Rate Increases Hit Homeowners Hard
A significant rate increase for Water Works District 29 (“WWD29”) was adopted by the LA County Board of Supervisors in late 2025. It will be phased in from 2026 to 2030, with the steepest increase occurring in the first year. Bills have surged by 50% or more in the first year, with some residents shocked by how much they are now expected to pay. Though many residents were caught off guard, WWD29 did mail out a notice in the Fall of 2025 warning residents about the increase and providing instructions on how they could formally oppose the Prop 218 protest process. They also hosted multiple public meetings and provided a video that addressed common questions and concerns.
The Topanga Town Council hosted WWD29 at its November 19th meeting and pressed the Agency’s leadership hard on the specifics of the increase as well as the reasons for it. Due to the way that bills are now structured, the District was unable to provide a simple or singular answer on what precisely the increase would be, but they did concede that it would be high, roughly 50% for the average homeowner in the first year. WWD29 cited three main reasons for the increase, namely: 1. operational costs increase for pumping, treating and delivering water; 2. capital improvement projects; and 3. complying with new water efficiency regulations. Note that this increase is separate from, and does not include, the District’s own higher water wholesale costs. Those supply costs get passed through to customers automatically as “pass-through” increases and are not subject to the Prop 218 protest process.
Following the meeting, the Topanga Town Council drafted a “letter of concern” and asked the District to consider scaling back the increases and seeking more grant funding for the capital improvement projects. That said, we did understand that WWD29 had not received a general rate increase in many years and that their needs and expenses were genuinely much higher than in the pst. Considering the clear need to augment water infrastructure to fight fires, we did feel that some increase was justified. But we continue to have concerns about the affordability crisis impacting our residents in every facet of their lives: form gas to insurance to utilities.
We were told that the threshold for the County to be able to legally force a reconsideration of the rate increase was 50% + 1 of affected ratepayers. All-in, Public Works reported receiving between 150 and 300 protest letters, only a fraction of what would have been needed to overcome this increase. Going forward, many more residents will need to submit protest letters if we are to stand any chance of preempting or limiting future general rate increases. In the interim, we will be asking West Basin and WWD29 for more rebate opportunities and conservation initiatives to help residents take greater control over their water usage.
See WW29 PowerPoint presentation
See Video of One of their Public Meetings:
If you would like more information, you can contact WWD29 by visiting them in person at their local office in Malibu:
Malibu Office
23533 West Civic Center Way
Malibu, CA 90265
8:00 AM – 4:30 PM (M-F)
Phone: 1(877) 637-3661
Phone Hours: (M-F) 8AM – 5PM
Fax: (310) 317-4674