The Los Angeles Times: $339,000 for a restroom? L.A. politicians balk at the cost of toilets for homeless people

Photo Credit: Alex Datig

By EMILY ALPERT REYES, JUN 10, 2019

It seems like an obvious fix to the squalor and stench as homelessness surges on Los Angeles streets: more restrooms.

But L.A. has estimated that staffing and operating a mobile bathroom can cost more than $300,000 annually — a price tag that has galled some politicians. During budget talks this spring, city officials estimated that providing toilets and showers for every homeless encampment in need would cost more than $57 million a year.

More: