San Francisco Solar Energy Incentive Program Info

The following email is from the Office of Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting

As many of you know, the solar incentive program was not launched on Monday. The plan was to have the program begin as a pilot program administered by the SFPUC on March 31st.. The week before it was to launch, Supervisor McGoldrick called for a freeze of the program’s funding pending further input from the Board of Supervisors.

The legislation to freeze funding for the solar program was heard this week in the Board’s Budget Committee which Supervisor McGoldrick chairs.
It was not advanced out of committee (a good thing for solar), but rather scheduled for another hearing on Wednesday, April 16 at 1PM. Supervisors said they had several questions on the program that they wanted to research in the next two weeks. During this time, we are engaging Supervisor McGoldrick and other committee members to continue to answer questions they have and address any of their concerns.

In addtion, tt is our understanding that the legislation that Assesor Ting introduced in December that would establish this solar incentive program on a long-term, ten-year basis is also now in the Budget Committee. We are hoping that both the legislation on the status of the pilot and the legislation to implement a ten-year program will be heard on April 16.

Assessor Ting and Mayor Newsom remain fully committed to getting this program implemented, either through the Board of Supervisors in the coming weeks or if need be, through the ballot process later this year.

It has been very encouraging to see the wide spectrum of groups and individuals who have been calling, emailing, and meeting with members of the Board of Supervisors and their staff over the last several weeks. We had tremendous turn-out at this week’s hearing and the testimony you all gave was very effective. Your continued advocacy in the next two weeks with Supervisors and their staff members, as well as at the hearing on April 16, will be key to both removing the threat of freezing the funding for the program and approving the legislation to establish the solar incentives as a longer term program.

Thank you very much and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions.

From the Office of Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting
City and County of San Francisco
http://www.sfgov.org/site/assessor_index.asp

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