San Diego to Reopen Thirteen Mission Bay Park Restrooms Through End of Year

-Editorial 

The city of San Diego will reopen thirteen public restrooms at Mission Bay Park after funding was identified to restore the facilities through the end of the calendar year.

The restrooms were closed last month as part of reductions adopted in the city’s fiscal year 2027 budget. Mayor Todd Gloria said the closures were among the reductions made to address a significant structural budget deficit.

“This does solve our immediate problem, but it does not solve the gap between our resources and what it takes to keep city services at the service levels San Diegans expect,” Gloria said.

The restoration will be funded through $50,000 in discretionary funds each from Councilmember Jennifer Campbell, who represents District 2, and Council President Joe LaCava of District 1, along with higher-than-anticipated state grant funding reducing the need for general fund dollars for certain services.

Gloria said the combined resources will provide enough funding to operate the restrooms through Dec. 31. The city will reassess its financial condition at midyear to determine whether funding is available to keep the facilities open through the end of the fiscal year, June 30.

“We will continue to work on this and monitor the budget closely,” Gloria said. “Budgets are dynamic documents.”

The mayor said the city faced about $118 million in necessary reductions as it balanced its budget. He said the city must continue making difficult choices while responding to unexpected costs and changes in its financial condition.

“Ultimately, San Diegans want services they can count on, and to provide them, the city needs revenues it can count on,” Gloria said.

Campbell said Mission Bay Park is an important regional destination and access to clean, accessible restrooms is a basic public need.

“As part of this solution, I will be allocating $50,000 in CPPS funds to support the reopening of the facilities,” Campbell said. “This situation underscores the need, as the mayor said, for San Diego to identify more stable, ongoing sources of revenue.”

Campbell said the park is expected to be especially busy during Labor Day weekend and the San Diego Bayfair, scheduled for Sept. 18-20.

LaCava said residents and visitors strongly objected to the restroom closures after they were implemented. He said the closures had been included in budget documents and presentations before the City Council adopted the budget.

“I am proud to work with the mayor and the council member to reopen the thirteen Mission Bay restrooms that were cut from the budget,” LaCava said. “The public, my constituents, and tourists were very vocal. This was one budget cut that was too deep, too impactful, and undermined the enjoyment of this wonderful resource we call Mission Bay.”

LaCava said his $50,000 allocation would come from already-budgeted District 1 discretionary funds and would not increase the city’s structural deficit.

Gloria said the city will continue to seek additional state and federal funding while monitoring expenses throughout the fiscal year.

“We’ll try and be responsive as we’re doing today, but at the end of the day, what we’re dealing with is a significant structural budget deficit,” Gloria said.

The Parks and Recreation Department has developed a plan to resume restroom operations. Gloria thanked city employees who will return the facilities to service.

The mayor said the city will continue to evaluate opportunities to restore services when additional resources become available while maintaining its legal obligation to balance the budget.