San Diego Approves $21M for Convention Center Repairs

Funds from voter-approved hotel tax hike will address deferred maintenance issues at aging bayfront facility.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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The San Diego City Council has approved $21.4 million in funding to begin addressing urgent repairs and deferred maintenance at the city's convention center. The money will go toward overhauling the center's central plant and replacing the roof on the western portion of the building, which opened in 1989. The repairs are part of a larger $120 million, five-year plan to address issues at the aging 2.6 million square-foot facility.

Why it matters

The convention center has faced growing system failures and infrastructure problems in recent years, with an outside report identifying nearly $244 million in needed repairs and capital improvements over 25 years. The funding for these initial repairs comes from a voter-approved hotel tax hike, though the convention center expansion project that was also promised to voters now seems less likely due to soaring costs.

The details

The $21.4 million in funding approved this year will cover the first phase of the repair plan, with $7.5 million going toward a new roof for the western portion of the center and more than $9.5 million for the initial phase of overhauling the central plant. The convention center has experienced issues with its boilers, chillers, electrical infrastructure, plumbing, and roof leaks in recent years.

  • The City Council approved the $21.4 million in funding on Monday, February 24, 2026.
  • The convention center opened the western portion of the facility in 1989.

The players

San Diego Convention Center Corporation

The organization that manages the San Diego Convention Center.

Measure C

A voter-approved initiative in 2020 that raised the city's hotel room tax to fund convention center expansion, homelessness services, and road repairs.

Dominick Dowds

San Diego's Deputy Director for engineering and capital projects.

Robert Gleason

Chair of the San Diego County Lodging Association.

Stephen Whitburn

San Diego City Councilmember.

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What they’re saying

“What's being proposed today is deferred maintenance, and it's disappointing it's the first use of funds from Measure C. However, all that being said, the convention center has very significant deferred maintenance, and the city, under previous administrations and previous councils, has been underfunding those capital needs for many years.”

— Robert Gleason, Chair, San Diego County Lodging Association (San Diego Union-Tribune)

“The public expects us to expand the convention center, so let's make the needed upgrades and at the same time keep our eye on the ultimate prize, which is an expanded convention center that will keep San Diego in the top tier of convention destinations.”

— Stephen Whitburn, San Diego City Councilmember (San Diego Union-Tribune)

What’s next

The city and San Diego Convention Center Corporation will continue to work on a plan to expand the convention center, though the timeline and details remain uncertain due to ongoing negotiations with Fifth Avenue Landing over a key waterfront parcel needed for the expansion.

The takeaway

This investment in deferred maintenance at the San Diego Convention Center highlights the challenges of aging public infrastructure, even as the city pursues a long-planned expansion to attract more and larger conventions. Balancing these competing priorities will be an ongoing challenge for city leaders.