On July 30, 2025, a divided California Court of Appeal issued its long-awaited opinion in Patz v. City of San Diego, affirming the trial court’s judgment that the City’s tiered residential water rates violated Proposition 218 of the California Constitution. The ruling reinforces the strict interpretation of cost-of-service requirements previously articulated in Coziahr v. Otay Water […]
If you live in or drive through UTC, chances are you’ve felt the frustration, heavy traffic and daily bottlenecks along Genesee Avenue near State Route 52. Drivers and businesses alike are feeling the impact. “Customers get lost trying to get into the center,” said Ethan Stern, whose family owns Lorna’s Italian Kitchen. “You have to […]
The law firm that helped San Diego embark on an ambitious water deal and guided the region’s legal strategy for 25 years has ended things with the San Diego County Water Authority. In a new letter, attorneys with Brownstein Hayatte Farber Schreck LLP, told the Water Authority’s general manager that they would not provide legal […]
It seems like a good problem to have and one that should be getting even better. The San Diego region has more than enough water and more is on the way. That’s a rarity in the parched West. It sounds great, but the reality is, it’s an increasingly costly burden.
The Price of Water Just Got More Complicated: San Diego’s Legal Battle Over Tiered Rates
/in Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Jordan Beane /JD Supraby Dean Atyia and Lutfi Kharuf Mentioned: San Diego County Water AuthorityOn July 30, 2025, a divided California Court of Appeal issued its long-awaited opinion in Patz v. City of San Diego, affirming the trial court’s judgment that the City’s tiered residential water rates violated Proposition 218 of the California Constitution. The ruling reinforces the strict interpretation of cost-of-service requirements previously articulated in Coziahr v. Otay Water […]
Progress Made on Genesee Ave Construction in University City as San Diego’s Pure Water Plan Continues
/in Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Jordan Beane /CBS 8 San Diegoby Vanessa PazIf you live in or drive through UTC, chances are you’ve felt the frustration, heavy traffic and daily bottlenecks along Genesee Avenue near State Route 52. Drivers and businesses alike are feeling the impact. “Customers get lost trying to get into the center,” said Ethan Stern, whose family owns Lorna’s Italian Kitchen. “You have to […]
Morning Report: The Water Authority Breakup
/in Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Jordan Beane /Voice of San Diegoby Jim Hinch and Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña Mentioned: San Diego County Water AuthorityThe law firm that helped San Diego embark on an ambitious water deal and guided the region’s legal strategy for 25 years has ended things with the San Diego County Water Authority. In a new letter, attorneys with Brownstein Hayatte Farber Schreck LLP, told the Water Authority’s general manager that they would not provide legal […]
Smolens: What to do with all that ‘Pure Water’?
/in Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Jordan Beane /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Michael Smolens Mentioned: San Diego County Water AuthorityQuoted: Nick Serrano
It seems like a good problem to have and one that should be getting even better. The San Diego region has more than enough water and more is on the way. That’s a rarity in the parched West. It sounds great, but the reality is, it’s an increasingly costly burden.