San Diego’s Trash Plan Was Garbage in 2022 ~ It Still Is Today!
Taxpayers Association Says ‘Reject!’ Proposed Trash Fee Scheme
As a board member of the San Diego County Taxpayer Association, I want to share that this organization continues to review and assess fees and taxes being proposed by the City and County of San Diego. Recently, the board reviewed the ordinance of the City of San Diego on a “revised” trash fee. Below is what we chose to communicate and promote.
The proposed fee for trash pick-up is reportedly twice as much as city officials told voters in 2022. Considering that, along with its original opposition to the trash plan itself, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association (SDCTA) recommends homeowners reject the proposed trash fee. Under state law the fee can be stopped if more than half of affected households vote to reject it. SDCTA has been told instructions on how to approve/reject the fee will be in homeowners’ mailboxes soon.
After a thorough review in 2022 the Watchdog group voted to oppose Measure B, which repealed the “People’s Ordinance.” Per that ordinance, homeowners paid for trash pick-up through their property taxes. Measure B changed that, forcing homeowners to pay a second time through a new add-on fee. It’s that new add-on fee which homeowners will now be deciding.
“There’s a better way,” said Mike McLaughlin, chairman of the Taxpayers board of directors. “Our team created a dynamic, inclusive plan in 2022 that treated everyone equally, while recognizing the amount of garbage generated in 1921, when the People’s Ordinance was passed, was vastly different from the amount and type of waste generated today.”
The Taxpayer plan gave everyone, homeowners and renters alike, a base amount of trash pick-up covered by existing property taxes, while adding a new ‘Pay as You Throw” fee for overages. That 2022 analysis is available here.
“We encourage homeowners to reject the proposed fee scheme,” said McLaughlin, “and let’s all come back to the table in an honest, real way to benefit the city of San Diego and all of the people who live here.”
The Watchdog group saved County taxpayers $3,000,000,000 in 2024! County voters accepted SDCTA recommendations on over 30 tax/bond measures in 2024, saving taxpayers more than $3-billion dollars in additional taxes or bond debt, debt which would be repaid, with interest, by taxpayers.
San Diego County Taxpayers Association (SDCTA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, dedicated to promoting accountable, cost-effective, and efficient government and opposing unnecessary new taxes and fees. Since 1945, SDCTA has served as “San Diego’ s Taxpayer Watchdog Group” by educating the public and helping save the region’ s citizens billions of dollars. Public opinion polls consistently rate SDCTA as the most “influential” and “trusted” public policy institution in San Diego. For more information, please visit www.sdcta.org,
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