Victory for Democracy and Water

Victory for Democracy and Local Control of Water

Statement of Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter

This week we celebrate a victory for democracy. On July 17, the City Council of Stockton, CA, voted unanimously to end the controversial privatization of the city’s water and sewer systems, and restore them both to public control.

Food & Water Watch congratulates the Concerned Citizens Coalition of Stockton, the Mother Lode Chapter of the Sierra Club, the League of Women Voters of San Joaquin County, and all organizations and individuals who have worked tirelessly to protect water as a public resource.

In 2003, when backroom deals ushered in an unpopular privatization scheme, the Concerned Citizens Coalition of Stockton remained steadfast in its advocacy for transparency and public participation in decisions about its community‚ water. In November 2006, a California judged ruled that the 20-year, $600 million privatization contract with OMI-Thames had skirted required environmental reviews and was thus illegal.

The deal had been riddled with problems from the start. In 2003, the City Council approved the contract with OMI-Thames two weeks before voters passed with a 60% margin a ballot measure that would have required voter approval of any water privatization contract. Since 2003, OMI-Thames has neglected water infrastructure–allowing sewage spills–and has been criticized for non-compliance with the contract. The Concerned Citizens Coalition also found that the City did an inadequate job of monitoring the contract.

This week, members of the Stockton City Council took an important step in the right direction by restoring local control of a vital resource to their constituents. Communities around the country will look to Stockton as an example of what democracy can achieve, and why citizens are best served when water is managed for the public good rather than for private gain.