🚨BAD BILL ALERT🚨 TAXPAYER PROTECTION OF PROPOSITION 218 BEING UNDERCUT BY ASSEMBLY BILL 2180

Senator Steven Choi, Ph.D (R-Irvine) is alerting Californians that a bill gutting Proposition 218 (1996), is coming up for a vote as soon as this afternoon.

Assembly Bill 2180, authored by Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego), would insert the Legislature into a current court battle over tiered water rates, and whether water districts are implementing those fairly and appropriately under the law. The court case is Dreher v. City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and is pending at the California State Supreme Court.

Click HERE for the analysis of AB 2180.

"Proposition 218 was approved by the voters to protect taxpayers, and in this case ratepayers in a water district, from arbitrary rate hikes," said Sen. Choi. "The Legislature should stay out of this court fight - let the Supreme Court make its ruling rather than forcing AB 2180 through during the last days of session."

AB 2180 would allow water district officials to choose their own way to calculate tiered water rates, rather than simply following the law as set by Proposition 218, and confirmed by the judicial branch.

Both the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and California Taxpayers Association have issued letters strongly opposing AB 2180.

"AB 2180 should be sidelined so we can let the courts do the interpreting of the law, not tax-happy Democrat lawmakers," said Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R-San Diego). "Californians can't afford rate increases, tax hikes or anything else that might add to the crushing weight of our ongoing affordability crisis on working families."

The California Taxpayers Association opposition letter calls out this bill for what it is, a cost burden, "AB 2180 would result in higher costs to taxpayers through increased utility charges, while reducing accountability for agencies."