Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund Coalition
For Immediate Release
Contact: Monika Lee, 916-444-7415
July 8, 2019
SAFE AND AFFORDABLE DRINKING WATER FUND LEGISLATION PASSES
ON STRONG, BI-PARTISAN VOTE
Communities who have worked for decades to secure human right to safe drinking water
now call for Governor Newsom’s swift signature.
Sacramento, CA — The Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund Coalition released the following statement today from Phoebe Seaton, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability; Jonathan Nelson, Policy Director, Community Water Center; and Jennifer Clary, Water Programs Manager, Clean Water Action after SB 200 received enough votes to pass out of the California Senate and head to Governor Newsom’s desk. Along with the budget bill passed on June 13, SB 200 would deliver $1.4 billion over 11 years to finally realize California’s promise of safe water for all:
“Today, at long last, California has made history by passing SB 200, the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund, on a strong, bi-partisan vote. This legislation represents an unprecedented step forward towards achieving every Californians' basic human right to safe water, and will permanently and positively change the lives of the one million Californians without safe drinking water.
“Communities who’ve worked for decades to secure this victory thank Senator Monning and Assemblymember Garcia for their tireless work to pass the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund. We also thank the Governor, the Speaker and Pro Tem, and the many other legislative champions and partner organizations who joined hands together in partnership with environmental justice organizations to make history.
“We now urge a swift signature of SB 200 so that California can begin the necessary work of implementing safe and affordable drinking water projects for the communities that desperately need them — and thereby finally achieve the California promise of safe and affordable drinking water for all.”
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Community Water Center (CWC) was founded in 2006 as a community-based organization that believes all communities should have access to clean, safe, and affordable water. CWC works as a catalyst for community-driven water solutions through organizing, education, and advocacy in California. For more information, visit www.communitywatercenter.org.