Public water systems: needs analysis: water rate assistance program.

(1) The California Safe Drinking Water Act provides for the operation of public water systems and imposes on the State Water Resources Control Board various responsibilities and duties relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health. Existing law establishes the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund in the State Treasury to help water systems provide an adequate and affordable supply of safe drinking water in both the near and long terms. Existing law requires the state board to annually adopt a fund expenditure plan, as provided, and requires expenditures from the fund to be consistent with the fund expenditure plan. Existing law requires the state board to base the fund expenditure plan on data and analysis drawn from a specified drinking water needs assessment. This bill would require the state board to update a needs analysis of the state's public water systems to include an assessment, as specified, of the funds necessary to provide a 20% bill credit for low-income households served by community water systems with fewer than 3,300 service connections and for community water systems with fewer than 3,300 service connections to meet a specified affordability threshold on or before July 1, 2026, and on or before July 1 of every 3 years thereafter. (2) Existing law requires the state board, by January 1, 2018, to develop a plan for the funding and implementation of the Low-Income Water Rate Assistance Program. Existing law requires the plan to include, among other things, a description of the method for collecting moneys to support and implement the program and a description of the method for determining the amount of moneys that may need to be collected from water ratepayers to fund the program. This bill would require qualified systems, defined as any retail water supplier that serves over 3,300 residential connections, to begin providing water rate assistance to eligible ratepayers, defined to mean a low-income residential ratepayer with an annual household income that is no greater than 200% of the federal poverty guideline level, on or before July 1, 2027. The bill would require a qualified system to automatically enroll an eligible ratepayer in the water rate assistance program if available information, which includes, among other things, authorizing a ratepayer to confirm eligibility by self-certification made under penalty of perjury, indicates that they are qualified to receive assistance and provide a water bill credit, as specified. By expanding the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require a qualified system, on or before September 1, 2026, to provide an opportunity for each ratepayer to provide a voluntary contribution as part of the ratepayer's water bill to provide funding for the qualified system's water rate assistance program. The bill would require a qualified system to recommend a voluntary contribution amount on the bill of each ratepayer, other than an eligible ratepayer, at a level intended to raise sufficient funding to provide a bill credit to eligible ratepayers, pay for the qualified system's administrative costs to implement the program beginning January 1, 2025, and establish a balancing account if the qualified system chooses to do so. The bill would require a qualified system to notify ratepayers of the voluntary contribution on the water bill and provide each ratepayer the option and method of opting out of the voluntary contribution, as specified. The bill would also prohibit a qualified system from sanctioning or holding liable a ratepayer in any manner for not paying the voluntary contribution. The bill would authorize a qualified system to use any state or federal funds that are available to support a ratepayer assistance program by offsetting or supplementing the funds collected from voluntary contributions. The bill would authorize the Attorney General to bring an action in state court to restrain the use of any method, act, or practice in violation of these provisions, except as provided. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.