LA council committee weighs plan to expand public toilets and hand-washing stations, starting with Skid Row

The Los Angeles City Council's Homelessness and Health Committee meets at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday at City Hall to consider a motion calling for a citywide plan to expand hygiene infrastructure, including more public toilets, hand-washing stations and permanent water spigots, with resources initially focused on Skid Row. Council members Nithya Raman and Ysabel Jurado introduced the motion in October.

60-day report if approved; public-private partnerships on the table

If the committee approves it, the motion goes to the full council; on approval, the city administrative officer, Bureau of Street Services, Bureau of Sanitation, Department of Water and Power and Board of Public Works, in consultation with Metro, would report within 60 days with recommendations for the expansion plan. Staff would also examine public-private partnerships, including the Hollywood Partnership's funding and operation of 40 public bathroom stalls on the ground floor of the city's parking garage at 1627 Vine St., and opportunities to install restrooms and hand-washing facilities on city- and county-owned property, including near Metro station entrances.

Only four replacement toilets operating; 70 tons of waste collected last year

The motion says the scale of public hygiene infrastructure is "woefully inadequate": under a 2021 contract with Outfront/JCDecaux, the Coordinated Street Furniture Program proposed up to 150 automated public toilets, but only 14 were installed; when the contract expired, the city had to replace 13 units because the restrooms were company-owned; funding constraints from fiscal year 2025-26 to the present leave only four replacement toilets operating. In 2025, the Los Angeles Sanitation Livability Services Division collected and disposed of more than 70 tons of human waste from the public right-of-way.

The motion also asks for a status update on the LADWP's Hydration Station Initiative Program and potential partnerships to add more drinking-water refill stations, and for staff to determine whether Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program funds could support the effort. Jurado, who represents parts of downtown, also asked staff to identify stable funding to keep Skid Row's public toilets operating regardless of the broader expansion timeline. The motion notes most available restrooms are in private businesses, placing a burden on owners, and that for people experiencing homelessness, using the restroom outdoors "may be the only viable option". Portable toilets and hand-washing stations provided at encampments during the pandemic were temporary; the council members now seek a permanent approach. Source: MyNewsLA, 10 November 2026.