Opening a property tax bill should not create a second job: checking the city’s arithmetic, comparing records and figuring out whom to call. Yet San Diego’s trash-fee billing errors have given thousands of residents reason to question a charge they should have been able to trust.
The city has begun correcting the problem. In a Sept. 24 update, officials said corrected billing data had been sent to the county the previous day, with revised property tax statements to follow. Approximately 87,000 customers were affected, some charged too much and others too little. The city said affected customers need not take action now and would be contacted directly.
That is welcome progress. The test is whether every affected household receives an accurate bill and a clear explanation, including residents who never complain.
Times of San Diego reported that Normal Heights resident Marty Graham and a friend with expertise in data analysis examined bills for 100 homes after a neighborhood warning. Their work helped draw attention to the discrepancies. Residents deserve credit for that persistence. City Hall needs to explain why its own safeguards did not catch the errors first.
Mayor Todd Gloria has offered an initial explanation. According to ABC 10News, he said the information in the city’s waste portal was correct but changed during submission to the county, and that quality assurance should have caught the problem. The review must establish where that process failed and how future submissions will be verified.
For me, the troubling part is how easily a government mistake becomes a resident’s responsibility. Someone notices a questionable charge, tries to understand it and finds time to seek an answer. A retiree on a fixed income or a parent fitting calls around work may have little room for that burden. The correction process should remove it.
San Diego should meet three standards as it completes the repair.
First, carry each correction through to the household’s bill. Sending accurate data to the county is an essential step, but residents need confirmation that it has replaced the incorrect charge. Each notice should show the original amount, the corrected amount and any action still required.
If someone has already paid too much, the notice should explain how and when the difference will be returned or credited. For households paying property taxes through mortgage escrow, officials should also explain how corrected information will reach mortgage servicers. Residents should not have to reconcile conflicting figures between institutions.
Second, make communication accessible and progress measurable. The city offers customer service by phone. That support should be adequately staffed during the correction effort, with mailed notices and language assistance available. A portal can help residents check their records, but access to an online account should not become a condition for getting an accurate bill.
Officials should publish a correction schedule and report how many accounts remain unresolved. If a deadline changes, explain why and provide the next update date. Residents need enough information to know when to expect resolution without repeatedly calling for reassurance.
Third, explain what will prevent a repeat. The City Council should require a public review identifying where the data changed, which checks failed and who will verify future submissions. Staff should compare charges with service records and investigate unusual amounts before another billing file goes out. The review should also disclose the public cost of correcting the mistake.
Trash collection requires reliable funding. Voters’ approval of Measure B in 2022 allowed the City Council to establish a fee, which it did in 2025. Residents can disagree about that policy while sharing a straightforward expectation: the government collecting the money must calculate the charge correctly.
The city deserves credit for implementing and reporting its first corrective steps. Restoring confidence will require following through until residents can see the result.
Residents have already done work that government safeguards should have handled. They should not have to audit the repair, too.
Shikha Bansal is a San Diego-based writer and community advocate.
