MISSION BAY (KGTV) — San Diego City Council will now decide whether to close 13 of Mission Bay Park's 28 public restrooms, after Mayor Todd Gloria's revised budget kept the controversial proposal intact.
The closures would also eliminate half of the portable toilets on Fiesta Island. The city says the cuts would save about $1.2 million and reduce the workload of 12 full-time employees.
Mission Bay Park draws walkers, cyclists, and families year-round, and many park users say public restrooms are a basic service they expect to find there.
Bradley Schnell, founder of Mission Bay Conservancy, said his organization is pushing back against the proposal.
"Mission Bay Park is one of San Diego's greatest resources. It's a public resource. It's free and open and available to anyone, and we believe that it's the city's obligation and our community's obligation to ensure that it is a clean, safe place for the public to go," Schnell said.
Schnell said the park has faced repeated budget threats in the past.
"Every year, Mission Bay Park, as well as the rest of the parks, tend to be on the chopping block," Schnell said.
Critics of the proposal argue the savings could come at the expense of accessibility and public health.
"Young families who want to go use the new playgrounds that they're building all around Mission Bay Park, or the elderly or even the homeless population, you know, we need to have places where they can use the restrooms, and I think if we start closing them, it quite possibly could be a public health concern," Schnell said.
Mission Bay Park Conservancy, a new organization, says it is looking to step up and that many community members have also offered their support to keep the facilities open.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
