Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
The Rise Of Shiny: Solar Projects In Montecito Heights, Eagle Rock Get High Voltage Attention
(Photo by Abi Skipp via Flickr)
()
(Photo by Abi Skipp via Flickr)
After shutting down construction on a Montecito Heights solar project in September due to concerns about fire safety and aesthetics, City Council plans to revisit the issue on Wednesday with a report that assesses potential risks posed by installing the 1,400 hillside panels.
In Eagle Rock, a solar array more than three times that size has been given the preliminary $7.7 million spending green-light by Occidental College's Board of Trustees. If constructed, the 5,000-panel, on-campus, panel field could be one of the largest solar arrays in Los Angeles.
The Eastsider reports Montecito Heights city fire marshal Jimmy Hill has concerns about the safety of the Debs Park-adjacent project, "High voltage shock hazard is constant during daylight hours. If water is applied to extinguish an adjacent or nearby fire, the hazards to Firefighters are exacerbated since PV [photo voltaic] systems components may be compromised by extreme temperatures encountered in fire conditions.”
Support for LAist comes from
Occidental Magazine asserts the the installation of 5,000 solar panels would generate 1.1 megawatt of power and cut the college’s annual energy bill by $250,000. Regarding time line, college spokesman Jim Tranquada remarked, “Our project is still in development — nothing has been submitted to the city yet... When it is ready, we will follow our standard practice of presenting it to neighborhood councils and other local groups,” reports The Eastsider.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist