Light Trespass Workshop follow-up
A San Bernardino County Planning Commission workshop for the benefit of the planning commissioners and the public was given on May 27, 2021. The purpose of the workshop was to educate and promote awareness about the role of appropriate exterior night lighting in conserving energy, promoting safety and security while ensuring the health of humans and wildlife. See our MBCA News story that includes a link to a video recording of a portion of the hearing. The video provides a thorough and entertaining explanation of the need for an updated and modern lighting ordinance to replace the current Glare and Outdoor lighting section of the Development Code. The proposed ordinance will mandate that all exterior lighting be changed within a 2-year grace period so that all fixtures are fully shielded and employ the use of LEDs of a warmer tone color (less than 3000 degrees Kelvin). No longer would the use of unsafe, unshielded, unhealthy glare-producing blue-tinged exterior lighting be permitted within the unincorporated communities of the County. The next step in the process will be for Land Use services to consider comments by the commissioners and the public at which time Land Use Services will revise/refine the draft ordinance. The revised draft will then again be considered by the Planning Commission and, following their consideration and hoped-for approval, presented to the Board of Supervisors.

The existing and proposed lighting ordinances may be found within the February 2021 staff report for the Planning Commission.

MBCA encourages our members and supporters to comment on the workshop and request that a well-crafted light trespass ordinance be adopted that would support the safety, security, and health of our communities while saving energy and protecting and enhancing our dark-night skies!  Written comments will be accepted until June 18, 2021.

Comments may be submitted by email to:
[email protected]

AB 1139 is defeated!
MBCA joined a broad coalition of groups and citizens in opposition to this poorly conceived bill that would have dealt a crippling blow to rooftop solar within California. This bill was supported by the three Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs) within the State of California; Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas, and Electric and San Diego Gas and Electric. Had the bill passed, these IOUs would have been required to NOT encourage (read discourage!) the adoption of rooftop solar photovoltaics throughout their service areas. With this defeat, when the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) meets in early 2022 to consider the next version of Net Energy Metering NEM 3.0, they will do so without the establishment of any rates or conditions that would have been legislated within the bill. In considering NEM 3.0, the CPUC must find balance with the imperative of weaning ourselves from fossil fuels and the role that distributed electrical generation plays, while recognizing that IOUs provide the infrastructure and generation for the electricity that runs our world. MBCA continues to support the widespread adoption of a distributed generation electrical infrastructure where power is generated within the built environment close to its point of use.

Virtual Landscape Tour
Production of the 2021 Virtual Landscape Tour is nearly complete! No Kidding! Watch for an announcement very soon.

Thanks for your involvement and support!