San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is rejecting a proposal to use some newly freed-up city money to reopen more than a dozen Mission Bay Park restrooms that closed early this month as part of sweeping budget cuts.<\/p>\n
The request comes from Councilmember Raul Campillo, who wants the city to reopen the restrooms with some of $1.8 million in budgeted election costs that were freed up last month when a possible November ballot measure got postponed<\/a>.<\/p>\n The city is saving $546,000 in maintenance and cleaning costs by closing the restrooms \u2014 13 of the 28 that serve visitors to Mission Bay Park.<\/p>\n Campillo says tourists and other park visitors have begun relieving themselves in grassy areas and other locations, and that as a result the closures are creating a public health emergency.<\/p>\n \u201cRedirecting those funds would address an immediate community need and help restore a basic public service that is essential to the safe and enjoyable use of Mission Bay Park,\u201d Campillo said in a July 15 memo<\/a> to the mayor. \u201cOur constituents have asked for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Gloria says he shares Campillo\u2019s concerns about the impact of eliminating a basic public service at one of the city\u2019s most popular tourist destinations \u2014 but the mayor also says it would be financially risky to reopen the restrooms using the newly available money.<\/p>\n In a Friday memo<\/a> to Campillo, Gloria said the city faces potential new expenses \u2014 ones that were not included in the budget \u2014 that warrant holding on to the whole $1.8 million.<\/p>\n Those include preparations for and fallout from what\u2019s expected to be an unusually rainy winter, thanks to El Ni\u00f1o conditions, as well as the possibility the city will need to fund a special election to replace Councilmember Marni von Wilpert if she wins a seat in Congress.<\/p>\n Gloria also expressed concerns that the volatile geopolitical climate could damage tourism and reduce city revenue from hotel and sales taxes.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven these unknowns, I believe the prudent course is to preserve these one-time funds until we have greater clarity regarding both our fiscal obligations and our available resources,\u201d the mayor said in his memo.<\/p>\n The mayor also said the city must continue to find ways to reduce its ongoing expenditures, contending that using one-time election money to cover an ongoing expense would contradict that effort.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city continues to face the difficult reality that we do not currently have sufficient ongoing resources to sustain all existing service levels while also maintaining the infrastructure our residents rely upon,\u201d Gloria said. \u201cThese are challenging but necessary choices.\u201d<\/p>\n Campillo said Monday that he agrees in general with the idea of not spending one-time money on ongoing expenses, but he said the Mission Bay restrooms should be an obvious exception.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, we know people are relieving themselves in public,\u201d Campillo said. \u201cBasic public services like restroom infrastructure should never have been cut in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n He said convenient restrooms are particularly important for seniors and for families with young children. Many park-goers are also complaining about long lines at the restrooms that remain open.<\/p>\n Campillo also called the mayor\u2019s stance shortsighted, arguing that tourism will suffer if the restrooms remain closed and tourists get repelled by the lack of sanitation and cleanliness.<\/p>\n Campillo was part of a unanimous council vote in favor of the new budget on June 9, so he essentially approved the restroom closures. But on Monday, Campillo said he had lobbied for cuts to middle managers instead.<\/p>\n During budget deliberations, Campillo singled out the Mission Bay restrooms as a concern.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we cut something as basic as restrooms, restroom maintenance and general park upkeep, we send a message to the tourism stakeholders who help sustain our city budget \u2014 attracting visitors who also contribute to our budget \u2014 that their contributions are not valued,\u201d he said back then.<\/p>\n Gloria said he might make a different decision on the restrooms in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue evaluating service levels citywide based on available revenues, operational capacity, and community need,\u201d the mayor said. \u201cI fully expect Mission Bay Park to be part of those discussions as we develop the fiscal 2028 budget.\u201d<\/p>\n The freed-up money became available last month when the council\u2019s Rules Committee delayed indefinitely \u2014 but at least until 2028 \u2014 a ballot measure proposed by Councilmember Kent Lee to shrink the mayor\u2019s power.<\/p>\n