LOS ANGELES : Installation of Portable Toilets on Skid Row OKd
The city has approved a six-month pilot project to install as many as 30 portable toilets for homeless people on Skid Row.
The Board of Public Works said the program, which was proposed by social service providers but opposed by many businesses, could be canceled at any time if problems develop.
“This is a temporary solution,” said Public Works Commission President Charles Dickerson. “This is not the optimal solution to homelessness. This is just a Band-Aid.”
Toilets were all set to go up in 1992 but former Mayor Tom Bradley interceded to keep them off sidewalks. For months, activists have been pressuring Mayor Richard Riordan to approve the latrines, arguing that the homeless should not be forced to defecate and urinate on the streets.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
