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As one Alpaugh resident speaks in support of the proposed increased water rate another asks him if he is willing to drink the water. He declined.

In Alpaugh, California the water looks, smells and taste bad. Alpaugh is one of the poorest towns in the California 20th Congressional District. The 20th Congressional district is the poorest congressional district in the United States.

Arsenic levels in the water exceed those permitted by law. Residents complain that they cannot drink it, cook with it or, for some, even bathe with it. The water provider want to raise the rates to $75.00 per month but there is no promise that the quality will improve.
Residents met with the staff from the Community Water Center (CWC) to ask for their assistance on help to get a no vote and stop the increase. A leaflet with no identifying information soon appeared in the community. It states that "A no vote stops the use of water", "throws our small domestic system into bankruptcy and leaves us without water." It urges the residents to "Stop the outside attorneys and organizers from destroying our small local domestic water system."
The community members came out en mass to the water board meeting. As I stood in the hot sun outside the Veterans building, I watched residents describe the water and the problems they have with it along with their inability to pay the amount sought. As people arrived to the meeting you could tell by the car they drove what position they would take on the issue. The few ones driving the sports cars and new pick up trucks, and dressed in a stereotypical grower style, supported the increase. Those who walked or came in older cars and wore older clothes were against the increase. Division by wealth was on display in a big way.
The hearing discussion was heated. Maria Herrera and Suzanna De Anda from CWC did an excellent job of translating the comments of the community members who spoke both against and in favor. Predictably, the meeting went late. The Board decided to take no action until August.

Stay tuned.

One of the very few persons who spoke in favor of the proposed rate hike for water in Alpaugh.

In Alpaugh, California the water looks, smells and taste bad. Alpaugh is one of the poorest towns in the California 20th Congressional District. The 20th Congressional district is the poorest congressional district in the United States.

Arsenic levels in the water exceed those permitted by law. Residents complain that they cannot drink it, cook with it or, for some, even bathe with it. The water provider want to raise the rates to $75.00 per month but there is no promise that the quality will improve.
Residents met with the staff from the Community Water Center (CWC) to ask for their assistance on help to get a no vote and stop the increase. A leaflet with no identifying information soon appeared in the community. It states that "A no vote stops the use of water", "throws our small domestic system into bankruptcy and leaves us without water." It urges the residents to "Stop the outside attorneys and organizers from destroying our small local domestic water system."
The community members came out en mass to the water board meeting. As I stood in the hot sun outside the Veterans building, I watched residents describe the water and the problems they have with it along with their inability to pay the amount sought. As people arrived to the meeting you could tell by the car they drove what position they would take on the issue. The few ones driving the sports cars and new pick up trucks, and dressed in a stereotypical grower style, supported the increase. Those who walked or came in older cars and wore older clothes were against the increase. Division by wealth was on display in a big way.
The hearing discussion was heated. Maria Herrera and Suzanna De Anda from CWC did an excellent job of translating the comments of the community members who spoke both against and in favor. Predictably, the meeting went late. The Board decided to take no action until August.

Stay tuned.