Safe & Affordable Drinking Water Fund Passed in California

On July 24, 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 200, the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund, into law.

This groundbreaking legislation will provide approximately $130 million each year for ten years to support safe drinking water projects in vulnerable communities.

The fund will be supported by an allocation of 5 percent of the annual proceeds of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a market-based compliance mechanism for the monitoring and regulation of sources of greenhouse gas emissions, part of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.

Creation of a Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund was tirelessly pursued by California State Senator Bill Monning, with support from champion Assemblymembers Eduardo Garcia and Richard Bloom, as well as a coalition of advocacy groups that includes two NDWA members: the Community Water Center and the Rural Community Assistance Corporation.

PHOTO ABOVE: Governor Newsom signed SB 200 at an event in the unincorporated community of Tombstone Territory in Fresno County. He is joined by Dolores Huerta and other activists and community advocates.