Gavin Newsom's budget calls for new tax on drinking water

California Gov. Gavin Newsom presents his first state budget during a news conference, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) California Gov. Gavin Newsom presents his first state budget during a news conference, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Gavin Newsom's budget calls for new tax on drinking water 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

In order to help disadvantaged communities obtain safe and affordable drinking water, California Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing a new statewide water tax.

In the newly-released 2019-20 budget, Newsom calls for the creation of a "safe and affordable drinking water fund" that would "enable the State Water Resources Control Board to assist communities, particularly disadvantaged communities, in paying for the short-term and long-term costs of obtaining access to safe and affordable drinking water."

A McClatchy investigation from 2018 found that 6 million Californians rely on water providers that violated state standards at some point in the last six years. According to the report, the majority of Californians that lack safe drinking water live in the Southern San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert.

The details of the proposed tax are unknown, but a similar proposal was abandoned by then-Governor Jerry Brown last year after failing to garner enough support in the legislature.

California residents would have been taxed 95 cents a month, or $11.40 a year, under that plan.

Took my Cabinet on a surprise trip to the Central Valley to hear directly from folks who lack access to affordable, clean water.



Our first stop: we met with residents who cannot drink or bathe with the water in their homes — while paying more for it than those in Beverly Hills. pic.twitter.com/b25vueQf4B — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 11, 2019

On Friday, Newsom took his Cabinet on a trip to the Central Valley to hear from residents who lack clean drinking water.

"We met with residents who cannot drink or bathe with the water in their homes — while paying more for it than those in Beverly Hills," the governor tweeted.

The Association of California Water Agencies, a group that represents more than 400 water suppliers across the state, announced its opposition to the latest proposed water tax from Newsom.

"The vast majority of the state's residents have access to safe drinking water, but a small percentage of the population does not," the association said in a statement. "This unacceptable reality is a social issue for the State of California. ACWA believes that making access to safe drinking water for all Californians should be a top priority for the State. However, a statewide water tax is highly problematic and is not necessary when alternative funding solutions exist and the state has a huge budget surplus."

Orange County Republican Travis Allen, who ran for governor in 2018, took to Twitter to blast the new tax.

"In one of his first official acts @GavinNewsom wants to TAX YOUR WATER," Allen tweeted. "There is no limit to what @TheDemocrats will tax or excuses they'll make to TAKE YOUR MONEY. It's time Republicans start fighting and TAKE BACK CALIFORNIA!!"

In one of his first official acts @GavinNewsom wants to TAX YOUR WATER. There is no limit to what @TheDemocrats will tax or excuses they'll make to TAKE YOUR MONEY. It's time Republicans start fighting and TAKE BACK CALIFORNIA!! https://t.co/mCQOYPIH3t — Travis Allen (@JoinTravisAllen) January 11, 2019

Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association told the Sacramento Bee that he believes the state should fund water systems without implementing a new tax.

He cites the fact that the state has a $14.8 billion budget surplus, and called the proposed tax an example of "California's knee-jerk reaction to default to a new tax whenever there's a new problem."

Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email him at eting@sfchronicle.com and follow him on Twitter

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