Glendale residents crowded into a city council meeting Tuesday night to push back against a proposed water rate increase that could raise the average customer's bill by about 53% in its first year. More than 40 people spoke during the hearing, with the overwhelming majority opposing the plan, though a handful of residents voiced support for it.
Glendale Water and Power says the increase is necessary to cover rising operational costs, upgrades to its aging water system and the significantly higher cost of imported water, according to NBC Los Angeles. The utility says customers would see an average increase of about 53% in the first year, though the actual impact would vary depending on where a customer lives and how much water they use. GWP also plans to spend approximately $100 million on capital improvements over the next five years.
For longtime Glendale resident Kirsten Winter, the numbers hit close to home. She said her bill will be 100 percent higher in January because of the rate zone where she lives, and she's been collecting signatures for a petition opposing the increase. Winter said residents weren't informed until September and have had little time to organize opposition, and she said she's now considering whether she'll need to leave California for the first time because of the cost.
Residents Describe Bills They Say They Can't Afford
Other speakers at the meeting echoed Winter's alarm. One unnamed speaker said a 53% increase would squeeze customers dry and called it cruel, while another said that both they and their neighbor simply could not pay. A different speaker described the proposed increase as cost prohibitive and an undue financial burden, warning that higher water rates could leave customers unable to pay, force some into default on future payments, or push them to move out of the city altogether.
Other residents warned that the added expense could make it harder for families to afford living in Glendale at all, with some saying the financial burden could force them out. Not everyone at the microphone was opposed, however — a handful of residents voiced support for the increase, arguing that investment in the city's aging water infrastructure is overdue.
What's Behind the Proposed Hike
The scale of the request reflects years of rising costs that have outpaced rate adjustments. Since 2019, Glendale water rates have increased just 7.5%, even as the cost of imported water has climbed 45% and electricity costs have jumped 57%, according to the Crescenta Valley Weekly. The city's water system includes 407 miles of pipeline serving 36,000 customer meters, and 212 miles of that pipe were installed in the 1950s or earlier, per the same report.
The proposal doesn't stop after the first year. If the initial increase is approved, rates would continue climbing on Jan. 1 of each of the following four years — by 11%, 10%, 10% and 7%, respectively. The average single-family household would see an increase of approximately $37 per month under the plan, the Crescenta Valley Weekly reported in its coverage of a Nov. 5 council session, when the council voted to delay action at least until its Nov. 10 meeting.
How Glendale Compares to Neighboring Cities
Even with the proposed jump, Glendale's rates would remain below some of its neighbors. The Crescenta Valley Weekly reported average monthly water bills of $182 for Los Angeles DWP customers, $99.65 for Burbank customers and $107 for Pasadena customers, projecting that Glendale's average would land at $111.30 per month after the Jan. 1, 2027 increase.
Glendale's water-rate system has drawn scrutiny before. City officials scrapped a rate structure approved in 2012 after it was found to be severely flawed, with errors that overcharged some commercial customers while undercharging some residential customers, according to the Los Angeles Times. That flawed system left Glendale Water & Power facing at least $8 million in expected revenue losses, not counting any refunds or credits owed for overcharges.
What Happens Next
Glendale Water and Power said it sent Proposition 218 notices to customers informing them of the proposed rates and explaining how they could formally protest the increases. The City Council hearing was still underway Tuesday night, with a vote on the proposed rates expected later in the evening. If approved, the new water rates would take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
