Rate assistance

The City of Menlo Park offers a rate assistance program that provides eligible households with a 20% monthly discount on solid waste service from Recology San Mateo County and a 50% monthly discount on the fixed meter charge for water service from Menlo Park Municipal Water. Current participants do not need to reapply.

This program provides help to residents who generally face financial hardship and those specifically affected by COVID-19. The program encourages residents to:

• Enroll in PG&E California Alternative Rates for Energy (CARE) program to receive discounts on their gas and electricity bills, if not currently enrolled
• Receive discounts on their solid waste and municipal water bills, if applicable.

Discounted rates

Menlo Park's low-income rate assistance pilot program provides

• 20% discount for solid waste account holders on their Recology bill
• 50% monthly discount on the fixed meter charge for water service from Menlo Park Municipal Water

Program qualifications

Residents must be enrolled in the PG&E CARE program to participate in the City’s rate assistance program. The PG&E CARE Program offers a monthly minimum of 20% discount on gas and electricity if (a) the customer meets its household income criteria or (b) anyone in the household is enrolled in a public assistance program. If a landlord bills the tenant/applicant directly for gas and electricity, the applicant is a “sub-metered” customer. Even though this applicant is not a direct PG&E customer, he/she may still be eligible for CARE. 

To be eligible for the City’s rate assistance program, households must meet the following criteria:

• Must be enrolled in the PG&E CARE program
• Submit most recent PG&E bill to verify CARE enrollment. The address on the PG&E bill must be the same on the solid waste and water bills, but the names may be different
• Submit most recent Recology and Menlo Park Municipal Water bills to receive applicable discounts
• Re-certify eligibility according to the PG&E CARE program enrollment expiration date

Households may enroll in the PG&E CARE program by: 

• Visiting the PG&E CARE program website
• Calling 1-866-743-5832
• Emailing the CARE program support team

Once a Menlo Park household enrolls in CARE, please complete this short application (English(PDF, 221KB) | Spanish(PDF, 116KB)) and submit it along with the required verification documents to the City's rate assistance support team.