Support AB 1242 Human Right to Water Bill: Deadline April 21

WILPFers and friends, AB 1242 will not only affect Californians, but will
also build the movement for the human right to water in the United States
and internationally. Please write your state assemblyperson, and send
copies as noted below. If you don't know who represents you in the
Assembly, this link will tell you: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html .

Ellen Schwartz
Sacramento Valley Branch
Women's International League for
Peace & Freedom
916-369-5510

April 14, 2009

Hello California WILPF Members, Please forward to other members that might
send letters.

Letters are due by Tuesday, April 21 to support AB 1242 the "Human Right to
Water" Bill.

The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom US Section will be
sending in a Letter in Support of AB 1242 to amend the State Water Code to
read: "every human being has the right to clean and accessible water on an
equitable basis.."

AB 1242 also requires that state agencies conform their policies and
practices to do so. In practical terms, this bill will ensure that agencies
prioritize the provision of potable water in their grant programs and
regulations.

AB 1242 will not only affect Californians, but will also build the movement
for the human right to water in the United States and internationally.

Please, to show your support of WILPF US Section as a supporter of this
bill, and as a California member of WILPF consider sending without delay - a
letter of support for AB 1242 (Ruskin-Jones) the "Human Right to Water"
bill. I have attached a sample "Letter of Support" that you may edit.
Please add your signature and your local CA address. .

Please fax a copy of your letter to the following numbers:

Chairman Jared Huffman, Water, Parks and Wildlife: (916) 319-2196 as the
bill will be heard in this committee on April 28.

Also send a copy to Assembly Member Ruskin: (916) 319-2121 so that, as
author of the bill, he knows how much support this bill is receiving.

Please email a copy to me: nancytprice [at] juno.com. If you have questions, call
me at: 530-758-0726.

Thanks, Nancy Price
Member, Save the Water Issue Committee Leadership Collective

Amended bill text:

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION. 1. Section 106.3 is added to
the Water Code , to read:
106.3. (a) It is hereby declared to be the established policy of the
state that every human being has the right to clean and accessible water on
an equitable basis, that is adequate for the health and well-being of the
individual and family, and that no one shall be deprived of that access or
quality of water due to individual economic circumstances.
(b) Relevant state agencies, including the department, the state board,
and the State Department of Public Health, shall employ all feasible means
to implement this state policy. Those state agencies shall revise, adopt, or
establish policies, regulations, and grant criteria to further this state
policy.
(c) This section shall apply to water supplies for individuals and not
for new development.
(d) The implementation of this section shall not infringe on the rights
or responsibilities of any local or regional water agency or municipality.

Sample Letter:

The Honorable Jared Huffman
Chair, Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814

(DATE)

RE: Support AB 1242 (Ruskin-Jones)

Dear Assemblymember Huffman:

I am writing to you as a California member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom in support of of AB 1242.

Access to clean, safe and affordable water is a fundamental human right essential to our personal, family and community health. Clean water is essential for healthy ecosystems on which we all depend for life and livelihood and for a robust economy.

California’s waters are not safe for drinking or for personal and household use. From 1997 through 2001, nitrates were detected above regulatory standards in the drinking water supplies of more than 11.2 million Californians and the drinking water of 8.5 million Californians showed five or more violations of the standards. Unfortunately, groundwater pollution means that in the best case, these Californians in some of the poorest communities around the state pay more to fund expensive treatment for their water, and at worst, end up without safe drinking water because they cannot afford treatment and have no alternative water supply.

Nitrates, however, are not the only threat to community access to potable water. Pesticides, industrial chemicals, and pollution from military sites, as well as some naturally occurring chemicals in high concentrations, are also responsible for putting families at risk and forcing them to purchase bottled water. Bottled water is a poor substitute for safe, affordable, potable water. First, it is not economical. Families are paying up to 1,000 times more for bottled water and sometimes forgoing other necessities. Even with bottled water, these families are forced to bathe and wash dishes with contaminated water.

More families who cannot pay their water bills, particularly in these hard economic times, risk losing their water service altogether. Unlike energy and phone service, there is no statewide lifeline water rate. If a family cannot pay their water bill they are at the mercy of their water service provider. Without basic water service, families run the risk of being evicted from their homes because they are not living in sanitary conditions.

It is unconscionable that in a state as wealthy as California, one of the largest economies in the world, families that cannot afford to purchase bottled water have no choice but to serve their families contaminated water. Parents are being forced to cook, wash dishes, and bathe their children in water they know is making their families sick. No family should be forced to make the heart-wrenching choices forced upon those that cannot afford this essential necessity for health and life.

AB 1242 establishes a right to water for basic human needs as a policy of the state of California. By doing so, and requiring that State Agencies comply, AB 1242 will ensure that future regulations, grant programs, and agency practices are designed to move California forward toward a day when everyone in California can safely fill a glass of water from their tap and drink it without fear of becoming sick.
Please help us to ensure that someday, every Californian will be able to confidently fill a glass of water from their tap and serve it to their families by voting aye on AB 1242 (Ruskin).
Sincerely,
NAME
ADDRESS