To the editor: No increase for trash pickup service in 17 years (“Trash fees will spike for many L.A. residents in aftermath of city’s fiscal crisis,” Oct. 7)? There should be at least a minimum increase every year. It is irresponsible not to have one.
Every week, expensive trucks driven by skilled workers come to one’s home and remove all of the trash and recycling. The trucks then travel to a landfill to dispose of it, which I am sure charges a fee, and the recycling goes elsewhere. These trucks have to be serviced, maintained and replaced, and filled with fuel. I imagine the workers are paid a fair wage. How can any city department anywhere, much less Los Angeles, operate on a budget from 2008?
Obviously, the city has made some very shortsighted decisions during budget times. Citizens should feel lucky to have paid less than $10 per week for 17 years.
Margaret McVey Thomas, Pasadena
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To the editor: Even though I’m a single-family homeowner who will see my trash collection fees increase substantially, I support this measure to balance the city’s books.
I just wish I could count on the trash collection picking up all three of my bins every time. On average, once a month, one or more of my bins is skipped.