As of this week, the City of San Diego has closed 13 of Mission Bay Park’s 28 public restrooms as part of budget cuts intended to save roughly $546,000 annually in cleaning and maintenance costs. The closures include restrooms at El Carmel, Ventura Point, Bonita Cove East, Hospitality Point, Vacation Isle West, South Shores, North Cove, Crown Point South, Ski Beach North, Ski Beach Middle, Tecolote North, Playa Pacifica III and De Anza South. The city has also reduced portable restrooms on Fiesta Island.
The concern is particularly acute around Vacation Isle, where the City has shuttered both the Vacation Isle West and North Cove public restrooms immediately adjacent to Paradise Point Resort & Spa. Those closures come just over a year after the California Coastal Commission concluded that Paradise Point had spent decades creating the impression that large portions of the surrounding shoreline were private, despite the resort operating on publicly owned Mission Bay parkland leased from the City of San Diego.
In 2023, the Coastal Commission announced a landmark enforcement settlement with the resort after finding numerous violations of the California Coastal Act. According to the Commission, visitors approaching the property encountered resort branding, landscaping, fencing, pathways, dining areas, and a guard kiosk that collectively discouraged or obstructed public use of beaches and shoreline that legally belong to everyone. State officials also found the resort had failed to provide required public amenities and had installed unpermitted development on public trust lands.
As part of the settlement, Paradise Point agreed to pay a $1 million penalty, install more than 100 public access signs, remove barriers that made the shoreline appear private, improve coastal pathways, reconstruct public amenities, undertake environmental restoration work, and build additional public-serving facilities, including a new public restroom. When the Coastal Commission revisited the property in 2025, commissioners praised the resort's progress, calling it a public-access "success story" after years of enforcement efforts.
That history gives the current restroom closures added significance. While there is no indication Paradise Point requested or influenced the City's decision, closing the two public restrooms that serve the beaches immediately surrounding the resort inevitably raises questions about whether years of work to improve public access are being undermined.
Similar concerns have been raised about the closures of Tecolote North and Playa Pacifica III, which sit near the San Diego Mission Bay Resort area. While the beaches and parkland remain public, the absence of nearby restrooms can push casual users, families and organized public activities away from areas where hotel guests continue to have access to private resort facilities.
The issue also extends beyond hotel-adjacent shoreline access. According to local fitness permit holders, some Mission Bay locations affected by the restroom closures are also permitted sites for yoga, fitness classes and other public-facing activities. One Mission Bay yoga provider told SanDiegoVille that Tecolote Shores, Ski Beach, Playa Pacifica III and De Anza Cove are among the locations used for permitted classes, and said the city has informed permit holders that locations without functioning restrooms may no longer be available for permits.
If that is accurate, the bathroom closures could effectively remove major portions of Mission Bay from the city’s permit system for fitness instructors, wellness providers and community groups, even though the public spaces themselves remain physically open. That would be especially striking given San Diego’s ongoing legal battle over public yoga in shoreline parks.
Last year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that teaching yoga in San Diego’s shoreline parks is protected speech and that the city’s restriction on yoga instruction failed constitutional scrutiny. The court wrote plainly that “Teaching yoga is protected speech,” a major legal defeat for the city after years of citations and enforcement against beach yoga instructors.
Now, critics argue, the city may have created a different obstacle. Instead of banning yoga or fitness instruction outright, San Diego can simply close the bathrooms that make certain locations eligible or practical for public classes. That does not necessarily mean the closures were designed for that purpose, but the effect could be similar: fewer legal and convenient places for small operators to gather, teach and serve the public.
The result is a strange contradiction. San Diego has spent years fighting in court over whether yoga instructors can use public shoreline parks, while simultaneously cutting the restroom infrastructure that makes those same parks usable for permitted recreation in the first place. The city’s own Parks and Recreation Permit Center handles permits for Mission Bay, shoreline parks, Balboa Park and other public sites, with official materials directing permit applicants to the city’s permit office for use of park facilities.
For Mission Bay, the stakes are unusually high. Unlike many urban parks, Mission Bay is a public waterfront system surrounded by major commercial leaseholds, hotels, marinas and visitor-serving businesses. When the city reduces public amenities in those areas, the burden falls most heavily on ordinary residents, small local operators, lower-income families and visitors who rely entirely on public infrastructure. Hotel guests still have lobby bathrooms, restaurant bathrooms and private amenities. The public does not.
That is why some critics see the closures not simply as austerity, but as a form of de facto privatization. A beach does not have to be fenced off to become functionally less public. It only has to become inconvenient, uncomfortable or impractical for ordinary people to use for extended periods of time.
While much of the criticism has focused on what the City is taking away, the Mission Bay Park Conservancy says it believes the discussion should now shift toward finding solutions. The nonprofit organization, which advocates for the protection and enhancement of Mission Bay Park, says it recognizes the City's budget challenges but does not believe closing essential public infrastructure should be the only option.
"Bathrooms are basic public infrastructure," said Bradley Schnell, founder and president of the Mission Bay Park Conservancy. "The feedback we are hearing from park users is clear: these facilities are important, needed, and deeply relied upon by families, seniors, visitors, youth sports groups, runners, cyclists, and beachgoers. Their closure raises several legitimate concerns that go well beyond simple convenience."
Rather than viewing the issue as an either-or budget decision, Schnell said the Conservancy hopes to work alongside the City, community organizations and philanthropic partners to identify alternative funding sources and maintenance strategies.
"We believe these closures should not be viewed as an either-or decision," Schnell said. "Public-private partnerships and collaborative models have successfully helped preserve and enhance parks across the country. The Conservancy stands ready to work with the City, community partners, and philanthropic supporters to identify resources, explore maintenance strategies, and develop sustainable solutions that keep essential facilities operational while protecting taxpayer resources."
Schnell added that Mission Bay Park is "one of San Diego's crown jewels" and said the City should be pursuing "creative, collaborative ways to maintain and improve public amenities rather than reducing access to them—especially when those amenities directly support health, equity, tourism, and the visitor experience."
For now, the city has not announced a reopening date for the closed Mission Bay restrooms. That leaves permit holders, yoga instructors, families, event organizers and park visitors facing an uncertain summer with fewer facilities, fewer usable gathering spaces and growing questions about whether budget cuts are quietly changing who gets to enjoy San Diego's public waterfront. Whether the solution ultimately comes through restored city funding, public-private partnerships, or another approach, critics agree that restrooms are far more than a convenience, they are a critical part of ensuring public parks remain truly public.
SanDiegoVille emailed Mission Bay Park Department, Mayor Todd Gloria, Councilmember Jennifer Campbell, and the California Coastal Commission for comment for this article and will update when and if responses are received.
Originally published on July 9, 2026.
As part of the settlement, Paradise Point agreed to pay a $1 million penalty, install more than 100 public access signs, remove barriers that made the shoreline appear private, improve coastal pathways, reconstruct public amenities, undertake environmental restoration work, and build additional public-serving facilities, including a new public restroom. When the Coastal Commission revisited the property in 2025, commissioners praised the resort's progress, calling it a public-access "success story" after years of enforcement efforts.
That history gives the current restroom closures added significance. While there is no indication Paradise Point requested or influenced the City's decision, closing the two public restrooms that serve the beaches immediately surrounding the resort inevitably raises questions about whether years of work to improve public access are being undermined.
Similar concerns have been raised about the closures of Tecolote North and Playa Pacifica III, which sit near the San Diego Mission Bay Resort area. While the beaches and parkland remain public, the absence of nearby restrooms can push casual users, families and organized public activities away from areas where hotel guests continue to have access to private resort facilities.
The issue also extends beyond hotel-adjacent shoreline access. According to local fitness permit holders, some Mission Bay locations affected by the restroom closures are also permitted sites for yoga, fitness classes and other public-facing activities. One Mission Bay yoga provider told SanDiegoVille that Tecolote Shores, Ski Beach, Playa Pacifica III and De Anza Cove are among the locations used for permitted classes, and said the city has informed permit holders that locations without functioning restrooms may no longer be available for permits.
If that is accurate, the bathroom closures could effectively remove major portions of Mission Bay from the city’s permit system for fitness instructors, wellness providers and community groups, even though the public spaces themselves remain physically open. That would be especially striking given San Diego’s ongoing legal battle over public yoga in shoreline parks.
Last year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that teaching yoga in San Diego’s shoreline parks is protected speech and that the city’s restriction on yoga instruction failed constitutional scrutiny. The court wrote plainly that “Teaching yoga is protected speech,” a major legal defeat for the city after years of citations and enforcement against beach yoga instructors.
Now, critics argue, the city may have created a different obstacle. Instead of banning yoga or fitness instruction outright, San Diego can simply close the bathrooms that make certain locations eligible or practical for public classes. That does not necessarily mean the closures were designed for that purpose, but the effect could be similar: fewer legal and convenient places for small operators to gather, teach and serve the public.
The result is a strange contradiction. San Diego has spent years fighting in court over whether yoga instructors can use public shoreline parks, while simultaneously cutting the restroom infrastructure that makes those same parks usable for permitted recreation in the first place. The city’s own Parks and Recreation Permit Center handles permits for Mission Bay, shoreline parks, Balboa Park and other public sites, with official materials directing permit applicants to the city’s permit office for use of park facilities.
For Mission Bay, the stakes are unusually high. Unlike many urban parks, Mission Bay is a public waterfront system surrounded by major commercial leaseholds, hotels, marinas and visitor-serving businesses. When the city reduces public amenities in those areas, the burden falls most heavily on ordinary residents, small local operators, lower-income families and visitors who rely entirely on public infrastructure. Hotel guests still have lobby bathrooms, restaurant bathrooms and private amenities. The public does not.
That is why some critics see the closures not simply as austerity, but as a form of de facto privatization. A beach does not have to be fenced off to become functionally less public. It only has to become inconvenient, uncomfortable or impractical for ordinary people to use for extended periods of time.
While much of the criticism has focused on what the City is taking away, the Mission Bay Park Conservancy says it believes the discussion should now shift toward finding solutions. The nonprofit organization, which advocates for the protection and enhancement of Mission Bay Park, says it recognizes the City's budget challenges but does not believe closing essential public infrastructure should be the only option.
"Bathrooms are basic public infrastructure," said Bradley Schnell, founder and president of the Mission Bay Park Conservancy. "The feedback we are hearing from park users is clear: these facilities are important, needed, and deeply relied upon by families, seniors, visitors, youth sports groups, runners, cyclists, and beachgoers. Their closure raises several legitimate concerns that go well beyond simple convenience."
Rather than viewing the issue as an either-or budget decision, Schnell said the Conservancy hopes to work alongside the City, community organizations and philanthropic partners to identify alternative funding sources and maintenance strategies.
"We believe these closures should not be viewed as an either-or decision," Schnell said. "Public-private partnerships and collaborative models have successfully helped preserve and enhance parks across the country. The Conservancy stands ready to work with the City, community partners, and philanthropic supporters to identify resources, explore maintenance strategies, and develop sustainable solutions that keep essential facilities operational while protecting taxpayer resources."
Schnell added that Mission Bay Park is "one of San Diego's crown jewels" and said the City should be pursuing "creative, collaborative ways to maintain and improve public amenities rather than reducing access to them—especially when those amenities directly support health, equity, tourism, and the visitor experience."
For now, the city has not announced a reopening date for the closed Mission Bay restrooms. That leaves permit holders, yoga instructors, families, event organizers and park visitors facing an uncertain summer with fewer facilities, fewer usable gathering spaces and growing questions about whether budget cuts are quietly changing who gets to enjoy San Diego's public waterfront. Whether the solution ultimately comes through restored city funding, public-private partnerships, or another approach, critics agree that restrooms are far more than a convenience, they are a critical part of ensuring public parks remain truly public.
SanDiegoVille emailed Mission Bay Park Department, Mayor Todd Gloria, Councilmember Jennifer Campbell, and the California Coastal Commission for comment for this article and will update when and if responses are received.
Originally published on July 9, 2026.