Second in a series.
Re: “Making Solar Much More Accessible”
There has been a tidal wave of talk lately about City Hall getting into line to reflect state law in several areas – and a focus of this evening’s 7 o’clock City Council meeting in Council Chambers will be a presumed clear route to streamlining the residential rooftop solar panel permit process.
The goal: To get it down to three days or less to comply with a new state law.
David Haake of Culver City, a member of the Sierra Club, recently recalled how he and his club colleagues nudged City Hall to progress a little faster toward solar energy conversion.
“A year or two ago, we met with the City Manager, Mr. (John) Nachbar, and he was very receptive to our comments,” Mr. Haake said.
He saluted Councilperson Meghan Sahli-Wells “for pushing solar in Culver City. One of the really neat initiatives she had looked at early in her term as mayor was an online system where homeowners could go online and gain a digital analysis of their roof and its needs.
“This project would have cost the city about $20,000 to put that system in place,” Mr. Haake said. “That was a very forward-thinking initiative Mayor Sahli-Wells had. I don’t know where it went, though.”
Mr. Haake said a Sierra Club “team that has been working with the 80 municipalities across Los Angeles County. I don’t think Culver City Is behind at all.
“The Sierra Club published a report in which all cities in Los Angeles County received a grade. About 10 cities had a grade of ‘Best.’ Half of the 80 had a score of ‘Worst.’ All other cities, including Culver City, fell in the middle with a ‘Good’ rating,” Mr. Haake said.
