.
The move to reduce the hours at the Recreation Center came on the heels of Gloria’s controversial initial option to fully close the 111-year-old building.
The proposals came as city officials tried to close a projected $146 million deficit, just a year after making unpopular cuts to close a $250 million gap.
The prospect of the Rec Center’s closure led Alan Dulgeroff, president of the La Jolla Community Recreation Group, the local advisory board for the Recreation Center, to issue a call to action at an emergency meeting May 4.
When Gloria released his budget revisions, he proposed that the Recreation Center stay open, but for 40 hours a week instead of 60.
With that adopted by the City Council, Rec Center staff and CRG members will be tasked with submitting a proposal on how to use the hours, given 20 fewer per week.
One idea is to focus especially on programming that generates revenue through fees.
“Some of the hours in which the Rec Center is open, there are more activities that are generating revenue, and then other hours … there is stuff going on, but it is not necessarily generating revenue,” CRG member Jan Harris said at the group’s May 27 meeting. “So if we have to cut hours, maybe we should look a little more closely at what is generating revenue and prioritize those.”
Dulgeroff could not be reached for comment about the final budget.
The Rec Center also was the focus of the May 14 La Jolla Town Council meeting, where group President Mary Soriano sought advice from the community on how to handle the 20-hour gap. The most popular suggestion was to raise private funds to restore full hours.
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Soriano told the La Jolla Light last week that Gloria’s stark proposed cuts seemed to tee up a lighter conclusion.
“I think the mayor starts at nothing and then I think the City Council sets that stage for a feel-good [moment] where you get something back,” she said. “That’s kind of how it felt.”
Elsewhere in the budget
The adopted budget pays for some new expenditures by pairing police officers in patrol cars more frequently vs. having them patrol alone.
The City Council, which debated the final budget during a contentious public hearing that lasted more than five hours, came within one vote of eliminating a city contract for automated license plate readers.
The $2 million in savings would have allowed full reversal of Gloria’s proposed cuts to hours at nine libraries and 24 recreation centers. A full reversal would have cost $3 million, but the final budget includes $900,000.
Though Gloria agreed to sign the compromise budget, he said in a statement that “some of the City Council’s modifications increased spending and moved us further away from structural balance.”
In particular, he cited the council’s decision to reverse some of the $11.8 million in proposed cuts to arts funding with $6 million in hotel tax money that had been earmarked for a Convention Center expansion. A $3 million philanthropic donation will further close the gap.
Other last-minute additions to the budget included $750,000 for a program designed to help small businesses, $900,000 to help council offices fund community events and $200,000 to restore a position devoted to promoting San Diego as a setting for movies and TV shows.
La Jolla cultural leaders praised the restoration of money for the arts.
“While city funding reductions remain a challenge for arts organizations of all sizes, the collaborative solution secured for next fiscal year reflects a meaningful commitment from city leadership,” said Christie Mitchell, executive director of the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. “And it gives us confidence San Diego will continue to invest in the arts as a cornerstone of our regional economy, our community bonds and our identity as a world-class city.”
Lauren Lockhart, executive director of the La Jolla Historical Society, said “This restored investment is critical to our ability to continue fulfilling our mission and serving the public through our free exhibitions and programs that preserve and share the stories of our region. The community made its voice heard through the budget process, reinforcing that arts and culture organizations like ours are vital contributors to our city’s identity and quality of life.”
Jodi Rudick, executive director of the La Jolla Village Merchants Association, said the revised budget “reflects wise decisions and critical funding for arts and culture organizations, recreation centers, libraries and small-business enhancement programs. These are smart investments, as small business and arts organizations drive the economy in many ways.”
The final budget includes layoffs of some city employees, but officials could not immediately provide an exact number. Many employees will have to take unpaid furloughs.
‘Dug deep’
City Council President Joe LaCava, whose District 1 includes La Jolla, said in a statement to the Light that the “City Council unanimously approved a balanced budget that reflects the city’s fiscal realities and preserves essential services for San Diego residents.”
“I want to thank the mayor, IBA [independent budget analyst], city staff and my council colleagues who dug deep into the draft budget to create additional efficiencies and generate more savings, as well as the many members of the public who participated in this process and guided these discussions,” LaCava said. “Our vote … does not mean our job is done. We will continue to make this budget work for San Diegans.” ♦
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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 8:30 AM.