Sacramento, CA– California Senate Republicans are urging Governor Gavin Newsom to veto legislation concerning how water districts calculate tiered water rates, saying the measure could affect the application of Proposition 218.
Assembly Bill 2180, authored by Assemblymember Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, was the subject of a letter from Senate Republicans asking Newsom to reject the bill. The legislation comes as the California Supreme Court considers a case involving tiered water rates charged by water agencies. The case, Dreher v. City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, concerns whether water districts are complying with legal requirements governing tiered water rates. Senator Steven Choi, R-Irvine, said Proposition 218, approved by California voters in 1996, was intended to provide protections for property owners and ratepayers from certain government-imposed fees and charges.
“AB 2180 was rushed through in the final days of the legislative session to interfere with an ongoing lawsuit and undermine a voter-approved law,” Choi said.
Republicans contend the legislation would give water district officials greater discretion in calculating tiered water rates instead of requiring them to follow an interpretation of Proposition 218 that they say has been affirmed by the courts. Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-San Diego, called on Newsom to veto the bill, arguing that questions involving the interpretation of existing law should be resolved by the courts. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and California Taxpayers Association have also issued letters opposing the legislation.
AB 2180 is now awaiting action from the governor.
