See more of our coverage in your search results.
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman is pushing to build more public toilets across the city, despite a nearly $1 million bathroom debacle in her own district that left hikers waiting months to use just two stalls.
The councilwoman introduced a motion Wednesday calling for more public toilets, handwashing stations and drinking-water facilities, even as Los Angeles struggles to maintain the bathrooms it already has.
Raman’s proposal doesn’t specify how many new bathrooms she wants, where they would go or how much they would cost. Instead, she’s asking city officials to return within 60 days with recommendations for expanding restroom access and finding the money to pay for it.
The push follows the $961,125 restroom project at Runyon Canyon, one of LA’s busiest hiking destinations, attracting roughly 2 million visitors annually.
The two-stall bathroom near the park’s Fuller Avenue entrance was supposed to take about 15 weeks to build but remained locked months beyond its expected completion date.
Construction began in January, and the restroom wasn’t confirmed open until Aug. 22, more than seven months later.
The nearly $1 million budget covered the prefabricated structure, site preparation, utility connections, accessibility improvements and other costs, funded through park fees and deferred maintenance money rather than the city’s general fund.
Raman’s office previously defended the project as a necessary improvement for the heavily visited park.
But delays and costs aren’t the only problems plaguing LA’s public toilets.
A public toilet near the tourist hotspot Pershing Square is slated for closure after drug dealing and crime plagued the facility. The City Council previously approved $420,000 to staff three downtown restrooms with attendants to improve safety and cleanliness.
The problems aren’t new. In 2017, the LAPD requested overnight closures of five bathrooms in Skid Row over crime concerns.
The troubled history raises questions about how Los Angeles would pay not only to install additional bathrooms but also to keep them clean, safe and operational.
Raman’s motion points to a 2001 agreement with private contractor Outfront/JCDecaux that envisioned installing up to 150 automated public toilets at no direct operating cost to the city.
Only 14 were installed.
When the contract expired, Los Angeles became responsible for replacing the facilities because the contractor owned the original toilets.
Today, just four replacement toilets are operational, according to Raman’s motion, which blames funding shortages.
Meanwhile, the shortage of public restrooms has contributed to a sanitation crisis.
City crews collected and disposed of more than 70 tons of human waste from public streets in 2025, according to figures cited in Raman’s motion.
The councilwoman said that homeless residents, outdoor workers, tourists and pedestrians often have nowhere to use the restroom, wash their hands or access drinking water.
Her proposal calls for exploring new facilities on government-owned property, near Metro stations and along public streets.
It also highlights a Hollywood Partnership initiative proposing 40 public bathroom stalls at the city’s 1627 Vine Street parking garage as a potential model for public-private partnerships.
The motion seeks permanent funding for existing Skid Row bathrooms, expanded drinking-water access and a city department responsible for overseeing public restrooms.
But it does not authorize construction or allocate additional money.
Instead, city officials would have 60 days to identify potential locations, funding sources and long-term maintenance plans.
The Post reached out to Raman’s office for comment.