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Roll up your sleeves.
The Volunteer Task Force is launching today. Whether you have one Saturday a month or one hour a week, we'll match you to work that delivers visible impact — starting with the restrooms.
Our first visible project
Adopt a restroom.
The City's FY2027 Proposed Budget cuts service to 25 restrooms across the bay system: 13 Mission Bay restrooms closed seasonally (winter and summer), 5 Shoreline Parks restrooms closed in winter, and 7 portable restrooms eliminated at Fiesta Island. We are stepping in — adopting and supporting the maintenance of these essential facilities so they stay open and clean for the public. Specific restroom locations will be announced by Parks & Recreation; the Conservancy is positioned to support each one as the list is published.
This is a concrete, immediate win. It is the start of a back-to-basics commitment that will define everything we do. We are addressing the bureaucracy — the red tape, the delays, the excuses that have kept this park from reaching its potential for decades.
A lot can change between now and the finalized budget. Council may yet restore some of these closures at adoption — they have softened earlier cycles, and we hope they will here. But the pressure on the City's General Fund is structural, not a one-cycle anomaly. Our parks will need help either way. We want to be there to keep Mission Bay safe, clean, and accessible — and that starts with restrooms.
How adoption works
With the City's support, we will help in every way possible — whether that's raising funds for supplies so restrooms can remain open on peak days, or providing contract cleaning services where the City budget falls short. Much like Forever Balboa Park and the La Jolla Coast Conservancy, we will seek a partnership with the City — a permit to maintain where they cannot.
One restroom. One sponsor. Daily standards.
Each adopted restroom is paired with a sponsoring donor and a Conservancy-coordinated service agreement with the City. Daily cleaning is performed by City staff or a contracted cleaning service — funded by the donor's gift, never by volunteer labor. The Conservancy handles the partnership agreement, the contracting and oversight of supplemental services, and weekly condition reporting back to donors and the public.
We publish weekly condition reports for every adopted facility. If something is broken, you'll know. If something improves, you'll see it. This is what back-to-basics looks like.
How it works with the City
A Special Use Permit, the Forever Balboa Park model.
The Conservancy will pursue and operate under a Special Use Permit with the City of San Diego — the same legal framework Forever Balboa Park and the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy have used since January 2024 to run volunteer maintenance and beautification work across Balboa Park. The City keeps responsibility for the heavy work; volunteers handle the day-to-day care that keeps facilities open and welcoming. Every volunteer trained, every project pre-approved, every result reported.
Pre-approved projects
Every cleanup, planting, painting, or repair is coordinated with Parks & Recreation in advance. The Conservancy handles training, scheduling, and supervision; the City provides oversight and approval.
Monthly coordination & reporting
Parks & Recreation staff and Conservancy leadership meet monthly. Weekly cleanliness reports, monthly project summaries, and annual hour tallies — all open to the public.
The City retains the heavy work
Major plumbing, electrical, structural repair, hazardous materials, and ADA compliance all stay with City staff. We supplement, never replace.
What volunteers can do under this kind of permit: trash and debris removal, exterior power washing, exterior paint touch-ups, basic landscape work (pruning, weeding, mulching, planting), basic irrigation maintenance, walkway and concrete repair in approved areas, signage, condition reporting, visitor services, and educational tours. Restroom cleaning is performed by City staff or contracted services — not by volunteers.
Sign up — we'll match you to the right role.
Tell us a little about yourself and what kind of work fits your life. We'll be in touch within a week with a specific opportunity. No bureaucracy. No mailing-list spam. Just real volunteer work, operating under our Special Use Permit framework with the City.
Submitting opens an email to info@missionbaypark.org. You'll hear from us within a week.