San Diego taxpayers face high costs from trash fee lawsuit

New details have emerged regarding the financial impact of a legal dispute over San Diego’s trash and recycling fees. The lawsuit was initiated after a City Council vote proposed a service expansion that would have increased monthly baseline fees from approximately $23 to over $40.

To avoid a ballot measure and resolve the litigation, the City Council approved a compromise in May that reduced both the service scope and the fees. However, the legal process incurred significant costs. The settlement included a $1 million payment to plaintiffs’ attorneys Mike Aguirre and Mia Severson.

Additionally, documents from the City Attorney’s office reveal that the city paid $725,000 to the Oakland-based law firm JarvisFay for its defense during the year-long litigation. The release of these specific invoice details followed a formal Public Records Act request after initial attempts to obtain billing information were met with claims of exemption under state government codes.