LABC Taps
Israel
's Expertise in Clean-Tech |
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Los Angeles
delegates learning about Seambiotic, the first company to cultivate microalgae from flue gas created by coal-burning power stations.
LABC Board Members Mary Leslie (President) and Brad Cox (Chairman) went to Tel Aviv,
Israel
as a part of an
L.A.
delegation positioned to identify strategic technology partners with field-proven technologies and long-standing expertise in the water and alternative energy sectors. The 12-member delegation was headed by David Nahai, advisor to President Clinton's climate initiative, and included California Assembly Member Bob Blumenfield (see interview below); Pedro Pizarro, Executive Vice President of Power Operations for Southern California Edison; and Phil Recht, partner at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLC. They attended the WATEC 2009 Conference & Exhibition, and visited sites including BrightSource Energy and the
Ben-Gurion
University
Solar
Energy
Center
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The CA Assemblymember On
Israel
’s Connections to
California
’s Clean Tech Future |
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Bob Blumenfield (right) and Pedro Pizarro (left) visit the solar power facility at BrightSource Energy.
Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield of
California
’s 40th Assembly District in the San Fernando Valley was a part of the
L.A.
delegation invited to learn about
Israel
’s innovations in clean-tech. While in
Jerusalem
, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a letter of intent for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between
Israel
and
California
as was called for in Blumenfield’s bill, AB 1032. The MOU will formalize a relationship between
California
and the State of
Israel
for the purpose of fostering joint-development of technology, business development, and creating educational opportunities in the solar energy and environmental technology industries.
How does the MOU effect California/Israel relations?
A lot of the cutting edge research in clean-tech and green-tech is being done in
Israel
. This MOU encourages partnerships. It’s a concerted pledge to facilitate overcoming regulatory hurdles, encourage investment, promote exchanges and do everything possible to facilitate business to business partnerships in the clean-tech and green-tech area. This delegation trip represents an important first step in the type of California-Israel relationship envisioned by the MOU.
This is one part of your Comprehensive Solar Stimulus Package. What motivated this collection of seven bills?
I’m motivated by my focus on renewable energy and its importance in stimulating the economy, improving our environment and reducing our dependence on foreign oil, which will ultimately make for a more peaceful and secure world. I have a whole package of legislation. Some already passed, and some I will be rolling out in the future, all with the goal of creating green-tech and clean-tech jobs. We have a bill signed by the Governor on virtual net metering (AB 1031), which will allow Universities to get credit for more of the solar power they produce and roll back their energy bill, in addition to being good for the environment.
There are many other bills pending. One, AB1030, would create a mapping of all state properties and look for places on state land where we can put solar panels, like freeway sound walls. The first step to making this happen is to map out the renewable potentials of our state lands.
What are some key things LABC Members, and
California
businesses, can learn from the Israelis?
First off, I have to say that I really enjoy working with Mary Leslie and Brad Cox and the LABC. This is a partnership we’ve strengthened on this trip. We will continue to work together on conservation. We see the world in a similar way. This trip was just the beginning. As for what we learned in
Israel
, we saw the innovation going on with regards to desalinization, and solar and wind power. In
Israel
, business and the environment are closely connected. There’s a lot we can both emulate and partner with. There are only five relatively small regions in the world with a Mediterranean ecosystem.
California
and
Israel
are two. Both are urbanized areas with a warm climate and a water shortage. We’re both dealing with all of these same issues. They get a lot more mileage out of every drip of water than we do. We can see and learn from the challenges that they face and we can create win-win partnerships.
—Interview by Adam Jacobson |
Holiday Message from the Board
Dear LABC Members and Friends,
This year has brought new focus to the importance of the LABC mission as businesses, governments and communities have faced unprecedented challenges in our region and across the country. We are proud that the LABC has stepped up to address these challenges by expanding and enhancing our programming and advocacy efforts, working to put solutions in place that improve our quality of life and position Los Angeles to thrive in the future.
The LABC hosted its most significant year of programming to date in 2009, with two major policy summits, a lively Architectural Awards luncheon and many other events. Our Third Annual Sustainability Summit spurred action on local initiatives to develop a robust green economy in Los Angeles, including Clean Tech LA, a unique public-private partnership of which LABC is a founding member and continues to play a central role. Bringing together leaders from the private sector and across different levels of government, our Mayoral Housing, Transportation and Jobs Summit in October underscored the need for joint action to address the related regional challenges of housing affordability and availability, transportation and economic development. The summit also featured the release of our Employer Assisted Housing Handbook, created in partnership with the Los Angeles Mayor’s office, which is helping to address these challenges by offering local employers a playbook for creating housing assistance programs for their employees.
Over 2009 we also carried out an ambitious advocacy agenda, with a successful
ACCESS
DC
trip and the passage of several of our key legislative priorities, including California State Senate Bill 32, which will expand the opportunity for businesses to contribute to solar energy through meaningful solar feed-in tariff programs.
The LABC continues to expand our reach – and we have ambitious plans for next year. These include the release of a major study we have commissioned by UCLA to assess the potential of a Feed-in Tariff program in
Los Angeles
, our 4th Annual Sustainability Summit and 40th Annual Architecture Awards, and continued advocacy efforts at the local, state and federal levels.
Thank you for your continued support. We wish you the best of holidays and a prosperous new year.
Warm regards,
Brad Cox Mary Leslie
Chairman President
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December
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LABC Office Closed
Friday, December 18, 2009 until
Monday, January 4 2010
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January
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Executive Meeting
Monday, January 11, 2010
5:00- 6:30pm
Trammell Crow Company
Legislative Meeting
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
12:00- 1:30pm
Latham and Watkins
Featured speaker: Doug Guthrie, General Manager, Los Angeles Housing Department
Energy & Environment Committee Meeting
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Arden
Realty
Sempra Energy Efficiency Workshop
Wednesday, January 27
12:00pm
Hosted by Sempra Energy Utilities
Programs & Membership Committee Meeting
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Watt
Plaza
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February
---
Legislative Meeting
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Latham and Watkins
Energy & Environment Committee Meeting
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Arden
Realty
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Solar Working Group: Feed-in Tariff
The LABC has been closely engaged in local and state-wide solar-power issues. In November 2008, the LABC offered recommendations to the City of Los Angeles’ comprehensive solar plan, which was presented to voters as Measure B. After the Measure didn’t pass, the City took up the issue of renewable energy again in November 2009 when the LADWP Board of Commissioners considered a new plan. To help guide the development of this plan, the LABC has commissioned the
UCLA
Luskin
Center
for Innovation to produce a study on the viability of an indigenous Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program, which would allow businesses to generate electricity on their property and sell it back to the power grid.
The study—to be released at the April 6, 2010 Sustainability Summit at the Getty—assesses the value of a regional FIT program, evaluates the future costs of rooftop solar energy development, and projects participatory rates, generation capacity, and new jobs generated under alternative FIT scenarios.
The LABC continues to work with the business community and the public sector to ensure that a meaningful FIT is considered. It has supported California State Senate Bill 32, which was passed in October 2009 and creates a FIT program for electric generation facility projects that are up to 3 megawatts and in areas served by large investor-owned and publicly-owned electric utilities. The LABC has called for SB 32's successful implementation with the California Public Utilities Commission.
Recent Advocacy Initiatives
SUPPORT: Green Corps Program: The Green Corps program will allow DWP customers to participate in energy-efficiency programs, provide green jobs and reduce energy and water consumption.
SUPPORT: SB 407, a bill which requires the owner of a property to replace plumbing fixtures with high water usage prior to any sale or transfer of the property that occurs on or after January 1, 2014.
SUPPORT: AB 1031, which will help
California
’s public universities and colleges benefit from the use of solar energy systems.
SUPPORT: AB 474, a bill designed to encourage water conservation and energy-efficiency improvements on private property through a voluntary financing program.
SUPPORT
AB
1366 will provide a critical tool for local agencies to protect local water supplies while encouraging the use of recycled water. |
Press
Israel
Delegation
Jewish Journal: “Delegation Explores
Israel
’s Cutting-Edge Water, Energy Solutions” by David Nahai
2009 Housing, Trasportation and Jobs Summit
The 2009 Housing, Transportation and Jobs Summit, along with the Employer Assisted Housing Handbook, received significant local and national press coverage including AP, Reuters, ABC, and NBC. For a comprehensive list of articles, please see the press section of the LABC website. Media highlights include:?
LA Times: 1, 2
NBC LA
Curbed LA: 1, 2
Delegation Explores Israel’s Cutting-Edge Water, Energy Solutions
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2010 Marquee Events
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Building a Green Economy
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
@ The Getty |
June 2010
Marriott, Downtown |
Fall 2010
UCLA, Korn Auditorium
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