Water is just out of reach for many California schoolchildren

In many California school cafeterias, there’s no free water to drink. Surprised?’Everyone I talked to says, ‘You’re kidding,’ ‘ said state Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco).Leno has introduced legislation to change that. His bill requiring schools to offer drinking water at no charge to students has passed the Senate and Assembly and awaits the governor’s signature — a fairly sure thing because the governor sponsored the bill. ‘As we all know, young people are constantly bombarded by advertisements and pressure from their peers to consume junk beverages that are high in calories and sugar. Yet many students do not have access to free, fresh drinking water at lunchtime,’ Leno said in material promoting his bill.