LAURA EMBRY / Union-Tribune Nick Palos, 9 (center), led his friends in a warm-up exercise before they played flag football last week at Azalea Recreation Center, which would close under a plan by San Diego's mayor.

LAURA EMBRY / Union-Tribune Flag football coach Ricardo Sanchez Jr. conducted a drill for (from left) Peter Ramos, Tahjae Straughn, Dylan He and Geovahny Evans at the Azalea Recreation Center.

PEGGY PEATTIE / Union-Tribune Loi Huynh played table tennis last week at the Balboa Park Activity Center, where elite pingpong players train and compete. The mayor's budget recommends reducing hours of operation at San Diego's recreation facilities.

At the Allied Gardens/Benjamin Branch Library, students from three nearby schools are regulars, and a group of seniors meets weekly to discuss mystery books.

The two spots are among the 17 libraries and recreation centers that would close under San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders' proposed budget cuts as the city deals with the economic downturn that threatens cities across the county.

Chula Vista, the county's second-largest city, is facing a $6.3 million deficit and has cut travel, training and vehicle purchases.

Escondido has trimmed spending by 7.5 percent in all departments except police, fire and code enforcement. The city has stopped providing free police services for community events.

The cuts in San Diego would have a widespread effect because the city contains 54.5 percent of the jobs in the county, and city facilities draw many who don't live in San Diego.

San Diego's City Council will conduct its second meeting tomorrow to discuss the proposed cuts that would reduce the city's $43 million deficit.

You balance the city's budget How would you close San Diego's $43 million budget deficit? Closing libraries and recreation centers, as Mayor Jerry Sanders has proposed? Or do you have other ideas? Use our interactive budget worksheet to tell us at uniontrib.com/more/budgetcuts Online: For more details on proposed budget cuts, see uniontrib.com/more/documents

Sanders has proposed curtailing police and fire recruitment, removing shoreline fire pits and ending supervision at skate parks. But it's the library and recreation center closures that have drawn the loudest protests from those who say such institutions are vital – especially during tough times.

Peter Spears said his 11-year-old son has played on several undefeated teams at the Azalea Recreation Center, noting that the children there work hard to excel.

“These are his classmates and friends, and they're having fun and they're staying out of trouble,” Spears said. “This is probably the safest place he could be. There's nobody out here pushing drugs, nobody out here trying to get him into a gang. They're doing something productive with their lives.”

The Presidio Recreation Center's indoor gym in Old Town is where members of the San Diego Senior Women's Basketball Association practice. The association, whose teams have medaled at national championships, rents the facility twice a week.

JOHN R. McCUTCHEN / Union-Tribune Max Peckinpaugh (left) and Henry Wagner of Poway enjoyed the skate park in Rancho Peñasquitos.

“To try to find another gym is really a problem, really difficult,” said Fay Schwartz, captain of High Hopes, which includes members from Solana Beach and Carlsbad.

The association is willing to pay a little bit extra to help keep the center open. Some residents say they would rather pay more in taxes or fees than see services eliminated.

City residents have decried the cuts, but when they were asked to offer alternatives, few had specifics.

Several suggested that the mayor and City Council take pay cuts. Sanders already does; he is paid $36,415 a year, about a third of the $100,464 salary he's entitled to collect. Council members, who have gone without a raise since 2003, earn $75,386 a year.

“Why are they punishing people who are struggling as it is when they are making lucrative salaries?” asked Bobby Marquez, an unemployed restaurant worker who plays pickup basketball at the Presidio Recreation Center.

Many residents said the city should cut hours at all recreation centers and libraries instead of making closures.

City officials said such a move would create staffing challenges and result in an unacceptably low level of services for everyone. They said an across-the-board cut in hours would achieve less savings than shuttering some facilities indefinitely.

“No one wants to see a facility closed. We did look at all the other options,” said mayoral spokeswoman Rachel Laing.

The mayor's budget recommends reducing hours at recreation facilities, including the Balboa Park Activity Center, where elite pingpong players train and compete. The San Diego Table Tennis Association has nearly 600 members.

“The club has always been open for me to practice the hours I need to to become a Hall of Famer and win 10 USA championship titles,” said Angelita Rosal Bengtsson, executive director of the association.

More than a few residents have described the proposed cuts as assaults on their quality of life.

“The library is the second-greatest bastion of our culture, behind the church,” said John Brock, 51, a patron of the University Heights branch.

“It's not just a place to read books. It's a meeting place. It's a place of refuge. It's a place of peace. It's a place of knowledge and information.”

On a Thursday afternoon, several dozen boys were throwing and catching footballs at the Azalea Recreation Center.

“It's not right to close the center,” said Charles Ross, whose 10-year-old son, Josh, plays quarterback. “It takes away from the kids. The kids should be the main thing.”

Fears abound that once a city facility shuts down, that would be the end of it. The mayor described the closures as temporary and said reopenings would be discussed as part of the fiscal 2011 budget.

“Once they are closed, they are not going to reopen,” said Laura Cole, who attends the mystery class at the Allied Gardens branch.

Carlos Rhoads, 14, who lives near the library, said he goes there almost daily to use the computer, do homework or hang out with friends.

“If they shut this down, I don't know what I would do. It would be kind of boring here,” he said.

Lani Lutar, president and CEO of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, said the city is going to have to make some budget cuts. But she said it's up to city leaders to do so with the least effect on residents.

Lutar suggested that the city reduce the fringe benefits of council members, their staff and city management, and renegotiate pension benefits for new employees with labor unions.

“It's not optional,” she said. “The mayor has to make midyear cuts. I don't think it's a fun experience for either the mayor or the council. But it is inevitable and must be addressed.”

Helen Gao: (619) 718-5181; helen.gao@uniontrib.com