Photograph by Spike Steffenhagen

“People have asked questions, told us we should shut down, and one man even went as far as to urinate on our floor when told he wasn’t going to be given access to our bathrooms,” says Shelby Heffner at Starbucks.

Pee problem’s simple solution

Like some of the people mentioned in (“No restrooms for the weary”, Cover Story, July 27, 2023), I am someone who gets quite angry when told by a business that there are no public restrooms or that restrooms are for customers only. Well it’s not just the homeless that need to use a restroom (as if being homeless is a legitimate excuse for denying the use of a restroom). And for many seniors, the availability of toilet facilities is a major necessity. And it’s not just diabetics who have a medical need. Just talk to any old guy with an enlarged prostate! And for people with heart or blood pressure issues and who are on diuretics, the need for a restroom can be quite frequent and urgent. But why should people have to reveal that they have medical issues? It’s really nobody else’s business.

And I am of the philosophy that if a business is making money off of the general public, then they should provide for the immediate personal needs of the general public, namely clean air, clean drinking water, a clean cool place to rest temporarily, and clean toilet facilities. And that especially should be the case if the business is selling food or drink where on-premises consumption can substantially increase the need for toilet use.

I can nevertheless accept the reality that some businesses are just not equipped to handle making restrooms available to everyone. Maybe they are in old buildings that just lack sufficient toilet facilities. Or maybe they are in neighborhoods with high drug use and a great amount of vandalism and it’s just not easily possible to keep the facilities clean.

OK, so keeping in mind that all businesses DO have a moral responsibility to serve the general public, here is a solution to the problem that provides for the readily availability of free-to-use toilets. Let all store owners/managers decide whether they are willing to allow the use of their restrooms by the general public. If so, then the city can issue an annual free placard for their window that says something like “We are here to serve the general public. Our restrooms are available to everyone.” But if instead they wish not to open their restrooms to the general public, then the city should require that businesses pay an annual fee of a few hundred dollars (small chump change for most businesses) and then issue a placard that says something like “We support free public toilets by paying an annual public toilet fee. The nearest public toilet is ___”. The money that the city receives from the annual toilet fee can then be used to construct and maintain free public toilets that are available to everyone! Problem solved!

J-R

San Diego

Naming the golden god

In the story, (“No restrooms for the weary”, Cover Story, July 27, 2023) Spike Steffenhagen says, “I rack my brain for the name of some pagan deity of piss upon whose name I can swear.” Wouldn’t that be Pistophanes?

David Schmiedeberg

Mira Mesa

Elimination limitation

I am not beyond peeing on the doorstep of public places that won’t open their restrooms to the public (“No restrooms for the weary”, Cover Story, July 27, 2023). Defecating is going too far so I have my limits!

Dennis Johson

Kensington

Potty persona proposed

Enjoyed Spike Steffenhagen’s well-researched article on loos (“No restrooms for the weary”, Cover Story, July 27, 2023).

I find the disappearing seating, as he noted, a Starbucks negative; once asked about it, staff claims “remodeling” but really think they fear the homeless. That’s tossing out the baby with the bath. Our huge student population cherishes coffee time with their laptop.

Once, in Maryland, when assisting the Governor to attend an event, and returning him home, after doing so I stopped at a nearby convenience store only to see a sign Restroom Not Open to the Public. I was well dressed. I assured the lady in charge that I was ‘not a Member of the Public’. I was an assistant to the Governor. I was a former City Councilman (San Diego), I was an attorney. And had a reasonable request to visit the facilities for a moment. She laughed, relented, and I engaged then went happily on my way. This might work for anyone in their casual best looking non-threatening moments with no baggage and some other-persona to assume. For the rest of the loo seekers, we must support the governments having some public facilities, as San Diego City does, keeping them clean and current, and insist that any approved projects pay proper respect to this need. It is not going away.

Mike Schaefer

La Jolla

Don’t sleep on Lancers

Sadly missing from the story about 6:00 am bars (“First Round at the Third Place”, Cover Story, July 5, 2023) was Lancers on Park Blvd and Adams.

Dennis R Thompson

San Diego