The Fleet Science Center at Balboa Park is one of little Jasmine Coleman’s favorite places to play.

Ask her and she’ll tell you, she comes a lot and likes the ball pit. That’s why her mom was thinking about a special celebration at the Fleet, but the new paid parking program is giving her second thoughts.

“We’re thinking of having my daughter’s birthday here next month, but I thought, I don’t want to have to ask everyone who comes to scramble for parking,” Jessica Coleman said.

The head of the Fleet Science Center and other museum heads say local attendance is down at least 20% since paid parking went into place a few weeks ago at Balboa Park. Now, a group of councilmembers is heeding their calls for help.

“While I continue to believe that the long-term outlook of attendance is better than what we were seeing today, the fragility of nonprofits and institutions cannot be ignored,” San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava said.

Councilmembers LaCava, Kent Lee and Sean Elo-Rivera all voted in favor of paid parking but plan to propose a council vote on Feb. 9 to suspend the parking program at the park for San Diego residents. Non-residents would still have to pay.

The councilmembers are citing residents’ registration frustrations, though an enforcement grace period is in place, as well as a recent poll.

“More striking to me, however, 51% said that they would prefer reductions in city services over a continuation of paid parking,” LaCava said.

“I, too, have shared similar frustrations, especially given what I have vocalized as the haphazard rollout of the new paid parking system,” Lee said.

The new fees have only been in effect for two days, but now, two councilmembers who voted for the parking plan are asking the mayor to pause it. NBC 7 political reporter Joey Safchik has the details.

The parking fees were supposed to help reduce the city’s more than $250 million budget shortfall.

The mayor’s office confirms the city is already short $9 million from original revenue projections, even before the council vote to suspend it.

In a statement, Mayor Todd Gloria wrote:

“The City Council adopted a budget last June that depended on millions of dollars in parking revenue from Balboa Park. If the Council now moves to suspend that program, it must also propose how to replace that revenue to keep the budget balanced. That would almost certainly mean cuts to other city services, the same type of cuts the Council previously rejected, and I stand ready to have that discussion with them.

“While Councilmembers consider their next steps, I remain focused on making the hard but necessary choices to restore fiscal discipline and eliminate the city’s structural budget deficit.”

Councilmembers wouldn’t say what services could be targeted, considering if the suspension is passed, it may only be temporary.

“We’ll see how the public reacts to it about whether anybody wanted to be re-entertained or what it would look like. It could be structured in a different way,” LaCava said.

While politicians play parking ping pong at Balboa Park, cultural jewels like Centro de la Raza say they’re feeling the pinch. And little Jasmine might find a new favorite place for her party.

“My mind changes every day, like, ‘Oh, I want to go to Legoland then Disneyland. Oh, what’s wrong with my brain?'” Jasmine said.

It’s important to note that the mayor has veto power, but the council can override the veto with six votes.

If the suspension passes, councilmembers say the operations side of the city will have to determine how to compensate people who’ve paid for passes.