The signs, which have been repeatedly posted along the west side of Fourth Avenue near Broadway directly adjacent to the US Grant Hotel, appear to temporarily prohibit parking in several metered public spaces outside the boundaries of the Petco Park Special Event Zone - an area where parking prices and restrictions already increase during large downtown events.
According to multiple downtown visitors and Padres season ticket holders who contacted SanDiegoVille, the signs have appeared regularly throughout the baseball season with changing event dates corresponding to Padres home games and other downtown gatherings. Residents allege the affected spaces were previously either standard metered parking spots or, at one point earlier this year, temporarily unmetered public parking.
Photos reviewed by SanDiegoVille show freestanding red-and-white “Temporary No Parking / Tow Away” signs placed directly adjacent to curbside parking spaces on Fourth Avenue near the hotel. The signage references “Special Event” parking restrictions and lists varying dates spanning multiple days at a time.
The issue has sparked questions about whether the restrictions are being authorized by the City of San Diego, requested by the US Grant Hotel, connected to valet or operational needs, or tied to broader downtown event traffic management efforts surrounding Petco Park.
Residents familiar with the area claim the affected spaces occupy a uniquely valuable location because they sit just outside the formal Padres Special Event Zone, allowing drivers to avoid elevated event parking rates elsewhere downtown. Some now suspect the recurring restrictions may be intended to keep those spaces available for hotel-related operations during high-traffic periods.
At present, it remains unclear whether the signs are city-issued, privately installed, or operating under temporary permit authorization.
SanDiegoVille has reached out to the US Grant Hotel, the City of San Diego, the San Diego Padres organization, and the office of City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn seeking clarification regarding
whether the spaces are public parking spots, who is authorizing the temporary restrictions, whether permits exist, whether vehicles are being cited or towed, and whether the restrictions are connected to hotel operations, special event coordination, valet activity, or public safety planning.
In addition, SanDiegoVille has filed a California Public Records Act request seeking permits, communications, enforcement records, curb management plans, towing authorizations, complaints, invoices, and correspondence related to the temporary parking restrictions outside the hotel.
The records request specifically seeks communications between the City, the US Grant Hotel, hotel representatives, valet operators, downtown event organizers, and the Padres organization concerning the recurring curb restrictions on Fourth Avenue.
The US Grant, originally opened in 1910 and now operated as a Marriott Luxury Collection property, sits at one of downtown San Diego’s busiest intersections during Padres home games, conventions, concerts, and Gaslamp Quarter events. The surrounding curb space has long been heavily utilized by rideshare drivers, taxis, hotel guests, valet services, and event attendees.
The City of San Diego maintains authority over public curb management and temporary parking enforcement within downtown streets, though temporary tow-away zones can sometimes be authorized through permitted construction activity, film shoots, special events, utility work, valet operations, or traffic-control plans.
No public explanation has yet been provided regarding the specific legal authority behind the recurring signage outside the US Grant.
SanDiegoVille will continue updating this story as additional records and responses become available.
Originally published on May 27, 2026.
