Clock in at the WC Blog

The nation's most read Spanish language newspaper, La Opinion, endorsed Measure B calling it, "a visionary proposal that merits voter's firm support".

Also supporting Measure B was the LA Sentinel which proclaimed, "On Tuesday, March 3, South LA Voters finally have an opportunity to vote on a measure which will create jobs, develop clean energy and improve the air we breathe. We strongly urge support for Measure B."

County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas led a spirited rally in support of Measure B. He was joined by SCOPE which recently released a report highlighting the importance of bringing green jobs to LA's distressed communities.

http://cbs2.com/video/?id=94018@kcbs.dayport.com

Actor and enviromentalist, Ed Begley Jr. blogged about his support for Measure B on the Huffington Post, the link is available below:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-begley-jr/measure-b--green-energy-g_b_1...

Former State Controller Steve Westly blogged about his support for Measure B.

From:

California Majority Report - camajorityreport.com/

Steve Westly

Green Energy in LA Now - Vote Yes on Measure B

February 23, 2009 @ 6:35 AM

California has always been a place where innovators come to test bold ideas and blaze new paths. I was part of one such movement, as a Senior Vice President at EBay I saw the power of smart investment in new technology to create jobs. Two years ago I founded the Westly Group to invest in green technologies because I believe that we are at the beginning of another such revolution.

Measure B, the solar energy and job creation program on the March 3rd ballot in Los Angeles, is the kind of bold plan we used to dream about back in 1980 when I worked for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Solar and Conservation under President Jimmy Carter. A municipal renewable energy plan that will put solar panels on rooftops right in the city, avoiding the construction of expensive transmission lines; a plan that will be able to replace dirty coal and natural gas plants located around the city with clean energy while creating thousands of good paying jobs in Los Angeles in solar manufacturing, installation, and maintenance.

As a former State Controller who spent years fighting for transparency and fiscal responsibility I carefully studied Measure B before endorsing it. I can say with confidence that this is a smart investment. A recent comprehensive analysis which tested over 10,000 cost simulations concluded that once Measure B is fully implemented LADWP ratepayers will continue to enjoy the lowest rates in Southern California.

Measure B also mandates some of the strongest safeguards ever enacted in LA to ensure an unprecedented level of accountability and transparency to protect LADWP ratepayers. It establishes an independent Citizen’s Advisory Committee that is tasked with overseeing the implementation of this plan to ensure it is done in the most efficient and cost effective manner. It also mandates an independent annual audit of the solar program by the City Controller to ensure each dollar is spent wisely and that the program is on track to reach its goals on time.

I spent the past two years working tirelessly to elect a candidate who shared my vision for America. President Obama shares my conviction that we can transform our economy and create millions of jobs by investing in renewable energy. President Obama and I both agree that we as citizens can’t wait on Washington to lead, now is our moment to begin the transition from fossil fuels to clean and renewable sources of energy, and from old manufacturing jobs to new green jobs. That’s why I am joining an unprecedented coalition of environmental leaders, organized labor, health advocates, and energy experts in actively supporting the passage of Measure B. I hope you will join us to make LA green.

Steve Westly was California's State Controller from 2003-2007. He is now a Managing Partner of The Westly Group, a clean technology-oriented venture capital firm located in Menlo Park, California.

Measure B, which will bring 400 MW of solar power to Los Angeles, is the focus of one of the largest labor-environmental alliances of the new Obama era. Key enviromental leaders showed their strong support for Measure B last week, speaking out on the steps of LA's City Hall:

http://www.greenenergygoodjobsla.com/blog/entry/ed-begley-jr.-environmen...

The Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters recently blogged about their support for Measure B on their website. The link is below:

http://www.ecovote.org/blog/?p=508

As election day approaches Measure B continues to attract a broad coalition in favor of green energy and good jobs.

California has always been a land of pioneers– and since the 1970s it has originated innovative energy and environmental policies that have served as models for the rest of the nation. Landmark pieces of legislation and investment have encouraged the creation of everything from cleaner cars to a smarter electric grid. We have spurred the growth of new industries while preserving one of the planet's most beautiful natural landscapes. Measure B is the next big step in this proud tradition and will make Los Angeles the solar capital of the United States.
What Silicon Valley was to the computer chip, Los Angeles can be to the solar panel. If voters pass Measure B, Los Angeles will become the living laboratory for President Obama's promise to create five million green jobs. Below are links that put Measure B in the context of the burgeoning national green jobs movement:

This article from this month's issue of Rolling Stone describes how:

"If the president wants an energy policy that creates jobs while protecting the environment, one state holds the answer: California."

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/25833544/look_west_obama

This advertisement, the first general election TV spot run by the Obama campaign reminds us of the new President's promise to put people back to work by transforming our energy system:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRgWpa_rnWQ

This article from Time magazine discusses the promise of green jobs to improve the lives of working Americans:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1852183,00.html?iid=spher...

This editorial by S David Freeman- former General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power- describes how Measure B will make LA the solar hub of America:

http://www.greenenergygoodjobsla.com/news/entry/sun-can-offer-l.a.-a-wor...

On March 3rd we can not only provide green energy and good jobs for Los Angeles but lead the rest of the nation towards a clean renewable energy revolution.

There are many, many questions worth asking PA Consulting about why they are releasing a rehash of a private report compiled in a few days with what they admit was, “limited data”. This thrown-together presentation diverges strongly from the conclusions of the exhaustive independent analysis done over more then two months by Huron Consulting, which included 450 hours of interviews and 10,000 cost simulations. Huron pegged the price of implementing Measure B at around a billion dollars without tax credits and grants factored in which would make the cost significantly lower. This means that rates would increase, (if at all), a little over a dollar per month (at the very most) and that LADWP customers will continue paying the lowest rates in Southern California.

The full Huron report can be found at:
http://www.ladwpnews.com/posted/1475/Measure_B_Analysis.251664.pdf

PA Consulting has apologized to the DWP for the embarrassing and
politically-motivated leak of their hurried and incomplete slide show.
Yet opponents of Measure B continue to tout rehashed versions of it in
an effort to confuse voters as to the costs of Measure B.

Not only as advocates for green energy and good jobs but as members of
the public, we hope the press will ask PA consulting just a few vital
questions:

How many days did PA consulting have to complete the report?

How many hours of interviews did they conduct?

How many solar manufacturing plants did they visit?

How many cost simulations did they run to reach their estimates?

What is the confidence level of their figures?

Did they consult with LA-based solar manufacturing facilities, and if so, who?

Did they interview the management at any solar training facilities? If so who?

Who was the "report" intended for?

Isn't it true that it was based on, "limited and incomplete
information" and included a, "guarantee that it would never be
publicized"?

Do they regret the manner in which their incomplete work was released
to the public?

Did Andrew Rea of PA Consulting write an email apology to the DWP? Why?

Were PA Consulting's estimates ever intended to allow stakeholders to
make decisions with confidence?

Was PA Consulting's report even based on information from this year
and did it even consider the final version of Measure B?

Why did they feel it was necessary to include a long list of
disclaimers at the end of their "report"?

Do they dispute the far more comprehensive analysis of Huron consulting?

The late Senator Daniel Patrick Monihayan once said, "everyone is
entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." An exhaustive
report released by an experienced independent firm confirms what we
have been saying all along- that Measure B will bring green energy to
LA and create thousands of good local jobs while keeping the LADWP's
rates the lowest in Southern California. So, the biggest question of
all is:

Why are the opponents of Measure B still peddling their own distorted
and discredited set of "facts"?

Los Angeles is the largest city on the West Coast and the second largest city in the United States. For decades, Los Angeles has been a large part of the economic engine that drives prosperity in the region, the state and the nation. However, as Los Angeles looks to the future it faces substantial challenges:

• Job growth has slowed, and many of the new jobs being created are low wage jobs that don’t provide good benefits. Close to one third of Los Angeles workers earn less than $25,000 and many do not have health benefits. This is harming local communities inside Los Angeles and putting a strain on city services.

• The current recession has driven the unemployment rate in Los Angeles to 9.9% further dampening the city’s economy and threatening the city’s tax base.
• The infrastructure that made Los Angeles famous and prosperous has reached a dangerous state of decay. Years of neglect have particularly affected the Department of Water and Power, a major support for the city’s economy.
• The effects of global warming combined with development and population growth are exacerbating the strains on the city’s water and power infrastructure and are leading to an increase in the number of failures of the power system and threats to the water supply.
• State law and city ordinances require that Los Angeles shift 20% of its energy supply to renewable energy by 2010. This goal cannot be reached in any meaningful way with programs that are currently on the books.
  

The city badly needs responses to these challenges that provide for continued economic growth, good jobs, and updates to the infrastructure that relieve pressure on the current system while furthering the city’s goal of reducing the growth of its carbon footprint.
To this point, the response to these problems has been piecemeal. An example is the purchase of energy from sources outside the city to meet the renewable energy requirements. While this may help meet the energy requirements, it does nothing to promote economic development, create good jobs, or reduce the strain on the city’s energy infrastructure.
Under Measure B the LADWP will install photovoltaic solar systems on the commercial rooftops of cooperating owners using materials manufactured in the City of Los Angeles and installed by employees of the LADWP. For this to happen, the DWP will have to hire new workers.
These new jobs created by Measure B will be open to Los Angeles residents and a training academy will be established to train them, creating a green work force that will give LA a leg up on the future. Under Measure B, the LADWP would finance and own the systems and use them as part of their renewable energy portfolio.

The Bottom Line

• Photovoltaic solar is the only way to generate renewable energy that is scalable inside the city of Los Angeles and therefore produces jobs and economic development in the city.

• Installation of photovoltaic solar that is owned and operated by the Department of Water and Power will produce good wage jobs at the Department of Water and Power and in the private sector.
• The installation of photovoltaic solar systems on commercial buildings will reduce the load demands on the current power infrastructure during times of peak load.
• A photovoltaic solar system installed on commercial buildings that is owned and operated by the LADWP will replace the current ineffective solar program and save the city money in the long run. That will help the city meet its renewable energy goals and save taxpayer dollars at the same time.
• Creating good, high tech jobs in Los Angeles provides a secure foundation for our economy. Measure B is our chance to make Los Angeles a leader in renewable energy technology and produce good, middle class jobs at the same time.
  

If all you read is the daily fishwrap or a couple of wingnut local LA blogs, you might get the impression that Measure B, the solar measure on the March 3rd ballot in the city of Los Angeles, is the product of some dark and Machiavellian conspiracy to undermine Western Civilization.
Actually, it is much simpler than that. Measure B is an attempt to create a connection between economic development, jobs, and clean, renewable power.
Measure B is the brainchild of a couple of progressive union leaders, Marvin Kropke and Brian D'Arcy of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and renewable energy visionary David Freeman, former General Manager of the Department of Water and Power. It was sponsored by Working Californians, the same group that operates this website.
What does Measure B do? It requires the Department of Water and Power to install 400 megawatts of clean solar power across Los Angeles over the next 5 years. 400 megawatts is enough clean energy to power 100,000 homes. Furthermore, Measure B has something for everyone.
For business, it provides incentives to conmmerical and industrial building owners that allow the DWP to install solar panels on their roofs and it provides bid preferences for solar manufacturers who are located in Los Angeles.
Measure B will create thousands of good, well paid jobs in Los Angeles--jobs that one can raise a family on.
Because the power installations will be owned and operated by the DWP, the citizens of Los Angeles will own the power. Utility owned power has served the people of Los Angeles well. And utility owned power is considerably cheaper the privately owned power, because no Enron-style manipulation is possible.
Another important aspect of Measure B is that it will generate power inside the city. That means it doesn't need expensive and environmentally unsound transmission lines to get to customers. And it produces power when demand is greatest, reducing the overload on the power grid that causes blackouts.
So who opposes Measure B? Right now, the fronts for the opponents are Ron Kaye, defrocked editor of the Daily News, and Nick Patsaouras, a political insider who is running for City Controller. Both are well-known for their anti-union bias and big egos. But, it is hard not to believe that the real opponents of Measure B are the interests who want to privatize power in Los Angeles so the the"free market" can take advantage of rate payers. If you were paying attention during the Enron rip-off and the mortgage debacle you will get what they have in mind.
The fact is that Measure B is the cheapest way to jump start a "Green Los Angeles" and the best way to protect ratepayers through utility owned power generation and it will provided much needed jobs and economic stimulus for Angelenos. The opponents' game plan is to obscure this point by trying to change the subject and focus on the process of getting Measure B on the ballot rather than the substance of what Measure B is about.
Don't fall for it.
To get the facts go to www.greenenergygoodjobsla.com.