Restroom Visitors' Disgust Prompts Vow of Repairs by County

During a stroll along the Strand this past weekend, Manhattan Beach resident Linda Bair made a pit stop and a surprising discovery at the 26th Street public restroom.

Inside, she encountered stalls without doors, a broken sink, empty soap dispensers and paper towel holders, a clogged toilet and a floor smudged with murky water. The only thing that seemed to be in proper order was the availability of toilet paper, Bair said. The experience left her revolted.

"I came out of it just feeling dirty," said Bair, who has lived in the city for eight years. "It's really embarrassing for Manhattan Beach for all these visitors who come and see these restrooms and you come out of them feeling disgusting because that's the condition."

Other area residents say problems with public restrooms on the Strand have persisted for years. Locals insist that conditions must be improved to protect public health and maintain a more inviting environment in advance of the summer rush of tourists.

After being notified by Patch of the condition of the 26th Street women's restroom on Tuesday, Kenneth Foreman, a Los Angeles County official who oversees 52 facilities along the coast, visited the site and said he agreed that changes need to be made.

"We're trying to provide services to the community, but to an extent, we're missing the mark," said Foreman, assistant division chief at the Department of Beaches and Harbors. "As we're finding out problems, we're trying to get them corrected."

Foreman said he would send a plumber on Wednesday to fix the broken fixtures in the restroom.

The five local public restrooms on the Strand–at 8th Street, Marine Avenue, 26th Street, Rosecrans Avenue and 43rd Street–are maintained by the county.

The two next to and at the very end of the Manhattan Beach Pier are managed by the city's Public Works Department, which contracts the work out to cleaning crews from CAM Services.

Despite the county's recent budget cutbacks, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a federal economic stimulus bill, provided the county with money for temporary employment.

In August 2009, the county began hiring people through the Transitional Subsidized Employment program. Recently, 33 temporary workers have been brought on, and the department is still looking to employ more people before funds run out by Sept. 17.

On Thursday, three to four more people hired through the program will be joining maintenance crews that work in the Manhattan Beach locations, Foreman said.

The temporary employees—along with at least one permanent staff member—work in crews of three to six people, cleaning at 5 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., when the restrooms close. So far, the county does not have a plan to replace those temporary workers when their mid-day shifts are discontinued this fall.

"It's going to be difficult," Foreman said. "Fortunately, summer season will be over, and there will be winter-type activity. We'll be revisiting the issue."

Bair said that budget cuts are not an excuse for poor sanitation, an issue that she said should be a top priority.

"There's almost nothing more important than that, when you talk about the disease and sickness and just for our good of the public," Bair said. "You shouldn't have to come out of a restroom feeling like you couldn't wash your hands off. Who knows what you're touching?"

Other nearby residents who frequently visit the beach described the restrooms as "gross" and "dirty." Enrique Lucha of Hawthorne visits Manhattan Beach three to four times a week to spend time with his two sons.

"They're disgusting," said Lucha, who was waiting for a ride from his wife near the Rosecrans Avenue restroom. "There's toilet paper all over the floor. It makes it tough when you have kids and it smells. They need to fix it and do a better job with maintenance."

Another visitor, Steve Orcutt, said conditions have not changed since he used to live in Manhattan Beach in the 1980s.

"They're kind of nasty," said Orcutt, who suggested that with unemployment rates so high, the county should hire more people to monitor the restrooms' cleanliness.

Foreman cited several reasons for the lack of certain amenities. Soap dispensaries complicate maintenance, he said, since residue falls on the already slippery floors and creates safety hazards. Wadded paper towels thrown into toilets can also clog facilities.

The county removed two of the four stall doors at the 26th Street restroom after a woman sued Newport Beach and two companies in May for a fingertip injury related to a stall door.

Foreman said that new replacements for hinges and doors are scheduled, but he did not give a specific date.

If toilets and sinks need to be completely replaced, stainless steel, instead of porcelain, will be installed, Foreman said, as steel can endure heavier abuse from daily wear and vandalism.

In January, the El Porto restroom sustained extensive damage. All the stall toilets had been broken in the women's restroom. On the men's side, a trash can had been set on fire, and the urinals and sinks had been smashed and pulled from the walls (see photos).

The restroom was closed for a few weeks, after which new fixtures were installed and the facility was fully restored before the beginning of summer.

Bair said that people's unruly and unsanitary habits may not change, but the government should still provide basic services.

"You can't make people wash their hands, but you at least have to have stuff in place for that to happen," she said.