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Water for Life, Not for Profit |
Susan Mora and Bill Loyko at San Jose Peace Center
By Ruth Robertson
All eyes are on Stockton, California and the campaign to affirm that access to water is a basic need and a fundamental human right. This Central Valley agricultural center of 280,000 is celebrating the return to municipal control of their waterworks after four years of for-profit ownership.
From 2003 to 2007, Susan Mora and Bill Loyko watched their formerly superbly maintained public water system deteriorate. Susan worked for the Municipal Utilities Department while it was under public and then under private corporate control. During that time she had the chance to see up close the pros and cons of public vs. private jurisdiction over water.
Susan and Bill became part of a team of activists who protested the private water company's refusal to make public information about operations, profits, and staffing. Speaking out whenever possible, they questioned the design of construction projects that were supposed to save the city money. They supported legal measures that led to two court rulings declaring that the contract for privatization violated the law by failing to require an environmental impact report. Their hard work paid off when the Stockton City Council voted last summer 5-0 to end the privatization contract.
Now that Stockton has managed to get their waterworks back into the hands of its citizens, Susan speaks out to residents in other localities where the public's right to water is threatened. "If you hear of talk of privatization of water in your neighborhood, you can be sure it is on its way....don't hesitate, but instead speak up and act right away to find out what is happening to your right to water."
In this age of global warming, potential profits due to water scarcity tempt unscrupulous corporations. As a result citizens from small communities like Lee, Massachusetts to large metropolitan areas including Atlanta, Georgia are demanding public accounting of safe, clean and affordable water. In these and other parts of the US, people are finding out that keeping the responsibility for essential services like water in the public domain is in the best interest of its residents.
Susan and Bill smile and hold hands as they spread the tale of the triumph of the people of their town. The story of Stockton echoes in the refrain now heard across the land, "Water for Life, Not for Profit!"
Contact: www.cccos.org
All eyes are on Stockton, California and the campaign to affirm that access to water is a basic need and a fundamental human right. This Central Valley agricultural center of 280,000 is celebrating the return to municipal control of their waterworks after four years of for-profit ownership.
From 2003 to 2007, Susan Mora and Bill Loyko watched their formerly superbly maintained public water system deteriorate. Susan worked for the Municipal Utilities Department while it was under public and then under private corporate control. During that time she had the chance to see up close the pros and cons of public vs. private jurisdiction over water.
Susan and Bill became part of a team of activists who protested the private water company's refusal to make public information about operations, profits, and staffing. Speaking out whenever possible, they questioned the design of construction projects that were supposed to save the city money. They supported legal measures that led to two court rulings declaring that the contract for privatization violated the law by failing to require an environmental impact report. Their hard work paid off when the Stockton City Council voted last summer 5-0 to end the privatization contract.
Now that Stockton has managed to get their waterworks back into the hands of its citizens, Susan speaks out to residents in other localities where the public's right to water is threatened. "If you hear of talk of privatization of water in your neighborhood, you can be sure it is on its way....don't hesitate, but instead speak up and act right away to find out what is happening to your right to water."
In this age of global warming, potential profits due to water scarcity tempt unscrupulous corporations. As a result citizens from small communities like Lee, Massachusetts to large metropolitan areas including Atlanta, Georgia are demanding public accounting of safe, clean and affordable water. In these and other parts of the US, people are finding out that keeping the responsibility for essential services like water in the public domain is in the best interest of its residents.
Susan and Bill smile and hold hands as they spread the tale of the triumph of the people of their town. The story of Stockton echoes in the refrain now heard across the land, "Water for Life, Not for Profit!"
Contact: www.cccos.org
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