The State Senate voted recently to send the governor legislation by Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Solano, that requires planning for basic infrastructure in disadvantaged, unincorporated communities.

"This measure addresses a very serious public health and planning problem in California that has for too long been largely hidden from view," said Wolk. "There are hundreds of underserved communities in this state, many of them in my district. They are home to an estimated one million Californians who lack basic necessities such as clean drinking water, adequate sewage disposal and other critical infrastructure. My legislation takes the first step toward ensuring that these neglected communities, some of the state's poorest, are provided with the basic necessities for a safe and healthy living environment."

Wolk's Senate Bill 244 would ensure that by Jan. 1, 2014, cities and counties review and update the elements of their general plans to include data and analysis, goals, and implementation measures regarding unincorporated island, fringe, or legacy communities. This requirement would apply the next time that local officials revise their general plans.

Additionally, this bill provides authority for local governments to access the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Loan Program for planning costs to implement infrastructure projects. This would give disadvantaged communities like those targeted in this bill the ability to gain financial assistance for planning costs and level the playing field for various classes of local government.

The bill is being sponsored by the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation and is supported by groups such as the California Coalition for Rural Housing, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, Clean Water Action, PolicyLink, Natural Resources Defense Council, Planning and Conservation League, and Sierra Club California.

"California should afford the basic human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation for everyone in the state," said Jennifer Clary with Clean Water Action. "We should not force parents to cook, wash dishes, and bathe their children in water they know is making their families sick. Nor should we force them to walk their children to school through standing sewage. Access to clean, safe and affordable water and other basic infrastructure is a fundamental human right essential to our health, the environment and the economy."

SB 244 is one of six bills in the Human Right to Water Bill Package, which is being co-sponsored by a group of organizations including the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Clean Water Action California; Environmental Justice Coalition for Water; Food and Water Watch; and the Catholic Charities-Diocese of Stockton.