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Solar Rights Alliance
302 Washington St
# 150-5062
San Diego, CA 92103
United States
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Just in time for Independence Day, the bill to restore the right of renters, schools, and farms to benefit from rooftop solar passed the Assembly Utilities & Energy Committee on Monday. SB 1374 (Becker) will be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee sometime in August, and then in the full Assembly after that (the bill passed the State Senate last month). So far so good, and nice work!
To recap, last year the CA Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) took away the solar rights of renters, schools, and farms. The CPUC blocked them from using their own solar energy produced on their own roof, forcing them to buy it from the utility instead. SB 1374 intends to reverse the CPUC's misguided decision.
We know it might sound crazy that we have to defend this basic right. This problem fits the larger pattern of the Newsom Administration doing the utilities' bidding to undermine rooftop solar. The bill made it this far thanks to your phone calls and the work of a big coalition.
However, the bill did not pass unscathed. Utility lobbyists succeeded in getting lawmakers to weaken the bill so that it only guarantees protections for apartments and public schools. The amended bill directs the CPUC to figure out what to do with other properties—farms, businesses, shopping centers, factories, etc. Given the CPUC's track record of rubber stamping the utilities' desires, this is not good. However, it is possible that this push from the Legislature could force a better outcome.
To be clear, homeowners' right to "self-generate" is not in question at the moment. But this threat to the basic solar rights of schools, farms, and renters is all the more reason why homeowners should fight like hell to defend everyone else's right to make solar energy on their property without interference. Your calls and emails are absolutely making the difference, and many legislators said they are getting more calls on this issue than anything else this year.
Below is how the Assembly Utilities & Energy Committee voted on SB 1374:
Note: "NVR" means the legislator was either absent or abstained. In our view, abstaining is an underhanded way for a lawmaker to vote "No" without being on the record.
- Yes: Bauer-Kahan, Friedman, Hart, Holden, Petrie-Norris, Reyes, Santiago, Schiavo, Ting, Wood, Zbur
- No: Joe Patterson
- NVR: Calderon, Chen, Jim Patterson, Wallis
If your Assemblymember is on the committee, we encourage you to reach out to them to either thank them for voting yes, or express disappointment that they voted no or abstained. Look up your Assemblymember here.
Finally, we want you to know that three Assemblymembers on the committee spoke up especially strongly for rooftop solar—Laura Friedman, Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, and Pilar Schiavo. Below is a video of their remarks, and we think it is worth watching.
Show me the video
Thank you for all you do! Happy Independence Day, and let's keep fighting for freedom.
-- Dave Rosenfeld, Executive Director & Cailey Underhill, Advocacy and Development Director
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