CALBO Members,

Our legislative team continues to voice your opinions and perspectives on bills impacting you in Sacramento, but now we need even more support and help from you all. Our last major bill fight for 2021 is on AB 1124 by Assemblymember Friedman and we need you to CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO VOTE NO ON AB 1124. 

This bill would change the definition of solar energy systems to include solar carports, solar shade structures, and other large-scale solar energy systems which can have an adverse impact on public safety. As building officials, we need YOUR help to bring attention to the safety implications this new definition could have on the public.

CALBO has several concerns with this bill including the potential of this new definition to be used in future legislation that could focus on the permitting process, safety, and development of these larger systems (to name a few potential areas of concern) if enacted into statute. This could have a devastating impact on public safety because as you all are aware there is a very big difference in the needed safety measures for the varying sized structures and systems. By changing the definition through the legislative process and not the regulatory process, the voices of stakeholders and those on the ground are not being heard and could have an impact on future legislative efforts as California moves to more green energy solutions to address climate change. CALBO supports these efforts to provide more environmentally friendly solutions to our built environment, but we need to make sure that it is done responsibly and safely which is why we need YOUR HELP IN STOPPING THIS BILL.  

Please fill out the attached AB 1124 Member Template and send it to bguertin@calbo.org by Thursday, August 19, 2021. All we need from you is to fill in the highlighted parts in yellow and we will get it sent to the correct contacts in Sacramento for you.

 Additionally, there is an option to call your elected officials District and Capitol Offices and urge them to VOTE NO on AB 1124. If you would like their contact information, please send me an email and I will get you the correct info. Keep in mind that your city may have a different position on the bill, but as building officials we need your expertise in informing our elected officials of the structural safety impact this definition could have for the future. Thank you all in advance for your work.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns to bguertin@calbo.org.

Best,

Brady Guertin
Public Affairs Manager