San Francisco's public restroom wrongdoers are being put on notice by a group of "potty-sitters," as the Chronicle calls these new hires who are being paid up to $16 an hour to make sure that people are properly using the amenities. That adds up to a sh*t-ton of money at $100,000 a year per site, but it could make for better bathroom conditions and thus less street poop to complain about.

Rachel Gordon, San Francisco Public Works spokeswoman, says the plan is “to make sure they are used for their intended uses and that they are in decent condition for the next person to use.” Keeping the restroom in decent condition presumably includes (but is not limited) making sure everyone flushes and that no one is going in to do drugs, perform sex acts, etc. etc.

“We need to step up and meet the demands of what people expect from a great city like San Francisco,” said Public Works head Mohammed Nuru.

The potty-sitters are part of the “Pit Stop” program from Public Works, which rolled out portable toilets as well as two of those charming green Parisian-style latrines. There are about 24 "potty-sitters" so far, the Chronicle was told.

Once we have staffing, we have seen a huge number of increases in flushes,” Nuru said. “We believe people are more comfortable going in because they are cleaner.”

Earlier this month, and for many before that, the Chronicle and others have wondered loudly whether the intractable problem of public defecation has worsened. With regard to that, SFist speculated that a larger city with more newcomers was more sensitive to the very real, very gross problem.

Regardless, this small step — making sure public restrooms are in better order and are serviceable, is a step in the right direction. That is to say, it's a step away from stepping in poop.

Related: The Best Public Restrooms In SF