Community Water Center Mobilizes to Protect Safe Drinking Water Funding for Central Valley Communities in 2026-27 State Budget

The Community Water Center (CWC) is mobilizing advocates and community members across California's Central Valley to defend full funding for the SAFER Program following the release of Governor Newsom's proposed 2026-27 state budget, which removes existing General Fund protections for the program. SAFER — the Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience Program — invests in small, rural communities that lack access to safe drinking water. The program provides interim water supplies, technical assistance, and funding for long-term infrastructure solutions to communities where residents are exposed to illegal levels of harmful contaminants. According to the 2024 Drinking Water Needs Assessment, achieving the Human Right to Water for all Californians requires an estimated $15.9 billion in investment — and SAFER is a primary tool for reaching the communities furthest from that goal. The removal of General Fund protections in the proposed budget creates a potential $100 million funding gap over four years, threatening progress already made for rural communities dependent on the program. CWC also celebrated leadership appointments in January, with Timoteo Prado, Angela Ruiz-Alvarez, Destiny Rodriguez, and Rosa Carrillo joining the SAFER Advisory Group — community members directly from Central Valley communities affected by water contamination who will shape how the program is implemented. Nancy Serna and Angela Ruiz-Alvarez were also appointed to the Orosi Public Utilities District board. Nearly one million Californians are currently exposed to illegal levels of harmful contaminants in their tap water. The vast majority of these communities are low-income communities of color in agricultural regions, including the San Joaquin Valley. The Community Water Center, founded in 2006 and based in Visalia, is a grassroots environmental justice organization that works through community organizing, legal advocacy, and policy engagement to guarantee the human right to water for all Central Valley residents. Source: Community Water Center | https://www.communitywatercenter.org