BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 2135
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 9, 2012

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                 AB 2135 (Blumenfield) - As Amended:  April 18, 2012 

          Policy Committee:                              Business and 
          Professions  Vote:                            9-0 (Consent)

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the Building Standards Commission (BSC) and 
          the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), in 
          cooperation with the State Fire Marshal (SFM), to develop a 
          model ordinance and guidelines to assist local agencies in 
          developing building standards and permit processes for solar 
          distributed generation technology (SDGT) on residential and 
          commercial property, and to post the ordinance and guidelines on 
          their respective websites. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Any costs should be absorbable. According to the BSC, there is 
          currently an interagency effort underway to develop a model 
          ordinance on this subject.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Background  . The BSC was established in 1953 and is responsible 
            for administering California's building codes, including 
            adopting, approving, publishing, and implementing codes and 
            standards.  The BSC publishes the Code every three years, and 
            its supplements, such as the California Green Building 
            Standards Code, in intervening years.

           2)Purpose  . According to the author's office, "�T]he lack of a 
            coordinated and streamlined local permit system makes the 
            local permit and inspection process inefficient and confusing 
            to the consumers and companies that install solar panels.  
            These costs are an impediment to thousands of Californians who 
            may otherwise install solar �panels for] their homes, and 








                                                                 AB 2135
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            reduce potential jobs in the clean energy sector."

            In support, the Sierra Club states, "While solar equipment 
            prices are falling, the high cost and excessive amount of time 
            in permitting and installing residential and commercial solar 
            systems remains an impediment.  The bulk of the problem is the 
            lack of a standard permitting process throughout the state, as 
            the current permitting and inspection processes vary from 
            jurisdiction to jurisdiction.  The need to track requirements, 
            create custom designs and unnecessary delays and rework 
            associated with permitting variability all result in higher 
            costs for consumers without improving safety or quality of the 
            installations.  In addition, many local jurisdictions are 
            understaffed and have not been provided adequate training on 
            the electric code and system design."

           3)Opposition  . The California State Association of Electrical 
            Workers, California State Pipe Trades Council, and Western 
            States Council of Sheet Metal Workers, argue that the bill is 
            unnecessary because building standards for SDGT are already in 
            place and that the bill adds a new responsibility for the BSC 
            that is outside the scope of its expertise and will impede the 
            commission's ability to complete the 2012 Triennial Code 
            Adoption Cycle in a timely manner. 

          Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081