Senate Leadership Proposes $1.5 Billion for Safe Drinking Water
For Immediate Release
April 28, 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
Senate Leadership Proposes $1.5 Billion for Safe Drinking Water
Advocates welcome the opportunity to address water affordability, a key challenge laid bare by COVID crisis.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Water advocates today expressed optimism upon the release of the California Senate budget plan.
A $1.5B package for drinking water has been proposed by the Senate as part of a historic $18 billion dollar climate proposal. As the climate crisis, inflation, and drought make accessing safe and affordable water more out of reach for families across the state, this commitment from the Senate, if appropriately allocated and implemented, is exactly what we need at this moment. While we celebrate this funding proposal, it must be directed to benefit households throughout the state who cannot afford safe drinking water.
“As advocates for frontline communities facing the brunt of drought, climate change, and the overall affordability crisis, we thank pro tem Atkins, Senator Skinner, and the Budget Committee for their work to prioritize drinking water needs,” said Kyle Jones, Policy & Legal Director with Community Water Center. “We look forward to working with everyone to ensure these funds provide the greatest benefit and prioritizes low-income communities of color.”
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.
SB 222 would establish a first in the nation water affordability program to ensure that every Californian can access drinking water and sewer service regardless of immigration status.
“Realization of the promise of California’s landmark Human Right to Water law fundamentally requires funding and policy change to ensure that all Californians can afford safe tap water,” says Michael Claiborne, Directing Attorney with Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability. “The Senate’s proposal must including funding for ongoing universal low-income rate assistance, as proposed in SB 222, and also must expand eligibility for the state’s only existing water crisis assistance program to include undocumented Californians.”
Other requests include measures to support California’s values of equity, inclusion, and diversity, regardless of immigration status. The Senate's budget plan could mean transformational change for many communities to secure access to water and have assistance to pay their bills.
In addition to funding a statewide low-income rate assistance program, the historic investment proposed by the Senate should provide the following:
$300 million to prepare water systems for climate change and droughts.
$750 million for drought response and investment in water and wastewater infrastructure. Including the data gathering, monitoring and management actions needed to proactively monitor and protect drinking water wells.
$200 million to assist low-income households through the direct installation of efficiency improvements that will save water and lower water and sewer bills.
$100 million in SGMA funding to protect the communities and households most vulnerable to losing access to an adequate supply of safe drinking water due to over- pumping.
Adjustments to the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program to provide assistance to undocumented families.
As recognized in the Governor’s January Budget proposal, California is in the middle of another severe drought, which has the potential to be even worse than the last drought, with up to 3,500 drinking water wells expected to go dry this summer alone. We appreciate the leadership of pro tem Atkins, Senator Skinner, and the Senate Budget Committee in proactively funding drought response as well as water and wastewater infrastructure.
“We urge the Governor and the State Assembly to join the Senate in prioritizing the Human Right to Water in California through strong and directed budget investments,“ said Jennifer Clary, California State Director for Clean Water Action.
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Clean Water Action is a national nonprofit founded in 1972 to promote citizen engagement and action to protect our environment, health, economic well-being and community quality of life. Clean Water Action organizes strong grassroots groups, coalitions and campaigns to solve environmental and community problems. For more information, visit our website at www.cleanwater.org or follow us on Twitter @cleanh2oca.
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
