Two landlords filed a lawsuit Thursday against the city of Los Angeles, saying a key element of its new commercial trash pickup system is an illegal tax under state law.

Malcolm Bennett and Frederick Leeds, both owners of rental properties, contend in a lawsuit that the city’s RecycLA program violates Proposition 218, which prohibits local governments from imposing taxes that have not received voter approval.

In their lawsuit, they described RecycLA, which serves roughly 70,000 customers, as an “unmitigated disaster” — one that has caused customer bills to go up and the quality of trash pickup to decline. “Make no mistake, the financial harm has and will be widespread,” the lawsuit says.

The filing comes roughly a year after the Bureau of Sanitation began implementing RecycLA, which covers such buildings as offices, restaurants and any apartment complex with five or more units.

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