Governor Newsom recently released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2019-2020 that includes a recommendation for a Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund. A major source for this fund would come from a statewide tax on drinking water imposed on residential and commercial customers, which would be sent to the state for distribution to disadvantaged communities. The same concept was introduced last year by the legislature and former Governor Brown; however, it failed to get enough support to be signed into law.
CVWD believes that all Californians should have safe drinking water, but charging a tax is the wrong solution to a problem that must be solved. CVWD, along with water agencies throughout the state, believe that better options exist. One such option is the proposed Safe Drinking Water Trust; the proposed trust is a thoughtful solution for a sustainable, long-term funding source. The state has a very large budget surplus, making it an excellent year to create and fund the trust.
To help keep costs as low as possible for our customers and to provide high quality drinking water CVWD invests in a wide range of projects ranging from groundwater banking, utilizing recycled water, providing water use efficiency programs, and maximizing all of our local supplies.
Questions
For questions regarding CVWD’s advocacy on this issue, please contact Eric Grubb at (909) 987-2591.