Financing The Future Of Residential Energy Efficiency.

On April 1^st, Contra Costa County Climate Leaders, aka 4CL, held a workshop for local governments to help them better understand the implementation of Assembly Bill 811 and “California First”.   Taken together, they represent a new and innovative strategy that helps homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their homes through the use of “contractual assessments” on the owners’ annual property tax bill.  Representatives of Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda attended the meeting with the intent of gathering information on what is, at first glance, both an interesting and potentially complex idea.

Sam Sperry, Esq., opened the meeting with a presentation on the conceptual framework of the program.   It allows owners of residential property in participating cities and counties to finance green energy, energy efficiency and/or water conservation projects. One of the essential benefits of the program is that when owners decide to sell their home, they can either repay the loan or transfer it forward to the next property owner.  Sperry explained that the initial AB 811 program was too consuming of staff time for small government jurisdictions to consider managing.  As a result, the concept of California First was born.     

 ‘California First” relieves cities and towns from all the application process, making it more likely for Lamorinda to be able to join in. Renewable Funding is the company that provides the turnkey administration and financing called “California First”. Kelly McKenna, from Renewable Funding, explained that the plan calls for counties to “opt in” first, then cities can follow.  Homeowners identify the work to be done, choose a pre-qualified contractor and apply for financing through a web portal handled by Renewable Funding.

The amount of money available is quite significant.  “Each County jurisdiction that participates in California FIRST has the initial capacity to finance up to $1 billion in projects, based on the structure of the Program,” said Renewable Funding Regional Program Manager Mike Marcus, “Once that cap is met, it can be easily increased by means of a simple Resolution passed by the California Statewide Communities Development Authority (CSCDA).”  To give context, assuming an average finance amount of $18,000 per project, a $1 billion cap allows for the financing of roughly 55,556 projects within one county alone.

“The first phase of the program has already been completed and 14 counties have opt in,” said McKenna (Countra Costa County is not one of them), “In Sonoma County, where the program is already in place, jobs in construction have increased by 8.4%, compared to 1% in other jurisdictions.”  Sperry indicated additional economic benefits that accrue from the program.  Where the program’s already in place, the largest investment in new projects is air conditioning, followed by energy efficient pool pumps, and solar systems come in third.

Jason Crapo, Deputy County Administrator for Contra Costa County, presented the County’s perspective.  “I expect that the County will choose to participate in the next round,” said Crapo who indicated that the measure would have to be approved by the Finance Committee before the Board of Supervisors votes on the matter.  Gayle Uilkema, Supervisor for District II said that she had not yet made a decision. “We have not considered it yet and when it comes I will study it,” she said adding that funding factors would have to be taken into consideration.

The one time total cost paid to Renewable Funding for the County and all its municipalities is $75,000.  In Alameda, the county dedicated its Energy Efficiency Conservancy Block Grant  (EECBG) money for this purpose.  Otherwise, each municipality that joins pays its share until the $75,000 is reached.  For Lamorinda communities, the amount would be about $10,000 each and for the county itself $20,000.

Monica Pacheco, Assistant to the Orinda City Manager who was present at the meeting, said she was a bit nervous because of the County’s financial situation.  “Orinda has received a few calls of interest for residential solar financing options,” she said.  In other towns where interest is high, Councils are considering passing resolutions to encourage the County to join the program.  The city of Richmond was the first to do so.  “The Council has not yet had the opportunity to review a proposed resolution to encourage the County to join California First,” said Pacheco, “but staff is preparing one to send to council soon.”  According to Ann Merideth, Community Development Director for Lafayette, the City has not discussed whether it was interested in such a program yet. “The purpose of a staff person to attend the meeting was to bring back information for the City Manager to evaluate,” said Merideth.

In the meantime, 4CL is working on a new workshop to identify sources of financing for the upfront cost to join “California First.”

“From what I know so far, it is a good idea, but we need to find source of financing for the $10,000 joining fee and be sure that the impact on staff is minimal,” said Moraga Mayor Ken Chew

Moraga Goes Ga-Ga over Gaels

Brenda Mossotti got her family up very early on the morning of Wednesday, March 24^th to be on the Saint Mary’s College (SMC) campus in time for the “send-off” of the men’s basketball team as it began its journey to Houston to take on Baylor last Friday, March 26^th, in the NCAA championship playoffs.  SMC had not seen a team advance to the “Sweet 16” since 1959, and Moraga is rallying around its players.

“The kids really wanted to come,” says the Moraga mother of three school-age children, “it was the highlight of their day, they got to see Omar (Samhan), they talked to him, had pictures taken, and were so excited to go back to school and tell all their friends.” 

At 7:30 a.m. the Mossottis were among about 200 people from Moraga and beyond that came to cheer the team as it departed. “There were five or six media trucks from all over,” says Moraga Mayor Ken Chew, who was also there.  “This is great for the college and for the town,” he adds, “it will increase Saint Mary’s visibility and enrollment and it can be good economically for the town as well.”  All over Moraga, banners supporting the team are hanging proudly.

For the players too, the community fervor brings a new feeling of belonging. “It’s just unreal,” said Samhan in an interview for Saint Mary’s, “you’re so happy to see the media and your friends and family and they welcome you with open arms and are so proud of you. There’s such a sense of community. The community feels like they’re in the Sweet Sixteen. It’s such a bond we have with such a small town, you know people come up to me in the streets and say, ‘Do it for us!’”

Many celebrations have taken place of over the last several days.  On the morning of Saturday the 20^th and in the afternoon of Friday the 26th community members, alumni, and students gathered at the college to watch the televised games.  On the night of Saturday the 20^th, when the team came home at 11:30 p.m. after its victory against Villanova, police and fire department vehicles escorted the team bus and hundreds of supporters gathered at the campus in a boisterous and festive atmosphere. 

On Friday the 26th, Moraga School District Superintendent Rick Schafer (a Saint Mary’s alum) encouraged staff and students to wear red and blue to show their support for the team.

Even if the team got defeated by Baylor, residents offered them a warm welcome-home when they returned on Saturday morning.  Deafening sirens and supporters of all ages brought a lot of excitement to a campus that had been mostly deserted due to the beginning of Spring break.  “I have been following the basketball team since 1978,” said Rossmoor resident and former Moraga resident for 37 years Fred Cady, “it’s the best they’ve ever done, and I’m sure they’ll do just as well next year.”

Moraga Mayor said that the town would organize a great civic celebration for the team in the coming days.  The date has not been set yet, but the event should take place at the Moraga Commons at the beginning of April.

The Phoenix That Won’t Die - Rheem Theater Back From The Dead.

The story has all the ingredients for a great movie:  hope and despair, new developments and failures, resilience and redemption, brave entrepreneurs and industrious politicians, and most of all many good-hearted community people… the only thing it does not have, is a dénouement.  It is the story of the Rheem Theater in Moraga.  Like the Phoenix, it is has been dead more than once, and like the mythical bird it managed each time to rise from its ashes.  Its plumage is slightly different with each revival.  This time, as the California Independent Film Festival Association (CAIFFA) is taking over the business, the true colors are going to be those of community building, “it’s not going to be our theater,” said Derek Zemrak, President and Founder of CAIFFA, “it is going to be the community’s.”

CAIFFA is a non-profit organization created in 1997 to propose world-class films to Bay Area patrons.  Up until now it did not have a place to call its own.  The Association was presenting film festivals in different theaters, most recently in Orinda, where 75 films were shown between April 23^rd and 25^th.  CAIFFA is being very successful because it is creating events around the movies.  “Why still go to the movies when people can see movies in their homes?” asks Zemrak, “Because we create events where people can share, meet directors and movie stars, share food and drinks.” 

That said, the organization is not taking over Rheem to transform it into a permanent film festival.  “It is our desire to continue to present the Film Festival in Orinda, while in Moraga we will run the theater with the community and offer a wide varieties of movies,” says CAIFFA Beau Behan who will be in charge of Rheem.

“We hated to see that place close,” adds Zemrak, “that’s why we got in touch with the owner Mike Puri, and he was very accommodating.”  The plan is to play blockbuster movies to continue to please families with titles such as Toy Story 3, Shrek Ever After, or The Karate Kid.  They will propose as well new releases of independent films that cannot be seen anywhere else in Lamorinda, films like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Precious, Crazy Heart and The Messenger.  And that is only part of what “The New Rheem Theater” ambitions to become.

“We will conduct an outreach program with the community,” says Zemrak, “we will be contacting local groups and invite everyone to join.”   From these discussions should come preferences for special programs and series that will be tailored to the Lamorinda needs.  Already proposed are a Silent Film Program, a Passport Series featuring international films, Musical Films, Educational features, Kids’ Matiness, etc…  CAIFFA wishes to partner with community organizations to support their ideas and programming.  There are thoughts of re-opening the kitchen located in the theater, may be transforming one of the theaters into a lounge area, offering a wine bar.

CAIFFA members have started to meet with the community.  Edy Schwartz, President of the Chamber of Commerce, Council Member Howard Harpham and Lamorinda Wine Grower Association Carol Haag that are very involved in the grass root effort to save the theater are very hopeful about the new deal.  “We are thrilled that they could move this quickly and we are looking forward to this bright new future,” said Haag.  She went with Harpham to visit “The Lark” a historical community theater in Larskpur and discussed the business model with the manager there.  “The visit was very interesting, The Lark has been very successful for 6 years in Larkspur” said harpham, “but there are some significant differences between the two theaters.”  The first one is that the organization that runs the theater in Larkspur owns the place, and therefore investors are not hesitant to commit for the long term.  Second, if Harpham does not question the initial enthusiasm that will most probably come from the community, he is aware that success will depend on its long term and on-going support.

“We are doing this to support the arts and we know that the Lamorinda community will rally around the project,” says Behan, “we are committed for the long term and simply want to give back.”  The soft opening is scheduled for June 18.  For more information and updates, go to thenewrheemtheater.com.  Behan is available for those who wish to share ideas and/or get involved, he can be reached at Beau@caiff.org

Attracting Wild Life in Moraga

Dan Bernie is not lukewarm when it comes to integrated pest management. Yes, the chemical-free methods to maintain the town’s properties is more expansive, and it demands more man-hour, but it works, and it’s healthier for Moragans and their children. An additional benefit to the community is that in researching about natural ways to deal with pests, Bernie, Moraga Public Work Superintendent, has learnt about how to use beneficial wildlife to control pests such as gophers and rats. With the help of an Eagle Scout, Kevin Gustafson, and the support of the Mt Diablo Audubon Society, Moraga is becoming more “owl-happy”. And it is just a beginning, since Bernie has in his files, plans to integrate bats nesting and raptors poles.

The Audubon Society functioned as a facilitator. “Dan (Bernie) wanted barn owl boxes in the Commons for gopher, rat and mouse control. Kevin (Gustafson) was looking for a project. There was wood available from construction of the new Walnut Creek Library and edge braces for the inside of the box available from a Council election campaign signs. Then lumber available from a material recycler for posts to mount the boxes on as well as help available to cut the boxes from the material recycler,” explains Murphy, “so Kevin's job was to assemble all of the resources available for his Eagle Scout project - we just brought the resources to Kevin's attention and he put them together.”

“I didn't really know that much about integrated pest management until I met Mr. Murphy and began the project,” says the Scout, but Gustafson quickly got very interested in a method that permits to deal with pests without the pesticides. “The process allows resident rodents to provide food for breeding barn owls,” explains Murphy. One couple of owls with chicks may consume as many as 1000 rodents by the time the chicks leave the nest. According to the California Council for the Wildlife Rehabilitation, approximately 26 million years ago the first Barn Owl appeared on earth; and since then Barn Owls have reigned supreme as one of the most efficient hunters on wings, and they were the farmer’s best friends when it came to rodent control.

For his project Gustafson worked cooperatively with others. “I was supplied the blueprints by the Audubon society. I then measured and cut the wood. Later my friends, many of whom are fellow boy scouts, and I assembled the boxes,” he says. The boxes will be installed in both Moraga public parks is the coming weeks. “Mr. Bernie and I specifically picked locations that we felt would discourage people from messing with the owl boxes,” says Gustafson, “also the boxes are 12 feet up in the air.”

For Bernie, the owl box project is exemplary of how IPM works. “I learnt about owls in a training session in Walnut Creek and bats in an EBMUD publication,” says the Superintendent, “and that will be one of my next project, getting bats to nest under the pedestrian bridge that connects Moraga Commons to the library.” A brown bat eats its own weight in insect in a night, and they love mosquitoes. They can catch 1,200 of them in an hour. Bats also pollinate many plants, and produce guano, a prized fertilizer.

“The Town of Moraga did the biggest jump of them all, and stand in front of all Contra Costa,” says a proud Bernie refereeing to Moraga’s IPM policy. After the bats, Bernie plans to set raptor poles in strategic places in Moraga so hawks will perch and catch gophers coming out during the day. For these projects he is hoping to enroll Scouts for the completion.

Bernie’s efforts to eliminate all chemical use in public places in Moraga include as well adding mosquitoes eating fishes in Mulholland ponds and switching all the janitorial supplies to “green” chemical free soaps and cleaning supplies. “We will never go back,” concludes the Superintendent.