About This Effort
We are a group of concerned Glendale residents who have watched electric bills doubling and even tripling, and have decided that we will not sit still now that the City Council is proposing to increase our WATER rates, too, from 50% to a whopping 145%!
Based upon our recently learning of significant opportunities to reduce our electric rates, we believe that RIGHT NOW we have a path forward to start providing some RELIEF for residents:
First, we stop the water rate increase through a PETITION process called Proposition 218, which provides a legal opportunity to STOP the hike if we collect written protests from 50% +1 of the affected land parcels in the city. (With almost 35,000 such land parcels, we need around 18,000 valid petition forms.)
Then, we demand the City Council begin implementing policies to bring our electric rates back down, which they can, but so far refuse to do.
Once that happens, and ONLY IF that happens, we revisit what water rate increases, if any, are truly necessary.
Residents need RELIEF before they're asked to pay even more.
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Why are we hearing about the “urgent” need for such a huge water rate increase now? At the September 1, 2026 meeting of the Glendale City Council, Councilmembers admitted years of underinvestment in Glendale’s aging water infrastructure. The question residents should be asking is: Why wasn't this addressed sooner? If the problem is so urgent NOW, why wasn't it addressed before the election, when incumbent Councilmembers had years to act?
SO WHY NOW?
Because the Glendale CIty Council isn't just planning for the residents who live here today. It's planning for the MASSIVE amount of new high-density development it expects tomorrow. And current residents are being asked to pay NOW to overhaul the water system that will serve that future growth. In other words: WE pay. Developers build. Future residents benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I am a renter. Can I file a protest?
Yes! If you are a tenant, you have the legal right to protest if your name is on the GWP account AND you pay the water.
Please use the Tenant Form on the Homepage.
Q. I own a property, but my tenant pays the water bill. Can I still protest?
Yes. As the property owner of record, you retain your constitutional right to protest. (Condo owners are considered property owners if they have a separate APN/AIN#).
You do NOT need a GWP account to protest; for instance, owners of vacant lots can protest as well. Only one protest can be counted per physical parcel, though. For example, if a tenant and the property owner or multiple tenants file a petition, only one protest will be counted.
Q. My property is owned by a corporation, LLC or trust. Who can sign the protest forms in those cases?
For corporations the corporate officer (e.g. president, vice president, CEO, or secretary) or any individual authorized by the bylaws can sign the protest. For limited liability companies and partnerships, a managing member or an authorized manager can sign the protest. For trusts, the trustee who holds legal title to the parcel can sign or an authorized agent to carry out the trusts business can sign.
If required by the City Clerk, supporting documentation for the signature authority for the above would be certification, or trust, or corporate resolutions, bylaws or minutes.
Q. Why can't I just sign an online petition?
California Prop 218 law strictly requires a physical, signed piece of paper delivered to the City Clerk. Digital petitions hold zero legal weight in this process.
Q. What happens if I own multiple properties?
If you own multiple properties, you would submit a separate protest form for each separate address or Assessor's Parcel/Identification Number (APN/AIN).
Q. What is an APN/AIN number and how do I find it?
That is your Assessor's Parcel/Identification Number (APN/AIN). Every land parcel has this identifier. You can look it up instantly and for free on the LA County Assessor Map.