The funding gap comes down to how the city budget works. Improvement projects at Mission Bay, including the bathroom renovations, are paid for through a fund legally designated for the park — a portion of revenue generated by leases there.
Money for maintaining the park, however, comes from the Parks and Recreation Department fund, which had its budget cut. The city says it was forced to lay off employees who would have been responsible for keeping the bathrooms clean.
The result: locked restrooms and residents reporting that people have resorted to urinating outside the gates…