Every month, thousands of San Diegans don’t get their water bills on time. The city’s Public Utilities Department holds them if a computer flags a problem. It could be a leak or a broken meter, resulting in bills being held for months or even a year.
A Mission Hills homeowner has resolved his water billing issues with the City of San Diego after contacting CBS 8 via CBS 8 interviewed Ken Perilli last week about a notice from the city’s Public Utilities Department that said his water bills were being withheld pending an investigation into “abnormal water usage.”
BS 8 is Working for You to get to the bottom of water billing problems in the City of San Diego. It’s been four months since Mission Hills homeowner Ken Perilli received a notice in the mail that his water bills were being withheld, pending an investigation by the city of San Diego into “abnormal water use.”
San Diego Friday warned residents to be on the lookout for fake “water update” notice at their homes that appear to be from a private company with no association with the city.
Residents contacted by the company are urged not to agree to services and not to provide personal information.
Some Peninsulans are getting an unexpected surprise in their mailboxes: several months worth of water bills all due at once.
A former Public Utilities Department leader has filed a lawsuit against the city of San Diego, claiming officials illegally diverted $1 million in water and wastewater funds to other city services and fired her for refusing to conceal the activity.
Susan LaNier, a former deputy director and internal auditor for the utilities department, was one of five utility leaders the city fired in February, following public outcry over billing errors and accusations of mismanagement within the department.
San Diego took several steps this week to boost the accuracy of water bills, improve customer satisfaction and speed up the installation of digital “smart” meters.
The changes come after public outcry in 2017 and 2018 over exorbitant water bills received by many customers which city officials blamed on faulty meters, employee errors and mismanagement in the Public Utilities Department.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
