Committee forwards emergency ordinance to expand staffed public restrooms and handwashing stations to full Board

SAN FRANCISCO — The Budget & Finance Committee on May 1 voted unanimously to forward an emergency ordinance to the full Board of Supervisors that would require the city to provide staffed public restrooms and handwashing stations to meet pandemic-era hygiene ratios for unsheltered residents.

Supervisor Matt Haney, the ordinance’s sponsor, told the committee the measure is intended to reduce COVID-19 transmission by ensuring “people have access to basic hygiene, which includes bathrooms and handwashing.” Haney said the ordinance would push the city to place toilets and handwashing facilities near encampments and other high-need areas.

Alex Grafton, acting director of the Department of Public Works, told the committee the city’s long-running Pit Stop program has been expanded during the pandemic and that the city currently counts 136 toilets citywide — a total composed of 42 staffed Pit Stop units, 57 park-stop toilets and 37 temporary COVID-response toilets. Grafton said the city had piloted 24-hour service at three locations (Tenderloin, Castro and South of Market) and that overall usage increased on 24-hour sites.

Severn Campbell of the Budget Analyst’s Office told the committee the April tally of 136 units exceeds the ordinance’s minimum requirement as the office calculated it (the analyst’s report estimated a minimum of 104 units would meet the ordinance’s stated target). Campbell also provided staffing cost estimates for expanding 24-hour coverage: roughly $100,000 per week (about $1,000,000 over 10 weeks) to add 24/7 coverage to 21 Public Works pit stops, and roughly $25,000 per week (about $250,000 over 10 weeks) to extend park-stop coverage.

Committee members focused questions on access and hours. Several supervisors asked whether park bathrooms counted in the totals were actually open at night and whether toilets were located close enough to encampments. Public Works said park facilities included in the count were generally open (most park-stop toilets were reported open roughly 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and that the COVID-response toilets were 24/7; staff said they monitor usage and are prepared to re-site units to emerging hot spots.

Haney proposed two amendments at the committee: requiring existing Pit Stops be open 24 hours a day and requiring restrooms and handwashing stations within 1,000 feet of encampments. The City Attorney advised the committee those proposed amendments, as drafted, were not substantive and the chair and sponsor agreed to finalize amendment language with the City Attorney and Public Works on the record and to make any technical changes on the Board floor.

There were no callers for public comment during the committee’s public-comment period.

Chair Sandra Lee Feurer moved to pass the ordinance to the full Board as a committee report with a positive recommendation; roll call produced three ayes (Supervisor Shipman Walton, Supervisor Matt Haney and Chair Feurer). The item is scheduled for the Board of Supervisors meeting on May 5, 2020, where members said they will present refined amendment language and, if necessary, a fiscal analysis of the final proposal.

What’s next: The ordinance will be considered by the full Board of Supervisors on May 5. Committee members directed staff to work with the City Attorney and the Budget Analyst’s Office to finalize amendment language and clarify which costs are eligible for FEMA reimbursement.