The Chico City Council Tuesday night will decide whether and how best to provide the homeless with round-the-clock bathroom access.
Chico has public restrooms, but they’re all locked at night.
Finding a solution is complex. The restrooms must provide privacy, but not enough to invite drug use, prostitution or other crime. They must be inexpensive to buy and maintain, yet stand up to vandals and resist graffiti.
The option favored by city staff is dubbed a Portland Loo. The units have been installed in Portland, Seattle and San Diego. They have partial openings at the top and bottom, and exterior hand-washing stations.
The council will also vote on an update to the Offenses Against Public Property Ordinance, which carries a misdemeanor charge for storing personal property and camping supplies. It originally applied only to public property near waterways and parts of downtown Chico. The update would extend the boundaries to any public space.