Sacramento, CA – The Senate Budget Committee voted 9-5 to pass AB 240 by Assembly Member Anthony Rendon that would make mutual water companies more transparent and accountable to the residents that receive water from them. The bill also allows the Water Replenishment District of Southern California to potentially receive millions in grants to improve drinking water quality in Maywood.
The residents of the City of Maywood receive water from three private mutual water companies that currently are not subject to comprehensive oversight. Maywood residents have for years expressed concerns about the quality of the water they receive, citing problems with discoloration, odors and taste. Various studies have found the presence of manganese and other unhealthy elements in the water. Some residents have even complained about the physical ailments that have resulted from bathing in the water.
A deteriorating water supply system is suspected of being the primary cause of the problem. A substantial portion of Maywood’s residents are renters and do not own real property in Maywood. Because of this, they are not stockholders or members of the mutual water companies that serve Maywood and cannot have any influence to make these companies fix the system in order to improve the water quality.
“The residents of Maywood have waited far too long to drink and bathe in clean water. They are currently paying for dirty water to bathe in and have to spend even more to get clean water to drink and cook with. I am grateful that the Senate Budget Committee has voted overwhelmingly to support the residents of Maywood by sending this bill to the Senate Floor,” stated Assembly Member Anthony Rendon.
For more info on the water problems in Maywood, watch this video: http://youtu.be/wb4G6i72nVQ