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“Today the cost of basic water service already imposes hardships on many low-income households,” the organizations said in their letter, adding that if Congress doesn’t continue the program, “water rate assistance will no longer be part of the federal safety net, putting hundreds of thousands of households at risk of losing their water service.”

In 2022, however, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 222, which would have established a water rate assistance program, saying there was no source of “sustainable, ongoing funding” at the time.

“Just like home energy and nutrition assistance, water rate assistance is crucial for public health and economic prosperity.”

The Water Rate Assistance Program, which Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed last month, would have created a water affordability program for low-income households.

The commission’s staff concluded that despite a lack of detailed information on costs, the water rate hike for the project “would disproportionately impact millions of low-income residents.”