WHEREAS the State of California has committed to eliminating its fossil fuel dependence within fifteen years, and accomplishing that goal will require tripling all forms of wind and solar over today’s levels, including both rooftop solar and large-scale solar, while also increasing battery storage by a factor of eight; and

WHEREAS rooftop solar and battery storage is the only clean energy solution that has worked to reduce energy bills and protect residents and communities from blackouts and to reduce the considerable expense of long distance energy transport from solar and wind farms, thus saving all ratepayers money, and to protect open space from large-scale renewable energy development, making it clear that California should be moving decisively toward its goal of tripling rooftop solar by making rooftop solar panels and batteries more available and affordable for everyone; and

WHEREAS the California Public Utilities Commission has instead taken a highly regressive step against future rooftop solar customers in the state—in response to fierce lobbying from utility companies such as PG&E and by using an energy model tainted by conflicts of interest with the utility industry—slashing by 75% the credits new rooftop solar owners will be able to earn by sharing excess energy with the grid, even though similar reductions in other states have reduced the demand for new rooftop solar installations in half;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Sonoma County Democratic Party calls upon the CPUC to reverse this ruling which clearly is in conflict with California’s climate goals; and

Be it further resolved that the Sonoma County Democratic Party urges Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Josh Becker, Senator Scott Weiner, Assemblymember Diane Papan, Assemblymember Marc Berman, and Assemblymember Phil Ting to curb the CPUC’s or any other agency’s deviance from measures that protect Californians’ rights and advance the transition to clean energy, and instead promote measures that accelerate and streamline the ability of everyday people, including homeowners, renters, houses of worship, schools, businesses and others to adopt rooftop solar and battery storage.

Resolution adopted by the Sonoma County Democratic Party on March 14, 2023