Feb eNews: Spreading Water Access!
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Dear Supporter,
Thanks to tireless community advocacy, Orosi now has their first free water fill station in town through the King’s Management Zone! The community members relying on domestic wells in Cutler and Orosi face high levels of nitrate contamination, making their tap water unsafe to use for drinking and cooking. While there are other fill stations in Cutler and Orosi, they require payment, adding an additional expense for community partners to access a basic necessity. As a result, community members had to choose between paying for water or a 14-mile round-trip drive to Dinuba for the only free water fill station in the area.
In our advocacy for clean drinking water, we understand that communities facing contamination or water shortages need short and long term solutions that meet their needs. Management Zones (MZ) are groups which represent polluters to mitigate nitrate contamination and community advocacy made sure the MZ provided emergency clean water solutions. We cannot forget that this is only a temporary solution, and we need further action to create a long term solution for Cutler/ Orosi residents. We will continue to build solutions with our partners one step at a time to achieve true water justice.
Adelante,
Susana De Anda
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Water Affordability Bill Introduced in CA Legislature
Community partners rallying for affordability in 2022 August.
We are ready to advance our 2026 legislative priorities for the year:
SB 1125 (Menjivar) - This bill would provide payment relief to households on systems above 3,300 connections. We are also working in partnership with the water systems and supporting their bill, AB 2739 (Soria), to secure funding solutions for water affordability. We need a program in California to provide direct bill credits to eligible low-income customers —the first of its kind in the U.S.
AB 35 (Alvarez) - We are supporting this bill which would provide exemptions to Prop 4 (the Climate Bond) funding from the Administrative Procedures Act. This would get funding out to communities with shovel ready projects as soon as possible avoiding a 1-2 year delay.
Protect SAFER Funding- This unique program housed at the State Water Board provides $130 million annually for temporary safe water access and long term projects to provide safe and affordable drinking water, especially for small rural communities. SAFER was extended to 2045, but the General Fund backfill protection was removed, threatening to create a nearly $100 million shortfall for the fund over the next four years. Our partners are heading to Sacramento to ensure backfill funding is secured to fully fund SAFER as promised.
Follow our socials for updates on safe and affordable water policy this year!
Don’t Miss Out on WJLA!
Our annual Water Justice Leadership Awards (WJLA) are quickly approaching! Join us on March 11th to honor water justice leaders and celebrate our 20th anniversary. We’ll be honoring the following leaders fighting for clean and affordable drinking water in California:
Legislative Champion: Senator Pro Tempore Monique Limon
Community Leadership Awards: Maria Luisa & Lisa Muñoz from the Central Valley and Silverio and Ana Maria Perez from the Central Coast
Ally Organizations: Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability & Clean Water Action
Agency: State Water Board
Our celebration is on March 11, 2025, in downtown Sacramento at Cafeteria 15L at 5:30 p.m. It will be a powerful event alongside decision makers, allies, and community partners.
You won't want to miss it! Purchase your ticket here to support the movement.
If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please reach out to Maraid Jimenez, Communications Manager at (559) 809-7646 or maraid.jimenez@communitywatercenter.org.
CWC is Hiring
Do you have a passion for environmental and social justice? Are you looking for an opportunity to work alongside those on the frontlines of the movement for safe and affordable drinking water in California?
Community Water Center is hiring:
Administrative Assistant - Visalia Office
The Administrative Assistant is a regular, part-time, non-exempt hourly position. This position will be responsible for serving as the first point of contact for all visitors, managing the daily administrative tasks, and assisting with the accounting process across the organization.
Administrative Assistant - Watsonville Office
The Administrative Assistant is a regular, part-time, non-exempt hourly position. This position will be responsible for serving as the first point of contact for all visitors, managing the daily administrative tasks, and providing IT support across the organization.
Sr. Legislative Advocate - Sacramento Office
This position is responsible for CWC’s legislative package to secure funding for and address barriers to achieving safe and affordable drinking water in low-income communities and communities of color.
Sr. Water Projects Coordinator - Visalia Office
A full-time exempt position that will be primarily responsible for developing water projects in underserved communities where residents do not have reliable access to safe and affordable drinking water.
Water Research Manager - Office Visalia preferred
This position will work directly with other CWC teams focused on advocacy, organizing, communications and policy; and will coordinate regularly with impacted community partners, government agencies, contracted consultants, technical advisors, and affiliate organizations.
More information on CWC Careers here!
Community Resources
The Drinking Water Tool
Visit the Drinking Water Tool to see who makes decisions about your water supply and quality, potential threats to groundwater quality, and how to get involved in local groundwater management decisions, among other great information. Use the tool here!
Thank you to our Generous Donors!
A huge thank you to our sustaining monthly donors! Your ongoing commitment to water justice ensures everyone will have access to safe, clean and affordable drinking water.
Ann Dierks, Bessma Mourad, Carly Yoshida, Claire Sarraille, Claire Wilkens, F Thomas Biglione, Herbert G Cattanach, Jelle van Geuns, Jonathan Nelson, Kat Gilje, Kelsey Hinton, Kjirste Morrell, Kristin Dobbin, Lauren Gordon, Lou Riordan, Margaret Ferguson, Margaret Pedersen, Max Gomberg, Robert Kimberling, Sandi Matsumoto, Temma Kaplan, Wendy Hoben
February Donor
Richard Haberman
Be a water champion and support safe water for all.
