An all-hands-on-deck effort saved one of the state’s most effective drinking water programs, at least for next year. But what happens after that? The SAFER program, which had received $130 million annually to provide emergency water and long-term solutions for families whose wells go dry, was set to be cut by nearly half until an unlikely coalition of social justice, farmer and water manager groups rallied to save it. On Oct. 8, about 40 people gathered on the dusty bank of a Tulare County recharge basin to celebrate that win, which resulted in one-time funding of $171 million for SAFER in the 2027-28 fiscal year. About $71 million of that will come from the state’s greenhouse gas reduction fund and the rest is Proposition 4 money.

Other water funding news:

• Davis Vanguard (Calif.): Opinion: Policy inaction will continue to threaten California’s water future