California is known as a leader in regulating toxic chemicals in products to protect public health and prevent pollution. The end of the year is a great time to review the opportunities and challenges faced by Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund’s Toxics Program in 2025 and how we met them. There were some grave disappointments, but those only provide fuel for future victories.
Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory!
Clean Water Action co-sponsored two groundbreaking bills this year to reduce microplastics and PFAS in commercial products and successfully shepherded the bills through the state legislature. SB 682 (Allen) would have banned PFAS in six product categories – cookware, cleaning products, ski wax, dental floss, children’s products, and packaging. All of these products are both toxic to humans and contaminate water and other environmental media when they are made, used, and disposed of. AB 823 (Boerner) would have banned the use of plastic microbeads in personal care products, such as cosmetic glitter and cleaning products. Natural alternatives can easily replace the plastic, preventing toxic exposure and the beads going down the drain into the water system.
Inexplicably, Governor Newsom vetoed these bills, dismissing both the health implications and the costs of having to clean up polluted drinking water sources. We’re disappointed that his veto messages for both bills cited erroneous information. His veto of the PFAS bill reiterated the cookware industry’s false claims of higher costs for safer products. In his veto of the plastics bill, which had no opposition, the Governor mistakenly suggested that banning plastic would also ban natural alternatives, even though the bill was written to promote safer substitutes.
The Governor’s vetoes of our bills were just a fraction of the environmental bills he killed this year. Many advocates and legislators view the vetoes as an attempt by the Governor to position himself as more moderate on the national stage. While we see this as a disservice to California, and to other states that follow our lead, it is clear that the Legislature understood the importance of the measures we’d introduced and the need to stop toxic chemical and plastic pollution at the source.
Our members played a part in building this understanding in the Legislature. Your response to our action alerts made your voices heard — lawmakers understood that the people of California want safer products, less plastic, and the cleaner water that results.
We’re winning on water!
Preventing future pollution will always be a priority, but Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund are equally committed to tackling the contamination already affecting our water today. That’s why we continue to lead efforts to ensure dangerous pollutants are identified, regulated, and treated in California’s drinking water.
PFAS—often called “forever chemicals”—have been detected in water sources serving an estimated 25 million Californians. Yet thousands of people who rely on small water systems still have no information about these toxic substances in their water. To close that gap, Clean Water Fund partnered with the State Division of Drinking Water to recruit small systems for free, comprehensive PFAS testing. This year, more than 3,664 wells have been tested, giving us critical data that reveals where these contaminants are most concentrated.
At the same time, we’re working closely with state regulators to establish strong California standards for the PFAS compounds detected in our water. As the federal government signals its intent to roll back protections adopted by U.S. EPA in 2024, our state must take the lead.
If Washington won’t safeguard our communities, we will—and we will be there every step of the way in the new year to make sure California sets the strongest possible standards for clean, safe drinking water. Because when it comes to our water, we don’t wait. We act. And we win.
Finally, we are holding our national representatives accountable.
With the current Administration rolling back environmental protections and gutting the very agency meant to enforce them, industry lobbyists see an open door to weaken one of our nation’s most important safeguards: the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
They call it “modernization.” We know better. The US Senate proposal to “open up” TSCA isn’t about improvement — it’s about undermining it. If industry gets its way, the federal government could override stronger state laws, stripping Californians of critical protections like Proposition 65 and jeopardizing our current bans on PFAS and other toxic chemicals in everyday products. Imagine losing your right to know when dangerous substances lurk in the things you buy.
That’s why Clean Water Action took action. Over the last few months we organized three meetings with the Washington staff of Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff. We didn’t go alone — we brought with us health advocates, environmental justice leaders and other experts. Together, we delivered a clear message: Don’t weaken TSCA. Don’t preempt California’s chemical safety laws.
These weren’t abstract policy discussions. They were conversations about the lives, communities, and ecosystems at risk if corporate polluters are given freer rein. And our senators heard us. They saw that Californians are paying attention — and that we’re ready to defend our right to clean water, healthy products, and transparent government.
Because this fight isn’t just about legislation. It’s about who gets to decide what’s safe for our families: us, or the industries that profit from our exposure.
Your voice matters. Every time you open one of our emails, sign a petition, or send a message to your state representatives, you help move decision-makers to act. Legislators and regulators have told us directly that your messages get through— and that they pay attention.
Your financial support powers change. When you give to Clean Water Action or Clean Water Fund, your gift helps us make change through education, advocacy, research and outreach to protect public health and the environment.
At a time when federal protections are being rolled back and efforts are underway to weaken California’s stronger environmental laws, your support—both your actions and your donations—is an investment in a safer, cleaner future for all.
