Nearly 100 swimmers and their parents rallied against a proposal to close down 12 of San Diego's 13 pools.
Demonstrators brought their signs to a town hall meeting in Balboa Park. It's one of several to explain what city services might be cut from the budget.
A local water polo coach said keeping the city pools open is crucial because they are used for high school water polo and swim teams.
One topic of discussion Thursday night was Proposition D, the proposed half-cent sales tax increase on next week's ballot.
‘We haven't heard that there is a guarantee so that's one of the questions we're asking, one of the things we're listening to,” said “What will Prop D do for our club, for our kids, for the aquatics community?”
San Diego is facing a $72 million budget deficit. Among other services that could suffer cuts are the police and fire departments, and libraries.
