California Assembly OKs Clean Drinking Water Fund
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California state Assembly has approved a bill that would spend up to $130 million a year to improve drinking water.
About a million people in California don't have access to clean drinking water. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a tax on residential water bills to fix that. But lawmakers rejected it.
Instead, legislative leaders reached a compromise with Newsom to take some money out of a fund used to improve air quality and use it for drinking water.
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Some environmental groups say it's inappropriate to use the money this way. But bill author Sen. Bill Monning has said it is an appropriate because climate change has impacted water quality.
The state Assembly approved the proposal on Friday by a vote of 67-0. It now heads to the state Senate.