August eNews: East Orosi residents refuse to pay bills to force accountability
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Dear Supporter,
For years, East Orosi residents have struggled with nitrate-contaminated drinking water.
Unfortunately, the community also faces the additional burden of inadequate wastewater management. Due to improper staff actions, residents are paying for wastewater services they don’t receive. Tireless efforts to gain transparency of where their money is going have gone nowhere.
East Orosi residents and allies held a press event before marching to their local water board to deliver their petition.
Tired of mismanagement and poor services, community leaders delivered a petition to the board demanding they immediately remove any staff contributing to this injustice. Until the board holds its staff accountable, residents refuse to continuing paying their wastewater bills when they aren't receiving this service.
Each month, the community-based organization, Vecinos Unidos, (Neighbors United) brings together leaders from East Orosi, Orosi and Cutler to discuss project updates and organize actions like these to push this critical work forward. They won’t stop until their human right to water is realized and neither will we.
Adelante,
Susana De Anda
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Community Advocates Push for Stronger Protections from Hexavalent Chromium
Residents and CWC staff outside of the State Water Board after the Hexavalent Chromium public hearing.
"Are we saving money or are we saving people?" asked Tutuy Montes, an AGUA member from Visalia, CA at last month’s State Water Board hearing on the pending legal limit for Hexavalent Chromium. Community members advocated for a lower legal limit for Hexavalent Chromium citing serious health risk. Exposure to Hexavalent Chromium has been linked to liver damage, kidney damage and cancer. The proposed limit right now is 10 parts per billion — 500 times the Public Health Goal and carries a 1 in 2,000 cancer risk over time.
Yesenia Segovia from Reedly, CA urging the State Water Board to lower the proposed legal limit for Hexavalent Chromium in drinking water.
But it’s not too late. The State Water Board will not adopt the new legal limit for Hexavalent Chromium until later this year. Until then, we’ll advocate alongside our partners for a lower legal limit that prioritizes public health!
Join us Oct. 3 to Celebrate Our Community Partners!
This October, we’re bringing together los guerreros de la justicia to offer a moment of celebration for the progress made on safe water throughout the San Joaquin Valley. Come join us to celebrate, learn and network with good people, music, and food!
We will all reflect, connect and celebrate this moment together to fuel us for the work to come. We hope to see you there!
Interested in sponsoring our event? Reach out to Natalie Garcia-Grazier at natalie.garcia@communitywatercenter.org for more info!
New staff
Maraid Jimenez
Maraid joins the Community Water Center as a Communications Associate, focusing on coordinating media opportunities and providing messaging support in English and Spanish. She brings with her environmental justice knowledge from past positions with the California Environmental Protection Agency and the State Water Board.
Yesenia Segovia
Yesenia joins Community Water Center as a Community Solutions Intern. She will be joining the Central Coast team to support our community engagement work.
Hailey Shingler
Hailey joins Community Water Center as a Watsonville-based Community Solutions Coordinator. She has extensive experience with water from her time as a Groundwater Analyst with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.
Ayodeji “Ayo” Ayolola
Ayo joins Community Water Center as the Legal Extern. He will be helping our Policy team review legislation and other legal matters. Ayo graduated law school from Nigeria and is currently a LLM candidate at UCLA.
CWC is Hiring
Do you have a passion for environmental and social justice? Are you looking for an opportunity to work alongside those on the frontlines of the safe and affordable drinking water movement in California?
Community Water Center is hiring for multiple positions across all three of our offices:
Administrative Assistant — Visalia Office
Support day–to–day activities to ensure sustainable, efficient and effective operations of the organization and its three offices.View all open positions here.
Community Resources
Low-income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP)
California received $116 million in one-time funding through this program to cancel out outstanding water and wastewater debt. Recently, this program expanded to allow qualified residents to receive one-time payments even if they are current on their water bill!
If you are struggling with water or wastewater affordability, or know someone who is, the first step is to contact your water district to ask about this program. Click here for more information or call us at (559) 733-0219.
California Flood Relief Program
In response to spring flooding, California created a $95 million state-funded storm recovery program to provide support to eligible individuals impacted by the storms who cannot access federal assistance due to immigration status. This includes direct assistance payments for housing, food, and transportation costs. Resources will be available through May 2024 or until all funds are spent. Click here for more information!
Thank you to our Generous Donors!
Huge thank you to our sustaining monthly donors! Your ongoing commitment to water justice ensures everyone will have access to safe, clean and affordable drinking water.
Arden Wells, Bessma Mourad, Bob Simone, Carly Yoshida, Claire Sarraville, Claire Wilkens, Denise Heitzenroder,
Frank Lukacs, Jose Pablo Ortiz Partida, Kathryn Gilje, Kathryn Wuelfing, Kirk Demartini, Klara East,
Kristin Dobbin, Lara Cushing, Max Meyer, Natalie Garcia-Grazier, Paul Pierce, Sandra Hocker, Sandra Goldenberg,
Thomas Biglione, Sandra Rose, Stephen Gasteyer, Vicki Woods, Yara Pasner
Be a water champion and support safe water for all.
