Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s rally and the related protests in San Diego cost local governments over $460,000, more than all other political rallies in the county combined.

The May 27 event, with hundreds of police officers as well as an occasionally contentious crowd, was unlike all others during the primary election season. It came with thousands of supporters, thousands of protestors, as well as officers who were put on duty to prevent riots similar to ones that broke out at Trump events across the country.

There were 33 arrests after clashes between supporters and protesters and police outside the event at the San Diego Convention Center.

As they have with past similar events, the city and county do not plan to seek reimbursement for the outdoor security and will absorb the cost. Just over $28,000 expenses for direct security inside the convention center was paid to the city by the convention center operating agency. Barbara Moreno, the executive director for communications at the convention center, said the cost was determined by speaking with the police department’s special events team, calculating how much security would be needed, and then a price to charge the campaign for that service.


× Several hundred Donald Trump protesters take to downtown streets of San Diego.

Trump’s national campaign did not return a phone call and an email requesting comment, and his California campaign director said he did not have any information about this issue.

Developer Doug Manchester, one of the organizers of the rally and a Trump delegate at the Republican convention in Cleveland, said there was no discussion of reimbursements while planning Trump’s rally, and that candidates should not be expected to reimburse cities for the costs associated with their visits.

“Absolutely not. Its free speech. What about all of the other marches that have taken place here in San Diego,” said Manchester, former owner of the Union-Tribune.


The Trump rally caused $338,960 in expenses to the San Diego Police Department and $121,314 to the county Sheriff’s Department.

Campaign finance records show the Trump campaign made three payments totaling $114,971 to rent the convention hall. The Convention Center is owned by the Unified Port District and leased to the city for $1.

The local government costs do not include expenses incurred by the federal government, including the Secret Service.

While there were public expenses from the rally, there were revenues as well, Manchester said. Secret Service teams, Republican operatives, campaign officials and others all arrived in San Diego days ahead of the event, spending money at restaurants, hotels and other businesses, contributing to the economy along the way.


Additionally, the security operation also meant overtime for some police officers, most of whom are local and spend their money in San Diego, he said.

Plus, there are intangible benefits like the good publicity that comes form hosting a major attraction, whether it’s a big political rally, trade show, or sporting event, Manchester said.

“These kind of events bringing national and international attention to our city, you can’t buy that type of publicity,” he said.

However, much of the national news on the rally focused on the street clashes involving protesters.


Other campaign rallies in the region did not incur comparable costs. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sander’s March 22 rally, which was also at the Convention Center, drew a crowd of similar size to Trump’s. City police were able to provide security without adding officers or overtime to the daily roster. Only a handful of peaceful protesters showed up outside. In effect, it cost the government no more than any given day.

Trump’s campaign has paid for certain rally costs in other cities, including one check for $15,651 to Costa Mesa for an April 28 rally that attracted thousands and involved clashes among protestors and police.

Trump’s rally and accompanying protests cost Costa Mesa around $47,000, but the city only billed the GOP nominee for the costs directly tied to candidate’s appearance, not the demonstration.

Sanders’ May 22 rally at Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista cost the Sheriff’s Department $59,895. The city does not have its own police department. The Sanders campaign, which has largely been disbanded, did not return an email and call for comment.


Figures weren’t available for Sanders’ May 21 rally at Kimball Park in National City.

Bill Clinton’s May 21 speech at Bonita Vista High School in Chula Vista caused 59.5 hours of additional police overtime in that city’s police department, amounting to $4,440 in expenses. Nine officers covered the event. The Clinton campaign did not respond to questions about whether or not the cost would be repaid.

The other presidential rallies in the San Diego didn’t create any new expenses, according to the city. Police were able to provide adequate security at the March and June Bernie Sanders rallies, including a concert at Qualcomm Stadium. The two Balboa Park speeches by Hillary and Bill Clinton in May, as well as the Ted Cruz campaign stop in Mission Valley, didn’t require law enforcement to schedule additional officers or overtime.