SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The public bathrooms at Mission Bay are open — but only until the end of the year, unless the San Diego City Council finds additional funding to keep them running.
Council President Joe La Cava addressed the budget cuts that led to the closure threat.
"All eyes were on this cut that proved to be unsatisfactory to the public," La Cava said. "And so many of us at City Hall said, okay, this cut may have been a little too deep."
La Cava contributed $50,000 from his discretionary budget — half of his annual allocation — to help restore funding. Councilmember Jennifer Campbell matched that contribution with another $50,000 from her discretionary budget, bringing the total council contribution to $100,000.
The city then matched that amount with $100,000 from excess Transit Occupancy Tax funds, bringing the total to $200,000.
But La Cava says he had hoped more colleagues would step up.
"I had hopes some of my colleagues would have followed the lead," La Cava said.
The money will go towards paying the staff needed to keep the restrooms open and clean.
The city needs $550,000 to keep the bathrooms open for a full year. Without additional funding, the bathrooms are set to close again in December.
Several community groups have proposed solutions to close the funding gap. Campbell, who terms out of office in December, will be replaced by a new council member who could bring new approaches to the issue.
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