Austin Grabish traded in winter boots for a surfboard. He joined the ABC 10News team as a reporter in January 2023 after reporting for CBC, Canada's national public broadcaster, for six years.
The San Diego City Council declined to approve a proposed settlement that would have ended a lawsuit filed by residents alleging the city’s trash fee , implemented in 2025, is illegal, according to the plaintiffs’ attorney.
“City Council declined to agree to the settlement in closed session today,” attorney Michael Aguirre, who represents the plaintiffs, said in an email. The city council meeting ended Monday evening without the council even discussing the matter.
“We definitely feel that the city was trying to pull a fast one on us basically because of the budget being so out of control right now. They're looking to get money any way they possibly can,” Patty Ducey-Brooks, one of the residents who filed the lawsuit last year, said.
The Uptown area resident said she was surprised the city didn't settle the lawsuit and had believed the matter was going to be resolved with trash fees being reduced to $23 - $29 a month instead of the $47.59 many are now paying. In 2022, San Diego voters approved a monthly trash fee ranging from $23-29 a month as part of a ballot measure. The lawsuit is scheduled to head to civil trial Tuesday afternoon in San Diego Superior Court.
The City Attorney’s Office said the city does not comment on pending litigation when asked for comment Monday morning. Mayor Todd Gloria's office responded to ABC 10News' request for comment, with the mayor saying in part:
Budget Crisis Lawsuit Settlement Mayor Todd Gloria San Diego City Council Trash Fee
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