Re “Divided San Diego City Council OKs $44-a-month trash pickup fee, city’s first ever” (June 9): I’m writing on behalf of my 100-year-old mother. In 1967, she bought a small home in Linda Vista with a 40-year mortgage — security for her old age. Today, she learned that the City Council has voted to tax her $500 a year for the privilege of having her trash collected. At the same time, like many senior citizens, she’s also paying more for the privilege of flushing her toilet, heating her home, drinking tap water and turning on the lights. But in their wisdom, six City Council have decided that if she owns a home, she must be rolling in dough, and an extra $500 a year (assessed in one lump sum) won’t present a hardship. Not wanting to appear ungrateful, she does want the City Council to know how much she enjoys all those bike lanes she’s also paid for.
— Shannon Carreiro, San Diego
