By Steven Mihailovich / Point Loma – OB Monthly SD U-T / March 5, 2025
A proposed $53 monthly fee for city of San Diego trash collection at single-family homes stirred up animated debate as the Ocean Beach Community Foundation held its first public meeting of 2025.
Randy Reyes, representing City Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell, whose District 2 includes Ocean Beach and Point Loma, stoically defended the new fee proposal against a barrage of questions and comments that took the entire nine-minute Q&A period following his usual presentation, even though the trash topic wasn’t broached in his report.
The monthly price, which the city plans to start charging in July to recoup its costs, would end more than a century of fee-free service for trash and recycling collection for single-family homeowners and some small multi-unit properties.
Businesses and most rental housing with more than four units pay for private trash service.
Though the fee, to be charged on property tax bills, would come with some increased services, many in the audience of about 40 people at the OBCF meeting Feb. 26 bemoaned the proposed cost, amounting to $636 annually amid already high property taxes and general living expenses.
“Is there any way that amount can be reduced?” Arlene Fink asked. “Six hundred dollars per household. That’s a lot of money. And I pay $10,000 a year in property taxes.”
But San Diego officials want to raise the monthly fee further as the city adds more services, reaching $65 in July 2027.
The fee was made possible by city voters’ approval in 2022 of Measure B, which amended the 1919 People’s Ordinance to allow for trash collection fees. On Feb. 12, the City Council’s Environment Committee approved the $53 monthly fee proposed by the Environmental Services Department.
A consultant recommends that the city of San Diego replace many of its older trash vehicles. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“At this moment, $72 million of the general fund — which could be used for libraries, parks, roads, police, fire, all of that — is being paid for the trash collection,” Reyes said. “So by charging $53 … we will now be able to have that $72 million to spend on those services instead of trash collection.”
“I don’t mind paying a little bit for trash pickup, but $600 a year seems excessive,” Fink said. She suggested closer to $25 a month.
San Diego’s independent budget analyst estimated in 2022 that monthly bills would fall between $23 and $29. But that analysis didn’t account for inflation or increased service levels recommended by a consultant hired to help the city determine how much to charge.
Questions were repeatedly asked at the OBCF meeting about how the fee was determined — whether multiplying the number of single-family households in the city by $636 equals $72 million.
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Remember this fee can be stopped if over 50% of all notification letter recipients respond negatively.
Good luck. People are screen zombies now.
Cut back that MTS budget
Double it.
Enjoy the higher prices that will likely come.
True, but a huge hill to climb. I doubt 50% plus 1 will say No since not replying is considered a Yes.
San Diego is a consumer waste zone, tourists and newbys and local illitertatti, living the dream , literally wasting the dream !
pay up$. (all this consumer-you waste is not actually mayor gloria’s fault)
and stop ordering delivery packaging that is choking us to death,
that would be with a please, and a thank you
there is a tomorrow, you know,
get thinking about it
example:
big trash fee for “take-out” restaurant or delivery packaging
Big “trash tarif” for take-out food delivery
Correction: Randy Reyes is a rep for the mayor. Manny Reyes is rep for Campbell and was at the meeting. I know it’s confusing, theyre twins.
There’s a lot of bullshit math on this one.
The $25/month does appear to be based on current costs divided by single-family homes.
However, there are many duplex, triplex, 4-plexes throughout OB and the rest of the city that are also in this boat. So divided by them, it would actually be less, to cover that total.
When you multiply $65/month times the all the households subject to city trash pickup, it is about TRIPLE their current trash costs.
They offered little explanation for this, other than weekly recycle pickup, no-fee for
container replacement, and bulky item pickup twice per year. These were items favored by public feedback, but I doubt they would’ve requested that knowing it would triple the trash budget!
This is just a bullshit tax, is what it is. The city should reduce taxes by $72M that it’s already pulling from the general fund, paid by citizens. And I would direct that to the apartment and condo dwellers that have been funding a large share of the city trash service all these years without benefitting from it.
I could be wrong. I get them mixed up.
The city council and et al can’t balance the budget so why in the HELL should we as taxpayers trust and believe anything they say or do is being done for the betterment of ALL and not just THEM???
All the clowncil wants to do is tax you. Lol
The San Diego City Council will Monday consider increasing the tax rate on cannabis businesses in the city from 8% to 10% as San Diego faces a looming budget deficit.
However, city staff admit, increasing the tax rate might reduce overall sales due to legal locations located outside the city and illicit sales. Cannabis retail sales are assessed a 15% state excise tax, 7.75% sales tax, and the current local cannabis tax rate of 8%, resulting in a total markup of 31.75%.
Just FYI, Environmental Services is kicking 13,000 buildings off their service rolls, including all with 5 or more units, according to city DES boss Kirby Brady at the Feb. city council committee meeting.
Those complexes will have to find private service so expect everyone’s costs to go up. Your landlord won’t know what trash hauling will cost next year and will have to guess how much to add it to your rent – whether it’s city or private.
Those 5+ unit buildings already have private trash service. The city doesn’t service them.