On Monday, RCRC joined voices with a coalition of resource and labor advocacy groups to urge Governor Newsom to maintain the second year of funding for the Paradise Irrigation District (PID). This effort follows a funding allocation by the Newsom Administration in 2019 to restore water services in the aftermath of the Camp Fire of 2018 which devastated PID’s ability to provide water services in the Town of Paradise. The hard work of IBEW and its sister labor organizations has helped to ensure the second-year allocation is included in the Legislature’s current budget proposal. The vital funding must survive the difficult budget decisions ahead in the coming weeks as the Legislature and the Governor enact a State Budget for 2020-2021 by July 1.
PID provides clean drinking water to the homes and business within the Town of Paradise, located in Butte County. Due to the destruction of the Camp Fire, PID was unable to remain operational and the Town of Paradise was left without a drinkable water source. Last year, the Newsom Administration decided to allocate two years of backfill funding to PID to allow it to remain operational while it works on a long-term plan to become economically self-sufficient. Without the second year of funding, PID will need to declare bankruptcy and terminate many employees. Citing state budget difficulties during the May Revise, second-year funding was proposed to be eliminated. The collapse of PID would undermine the area’s recovery and would be disastrous for the Town of Paradise. Read the coalition letter here.