But the clean water program that has been one of Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s major initiatives, bringing solutions like these, is significantly cut in his latest proposed budget. <\/p>\n
Residents here are worried this could slow the effort to bring them clean water. <\/p>\n
\u201cI hope they help us,\u201d said Paula Fern\u00e1ndez, a resident who lugs gallon bottles of water for drinking and cooking. \u201cI hope this gets resolved because we need it.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Paula Fern\u00e1ndez, who lives in a rural area, uses filtered water to wash dishes. She is among about 600,000 people who get water that state regulators say is unsafe to drink.<\/p>\n
(Gary Kazanjian \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n
Clean water advocacy groups say recent changes to California\u2019s \u201ccap-and-invest<\/a>\u201d climate program could mean less help in the coming years for hundreds of thousands of people who live with contaminated water.<\/p>\n Newsom\u2019s latest proposed budget estimates that the state\u2019s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund will provide about half of what it provided last year for the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund \u2014 $68 million compared with $130 million. The Senate\u2019s latest budget proposal, however, would reinstate full funding.<\/p>\n The Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund is a primary funding source for the state\u2019s SAFER drinking water program<\/a>, which pays for long-term solutions such as drilling wells or connecting pipes to a nearby community, as well as interim solutions such as paying for deliveries of bottled water and water tanker trucks<\/a> to fill household tanks.<\/p>\n (Gary Kazanjian \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n \u201cIf we only get the $68 million, it significantly puts at risk sustained funding for these projects,\u201d said Kelsey Hinton, policy director for the nonprofit Community Water Center. \u201cWe are at risk of slowing down or stopping momentum on safe water solutions statewide, and that\u2019s something that we can\u2019t afford to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n Shortly after Newsom took office in 2019, he signed legislation<\/a> establishing the drinking water fund. It called for $130 million for the program each year for 10 years, and said any revenue shortfall would be offset with other state funds.<\/p>\n But when the Legislature voted last year to extend the state climate program,<\/a> that provision guaranteeing backup funding wasn\u2019t included.<\/p>\n Hinton said her group is urging the governor and the Legislature to fully fund the program, whether from the state\u2019s general fund or another source.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we are in a tough financial situation, it\u2019s critical that we find a way to backfill this funding,\u201d she said, \u201cbecause we have to make sure that people have access to the safe water that they need.\u201d<\/p>\n Nearly 1 million Californians have gained access to safe drinking water in their homes and schools since the program started, according to the State Water Resources Control Board. The state has given more than $1.8 billion in grants for drinking water projects in low-income communities. <\/p>\n About 600,000 people still get water from systems that state regulators say are failing to meet safe drinking water standards<\/a>. <\/p>\n Kristyn Abhold, an official in the state water board\u2019s financial assistance division, said the program has spent about $128 million on construction projects and drilled 103 new wells<\/a> since July 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cGov. Newsom has made an unprecedented commitment to safe drinking water for California\u2019s most disadvantaged communities and it\u2019s working,\u201d spokesperson Anthony Martinez said in an email.<\/p>\n Martinez said the governor\u2019s latest proposed budget builds on this record and shows Newsom\u2019s continued commitment to the safe drinking water program.<\/p>\n He said the $68 million is simply the estimated sum coming from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund,<\/a> not a policy choice to reduce funding. That\u2019s because its funding is tied to an auction for a shrinking number of pollution allowances.<\/a><\/p>\n During a recent meeting<\/a>, Erick Orellana of the advocacy group Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability said getting only $68 million for the program would be a \u201cdisappointing number,\u201d and only half of \u201cwhat was promised to California communities a few years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo we\u2019d love to see those commitments followed through on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The SAFER drinking water program also receives support from Propositions 1<\/a> and 4<\/a> bond funds.<\/p>\n If it ends up with less funds this year, existing projects will still move forward with the available money, Hinton said. But as for any new or expanded projects, she said, \u201call of that will be stalled.\u201d<\/p>\n She noted that since 2012 California has declared access to clean, accessible and affordable drinking water a human right.<\/a><\/p>\n In Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s neighborhood just north of Porterville, residents stopped drinking water from their wells a few years ago. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781108353_954_.jpeg\")
Paula Fern\u00e1ndez prepares to water plants at her home. Tests revealed the water in her community is contaminated with nitrate and 1,2,3-trichloropropane.<\/a> <\/p>\n
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