Posted: January 27, 2025
by Shannon Dean
Senior VP, Customer Service ＆ Chief Sustainability Officer
In all of the communities Cal Water serves across California, we are dedicated to being more than just a provider of safe, clean, and reliable water. We’re ingrained in the fabric of our communities, striving to elevate the quality of life for everyone we serve. We’re incredibly proud of the difference we’ve made through initiatives such as our firefighter grants, college scholarships, customer assistance programs, and numerous local partnerships.
In 2024, we invested in the future leaders of our communities by awarding $80,000 in college scholarships to 12 exceptional students across our service areas. These bright individuals, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college, are pursuing a wide range of academic disciplines, from cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence to vital areas like neuroscience.
Additionally, our long-standing commitment to supporting local fire departments continued with the sixth annual Firefighter Grant Program. In 2024, we awarded more than $175,000 to seven fire departments across our operating footprint. Some of the recipients included the Marysville Fire Department, to refurbish a four-story training tower that is in dire need of repairs so that it can continue to serve as a training resource for the region, and the Sunnyvale Fire Department, for specialized wildland firefighting personal protective equipment that helps protect firefighters against the unpredictable and extreme conditions they encounter when responding to wildfires.
These grants go beyond life-saving equipment. The Redondo Beach Fire Department, another 2024 recipient, sought funding to support a mental wellness coaching and training mobile app. This gives their firefighters access to highly trained coaches to help them manage high levels of stress.
Providing access to safe, clean, and reliable water for all our customers remains our core focus. Knowing some customers have difficulty making ends meet, we continue to offer a range of flexible payment options for customers, including interest- and penalty-free payment plans and extensions, and our Customer Assistance Program for qualifying low-income households.
Beyond financial support, we actively participate in community events and initiatives. For example, during our formally dubbed “Season of Service” over the holidays, we participated in our 35th annual Operation Gobble program in Salinas and King City, providing $12,000 in donations and $8,600 in Butterball turkey gift certificates so families in need could enjoy a holiday meal. In our East Los Angeles, Rancho Dominguez, and Westlake districts, we sponsored local events that saw a total of almost 3,900 turkeys, hams, and/or meals distributed to southern California families. We also had our annual Operation Santa Claus in King City, which helped bring toys and holiday cheer to about 500 families, and employees volunteered at food pantries in Visalia and Bakersfield.
Our reimagined environmental education program, Tap Into Learning, provided several opportunities for students across the state to learn more about the importance of water conservation. In 2024, we awarded three classrooms field trips to California Academy of Sciences, Scout Island, and Aquarium of the Pacific as part of our Aqua Adventures segment of the program.
Cal Water districts across our service areas demonstrated their commitment to their local communities and organizations close to employees’ hearts through a variety of programs and events in 2024, especially during our Season of Service. More than just donating money, our employees volunteered a helping hand to organizations such as Food Bank for Monterey County, Golden Empire Gleaners in Bakersfield, Rotary District 5280 Foundation in Carson, and Happy Hollow Park & Zoo in San Jose.
At Cal Water, while our primary focus remains providing safe, clean, reliable water to our customers, our commitment to our communities expands beyond that. It means investing in our collective well-being, supporting those in need, and building a brighter future together. We’re honored to serve our communities and look forward to continuing this important work in 2025.
2025 has been off to a difficult start for many Californians due to devastating fires in the Los Angeles area. Our hearts break for the communities and residents severely impacted by this tragedy, and we are contributing $100,000 to support relief efforts during this time:
- $25,000 to the California Fire Foundation, which supports firefighters, victims of fire, and families of fallen firefighters.
- $25,000 to World Central Kitchen, which provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.
- $25,000 to the American Red Cross, to assist people affected by this disaster.
- $25,000 divided evenly between the Pasadena Humane Society and Los Angeles SPCA, to assist with animal care and services needed in the wake of the fires.
Beyond these donations, the company is increasing our employee match to these organizations as part of our employee contribution matching program. All of these contributions are from the company’s philanthropic giving program and do not affect customers’ rates. Our thoughts remain with everyone who has been affected by these wildfires and the first responders protecting these communities.
