SACRAMENTO, CA —Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) has introduced Senate Bill (SB) 1291, the SHINE (Standards for Honesty, Integrity, Notification & Enforcement) Water Act. 

For years, many Californians served by mutual water companies (MWCs) have struggled to reliably access clean water. While private utilities are regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, and public water districts are subject to public transparency laws, mutual water companies operate in a middle ground without oversight. This has resulted in well-documented problems across California—from arsenic contamination in Tulare to directors raising their own salary by over five times in Cudahy.

The result is a lack of transparency and real harm to the communities they serve. Residents of Maywood and Cudahy have been served brown water contaminated with manganese for years, and residents of Palo Alto have experienced water shut offs with only 24 hours’ notice. With MWC board meetings taking place behind closed doors and without public input, there are few opportunities for recourse. 

SB 1291 will require MWCs to provide clear information on their website about when and where board meetings are held, how to attend, and how to be notified of upcoming meetings. It also requests the State Water Board conduct a thorough analysis of mutual water companies in disadvantaged communities to determine whether these companies are able to meet basic clean water and good governance standards.

“I am tired of watching my constituents struggle to access clean, reliable, and affordable water,” said Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach). “Our residents deserve water that is held to the highest standard, from companies that operate with integrity, not boards that refuse to answer to people from behind closed doors. I am proud to author SB 1291, which will bring much-needed transparency to mutual water companies and put us on the path to ensuring that all Californians have safe, drinkable water.”

“Mutual water systems often operate in the dark, depriving many of their ratepayers of basic access to decision-making,” said Jennifer Clary, California State Director of Clean Water Action. “We applaud Senator Lena Gonzalez for introducing this critical legislation which will shine a light on their operations and provide communities with the clarity they deserve.”

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Senator Lena Gonzalez proudly represents one million residents in California’s 33rd Senate District, which encompasses Southeast Los Angeles, the City and Port of Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, and Catalina Island. She serves as Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus and is a dedicated advocate on key priorities that impact Californians from economic development and environmental justice to LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, digital equity and more. Senator Gonzalez has championed major policies, including broadband for all, expanding paid sick leave, advancing clean transportation incentives, and ending neighborhood oil drilling. She lives in Long Beach with her family. To learn more, visit www.sen.ca.gov/gonzalez.

Since their founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking and people power to the table.