Source: The Desert Sun
"All these substandard circumstances put at risk the health of the people I represent," Garcia said.
Low-income communities have been at the center of Proposition 1, the water quality, supply, and infrastructure improvement act that voters approved in November 2014.
The proposition sought to assure access to previously unissued bonds, set aside for water and wastewater access. In the resulting legislation, an increased focus was placed on involving community members in the planning process and setting aside additional funds for projects targeting water access in what the proposition defines as 'disadvantaged communities.'
Garcia's bill proposes a change to the existing legislation, SB 208, which specifies how these funds can be distributed to organizations implementing water and wastewater projects.
"All these substandard circumstances put at risk the health of the people I represent," Garcia said.
The initial legislation was designed to regulate the distribution of funds to regional water management groups, which are made up of local water suppliers and wastewater agencies.
These local agencies often have more extensive budgets than many of the small organizations who are now encouraged to participate in finding and implementing solutions to the most pressing water issues in the area they service.
Garcia's proposal seeks to increase the amount of funding these organizations are able to receive upfront and streamline the reimbursement process, to ensure organizations with smaller budgets will be able to participate.
"It will assist our disadvantaged communities with the access to clean drinking water," he said.
