By Lisa Mortensen / March 23, 2025
See this first — From inewsource:
The city of San Diego may soon charge one of the highest trash fees in Southern California. But there is one way homeowners could stop it.
Proposition 218, a state law passed in 1996 to require approval from those facing a rate increase by government agencies, includes a property owner’s right to cast a written protest against a new fee or increase. It’s called a majority protest: If more than half of eligible property owners submit a written, “valid” protest, then the City Council would not be able to implement a trash fee. Councilmembers will discuss new reports on the fee schedule on April 14, city officials said.
Let’s keep our eyes on the prize of voting down the trash tax. Please watch for an envelope mailed to you from the City of San Diego with a protest statement at the bottom of the page. This mailing will not look like your ballot from the Registrar of Voters because it’s not a ‘vote’ but a ‘protest’. Don’t let these ‘labels’ confuse you. The word is protest not ballot.
Since we all will discover what this protest form looks like when we get our notice in the mail, it’s up to all of us to keep our eyes peeled. When I receive mine, I will send on to you but you may receive it before I do and have already thrown it away so it behooves all of us to stay alert.
Now, even though we naively let our bi-monthly water bills go up up and away by not mailing back the protest for those charges, let’s not be fooled again. We know our city hall officials are self-serving and want to cover the city’s deficit by taxing and charging us more to cover their irresponsible budgeting. (You will be surprise to know that this outcry is coming from a lifelong democrat who just changed to ‘no-party’ affiliation because I don’t recognize my party anymore. In addition, this big-money, two-party system we have in this country is just very tired and merely enriches politicians and ignores us. Time to move to the center to listen to both sides).
Now here’s where we need to all come together to win this fight:
1. You must have a postage stamp and send back the protest tear-off form to the address given on the protest notice. Is taking 5 minutes and putting a stamp and mailing back your protest too high of a bar to stop us from being assessed the 2nd highest charge on trash pickup in the state (behind Long Beach)? I hope not!
2. Spread the word! When you get your protest, take a screenshot and spread the word to friends, neighbors and colleagues who live in the city of San Diego and also on your social media (including Next door) platforms.
We can do this if we have the will that will lead the way to success.
Editordude: Our own Kate Callen was the first to float this protest idea back about a month ago. Since then, the idea has caught on and many are spreading the word.
This is really a bait-and-switch as the estimated rates were half of what they are now proposing (plus assured future increases). I don’t find other cities in SD County using their own workers to handle trash.
I believe some legal action and/or investigation should be made regarding the estimated rates being intentionally low-balled to get a Yes vote.
While I will protest and hope all homeowners do, SD has the opportunity to place this service out to bid: Other SD County cities use Republic, EDCO and Waste Management who provide the service for much less ($23-30/mo.) than the proposed new bloated charges. This would be a large contract(s) that would bring completive bidding.
The city has stating the size of SD makes trash collection more complicated. A smokescreen for the city choosing to pay high salaries, benefits, management costs, then adding unnecessary additional services, bins and new trucks. Much of San Diego is more compact then other SD County cites making most pickup routes shorter. It’s perplexing that only when the cost can be passed through to citizens the City proposes to double their cost of operations. Has SD let its equipment deteriorate and now will charge citizens to pick up the tab?
SD could bid out several areas of the city to the reputable companies who use close-by landfills. Is the city afraid they will lose revenue at the Miramar Landfill, which they have complained has been getting overloaded for years?
I just wonder how many property owners will not have the notice sent to their addresses or other deceptive actions to suppress a Protest vote.
This is a Vote as Prop 218 language shows the protest forms are referred to as ballots. Can we trust our individual protest ballots are tabulated by a non-biased organization and will the protest ballots be shown as being received for each address? An item of such magnitude should be handled by the San Diego Registrar of Voters.
Excellent points Paul! The over reaching clowncil has also done a first! San Diego Becomes First City in Nation to Ban Digital-Only Grocery Deals. For all intentions, this will likely stop digital deals altogether if legal. Never mind that it’s just focused on grocery stores only. It’s making a coupon mandatory to everyone. Nobody made the sunday paper mandatory back in the day for those coupons. Elo must have strained hard on this one. Probably couldn’t get his memory supplement on discount.
So, can we do the same with our water bills? I got our rate increase notice yesterday. I would love to scroll “I VOTE NO” and send it back.
Re: fee for Garbage/trash
Wondering why our property taxes don’t already cover this??????
Don’t want to see it implemented.
HOW many signed forms are required to change this?