What does the Cerritos water rate initiative mean for your bill?

If you’re buying a Cerritos home or checking your household budget, keep the scheduled water and sewer rates in your planning. A petition to repeal the increases qualified, but qualification alone doesn’t lower your bill. On October 12, 2026, the council accepted the petition’s certificate and ordered a report on the measure’s effect, due by November 12.

This is educational information, not legal or tax advice.

Start by confirming whether your home is served by the City of Cerritos water and sewer system. The figures below apply to that system; don’t assume an address is served by it just because it’s in Cerritos.

What changed on Cerritos water bills in 2026?

The rates adopted January 26, 2026 raised the per-CCF water and sewer rates and removed the water base minimum allotments, so all water use is billed by volume.

The city owns and operates its water and sewer systems. According to its January 26 agenda report, those systems were primarily built in the 1970s, and rates had not changed since July 1, 2020. General Fund money had subsidized the utility funds. The council directed that the Water and Sewer Enterprise Funds become self-sufficient.

An independent consultant, Water Resources Economics, prepared the study adopted October 27, 2025 by Resolution No. 2025-31. It established five-year rate schedules.

The report identified about $29.6 million in combined infrastructure needs, adjusted for inflation: about $25.3 million for water and $4.3 million for sewer. Projects included a new well and treatment system for the C-4 Well, valve replacement, sewer main replacements and a citywide sewer pipe CCTV inspection program.

Those are the city’s stated reasons for the changes. For your budget, the practical change is that both the scheduled rates and your water volume matter.

What would the initiative do?

The initiative would repeal the January 26, 2026 increases and require a new study and replacement rates within 180 days of certification of the election results approving it.

The October 12 agenda report includes the City Attorney’s summary and proposed ordinance. The measure would require a cost-of-service analysis or other substantial evidence complying with California Constitution Article XIII D, Section 6. It would also allow an independent review or audit of the financial data.

The council would have to adopt new water and sewer rates within that same 180-day period, following a protest hearing. The summary describes at least a 45-day publicly noticed protest hearing.

If replacement rates were not adopted within 180 days, the rates in effect before February 1, 2026 would apply temporarily until new rates were adopted. The ordinance allows those interim rates to be modified only to the minimum extent necessary to comply with Article XIII D or other law.

The measure becomes operative upon certification of election results approving it. It doesn’t specify replacement bill amounts or provide for refunds, and it preserves the city’s authority to adopt future rates consistent with the Constitution.

Where does the measure stand now?

On October 12, 2026, the council accepted the Certificate of Sufficiency by a 5-0 vote (Resolution No. 2026-44), according to draft minutes posted with the October 26, 2026 agenda, which have not yet been approved by the council.

The signed petition was filed with the City Clerk on September 8, 2026. The county’s verification found 3,700 signatures sufficient; 839 valid signatures were required. The City Clerk signed the certificate on October 5.

The council also ordered a Report of Effect of Proposed Initiative under Elections Code 9215(c), due on or before November 12, 2026.

As the report explains Elections Code 9215, after receiving the report the council must choose whether to adopt the ordinance without alteration or order an election. The council has not yet chosen between those options.

The staff report identifies March 2, 2027 as the next regular Cerritos General Municipal Election. That isn’t confirmation that the measure is on that ballot. Check subsequent actions through the city’s agenda and video portal.

What do the scheduled bills look like for a typical home?

The city’s residential sample rises from $124.46 every two months in February 2026 to $161.48 in January 2027, with further scheduled steps through January 2030.

This is the city’s sample for a 5/8 x 3/4-inch meter using 20 CCF every two months. One CCF means hundred cubic feet, or 748 gallons. It isn’t a quote for your home.

The February 2026 sample combines a $39.84 fixed meter charge, $74.80 for water use and $9.82 for sewer.

The water volume rate moves from $3.74 per CCF in February 2026 to $4.87 in January 2027. The uniform sewer charge moves from $0.4911 to $0.6139 per CCF over those same steps.

Eligible residential customers can apply for a fixed $40 bimonthly discount under the Low-Income Water and Sewer Utility Assistance Program. Eligibility aligns with programs such as CARE. Residents must verify income and recertify every 24 months, with one benefit per household and account. The discount applies only to water and sewer charges and is funded by the General Fund.

What should buyers ask for?

Ask for recent utility bills, confirmation of the provider and the meter size before setting your water and sewer budget.

Read the usage in CCF alongside the dollar total. A bill under an earlier schedule won’t show the cost of that same use under the January 2027 step. Ask the utility how the scheduled rates would apply to the home’s meter and the usage you’re reviewing.

Provider confirmation deserves its own check. The Hemet guide to checking a home’s water provider concerns another city, but addresses that same question: which provider serves the address?

Keep the initiative separate from your working budget. Until you confirm an adopted change, the scheduled January 2027 step is the figure the adopted schedule gives for planning. Watch the measure’s progress. Don’t build a purchase budget around an assumed repeal or an unknown replacement rate.

What can sellers show buyers?

You can give buyers recent bills and clearly identify the service provider, meter size, billing period and recorded use.

Keep those details together so buyers can understand what produced the total. If you share the city’s sample table, label its meter size and 20 CCF usage assumption. Your home’s bill may differ.

For questions about how utility information fits into a sale, use the California seller disclosure guide to prepare questions for your transaction team. The California selling-cost guide can also help you organize broader sale-budget questions.

Describe the initiative as a pending process unless you’ve checked later council records. A qualified petition isn’t evidence of a reduced bill.

The short version

Budget for the scheduled rates. The council has accepted the petition and ordered a report due by November 12; that does not change rates.

For a city-served home, recent bills and meter details are your starting point. The city’s sample reaches $161.48 bimonthly in January 2027, but your amount depends on meter size and use. Check the report due by November 12 and the council’s next decision between adopting the ordinance and ordering an election before changing your assumptions.

If you’re also weighing a sale, start with the home value tool.