Anyone who has ever had to pee while out in public in San Diego knows it’s not easy.
Public restrooms are few and far between. If you are lucky enough to find one, it may not be open, clean or in working order. So, you try your luck at a business only to learn that buying a latte doesn’t grant you access because the restroom is for employees only.
San Diego’s beef with the lack of access to public restrooms is an old – and gross – one.
Beef Week is back: What better week for Voice of San Diego to bring Beef Week back than Thanksgiving! This is more like Beef 10 Days as we have chronicled so many. To kick off the series about the many conflicts and rivalries that shape our city, reporter MacKenzie Elmer breaks down San Diego’s long and complicated history with access to public restrooms.
Yes, they are expensive to build and maintain, and many residents don’t want them in their neighborhood out of fear that they will attract homeless people. But people still need to do their business somewhere, no?
Elmer writes that while some people have come to rely on private businesses instead, that’s becoming increasingly difficult. Businesses are changing their policies.
One researcher put it this way: We’ve eroded this public amenity to such a degree that we’re all equal now in that nobody can find a bathroom no matter who you are.
Palomar’s Money Woes, Part 20
Back in June 2023, our Tigist Layne reported that Palomar Health’s finances weren’t doing so well. The North County public healthcare provider was $585 million in debt and income was plunging. Palomar Health is a public hospital district that operates Palomar Medical Centers in Escondido and Poway.
At the time, Palomar Health’s top staff pushed back. The CEO Diane Hansen said our article was “false and misleading” although she admitted to financial difficulties. She also promised that Palomar had made investments that would pay off in a big way.
They didn’t. The healthcare provider didn’t bounce back as quickly as leaders had hoped, as Layne later reported.
Now, the Union-Tribune reports that Palomar Health alerted bondholders that its financial statements, which were due earlier this month, are not available for the first quarter of fiscal 2025 yet. Officials wouldn’t say why.
One member of Palomar Health’s board told the paper he believes leaders are withholding the financial updates to keep the public and board from knowing the district’s financial issues.
Border Report: Before They Reach Our Border
Contributor Kate Morrissey earlier this month wrote about the deterrence strategies the federal government implements to keep migrants seeking asylum from crossing into the United States.
The result is an increasing number of injuries and harsher, sometimes deadly, journeys for some. This week, she looks at deterrence strategies that go beyond our borders.
Morrissey writes that while most of the focus around Trump’s re-election has been around his promise of mass deportations, the systems and tools he uses to put more pressure on external deterrence is a key area to watch.
In Other News
- The cause of the fire near San Diego State University is still under investigation, but residents had an opportunity last week to ask city staff if the fire could have been prevented with proper brush management. Fire department officials told attendees that much of the area that burned is private property, which complicates the city’s ability to remove trees and brush. (KPBS)
- Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development has history in San Diego. Scott Turner was a defensive back for the Chargers and worked for then-Rep. Duncan Hunter. (Times of San Diego)
- Get your umbrellas out this week. (City News Service)
The Morning Report was written by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña. It was edited by Scott Lewis.