Dirty Beach Restrooms a 'Major Health Issue,' County Supervisor Says

Public restrooms at Los Angeles County beaches now pose a "major health issue," according to L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who says he has received "a large number of complaints" about it. His comments come about a month after the county's Department of Beaches and Harbors scaled back restroom cleaning due to budget cuts.

"[Visitors] find that it's not clean, that it's not properly maintained and have the same reaction as when the city doesn't empty garbage cans, which is a problem," Yaroslavsky said. "Summer is here. Beach visitation is up. Twelve million people this year."

He also asked the Department of Beaches and Harbors to find other ways to save money.

According to county Chief Executive Officer William Fujioka, the elimination of funding for a federal welfare-to-work jobs program led to the elimination of about 30 janitorial positions.

"There were some competing needs," Fujioka said. He also said, however, that the department could look into hiring temporary employees for the summer.

Department spokeswoman Debbie Talbot said she monitors a website as well as social media sites twice daily to look for complaints; so far, she hasn't seen any, she said.

"We pride ourselves on the cleanliness of our facilities," Talbot said.

Under the new cleaning schedule, which started May 1, janitors start cleaning restrooms at 7 a.m. instead of 5:30 or 6 a.m. County officials said the later start allows crews to work further into the afternoon when bathroom use is at its peak.

The later start also means that some restrooms would not get cleaned until 11 a.m., according to a previously released statement from the Department of Beaches and Harbors.

Volleyball net replacement, parking lot cleanup, weed abatement, landscaping and large-debris cleanup will occur only when daily staffing levels allow, the department said.

The department, which maintains 52 restrooms and 36 parking lots at county beaches, announced the schedule changes in April.

Talbot said the department estimated that about 70 million people visit Los Angeles County beaches annually.

County Supervisor Gloria Molina said she thought public health was important but warned that correcting one problem could lead to another elsewhere. She called for further study of budget-cut alternatives.

"Before we just say, 'Do it,' let's find out what else is being cut back on," Molina said.

The supervisors asked Fujioka to look into the matter.

City News Service contributed to this report.