An Update in the Battle of the Bathrooms at Mission Bay Park

A battle over the city closing about half all the public bathrooms at Mission Bay Park is heating up. The mayor has rejected a plan by city councilman Raul Campio to use some newly freed up city money to reopen those bathrooms because here's the problem. Campio says tourists and visitors have begun relieving themselves in grassy areas and other locations and creating a public health emergency. Who didn't see that happening? On the Kogo News Live line is Bradley Schnell, the founder of the Mission Bay Park Conservancy. Welcome back to San Diego's morning news. First off, catch us up to speed. How many restrooms are closed? Well, Mitch May Park has, I believe it's 20. Now I'm forgetting. I'm on the spot. I think it's 28 restaurants total and 13 of them are closed. It's definitely 13 are closed. Wow. And people are now having to find alternative ways of relieving themselves, so to speak. Well, I think that's the apparent inevitable reality of the situation, which I think it's unfortunate. And I think, you know, it's interesting to watch. you know, our elected officials go head to head on this issue. And I'm actually grateful that they are because I think this is an issue that needs to be debated in the in the public sphere. We need to talk about what the future of our parks are and what we, you know, expect in terms of basic public amenities. But I think in general, You know, this is certainly inspiring the community to stand up and tell our elected officials what we really want them to focus on. What do you think this solution is? Well, the good news is, and I'm actually moderately excited, is that the city staff has agreed to meet with the Conservancy and we're going to be meeting with them next week and try to find some solutions. I think there's a lot of different opportunities. But the big thing is really a precedent that's already been set in other parks like Balboa Park and the with Forever Balboa Park as well as the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy. Both of them have special use permits that allow them to do some incremental support work and maintenance care on those parks that kind of relieve some pressure. from the city. That's not to say that the city is off the hook for, you know, doing some responsibility, but we can supplement, we can do pilot programs, and we can find ways to hopefully keep these restrooms open at least through the summer. I think that's the, that should be the bare minimum. You know, obviously there's different.

population crowds that come in the summer that we need to account for. And I think the visual evidence from the news of some of the restrooms being used even when they're closed is certainly a problem. I went to a national park during one of the government shutdowns and the bathrooms were an absolute mess. And it became more of an issue because then you start getting wildlife really. congregating inside the bathrooms. So this is a familiar debate when it comes to trying to find more money for the city budget. How much money is San Diego really saving when it comes to closing bathrooms? I mean, it's got to be a minimal amount. Well, for Mission Bay Park specifically, it's around a half a million dollars. You know, and there's certainly, you know, with a several billion dollar budget that the city has, you know, conceivably that there's room to keep some of these restaurants open. But I, but we understand as well that, you know, there are budget crises, whether, you know, there's a variety of different things that that cause it to be the way it is. But, you know, our goal as a conservancy is to be a partner to find ways to work with the city with the conditions right now and then find ways in the long term to avoid this in the future. Because I think, you know, part of what the restroom closures represent is a, you know, a symptom of a larger perspective that we've kind of lost with regard to our generational assets like Mission Bay Park that need longer term perspective. I mean, getting anything done in Mission Bay Park is extremely difficult. when you account for all the different land trust issues, postal commission, you name it. We need long-term planning and not, you know, an annual budget review every year. Bradley, we thank you so much for joining us. Unfortunately, this is going to be a topic. We'll have to bring you back for it to talk about because I don't think it's going to be over soon. Thank you. Looking forward to it. Thank you. All right. Bradenichelle, founder of the Mission Bay Park Conservancy. Fair warning, bring home one Minky Couture blanket, and suddenly everyone in the house will claim it as theirs. That's the Minky Couture difference. 17 years ago, Minky Couture created the original luxury Minky blanket. And ever since, we've been bringing comfort, connection, and softness to families everywhere. Crafted with premium quality and thoughtfully designed styles, our blankets are made for real-life cozy moments, from movie nights and afternoon naps to slow mornings at home. Shop now at minky couture.com. That's m-I-N-K-Y-C-O-U-R-E dot com and discover why Minky quickly becomes everyone's favorite blanket.