Most Californians agree that clean drinking water is a human right, and that it is a fundamental function of our state government to ensure that its citizens have access to safe and reliable drinking water. Even the State of California declared it so when the Legislature passed Assembly Bill 685 in 2012 that stated, “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes.” However, there is substantial disagreement in the Legislature on how to pay for the provision of clean drinking water to various communities throughout our state.

Some in the Legislature believe that a new water tax should be passed to fund this effort. This new tax would generate anywhere from $140 to $220 million in new state revenues. This includes $20 million in fertilizer taxes, $5 to $10 million in milk and confined animal facility taxes, and between $100 to $200 million in water connection taxes. The tax on water connections would cost most residential users about $1 more per month, which would be in addition to all the other fees they already pay to their local water agency. Local water companies would be tasked with collecting this new tax and sending it to the State Water Resource Control Board, an unelected bureaucracy, which would then determine who would benefit from these taxes.

I feel strongly that Californians are already overtaxed. It was just last year that the Governor and Legislature passed the largest gas and car tax in our state’s history. That tax increase will cost Californians an additional $5.2 billion annually for the next 10 years, unfortunately without spending a dime on easing traffic congestion. Shortly after that tax was passed, the Legislature also passed a $75 recording “fee” on real-estate related documents such as deeds and notices. These fees and taxes are extremely regressive and are driving up the cost of living in California. Californians already pay the highest income tax and sales tax in the nation and are struggling to find affordable housing and pay their day-to-day bills.

The proposed water tax originally was amended into Senate Bill 623 late last year. Fortunately, we were successful in stopping this bill in the Assembly. However, this Legislature is anything if not persistent (especially when it comes to passing new taxes), and a new proposal has surfaced to implement the water tax through a trailer bill in the 2018-19 state budget.

Everyone can agree that all Californians deserve clean drinking water. That question is not in dispute. The problem is that the state would be requiring ratepayers who have already paid for clean drinking water in their own community to now pay for clean-up and new water infrastructure in other communities. Furthermore, the state should be using General Fund dollars to solve this problem. California currently has a budget surplus of nearly $9 billion. If providing clean drinking water is so important to our state government (which it should be), then why haven’t we been investing in these communities to ensure that they have a clean water supply? There is absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t be setting aside some of this surplus to pay for the necessary water infrastructure.

To provide some perspective, in last year’s budget the Legislature spent tens of millions of dollars on pet projects with no statewide benefit. A few of last year’s “priorities” included refurbishing skate parks, building dog parks, and creating a new art museum. While these might be important projects, they certainly don’t rise to the level of providing something as fundamental to human survival as clean drinking water. Given our current surplus, there are clearly ample General Fund resources to pay for these required costs without imposing a new tax on water. What we lack is the political willpower to spend our existing resources on these vital government services rather than imposing new taxes on our citizens.

Ultimately, many Californians are fed up with the amount of taxes being imposed by the state government. Once we start taxing a basic human right like clean drinking water, it’s time to reevaluate our state’s spending priorities. After all, the fundamental role of government is to provide public services that are essential to life. I am still hopeful that sanity will return to Sacramento and that we will be successful in defeating this budget proposal. Regardless, I will continue to fight for middle and lower-income Californians to ensure that they can continue to live and thrive in this state.

Jay Obernolte, R-Hesperia, represents the High Desert in the state Assembly.