By Miriam Raftery

April 12, 2023 (La Mesa) - Helix Water District will hold a hearing on proposed rate hikes and increased service charges. The hearing will be on Wednesday, April 26^th at 5 p.m.in the Helix Water District board room (7811 University Ave., La Mesa). 

By Pennell Paugh and Miriam Raftery

April 5, 2022 (San Diego) – SDG&E rolled out rate hikes starting January 1 that raised prices around 11% on electricity (7.6% for residential customers), a hike approved by the California Public Utilities Commission. But some consumers have been shocked to find far larger spikes in their bills early this year, a problem compounded by a spike in natural gas prices fueled by cold weather and global supply issues, Voice of San Diego reports.

Board President Dan McMillan votes against the measure

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

August 17, 2019 (La Mesa) -- Water from the Helix Water District (HWD), which serves some 276,000 residents throughout East County San Diego, is going to get a little more expensive in spite of ample water supply in storage.

How the City of La Mesa games the system--even when it is not necessaary

By Joseph Glidden

April 12, 2017 (La Mesa) -- Prop. 218 will make it difficult for La Mesa’s ratepayers to reject the pending sewer rate increase. If the city has its way, it will be impossible.

In order for residents to defeat this proposal, the law requires that 50% (plus one) of the ratepayers submit a written “protest” letter. This is not likely to happen. La Mesans have not rejected a rate increase in recent history. In fact, the last two sewer rate increases have passed with 99.9% of the ratepayers not filing a protest letter. This should have been a red flag at City Hall. It is nearly impossible to get 99.9% of our community to agree on anything, let alone on a sewer rate increase. So how did the city manage such a feat? By gaming the system, of course.

September 6, 2012 (Sacramento) – Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced this week that the Health Insurance Rate Justification and Accountability Act has enough valid signatures to qualify for the November 2014 ballot. The measure will give the California Insurance Commissioner the power to review and reject excessive health insurance rate hikes.