by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Tax Giveaways to Large Businesses Also Pass Assembly in Separate Bill Not Tied to Budget Bill

Perata Blasts Tax Credits; Senate Republicans May Have "Unit Rule" to Oppose Unless Majority of Them Agree to Support

By Frank D. Russo

The California Assembly finished its work a couple of hours before the sun rose this morning and passed a revised budget bill by a vote of 56 to 23. Assembly Republicans got about $1.4 billion of the $2 billion in cuts they demanded, and it is fair to say that this budget passed largely on the backs of public transit and with a four month delay of cost of living increases for the aged, blind, and disabled. Assembly Democrats did manage to save kindergarten to 12th grade education from cuts Assembly Republicans had demanded.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

New Report Shows How Solar Water Heating Can Cut Natural Gas Imports, Fight Global Warming and Save Consumers Money

Bernadette Del Chiaro with Assemblymember Jared Huffman, and Don Miller of Conergy, a local installer and manufacturer of solar water heating systems

By Bernadette Del Chiaro
Environment California

A coalition of policy makers, environmental groups and businesses launched a campaign today to expand California’s solar power market to include solar water heating, a rooftop technology that captures sunlight to reduce fossil fuel use in homes and businesses. The group gathered at the State Capitol to release a new report by Environment California Research & Policy Center quantifying the benefits solar water heating can bring to California and to call for passage of The Solar Hot Water and Efficiency Act of 2007 (AB 1470), authored by Assemblymember Jared Huffman and sponsored by Environment California.