A billing error that spiked the trash fees for more than 87,000 San Diego ratepayers is on the way to being fixed Friday, with correct data from the city at the county's Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office, city leaders said.
The errors were introduced as part of some county property-tax bills, but stemmed from a city mistake and led to solid waste management fees higher than they should have been — in some cases hundreds of dollars higher.
"When this error was identified, I directed immediate action to correct it," said Mayor Todd Gloria. "The city's Environmental Services staff has now provided the county with the accurate billing information; we're coordinating with the Treasurer-Tax Collector's office to update property tax statements, and city staff will notify affected residents directly.
"This was an unacceptable error, and we are fixing it. Our responsibility is to be upfront when something goes wrong, act quickly to make it right and keep San Diegans informed along the way. No one will be expected to pay more than the correct amount."
Gloria said the revised bills will be coming before the Nov. 1 deadline. Bills become delinquent after Dec. 10.
Councilmember and Budget Committee Chair Henry Foster III and Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera called for a complete accounting of the error from the Mayor's Office.
"The mayor needs to look in the mirror and if he can't do the job, he needs to step down," Foster said.
In a statement to the Union-Tribune, the city asked residents to wait for a new bill rather than filing a billing dispute.
"This billing issue only impacts the county property tax line item," the city statement said. "Customer accounts in the city's Residential Waste Collection Services Portal are accurate. Customers are encouraged to create an account, if they haven't already, to view their trash fee."
Nicole Crosby, candidate for San Diego City Council District 2, said the rollout of the trash fee was bungled from the start and the buck stops with Gloria.
"City Hall may call it a technical error, but for a family already stretched thin, that money can be the difference between putting food on the table and going without," Crosby said. "I thank Budget Chair Henry Foster and Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera for demanding action, and I join their call: The mayor must report the full scope of this error, correct every bill before payments come due, and explain how he will prevent it from happening again. San Diegans are tired of paying for City Hall's mistakes, and they deserve accountability, not excuses."
In June, the City Council voted to reduce trash fees for single-family homes to $38.75 starting next year for the "typical" 95-gallon bin bundle — a number adjusted for inflation from the initial proposal in 2021. Those using 65- or 35-gallon bins will pay "proportionally less." That amount will increase to $39.91 on July 1, 2028.
A group of homeowners sued the city following the passage of Measure B, which ended 106 years of free trash pickup services for single-family homes. The plaintiffs alleged the fees violated Proposition 218, an initiative approved by California voters in 1996 that holds utility fees cannot exceed the costs of providing those services.
Former San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre, one of the attorneys representing the homeowners, said that while voters approved a monthly fee of between $23 and $29, the council approved imposing a nearly $44 monthly fee.
In June 2025, the City Council passed the solid-waste fee.
Single-family refuse pickup is funded by the city's general fund, which all residents pay into through property tax — whether they rent or own a single-family home, a condominium or an apartment. The city takes away 300,000 tons of trash and 150,000 tons of recycling, compostables and yard waste annually.
