Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman introduced a motion Wednesday to expand public restrooms, handwashing stations and drinking-water facilities across the city.
The councilwoman’s push comes as her own district grappled with a $961,125 restroom project at Runyon Canyon that stretched more than seven months past its target completion date. Construction on the two-stall bathroom near the park’s Fuller Avenue entrance began in January, with the facility not confirmed open until Aug. 22. The prefabricated structure was supposed to take roughly 15 weeks to build.
The nearly $1 million budget covered site preparation, utility connections, accessibility improvements and other costs, funded through park fees and deferred maintenance money rather than the city’s general fund. Runyon Canyon attracts approximately 2 million visitors annually, making it one of LA’s busiest hiking destinations. Raman’s office had previously defended the project as a necessary improvement for the heavily visited park.
Raman’s new proposal does not specify how many bathrooms she wants, where they would go or how much they would cost. Instead, she is asking city officials to return within 60 days with recommendations for expanding restroom access and finding money to pay for it. The motion calls for exploring new facilities on government-owned property, near Metro stations and along public streets.
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.
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 shortage of public restrooms has contributed to this sanitation crisis.
The 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. When that 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 the motion, which blames funding shortages.
The proposal 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. Additionally, it seeks permanent funding for existing Skid Row bathrooms, expanded drinking-water access and a city department responsible for overseeing public restrooms.
But the motion does not authorize construction or allocate additional money. City officials would have 60 days to identify potential locations, funding sources and long-term maintenance plans.
The troubled history of LA’s public toilets raises questions about how the city would pay not only to install additional bathrooms but also to keep them clean, safe and operational. 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.
In 2017, the LAPD requested overnight closures of five bathrooms in Skid Row over crime concerns. The problems aren’t new, and the pattern of crime and maintenance failures has persisted across multiple administrations and neighborhoods.
Raman’s motion faces scrutiny as voters weigh whether expanded access can overcome the city’s track record of cost overruns, delays and public safety challenges at existing facilities.
The councilwoman’s proposal is scheduled for consideration by city committees before any recommendations would move to the full City Council.