Overview

• City records show the prefabricated facility, budgeted at about $961,125, was approved by the Recreation and Parks Board after outreach and is planned near the Fuller Avenue entrance.
• The Department of Recreation and Parks says the project uses park fees and deferred maintenance funds rather than the agency’s general fund, and it is reviewing whether this is the appropriate use of those dollars.
• Runyon Canyon Guardians and nearby residents criticize the price, public-safety and environmental impacts, and what they call poor transparency, and they point to a supplier estimate near $500,000 for a comparable unit.
• Officials and some park advocates argue a permanent, ADA-accessible restroom is needed for the roughly one to two million annual visitors, noting hillside construction, foundation, sewer work and accessibility requirements drive costs.
• The debate has intensified after a series of fires this year, including a 60-acre blaze in January, with some residents linking porta-potties to safety and crime concerns while others say basic facilities are overdue.