West Hollywood City Council on Monday waded into the debate over opening public restrooms at the city’s parks 24/7, not only to accommodate homeless people, but also delivery drivers, those with specific medical needs and everyday folks who simply gotta go.
“I’ve been a big fan of the public restroom conversation since I peed my pants coming home from work in the middle of a city that didn’t have public restrooms,” Councilmember Chelsea Byers said. “So it happens to us all.”
Helen Collins, the city’s Facilities and Field Services Division Manager, opened the discussion by summarizing the city’s efforts, which began in November 2021, when City Council received a request from the Council Subcommittee on Homelessness to explore increased access to public restrooms.
Collins was joined by Steve Campbell, Public Works Director, and Christof Schroeder, Human Services and Rent Stabilization Director. They discussed the closure of public restrooms due to COVID and the substantial complaints from businesses and community members.
During public comment, resident Stephanie Harker emphasized the need for more public bathrooms, particularly in areas bordering the city, but she stressed the importance of safety and monitoring.
“It cannot be a place for people to hook up or shoot drugs, or do whatever they’re going to do other than pee and poo,” Harker said.
Councilmember Lauren Meister expressed concerns about hygiene, especially among homeless people. She inquired about self-cleaning bathrooms and raised questions about after-hours activity in public parks.
“Are we going to have a janitor go in every every time somebody goes?” Meister said. “I don’t want to this to be a solution to a problem that creates another problem.”
Collins said trends are moving away from self-cleaning restrooms, which she called “a maintenance nightmare”, and mentioned the possibility of having Block by Block security ambassadors posted after hours, as well as janitors to maintain the restrooms.
Councilmember John Erickson was torn over the proposal.
“On one side, I want to provide a space for people to use the restrooms, and I say that in all generality, not just for people who are without housing,” Erickson said. “But I do have a lot of public safety concerns around this, mainly around opening Plummer Park. I don’t know if Block by Block is actually capable of handling some instances that could happen from 11 PM to 7 AM. But then, I don’t know if I also want the sheriffs out there at those times because of concerns also raised by the public.”
The meeting also delved into outreach efforts to ensure that members of the public, including homeless people, are aware of the increased access to public restrooms.
“Believe it or not, there’s several websites out there that people that have medical needs rely on, as well as Google Maps, that outlines all the different (public restroom) locations,” Collins said.
Collins explained that they had met with the Communications Department and discussed working with service providers to disseminate information. The city is considering various outreach approaches, including handing out cards with information.
The discussion further explored other potential locations for 24/7 public restrooms, with concerns raised about placing them near residential neighborhoods. Councilmember Meister was apprehensive about using King’s Road Park, citing its proximity to residents and potential lighting issues.
The conversation also touched on the need for restrooms in commercial corridors like Santa Monica Boulevard and the challenges faced in bar areas and park surroundings.
The council emphasized the need to coordinate with the City of Los Angeles, particularly regarding Poinsettia Park, where there have been issues with encampments, crime, and drug use. They also called for a working relationship with councilmembers in Los Angeles.
A motion was made to move forward with West Hollywood Park first and then come back with Plummer Park at an uncertain time, after input from Los Angeles and various boards and commissions.
The final resolution included proceeding with West Hollywood Park restrooms, conducting outreach to the City of LA about Poinsettia Park, and directing staff to engage with commissions and advisory boards regarding safety for opening up Plummer Park. The plan was to start outreach immediately and have information back by mid-year, with West Hollywood Park also starting mid-year. The motion passed 5-0.
For years the neighborhood junkies would camp out around those bathrooms all day and night waiting for their drug dealer to arrive, (only ever leaving to burglarize neighborhood cars and apartments) then they would lock themselves inside for hours – two and three at a time to get high, plug up the plumbing and defecate on the floor – end result – no functioning bathrooms for anyone. Additionally, the sheriffs had to waste enormous amounts of time continuously playing baby sitter and driving over to drag them out. When the bathrooms were locked up during covid, thankfully the junkies forgot… Read more »
Public bathrooms at parks have been open for many many years why all of a sudden do we need all these opinions on this that and another just have the bathrooms there if people wanna hook up or go P just let them do it this is the least of my concerns and another thing we need to round up all these homeless People to a local jail and have them work to earn their keep how’s that enough of this free this free that and having to accommodate these people that don’t want to pay these high rents don’t… Read more »
I’m sorry, but did an adult just say he peed his pants to try to prove his point? Omg. It’s too much. Please, let’s get back to a normal society.
Next thing we know, the city will be offering a paid subscription assistance, sub division of BBB in order to use a rest room. This is horrifyingly un funny.
I know there are public restrooms in at least two of Beverly Hills’ parks. Are either of them open 24 hours? Has anyone thought about speaking to Beverly Hills’ council about their experiences providing them, and if they’ve ever studied making them available 24/7, if they’re not already?
We need to do everything we can to reduce the number of homeless vagrants in West Hollywood. I do not support doing anything to make them more comfortable here.
Meister said. “I don’t want to this to be a solution to a problem that creates another problem.”…and she hit the nail right on the head.
It will be a problem…count on it. (unless we have a bathroom monitor that’s there – all. the. time.) And Erickson, no law abiding citizen is afraid to have the Sheriffs around late at night.
We should just pick the city council out of the phone book. We’d all be better off.
The UISA has the worst reputation for providing public toilet facilities. I found a much ore reasonable approach to such in Morocco – although much more primitive than one would wish. In my boyhood city, Boston – which had attendants using the day. Would attendants be provided i WEHO? Public toilets have forever been the scene of too many minor scandals and a serious problem or the police. Of course, pay toilets offer some security, bu which carries coins these days, especially th timeless who would quickly inhabit any public toilet. Diffiukt topic these days…
Paris, France has had spacious luxurious private individual pay toilets all over the city sidewalks for many decades. They cost 1 Euro, about a dollar, and after every user, a gigantic forceful fountain sprays water top to bottom, so it is completely spotless for the next user. And to make sure the user leaves, after about 10 minutes, the lights go out, and it is total darkness inside. Maybe as a backup we could blast loud music to get them out (I would recommend “Honey” by Barry Goldsboro, that should do the trick). These toilets would be too expensive for… Read more »
The homeless will trash them.
While I completely agree with the compassionate need to provide places for all to do nature’s business with dignity, if we are to ignore park opening and closing hours we should similarly ignore opening and closing hours at city hall and make the restrooms in that building available 24/7.
Ha. Snap.
Great idea! We should also relocate all of the vagrants from the so-called West Hollywood Library to City Hall on a permanent basis. Put the problem in their faces for a change.
The city should do a pilot program offering 24 hour access to the City Hall public bathrooms. Let’s try that out first. After 3-6 months lets see what city staff’s response will be after the pilot test.
I am extremely optimistic that it will be a huge success.
Or maybe we should build public facilities on Santa Monica along the frontage of the MTA lot. That would be accessible to late nite drivers as well as homeless people without creating a potential encampment in the park.
This city does not allow encampments…and they better stick to that.