The San Diego City Council will decide today whether to raise water rates for 1.4 million people… no big deal.

Except that it very much is, according to San Diego’s independent budget analysts, who warned in a report last week that not raising water rates would result in huge budget cuts, lay offs and defaults on loans at the Public Utilities Department.

The proposal: a four-year 63 percent water rate hike and a 31 percent wastewater rate hike. If it passes, it will be the latest in a string of fee increases in San Diego over the past several months as the city grapples with a structural budget deficit.

Ahead of the vote, our MacKenzie Elmer sought out to understand what would happen if things really went left and the city decided to stop paying its bills to the San Diego County Water A

See Full Page