Funding for a state drinking water program, vital to many communities throughout the San Joaquin Valley that struggle with groundwater contamination and scarcity, is secure for one more year after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed three budget bills into law on Friday. The Safe and Affordable Fund for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) program has $171 million to pay for emergency supplies when homes, or entire communities, go dry, and fund efforts to identify long-term water solutions throughout the state. The funding came after a harrowing ride through the legislature this summer. SAFER was all but gutted in the spring, with $68 million. That is less than half of its previous annual funding of $130 million. But a broad coalition of organizations came together to get the program over the finish line at the end of August.