How much is the water bill in California?

In the state of California, has the RUBS (Ratio/Resident Utility Billing System/Program) been approved for landlords to legally bill tenants for water/sewer usage?

• Answer:

  California has enacted no statutes that prohibit RUBS billing. In most states, the public service commission is the agency most likely to have jurisdiction over the utility billing business. The California Department of Public Utilities oversees the billing efforts of investor owned utilities. From 1998 until 2001, the agency undertook a comprehensive review of the practice of billing apartment residents for water and sewer utility services. The agency looked at a number of issues, including RUBS billing. At the conclusion of this review, the agency decided not to get actively involved in regulation. It created no prohibitions on RUBS billing. The Division of Measurement Standards has become involved in submetered billing in some California counties. They encourage testing of submeters. The agency has not been involved in regulation of RUBS billing. A legal opinion indicated that the agency o