SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to charge California water customers up to $10 per month to help clean up contaminated water in low-income and rural areas.
His plan will face resistance from some Democrats hesitant to impose new taxes.
Up to 1 million Californians are estimated to have some type of contaminated or unclean water coming through their taps that can cause health issues.
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Newsom has called it a "moral disgrace and a medical emergency."
He wants to impose new fees on water customers and animal and dairy farms to pay for public water improvements.
It's nearly identical to a measure that failed last session.
A competing proposal by Democratic Sen. Anna Caballero would use money from the state's multibillion-dollar surplus to create a trust fund to pay for water improvements.
