BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – As the lawsuit between the City of Bakersfield and Kern County continues over sewer rate increases, a powerful California union that represents both city and county workers will file a government claim.
The contentious and controversial sewer rate increase would impose a 354% rate increase for 600 Bakersfield residents over a five-year period.
The Service Employees International Union – better known as SEIU 521 – is demanding the Bakersfield City Council rescind the sewer rate increases, calling them “unfair” and want City staff to meet with the union, along with county representatives, to develop a new plan that does not “overcharge current users,” the union said in a statement on Wednesday.
SEIU 521 added that the City’s new plan to tackle the sewer rates would require current ratepayers in Bakersfield to pay for the system’s expansion that will solely benefit new users, including “industry and high-end residential developments in southwest Bakersfield.”
The current annual sewer rate in Bakersfield is $247.13. If the proposed rate does go into effect, it would raise the rate to $475 in the first fiscal year of the five-year plan and then by another $100 for the four subsequent years until the rate hits $875 in fiscal year 2030-2031.
Genevieve Egana, a Kern County librarian, resident of Bakersfield and member of SEIU 521 said the proposed plan and rate increase is “wrong.”
“It’s wrong that the costs of expanding the system to accommodate future growth are being borne by everyday working families already struggling with keeping up with costs of groceries, utilities, and basic needs as it is, when it should be the responsibility of the developments and the dairy plants that are creating that additional demand,” she stated.
Egana told 17 News that not only does the union believe that the rate increase is unfair, but that it’s also illegal.
Representatives from the union attended the Bakersfield City Council meeting on Wednesday evening with the intent to speak during the public comment period but they were unable to due to time.
On Tuesday “SEIU 521 notified the city of Bakersfield their intent to file a government claim regarding the unlawful sewer rate increase,” she told 17 News. “We are just hoping that the city council will meet with us – SEIU 521 – and the fixed current campaign to find a resolution and a way forward that is less of a burden, financial burden on our residents, and is fair and legal.”
Egana called the increase “extraordinary.”
“We have a lot of residents in this city that are senior citizens on a fixed income, working families … it’s unfair for them to pay that,” she said. “We’re not saying that we don’t need infrastructure improvements because we absolutely do. We’re saying that the rate of increase is unfair, and it’s illegal.”
The union – which represents about 73,000 public and nonprofit private-sector workers across much of California – said it submitted a government claim instead of filing a lawsuit – or joining the county’s – in hopes it will “motivate the City to meet with SEIU to resolve the sewer rate issue through discussion and negotiation.”
“This is the City’s chance to save money and resources before we file a lawsuit,” SEIU 521 said in a statement.
In the government claim dated Aug. 4, the union said they are filing the paperwork on behalf of the 3,000 members of SEIU who live in Bakersfield and would be subject to the increase.
“SEIU 521 also wishes to make clear at the outset that it supports the City’s efforts to invest in critical sewer infrastructure, including necessary upgrades and renovations to the existing system. These improvements are important to the health, safety, and quality of life of Bakersfield residents and workers alike,” the claim states. “However, these projects must be paid for fairly, by the correct ratepayers, funded in the right way, and phased over the appropriate period of time to minimize disruption to the public.”
The claim goes on to say that alternatives to the substantial rate increase exist and must be explored before “imposing exorbitant, constitutionally impermissible charges on existing ratepayers.”
Days before the union announced their intent to file the claim, the Kern County Board of Supervisors rejected the sewer rate increase, with Supervisor Phillip Peters calling the move “patently unfair and unjustifiable.”
The proposed rate hike at the county-level would have impacted communities within the Bakersfield city limits that are under the county’s jurisdiction. That money would have helped provide infrastructure improvements to the region’s sewer system, including Bakersfield’s wastewater facility.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News.