Stop the Glendale Water Rate Hike

By now, many residents in Glendale know that the Glendale City Council is moving to increase our water rates from 50%-145% starting January 2027!! What they may not know is that under California law, we have the constitutional right to BLOCK this hike. But we can only do it if we act TOGETHER right now.

If more than 50% of Glendale property owners and utility-paying tenants submit a valid, written protest, the City Council is LEGALLY BARRED from raising our rates under something called Proposition 218. That means we need around 18,000 valid petitions. Our current goal is 25,000.

At a time when residents are already struggling with sky-high electric bills, we have to say enough is enough. We need to stop the water increase now, demand that the Glendale City Council address our high electric bills, and only then revisit our water issues down the road.

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What’s Happening & Key Dates

GWP is proposing a 53% average rate increase starting Jan 1, 2027, followed by 11%, 10%, 10%, and 7% increases over the next four years. That’s about $37 a month more for the average home. Per the city’s own rate chart, individual increases vary by meter size and could range from roughly 50% to 145%.
Community meetings: Oct 7 (Adult Recreation Center), Oct 15 (Sparr Heights Community Center), Oct 17 (Brand Park Library), Oct 24 (virtual via Zoom). Drop-off deadline at volunteer locations: Sunday, November 1, 2026, Public hearing & protest deadline: Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 6:00 PM, Glendale City Council Chambers.
Proposition 218 is a California constitutional amendment that gives property owners, and tenants who are responsible for paying the bill, important protections against increases in certain property-related charges, including water, sewer, and trash collection rates.
Before increasing rates, a City is required to notify affected property owners at least 45 days in advance of a public hearing. If written protests are submitted for a more than 50% majority of the affected parcels before the close of that hearing, the proposed rate increase cannot be imposed. Note that the only valid protests are paper protests with a handwritten signature.
In other words, we have the legal power to stop a water rate increase in Glendale, but ONLY if enough people participate.

How to Stop this Increase in 3 Easy Steps

1. Download & Print Your Protest Forms

Click the buttons below to download the correct form.

Download Form – Property Owners

Download Form – Tenants/Lessees

2. Fill It Out & Sign It by Hand

The City of Glendale will not accept digital signatures, emails, online petitions or public comments at council meetings as a valid protest, countable towards halting the rate increase.

Property Owners: Don't know your Assessor's Parcel Number (APN)? Look it up instantly on the LA County Assessor Portal.

3. Drop It Off at a Secure Community Location

While protest forms can be mailed or dropped off at the City Clerk's office at City Hall (NOT the GWP) with a deadline of Nov. 3, 2026, we strongly recommend 1) that you do not risk your form getting lost in the mail and 2) you drop your forms at one of our volunteer drop-off locations. We will scan your form to create an independent backup record before hand-delivering it to the City Clerk.

Why dropping off with us matters: Before the public hearing on November 3rd, our legal volunteers will scan every single collected form. If the City Clerk claims we fell short of the 18,000 threshold, we will use our independent digital archive to audit their count and challenge any unfair rejections.

Deadline for Community Drop-Offs: Please bring your forms to one of our drop-off locations by Nov 1, 2026, so we have enough time to organize and scan them before the final City Council hearing on Tuesday, Nov 3, 2026.

If you are bringing your forms directly to the City Clerk's office (forms do not go to the GWP) the FINAL deadline is Nov. 3, 2026.

Community Drop-Off Locations

Bring your signed physical forms to these secure locations by November 1, 2026:

Weekdays

Address: 651 W. Harvard st.

‍ ‍ Glendale, CA 91204

Hours: Monday – Friday,

9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Ask for Gevorg

Weekends

Address: 416 E. Broadway

‍ ‍ Glendale, CA 91205

For after hours and weekends please call Gevorg (820-888-8877) and confirm time and location.

More drop off locations will be announced soon.

The GWP is proposing a 50% to 145% water rate increase starting Jan. 1, 2027 based upon your “Pump Zone.” Pump Zones refer to elevation—the higher your property, the more energy and infrastructure it takes to deliver your water.

Here’s what that means for your bill:

● Zone 1: Your bill of $74.08 would increase to $111.28

● Zone 7: Your bill of $74.08 would increase to $181.70

A Zone 7 customer in the hills would see their bill nearly triple!

And it doesn't stop there. After the initial 2027 increase, GWP is proposing additional increases of 11%, 10%, 10%, and 7% every year from 2028 through 2031. With residents already facing sky-high electric bills and some of the highest costs in the region for sales taxes, home prices, and rent, this is yet another financial burden Glendale residents shouldn't have to bear.

Electricity, 2026 avg. residential rate:

Glendale (GWP) ~34¢/kWh,
Los Angeles (LADWP) ~24 to 28¢/kWh,
Pasadena (PWP) ~20 to 25¢/kWh,
Burbank (BWP) ~19 to 21¢/kWh.

Sales tax, 2026:

Glendale ~10.5%, LA County ~9.75%, City of LA ~9.5%, Sacramento ~8.75%, San Francisco ~8.62%, San Diego ~7.75%.

Median home value, 2026:

Glendale ~ $ 1,201,880, Pasadena ~ $ 1,209,228, Burbank ~ $ 1,200,885, LA County ~ $ 888,000, Los Angeles ~ $873,000 to $949,000,

Average 1-bedroom rent, 2026:

Glendale ~ $ 2,296, Pasadena ~ $ 2,294, Burbank ~ $ 2,195, LA County ~ $ 1,995, Los Angeles ~ $ 2,092,

Glendale residents are already burdened with some of the highest costs in the region. An increase in water rates should not even be considered at this time.