On Thursday, April 17, 2025, 1:52 PM:

 

Dear DWK Members and Supporters,

 

The City of Bakersfield is proposing to raise residential sewer rates from $239 to $950 a year—a nearly 300% increase set to begin July 1. This massive hike would make our city’s rates higher than Clovis, Yucca Valley, and Fresno—with no phased rollout, no clear industrial accountability, and no protections for working families.

Why this rate hike deserves opposition:

• It unfairly targets residents, even though industries like agriculture and processing contribute heavily to water use—and we don’t know if they’re paying their fair share.

• It ignores economic realities, hitting working families, retirees, and low-income households the hardest.

• It acts like a regressive tax—a flat fee means someone living on $15,000 per year pays the same as someone making $120,000, or someone in a $200,000 home pays the same as someone in a million-dollar one.

• Renters and apartment dwellers have no legal voice in this process, yet they’ll likely see rent or utility bills increase as property owners pass the cost down.

• There has been no transparency about how rates were calculated or where the funds will go.

• There is no phased rollout, making this a sudden and destabilizing hit to household budgets.

 

HOW WE STOP THE RATE HIKE:

Under Proposition 218, this rate hike can be stopped. If a majority (50% plus one) of affected parcel owners submit valid written protest letters before the close of the public hearing, the increase cannot legally go into effect.

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ACTION REQUESTED:

1. Sign the Prop 218 protest form click here to print form.

- Must include: name, address, parcel number, and a wet signature
- Need help? Use the Kern County Parcel Lookup Tool: https://www.kerncounty.com/government/departments/assessor-recorder/property/assessor-property-search
- See attached document for step-by-step instructions.
Include one of our optional protest letters

 

2. We’ve prepared short (optional) templates you can send as an add on with your Prop 218 opposition form. Each focuses on a specific concern:

Template 1: Economic Hardship

Template 2: Industrial and Agricultural Fairness

Template 3: Lack of Transparency

Template 4: Sudden Implementation

Template 5: Equity and Regressive Fee Framing

Template 6: Renter Impact & Representation

NOTE: Only one protest letter per parcel may be submitted.

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Submit by May 10, 2025 (preferred):

 

We encourage you to return your protest form and letter to Democratic Women of Kern by May 10, 2025.

You can drop it off at:
DWK Meeting – May 10, 2025
115 E Roberts Lane, Bakersfield, CA

 

Or mail it to (no later than May 10, 2025):
 

Democratic Women of Kern
PO Box 286
Bakersfield, CA 93302

 

If you are mailing your protest directly to the City, it must be postmarked no later than May 28, 2025:

City Clerk – Proposition 218 Protest
1600 Truxtun Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93301

 

You are also invited to attend the public hearing and make public comments at the May 28 City Council meeting.

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Let’s stand together to demand fairness, transparency, and a better approach. Your voice matters—and your letter could help stop this.

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In solidarity,

Hortencia Cabral

President, Democratic Women of Kern 

Prepared by Flor Olvera, Corresponding Secretary, Democratic Women of Kern