BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       


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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  AB 1407|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                         |
          |1020 N Street, Suite 524          |                         |
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 1407
          Author:   Wolk (D)
          Amended:  7/1/03 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE ENERGY, UTILITIES & COMM. COMMITTEE  :  7-0, 6/24/03
          AYES:  Bowen, Alarcon, Battin, Dunn, McClintock, Murray,  
            Vasconcellos
          ABSENT/NO VOTE RECORDED:  Morrow, Sher

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  77-0, 5/12/03 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Solar energy 

           SOURCE  :     California Solar Energy Industries Association


           DIGEST  :    This bill prohibits a public entity from  
          receiving state grants or loans for solar energy programs  
          if it prohibits or places unreasonable restrictions on the  
          placement of solar energy systems.  Requires the public  
          entity to certify that it is meeting requirements of the  
          law when applying for these grants or loans.  Establishes  
          the particular standards that solar energy systems for  
          heating water and producing electricity must meet.

           ANALYSIS  :    Since 1978, a California statute known as the  
          California Solar Rights Act has barred restrictions on the  
          installation of solar energy systems.

          According to the California Solar Energy Industries  
          Association, some local governments have imposed  
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          restrictions or overly complicated permitting 
          reviews on the installation of residential and commercial  
          solar systems:

          1. City of Santa Ana will not permit solar installations  
             that are visible from the street.

          2. Fresno County required a homeowner to install a second  
             roof underneath an existing roof before a roof-mounted  
             photovoltaic system could be installed.

          3. Other cities which have had problems include Santa  
             Barbara, Glendale, Palm Springs, Lakewood, Yorba Linda,  
             Cerritos, Fullerton, and Long Beach.
           
          FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  No    
          Local:  No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  7/1/03)

          California Solar Energy Industries Association (source)
          AMECO
          EcoEnergies
          GO Solar Company
          Light Energy Systems
          Performance Solar Inc.
          POCO Solar Energy
          Short Electric
          Six Rivers Solar, Inc.
          SoCal Solar Energy
          Solar Wind Works
          Solarponics, Inc.
          SOLutions in Solar Electricity
          SUN Utility Network

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Aghazarian, Bates, Benoit, Berg, Bermudez, Bogh,  
            Calderon, Campbell, Canciamilla, Chavez, Chu, Cogdill,  
            Cohn, Corbett, Correa, Cox, Daucher, Diaz, Dutra, Dutton,  
            Dymally, Firebaugh, Frommer, Garcia, Goldberg, Hancock,  
            Harman, Haynes, Jerome Horton, Shirley Horton, Jackson,  
            Keene, Kehoe, Koretz, La Malfa, La Suer, Laird, Leno,  
            Leslie, Levine, Lieber, Liu, Longville, Lowenthal,  
            Maddox, Maldonado, Matthews, Maze, McCarthy, Montanez,  







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            Mountjoy, Mullin, Nakanishi, Nakano, Nation, Negrete  
            McLeod, Nunez, Oropeza, Pacheco, Parra, Pavley, Reyes,  
            Richman, Ridley-Thomas, Runner, Salinas, Samuelian,  
            Simitian, Spitzer, Steinberg, Strickland, Vargas,  
            Wiggins, Wolk, Wyland, Yee, Wesson


          DLW:mel  7/8/03   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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