California

Mission | California Political Landscape |Past Accomplishments | What’s in the Works | Steering Committee Members

CONTACT

Mac Lynch
Interim California State Coordinator
Apollo Alliance
lynch(at)apolloalliance.org

MISSION

The California Apollo Alliance promotes the advancement of renewable energy and energy efficiency to drive investments into modern energy technologies, create high-quality jobs, revitalize underserved communities, and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

CALIFORNIA POLICY LANDSCAPE Top

California is leading the nation in adopting aggressive policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, criteria pollutants, and air toxicity, and in improving water quality and conservation. These groundbreaking initiatives will result in a huge demand for a skilled and trained workforce in clean energy sectors and in existing industries where key reductions will have to be made. A technically educated workforce is vital for California’s emerging energy sector to be competitive and for the state to attract service and supply-side businesses to the area.

The 2008 legislative session was a successful one for the clean energy, good jobs economy. The California Apollo Alliance had a hand in three bills - related to the development of a Green Collar Jobs Council, Green Technology/Goods Movement Partnership Academies, and the extension of the solar property tax exemption.

As of May 2008, driven in large part by California’s aggressive long-term climate change policies, cleantech was the third-largest investment category of all venture capital, with nearly 40 percent going into California. Top growth areas in California are renewable energy generation, transportation, and energy efficiency.

In January 2007, Governor Schwarzenegger signed an Executive Order that established a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) for transportation fuels sold in the state, and that has a goal of reducing the carbon intensity of California’s transportation fuels by at least 10 percent by 2020. Transportation in California contributes to over 40 percent of the state’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2006, California passed a landmark climate change policy, AB32, which requires that the state’s greenhouse gas emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020. Some of the targeted sectors include: energy, agriculture, transportation, oil and gas refining, manufacturing, land use, forests, and goods movement.

PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS Top

The first, and very successful, New Apollo Program roll-out event took place in San Leandro, CA on October 4, 2008.

Three important Apollo bills became California law in October 2008.

AB 2855 (Hancock), Career technical education: partnership academies, green technology and goods movement, co-sponsored by the California Apollo Alliance and the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, became law with the help of the California Apollo Alliance. The measure establishes Green Technology Partnership Academies to train high school students in green building and “goods movement” occupational areas related to the greening of the ports in the state’s four main transportation corridors and nine economic regions. California Apollo and the State Building Trades Council of California cosponsored and helped craft the bill, testified before Assembly and Senate Committees, and submitted letters of support. In September, 2008, the Governor signed into law a fiscal budget for 2009 that included a one-time appropriation of $12.5 million to develop California Partnership Academies focused on green technology. The funding, initiated by Senator Steinberg, promises to create 61 new partnership academies throughout the State.
The California Apollo Alliance worked with Speaker Emeritus Núñez’ office early in the process of AB3018 (Nunez), California Green Collar Jobs Act of 2008 to help shape the bill and provided support through letters and testimony throughout the legislative process. The law establishes a Green-Collar Jobs Coucil, a multi-stakeholder group that includes educational institutions, the Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, the Department of Veterans Affairs, CalEPA, and community-based, environmental justice, business, labor, and financial organizations.

The California Apollo Alliance joined forces with solar energy developers and renewable energy advocates to support AB1451 (Leno), Property tax exclusion from newly constructed active solar energy systems that extends the property tax exemption for solar equipment in California. This measure is vital for the success of utility-scale solar energy in California and helps level the playing field with fossil fuel sources that are not taxed.

Carla Din spoke about the work of the California Apollo Alliance with Green Technology Magazine (Fall 2008), in “Conversation with the Apollo Alliance’s Carla Din.”

Carla Din was profiled in California Conversations (Summer 2008), “Living and Investing Green.”

Co-sponsored January 14th, 2008 summit: Advancing the New Energy Economy in California: Long-Term Investment, Financial Growth & Green Jobs. Sponsors were the CA Public Utilities Commission and the Willie Brown Institute; co-sponsors were the CA Apollo Alliance, CA Clean Energy Fund, and the Ella Baker Center. A diverse audience of 750 attended, bringing investors, educators, and labor, environmental, workforce training, and business leaders together for the first time.

Secured funding for California’s workforce training programs in alternative transportation by amending AB118-Alternative Fuels & Vehicle Technologies: Funding Programs to include workforce training partnerships as a category for $120 million in annual funds.

Contributed to the CA Air Resources Board’s Economic & Technological Advancement Advisory Committee’s final report on workforce training and cleantech manufacturing attraction programs.

Played an instrumental role in getting the Air Resources Board to broaden its outreach to labor organizations on AB32 Rulemaking.

Guided the SF Community College District Board of Trustees to write and pass a Sustainability Resolution that led to a 50-page Sustainability Plan covering educational and vocational training programs and approximately $600 million in bond funding.

WHAT’S IN THE WORKS Top

California Apollo Alliance is:

Developing the California Apollo Program - a new bold vision for catalyzing a clean energy, good jobs economy in California.

Working to ensure that AB32 and the expanded Renewable Porfolio Standard are implemented so that 1) economic benefits flow to California’s workers and businesses and 2) related workforce training programs benefit from adequate funding for state-of-the art equipment and proper design of new processes and systems.

Applying best practices to the Renewable Energy, Climate Change, Career Technical Education, and Clean Technology Job Creation Bond Act of 2010 (Steinberg), a $2.25 billion bond measure for the development of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and conservation jobs, businesses, and educational and worker training programs.

Developing green economic stimulus measures to help boost California’s economy by targeting investments, attracting clean energy companies and creating high quality jobs.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Top