The San Diego City Council on Monday declined to renew a contract with Ace Parking for management of the city's parking garage at the downtown Central Library.
The council voted 5-1 to give Ace Parking another five years operating the garage, which generated more than $1 million for the city's general fund from July 2022 to June 2023. But because the contract required six votes, and with councilmembers Jen Campbell, Stephen Whitburn and Marni von Wilpert absent, the motion to renew the contract failed.
Councilmember Henry Foster III cast the deciding "no" vote, citing an Equal Opportunity Contractor Report that found women, Asians, Latinos and Native Americans were underrepresented in some sectors of the company's operations.
"We see these types of deficiencies coming with just about every single contract that comes before us," Foster said. "If we are going to take this seriously, then our actions need to show that this is serious."
The Equal Opportunity Report also found Ace has made progress hiring more full-time employees of underrepresented groups over the past year.
Ace Parking's contract to operate the Central Library garage expired on Jan. 28, 2024. Library Department staff said the lapse was an oversight due to high turnover and understaffing.
A recent report from the Office of the City Auditor found that such contract lapses are widespread within the city, and that city staff routinely ask the council to extend contracts retroactively. The auditor said this diminishes transparency and accountability.
Ace Parking is headquartered in San Diego, but has operations across the country and employs more than 2,600 people. Owner and executive chairman Keith Jones defended the company and told Foster he's proud of its record on diversity.
"I welcome any sort of EEOC audit, and I am committed to those things, sir," Jones said. "I want to do business with the city for another 70 years."
The council later voted 6-0 to take up the contract renewal again on Nov. 12.
