Part of Governor Newsom’s new state budget proposes a special fund to deal with unsafe drinking water in California, and it could signal the return of a water tax that has failed to pass the State Legislature multiple times over the years.
The proposal, named the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund, aims to pay for “the short-term and long-term costs” of obtaining clean drinking water for disadvantaged communities with money from “new water, fertilizer and dairy fees,” according to the budget revealed on Jan. 10.
