FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2024

MEDIA CONTACTS
Jill Hindenach, 202-494-6309, jhindenach@leadershipcounsel.org
Stephanie Ambriz, 442-400-2534, sambriz@leadershipcounsel.org 


TOMBSTONE TERRITORY, CA — Today, residents of Tombstone Territory, an unincorporated community in Fresno County, celebrated the groundbreaking of a long-awaited project to consolidate their water with the City of Sanger. After nearly a decade of advocacy, about 40 households in this rural community will finally be connected to a safe, reliable drinking water source.

The project, funded by California’s Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund (SAFER), will bring long-overdue relief to families who have endured years of unsafe and unreliable water supply. Many private wells in Tombstone have gone dry, while for others recent testing shows dangerous levels of contaminants. Residents have been forced to rely on bottled water and emergency deliveries for years.

“We’re so happy this project is finally beginning construction. My home was one of the first to lose water,” said Jovita Torres, Tombstone Territory community resident. “After nine years of struggling and fighting to get access to clean water, I’m happy that we have finally made it here.”

The consolidation project represents a major victory for water justice in this predominantly Latinx community that has been historically excluded from safe water infrastructure. Furthermore, this project also represents an important partnership between the community of Tombstone and the City of Sanger, in which the City of Sanger actively worked with community, state, and other stakeholders to ensure active progress in this project. 

“We are thrilled to have reached this tremendous milestone in Tombstone,” said Nataly Escobedo Garcia, PhD, Policy Manager – Water/Climate Programs at Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability. “Thanks to advocacy from residents, the support of the City of Sanger, and the SAFER program, Tombstone and dozens of other communities are now closer to having access to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water.”

While the Tombstone groundbreaking is a powerful example of what is possible through community-led advocacy and community investment, California’s water crisis is far from over. More than 800,000 Californians still lack access to safe and affordable drinking water. As a result of the 2019 passage of SB 200, the SAFER program was established to address this crisis, but sustained funding remains critical to help struggling communities and to ensure continued progress. 

At the same time, state leaders have an opportunity to support families struggling with rising water costs by passing SB 350, which would establish California’s first statewide Water Rate Assistance Program, administered by the State Water Board. This program would auto-enroll low-income customers, ensure transparency through annual reporting, and cap administrative costs. It would protect vulnerable families from losing access to water as a result of water utility debt, and provide some relief ensuring low-income families can afford this basic and vital necessity. 

This celebration shows that progress is possible when frontline communities are heard and supported. Advocates continue pushing for three critical water justice priorities: sustained funding for SAFER to assist other disadvantaged communities facing water crises, passage of SB 350 to establish California’s first Water Rate Assistance Program for low-income families, and equitable water solutions led by frontline communities most impacted by water injustice. 

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Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability works alongside the most impacted communities in the San Joaquin Valley and Eastern Coachella Valley to advocate for sound policy and eradicate injustice to secure equal access to opportunity regardless of wealth, race, income, and place. Leadership Counsel focuses on issues like housing, land use, transportation, safe and affordable drinking water and climate change impacts on communities.