City of San Diego Trash Fee Unconstitutional? – Decision Forthcoming
Residents of the City of San Diego are invited to attend an important meeting with Attorney’s Mike Aguirre and Maria Severson who are representing the plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit in strong opposition to the Environmental Services Department trash fee, sighting that it is unconstitutional. The meeting will take place from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, March 21, 2026, in the community room at the Mission Hills-Hillcrest Library, located at 215 W. Washington Street.
Aguirre and Severson will share information on what has transpired to date and remind us of what transpired
to force the lawsuit. They will also provide an update on the status of the trash fee lawsuit and pending court date.
Last year, after signing off on a $4.5 million study of what would be an appropriate fee, San Diego officials unveiled a plan to charge homeowners almost $48 a month in the first year, a figure they later reduced to $43.
In June, the City Council voted 6 to 3 to impose a $43 monthly charge — a fee they planned to add to San Diego County property tax rolls to make sure the city will collect all the funds.
Even before the council adopted the fee, a group of property owners contested it in San Diego Superior Court, arguing it charges more than the service costs to deliver and therefore violates the California Constitution.
In a September 14, 2025 Union Tribute report it described the city’s “chaotic” implementation of the program and stated that fewer than half of the 20,000 households losing city pickup have secured private haulers, with many facing rejections, steep rates or a maze of complications.
Fifteen plaintiffs are a part of a lawsuit to oppose the trash fee as proposed because it charges for services not rendered.
Category: Events, Government, Lawsuits, Local News, Taxation
