The Governor plans to allocate an additional $1.3 billion for "megadrought," the worst in 1200 years
For Immediate Release
May 13, 2022
Contact:
Pedro Calderón, Community Water Center, (720) 838-1401, pedro.calderon@communitywatercenter.org
Jennifer Clary, Clean Water Action, (707) 483-6352,
Lesly Figueroa, Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability, lfigueroa@leadershipcounsel.org
The Governor plans to allocate an additional $1.3 billion for "megadrought," the worst in 1200 years
In Addition To The Proposed $200 million for water debt, we urge the Governor to include funding for universal low-income water rate assistance.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The California state budget revision released today by Governor Newsom continues historic levels of investment in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The May Revise also includes significant increases in drought funding and much-needed resources for the State Water Resources Control Board and Department of Water Resources to achieve their missions. The $1.3 billion for drought is urgently needed, and we will be asking for continued intentional investment to protect access to safe and affordable drinking water and wastewater infrastructure as drought intensifies.
“Families are losing access to drinking water by the day, and we have a statewide backlog on emergency well repairs and are projecting up to 3,500 dry wells this summer. We must center families, farmworkers, and disadvantaged communities more in our drought response and budget to protect the Human Right to Water,” said Kyle Jones, Policy & Legal Director with Community Water Center. “For example, we’d like to see the Governor’s May Revise harmonized with the State Senate Budget proposal, which has long-term support such as funding a first-in-the-nation permanent state-wide low-income water assistance program and critical drinking water funding.
“Drinking water advocates have called on the state to provide at least $300 million for a new universal state program to help low-income families pay their water bills. This Low-Income Water Rate Assistance Program, as detailed in SB 222 (Dodd, 2021), will help the state address its long-standing water debt crisis, which deepened during the pandemic. The Senate recently proposed $330 million to establish a low-income rate assistance program for water and wastewater bills. While the May Revise includes one-time funding for water debt, it does not appear that undocumented families are eligible for relief, and no funding is included to implement low-income water rate assistance.“We were encouraged that the Governor recognized Senator Dodd’s leadership on water affordability during today’s press conference, and appreciate the proposal to appropriate $200 million for water debt,” says Michael Claiborne, Directing Attorney with Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability. “We urge the Governor to also appropriate funding for low-income rate assistance to ensure that all Californians can afford their monthly water and sewer bills, and ensure that water debt funding include eligibility for undocumented Californians.”
Additionally, there are important issues that are either not addressed or must be accompanied by policies prioritizing California’s most vulnerable communities, including:
Additional guidance is needed to test for and remediate PFAS, a drinking water contaminant found in water throughout the state.
Funding for Multi Benefit Land Repurposing that prioritizes land retirement and provides direct and meaningful benefits to disadvantaged communities. This needs to include benefits for impacted farmworkers, including but not limited to compensation for job loss.
Additional funding is needed to address air and water quality impacts related to the Salton Sea, prioritizing projects identified by local communities, as well as funding to support community engagement.
Funding for SGMA implementation must include a 30% set aside for projects that benefit drinking water, disadvantaged communities, and support community engagement.
Jennifer Clary, California Director of Clean Water Action, noted the absence of funding for PFAS monitoring or mitigation activities. “We need to continue investing in ways to identify, minimize and treat PFAS in our water supplies. We cannot do that without an accurate picture of the scope of the contamination, not just in water sources serving large well funded communities, but in low income communities being served by small water providers.”
We look forward to working with the State Legislature and Administration to make sure this year’s historic surplus provides a path forward for safe, clean and affordable drinking water in California.
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Community Water Center (CWC) works to ensure that all communities have reliable access to safe, clean, and affordable water. Founded in 2006, CWC is a not-for-profit environmental justice organization, whose mission is to act as a catalyst for community-driven water solutions through education, organizing, and advocacy. Web: www.communitywatercenter.org Twitter: @CWaterC Facebook: @CommunityWaterCenter
Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability works alongside the most impacted communities to advocate for sound policy and eradicate injustice to secure equal access to opportunity regardless of wealth, race, income and place. We work with community leaders throughout the San Joaquin Valley and Eastern Coachella Valley on such issues as safe affordable drinking water, basic transit services, wastewater services, decent affordable housing, and the right to live free from industrial pollution with infrastructure that supports healthy lifestyles. Through co-powerment, organizing, litigation, policy advocacy, and research, we confront California's stark inequalities manifest in too many of California's low income communities and communities of color. Twitter: LCJandA FB: @lcjacalifornia IG: @leadership_counsel Web: leadershipcounsel.org
