This Los Angeles Times editorial endorses two California bills to extend an electricity saving program that encourages renewable energy.
Rumors have circulated that Gov. Gray Davis may not pass the bills AB 994, by Assemblyman Rod Wright, D-Los Angeles, and SB 1194, by Sen. Byron Sher, D-Stanford, due to concern that the cost of the program would be considered a new tax or an increase in electricity surcharge, the editorial states. However, the state Energy Commission estimates that efficiency programs cut electric bills by more than $2.8 billion in the 1990s, and the renewable energy sources have developed about 6,600 megawatts of new power for the stressed electricity grid, making these programs indispensable, the Times asserts.
Thanks to California 2000 Project
FULL STORY: Energy Program Pays Its Way

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research