CALBO Members, 

As you probably know, CALBO has been hard at work opposing Senate Bill 617. This bill would require local jurisdictions to implement an online automated permitting platform for residential solar energy systems by 2023 (and for larger jurisdictions beginning in September 2022). 

CALBO’s legislative team has assured the authors that we support technology that will make our jobs more efficient, but it must be technology that is tested and safe. In SB 617, SolarAPP has been named in the bill as a solution to the intended goals of automated permitting for residential solar energy systems. Unfortunately, SolarAPP+ has been introduced or tested by very few of us, which is why CALBO has vehemently opposed this bill and has advocated for a pilot project before a mandate. Sadly, the sponsors have not listened to our concerns and have not made any of our recommended amendments to the bill. With that said, the developers at SolarAPP+ offered to provide a demonstration on their technology to our membership on Thursday, May 27, 2021, at 10 AM via Microsoft Teams. Their goal is to try and address CALBO’s concerns as the bill moves through the legislative process and have invited our members to participate in this conversation.

We would like to see a high level of participation from our members, helping us provide comprehensive feedback on this technology, which could be mandated by law in 2022 if SB 617 is successful. This is where we need YOUR HELP. If you have experience either using or testing this application, please participate in this call so you can have your questions or concerns addressed directly. Additionally, if you have not heard of it, please join us so you can fully understand the implications this technology could have on your jurisdiction and the public as we continue to advocate for you in Sacramento.

CALBO wants to be very clear, that our organization is using this to garner feedback on proposed technology and are NOT ENDORSING OR RECOMMENDING THIS TECHNOLOGY TO OUR MEMBERS. We are just strictly gathering information on proposed technology in legislation. CALBO wants to make sure that this proposed technology is safe and effective for use by our membership and the public.

If you would like to participate, please contact our Public Affairs Manager, Brady Guertin at bguertin@calbo.org and he will forward you the link. After the call, please provide us as much feedback as possible so we can continue to advocate for you effectively in Sacramento. Thank you in advance for your participation, we truly appreciate it. If you have any questions or concerns about this bill, please contact Brady.

Sincerely,