Court Ruling Rejects OC Tiered Water Rates

An appeals court may have put a kink in the state of California’s plans to hit water wasters with higher water prices. The 4th District Court of Appeal today ruled that San Juan Capistrano's tiered water-rates are unconstitutional. The ruling could have broader implications for other cities – including cities in Orange and LA Counties – that use a similar pricing structure to encourage conservation. San Juan Capistrano is, of course, in Orange County, and KCRW's Steve Chiotakis spoke with OC Weekly editor Gustavo Arellano about it for this week's Orange County Line.