Category: California

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Call Newsom: Don’t Tax the Sun

By Sue Vaughan : burningplanet – excerpt

Solar employees and advocates gather at the CPUC in San Francisco on June 2, 2022

Solar employees and advocates gather at the CPUC in San Francisco on June

ACTION ITEMS FOR TODAY

There are two major downsides to capitalism. One, in capitalism there are winners and there are losers. And two, the end product of capitalism is an unlivable planet.

One year ago, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. D-San Diego, the David in the so-far failed battle against the Goliaths of Uber, Lyft, Instacart, Doordash, and other exploitative and polluting gig industries, got very confused about who the winners and losers in the energy industry are, and tried to take on a new “enemy” — the California rooftop solar industry..

So their marketing wizards came up with a campaign that argued that lower income Californians who could not afford rooftop solar were subsidizing the rooftop solar of those who could – and who got rebates for returning energy to the grid. Gonzalez sponsored AB 1139, a bill that would have decreased the amount that people with rooftop solar would be paid for the energy they pump into the grid and increased the amount they would have been charged for monthly grid maintenance.(See analysis of donations to state lawmakers at the end of this story.).

Rooftop solar providers, customers, environmentalists, and working class advocates got organized – and the measure didn’t make it out of the Assembly.

But the idea hasn’t gone away. It’s just been moved to the five, unelected members of the California Public Utilities Commission...

On Thursday, June 2, hundreds of rooftop solar installers, rooftop solar customers, environmentalists, and representatives of disadvantaged communities rallied at the CPUC buildings in San Francisco and Los Angeles to protest the newest proposals. The essence of their opposition? Reducing net metering rates (the rebates that go back to entities that pump electricity into the grid from rooftop solar) and raising grid maintenance rates would enrich these utilities at the expense of the planet. Crucially, these proposals would eliminate the financial incentives that homeowners now have to install rooftop solar. Opponents have called the proposals a tax on the sun. They also would have put about 2,000 solar companies out of business and eliminated around 70,000 jobs, according to the California Solar & Storage Association...(more)

Read the rest of the articles linked above for more details on the various players so you will know where to push the matter at the state level. Phil Ting supported AB1139. Call him to let him know where you stand and how likely you are to oppose his next run for office if he continues to support Big Energy companies efforts to kill solar.

In our case, we should also call and send letters to Senator Wiener and Assemblymembers Ting and Haney and any oher people in Sacramento you know. Phone calls to the CPUC directors are also encouraged. See some contact info here:  https://discoveryink.wordpress.com/ca-legislative-process

ACTION ITEMS FOR TODAY

 

 

 

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Questions Linger Over Future of San Francisco Neighborhood ‘Slow Streets’

By tyndicated Local – CBS San Francisco : msn – excerpt (includes video)

 

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) — Over the course of the pandemic, so-called “slow streets” popped up in neighborhoods throughout San Francisco. They’re designed to limit through traffic on some residential streets to create a common, shared space for those also traveling on foot and by bicycle.

There are nearly 30 corridors throughout the city, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).

But at Kirkham St. and 34th Ave., longtime local Elisa Smith thinks the slow street there is more of a nuisance than a benefit.

“The one here on Kirkham, it’s almost never used by anybody other than cars whizzing around the signage,” she said. “A lot of these are just causing more problems than they are a source of enjoyment for people.”…(more)

RELATED:

Residents Fight To Preserve San Diego’s Last Remaining ‘Slow Street’ 
…In January and February, the city quietly removed slow streets in the College Area, North Park and Emerald Hills. Now Diamond Street in Pacific Beach is the last that remains of the program…(more)

Surveys and polls are rigged everywhere. This is a non-partisan issue. Mayor Falconer is  a Republican who follows the Democratic biker path down the road of lost political causes. California politicians have decided to link transportation and housing programs under a program that forces density and removes cars at a pace that most people object to. Sacramento created the war on cars and it is up to the voters to fight back, surrender, or leave.  We shall soon see where the SF voters stand.

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Guiding Principals of Home Rule

This document states some rather interesting principals:
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
 Principles of Home Rule for the 21 st Century

https://www.nlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Home-Rule-Principles-ReportWEB-2-1.pdf

This one caught my eye as it appears to be relevant when accessing state bills that orride local control government authorities :  The Local Fiscal Authority Principle :   Home rule should guarantee local fiscal authority and recognize the value of fiscal stability at the local level. This principle accordingly includes local power to raise revenue and manage spending consistent with local budgets and priorities. To support local fiscal authority, a state should ensure adequate intergovernmental aid for general welfare at the local level and be prohibited from imposing unreasonable unfunded mandates.