Santa Clara needs to bolster its city budget — and public parking fees could be on the menu. Small businesses aren’t on board and worry customer traffic could drop because they won’t want to pay.

Although the proposed 2025-26 city budget anticipates a $9.3 million surplus, the following five years are projecting red ink. To bridge the gap, the city is hiring a consultant to study charging for parking at city-owned lots, including the Santa Clara Convention Center and Franklin Square mall, the latter of which is part of the city’s historic downtown and home to more than a dozen small businesses.

District 5 Councilmember Suds Jain, whose area includes Franklin Square and the city’s downtown, said he supports the study. He’s focused on stabilizing the budget and wants city services to be mo

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