SAN DIEGO — In 2024, San Diego State researchers designated the city of San Diego’s public restroom system as insufficient. The researchers said the low number of restrooms and the failure to maintain them could usher in infectious diseases, similar to the deadly hepatitis outbreak that broke out in 2016 and killed more than 20 San Diegans, most of whom were unhoused.
The lack of access to restrooms may soon get worse.
As a $250 million budget shortfall looms, Mayor Todd Gloria proposes significant cuts to programs, including closing dozens of restrooms in some of San Diego’s most-walked and visited areas. If passed, approximately 26 restrooms will close citywide, resulting in an even more insufficient number of restrooms than researchers had found in 2022…