Overview
- In a Feb. 18 hearing, the San Diego City Council Rules Committee voted down Councilmember Raul Campillo’s plan aimed at preventing higher‑than‑expected city fees.
- The proposal would have required, before any election that could create or raise a fee, either a full cost‑of‑service study or a lighter economic impact analysis.
- Committee members argued the mandate could raise costs, delay ballot placement, and constrain the council’s authority; Council President Joe LaCava said the council can still require studies case by case.
- A separate effort to simplify sewer and water rate‑hike protest notices, including a first‑page statement of the increase and an easy‑to‑find protest form, was also rejected.
- The push followed trash‑fee estimates of $23–$29 per month before the 2022 vote that later produced a council‑approved $43.60 charge, while Campillo’s revisions drew on Jan Goldsmith’s advice, omitted a maximum‑fee cap, and exempted citizen initiatives.