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West Covina council approves Athens amendment to meet SB 1383; businesses warn of higher commercial bills
Summary
After extensive public comment about a proposed 17% commercial rate increase and a $1.5 million payment to the city, the West Covina City Council on Dec. 16 approved an amendment to the Athens Services franchise agreement to comply with California's SB 1383 organics-reduction law. Athens and city staff said single-family residential rates will not increase and the company will return with an outreach plan.
The West Covina City Council voted unanimously Dec. 16 to approve an amendment to the city's Athens Services franchise agreement aimed at bringing the city into compliance with California's organic-waste law, SB 1383.
Athens Services' vice president of government affairs, Liz Ramirez, told the council the state mandate requires cities to implement multi-stream organics and recycling programs, contamination monitoring, food-recovery support, expanded outreach and procurement of compost and mulch. Ramirez said the changes will require new equipment and staffing, and that Athens' proposal sets commercial rate increases of up to 17 percent while single-family residential customers would not see a base-rate increase.
Why it matters: SB 1383 includes enforcement mechanisms and penalties for noncompliance; staff told the council that CalRecycle will conduct compliance inspections in early January 2026. City and Athens officials said the amendment and related operational steps are intended to avoid fines and to capture additional diversion from third-party haulers.
Residents and business owners dominated the public comment period with sharp questions about cost. Matthew Smith of the Historic West Covina Business District asked the council to pull Item 2, calling a 17% increase an unfair burden on businesses. Several speakers described their bills and argued that added franchise fees and surcharges made the overall increase higher than 17 percent for some customers.
Athens responded in detail. Ramirez said the company must invest across several program components — route monitoring, database systems, additional trucks and vehicles, and a commercial outreach team — and described a bundled-rate structure that adds a blue recycle container and a green organics container for many customers. She said Athens expects to provide every single-family residence an additional blue barrel at no added charge and will work with commercial and multifamily customers through site visits to right-size service and reduce overall trash subscriptions.
"We're moving to a bundled rate structure…they're getting more volume for that increase," Ramirez said, adding that site-specific outreach could allow many businesses to reduce trash service by placing more material in recycling and organics streams.
Council questions focused on legal compliance and consumer protections. The city attorney told the council staff had reviewed the contract and that it is compliant with prior court guidance related to Proposition 13 and franchise fees. Athens committed to return with a full outreach and education plan and the detailed rate sheet before implementation.
Votes and next steps: Council approved the amendment by roll call. Athens told the council it will return as soon as staff can place the outreach plan on an agenda, and that containers and some equipment will require a lead time of several weeks. Staff also noted CalRecycle's planned early-January inspections and the need to update municipal code provisions to enable contamination monitoring and enforcement.
Representative quotes: "This law is aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state of California and also avoid as much waste going into the landfill," Athens' Liz Ramirez said in presenting the amendment. "Delaying action puts the city at risk of state enforcement actions, fines and audits," Monica Farias of the Greater West Covina Business Association said in public comment.
What remains unclear: Several residents and business owners pressed for line-by-line rate comparisons showing how the amendment will affect typical commercial and multifamily accounts; Athens said it will provide the full rate sheet and individualized outreach during implementation. The council did not change the core terms of the amendment at the meeting.
The council's approval directs staff and Athens to proceed with implementation planning and public education; Athens pledged to return with detailed outreach collateral, timing, and site-visit plans.
