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Tulare County Water Commission urges county to back state SAFER drinking-water fund as revenues plunge
Summary
The commission unanimously voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors support California’s SAFER drinking-water program after staff warned the program’s funding could fall from $130 million annually to under $10 million next year, threatening projects for small systems and domestic wells.
The Tulare County Water Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors support California’s Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) after commissioners heard projections that the program’s funding could collapse.
At the July meeting, Commissioner Jesse told the commission that SAFER, established under Senate Bill 200 with an intended $130,000,000 annual appropriation from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), now faces steep cuts. "The revised department of finance budget number for SAFER is less than $10,000,000," he said, comparing that to the program’s original $130 million annual expectation. Jesse said a combination of GGRF reprioritization (placing SAFER in a lower funding tier) and lower auction proceeds tied to a new manufacturing decarbonization incentive leave SAFER “projected to get almost nothing” going forward.
County staff framed the consequences as local and immediate: SAFER has funded consolidation projects, new sources, treatment plants, assistance to domestic wells and operations and maintenance for small community water systems. "Over the seven years that SAFER has been in existence, we've seen about 1,000,000 fewer Californians relying on contaminated drinking water sources," Jesse said, noting the program’s role beyond community systems to include domestic-well assistance.
Commissioner Quinley moved that the commission recommend the Board of Supervisors send a letter supporting SAFER and asking state leaders to restore funding; the motion was seconded and the commission approved it without recorded opposition. The commission asked staff to draft a letter for the supervisors’ agenda.
The county’s action reflects broader state concerns: speakers reported the California Air Resources Board adopted related GGRF priority regulations on May 29 and that the Department of Finance expects GGRF proceeds to decline. Commissioners and staff noted SAFER also intersected with federal funding streams that are “hitting a fiscal cliff,” leaving limited alternatives to make up the gap.
Votes at a glance: The Water Commission recorded a motion from Commissioner Quinley to recommend the Board of Supervisors support SAFER; the motion was seconded (transcript names the seconder as Washam) and the chair declared the motion passed unanimously. The transcript records the commission's approval but does not provide a line-by-line roll call tally in full.
Next steps: Staff said they will prepare a draft letter for Board of Supervisors consideration and will coordinate local advocacy ahead of possible state trailer-bill negotiations in the August budget process.
