The San Diego County Water Authority has made notable reductions to its proposed water rate increase for the coming year, moving from an initial 18 percent increase to a suggested 10.4 percent.
This latest proposal was put forth during a meeting with the San Diego City Council, but it did not satisfy all councilmembers.
Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera voiced his strong discontent, arguing that the Water Authority should find ways to further decrease the rate increase, emphasizing the need to consider the financial struggles of residents.
“Part of my criticism from the last month and a half or so, is I don’t think CWA feels the pressure that we feel from having to talk to people who are barely getting by,” Elo-Rivera remarked.
He branded any lack of consideration for how rising costs affect the community as unacceptable.
In support of these sentiments, Councilmember Marni von Wilpert recommended exploring options such as freezing vacant positions and cutting back on capital projects to ease the budget and lessen the financial burden on residents.
Her insistence on reducing costs prompted a collaborative dialogue regarding budget adjustments.
The tensions between the San Diego City Council and the Water Authority have been ongoing, with multiple instances of frustration aimed at the authority’s financial management.
Back in January, von Wilpert expressed her exasperation not only with the proposed rate increases but also the contracts binding the city to water purchase commitments, regardless of demand.
At that time, her frustration reached a peak to the extent that she proposed the city consider refraining from paying its water bills altogether.
The ongoing dynamic escalated further in April when Elo-Rivera threatened in a letter to Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham that if rates could not be lowered, the city might explore leaving the Water Authority or possibly dissolving it.
While the Water Authority serves numerous cities and water districts across the county, the city of San Diego holds significant authority, controlling ten out of the 34 seats on the agency’s Board of Directors.
During the recent council meeting, discussions also tackled the need to reduce the Water Authority’s budget allocated for communication and paid sponsorships.
Elo-Rivera specifically questioned why advertisements from the Water Authority appeared on platforms like Voice of San Diego, suggesting that these sponsorships were more about influencing decision-makers than engaging with the general public.
“A communications budget that helps folks understand how to engage with you, that’s one thing,” Elo-Rivera commented, contrasting it with a budget seemingly aimed at swaying policy decisions.
A representative from the Independent Budget Analyst’s office concurred, noting that adjustments could be made to the communications and sponsorship budget to trim expenses.
In a more optimistic update for the Water Authority, Denham announced a settlement with the Metropolitan Water District, concluding a longstanding legal dispute that had reportedly cost about $20 million over 15 years.
This settlement paves the way for the Water Authority to sell water to regional partners and potentially explore out-of-state sales, which may help reduce costs for San Diego residents in the future.
Denham clarified that a significant driver of rising rates is attributed to increasing labor costs.
Moreover, he noted that a portion of the forthcoming rate hike is related to the exit of the Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District from the Water Authority, effective late 2023.
Nick Serrano, deputy chief of staff for Mayor Todd Gloria and chair of the Water Authority’s Board of Directors, stated that the council’s feedback was valuable and expressed readiness to consider ideas for cost-cutting measures.
Reflecting on past interactions, a similar confrontation occurred last year when a proposed 24 percent rate hike was subsequently scaled down to 14 percent after council pressure.
However, von Wilpert shared a hopeful perspective, suggesting that for the first time, both the city and the Water Authority seem genuinely committed to finding ways to reduce costs.
In contrast, Elo-Rivera remained skeptical, asserting that the discussions at hand seemed more influenced by pride in previous decisions rather than an earnest response to the pressing needs of the community.
Such ongoing discourse underscores the critical balance between financial sustainability for the Water Authority and the essential need to keep water affordable for San Diego residents.
image source from：https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/06/05/water-authority-floats-lower-rate-hike-council-says-not-good-enough/
