The No on Prop 7 ads have been airing for awhile now (you know, the ones that say "stop another costly flawed energy scheme"?) and this week, the Yes on Prop 7 side launched their own (one of them is above). It's a confusing proposition and as the LA Times said in their dissenting editorial, "it's rare to see an initiative attract the diversity of opposition that Proposition 7 has." They're referring to both......

Photo by countess of maybe via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Today, our computer is not about to explode like it was for the past two days in the sweltering heat. "The National Weather Service forecast highs for Thursday of between 69 and 79 near the Los Angeles County coast, 86 to 94 inland, 84 to 94 in the San Fernando Valley, 87 to 92 in the San Gabriel Valley, 88 and 93 in......

One day of fall heat was bearable, but two days of heat and citizens just don't care anymore. Damnit, they're turning on the AC. From the DWP at 5:18 p.m. today: "Customers' energy use hit a new record today of 5,709 megawatts, shattering the previous record of 5,123 megawatts set Oct. 2, 1991. On Tuesday, energy use reached a peak demand of 5,533 megawatts, marking a record demand for fall and the fifth highest September......

As temperatures reached high temperatures today, the LA Department of Water & Power announced spiked energy usage by residents this afternoon and is urging energy conservation. "Any time energy demand exceeds 5000 megawatts we need to begin conserving wherever possible, while not jeopardizing anyone's health or safety," said David Nahai, LADWP General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, in a e-mail notice. The DWP expects demand to reach up to 5500 megawatts. Has anyone run over......

Photo by Jimmy_Joe via Flickr At today's City Council meeting, the members unanimously voted to oppose Proposition 7, an environmental initiative on this November's ballot that would require "all utilities, including government-owned utilities, to generate 20% of their power from renewable energy by 2010, a standard currently applicable only to private electrical corporations. Raises requirement for all utilities to 40% by 2020 and 50% by 2025." Seems like a good thing, right? The problem......

Bob Hertzberg ran for Mayor of Los Angeles in 2005. The former California Assembly Speaker and adviser to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger lost and moved on away from politics to working on solar power in Wales where the Guardian newspaper named him one of the "50 people who could save the planet." In a way, Hertzberg is like Los Angeles' version of Al Gore. The guy who almost made it but is now well known......

Southern California Edison has announced that they're adding some new renewable energy to their profile. They'll be installing 303 wind turbines up in Gilliam and Morrow Counties in Oregon that will produce 909 megawatts of wind power and 2 billion kilowatt-hours per year.......

Photo by halighalie via Flickr A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place today at the newly greened Exposition Park Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Regional Branch Library on Western Avenue near USC. The green library is a first for the South Los Angeles region, also receiving the highest second highest rating from the U.S Green Building Council's LEED standards. Here's what made it certify at "gold," according to the city (.pdf): Landscape & Exterior Design......

Photo by 416style via Flickr Green initiatives and measures are going to dot ballots across the state this November and while "it's the thing to do" these days, they may not be the best choices. At the very least, as LAist commenter jrb said, "this election season some the initiatives are not exactly a quick study. There will be some city initiatives like the San Francisco Clean Energy Act or the Residents’ Initiative to......

Photo by citroenazu via Flickr The basic premise for voting against "Big Solar" Prop 7 on November's ballot is that it has good environmental intentions for the state's renewable energy goals but was written so poorly, it would jack up consumer energy bills and have other unintended consequences. Hundreds of thousands of dollars been put into the No on Prop 7 side from energy companies including Southern California Edison and PG&E in Northern California.......

Southern California Edison (SCE) announced that they've now recycled 700,000 refrigerators in the last 15 years since the beginning of their Refrigerator and Freezer Recycling Program. The program has two parts: (1) you get $50 to recycle the fridge, and (2), you get another $50 if you buy a new Energy Star qualified fridge. According to SCE's director of energy efficiency per the Power Plug blog, people spend about an extra $300 a year with......

Following the lead of many other utilities, the Pasadena City Council on Friday took an official stance against Proposition 7, aka "Big Solar," which will appear on November's ballot asking voters to make utilities supply 20% of their power with renewable sources by 2010, 40% by 2020 and 50% by 2025. Pasadena Water and Power is a municipal owned utility and officials say that if passed, rates could jump 30 to 45%. While most people......

Pacific Gas & Electric, a utility that most serves Northern California, may join the No on Prop 8 campaign tomorrow at a press conference. "They know exactly what they are doing here. They need some credibility with the left, especially in San Francisco," writes Brian Leubitz at Calitics. "As for other companies, I expect we'll see a few other businesses." Which businesses in Southern California will join in? Will Southern California Edison? How about Southern......

Yesterday, Iowa Senator Charles Grassley wrote a letter to President George Bush asking him to consider taking a stand against car idling in Washington D.C. "While people across the country are looking for ways to reduce their fuel burden by using less, the federal government doesn’t appear to be taking the same steps to reduce wasteful energy consumption and save taxpayer money," he wrote. "Each and every day, there are likely dozens, if not hundreds......

Photo by yunny via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., an excessive heat warning is in effect, according to the National Weather Service. And going along with the state's Flex (Your Power) Alert, the NWS has also issued an excessive heat watch through Thursday evening. How hot will it be? Triple digits are expected hit highs of 102 to 110 degrees in some areas. And with the statewide flex......

Time to hunker down and flex your power, so says state officials. "The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), charged with managing the electricity grid in California, has issued a Flex Alert for Tuesday, July 8th through Thursday, July 10th," an e-mail alert states. "Due to the current hot weather, electricity conservation is necessary."......

Today, a barrel of oil spiked at $143.52, a (broken) record, once again. That comes at a time when the Los Angeles area has been seeing a two-week plateau in gas prices around $4.60. AAA reports gas in Los Angeles averages at $4.602, but LosAngelesGasPrices.com has gas tipping down towards $4.57. However, with oil prices spiking as they are, the change in gas prices will be seen in weeks to come. It takes three to......

What the LA Department of Water & Power is saying today during the heatwave: "Yesterday's energy peak reached 5856 megawatts, and was the second highest load in June. Today's peak demand is expected to reach or exceed the record of 6165 megawatts, set on July 24, 2006. While the LADWP has enough power to meet the city's needs, extraordinary demand during prolonged hot temperatures puts a tremendous strain on the city's electrical distribution equipment. Customers......

With temperatures soaring past 100 degrees in the Valley and with other parts of Los Angeles feeling sticky, it's no surprise that energy use spiked yesterday. "The energy peak topped out at 5509 megawatts, making it the second highest June load on record," stated an LA Department of Water & Power press release from today that "urges" residents to conserve energy. "The record load for June is 5531 megawatts, set on June 28, 2006. The......

As gas prices have been stagnant at $4.61/gallon for regular in Los Angeles (the average is $4.075 for the country) for the past five days, John McCain is calling for, among other things, offshore drilling laws to be eased. He's obviously gaining oil industry support. Then today, President George Bush called for a lift on the ban of offshore drilling, even though it could take 10 years to get the oil "fully pumping again." Meanwhile,......

Founder of the effort, Jasmyne Cannick participates in a 'Kiss My Gass' campaign against the high price of gasoline outside a Mobil gas station in Los Angeles on Friday, June 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) As a regular gallon of gas briefly plateaued at $4.60 over the weekend in Los Angeles (nationally, $4.08), people took to the streets to protest big oil. "If we're not mobil, we won't buy Mobil," their Kiss My Gass'......

Graph via LosAngelesGasPrices.com While the current national average for unleaded gas is $4.066 per gallon, California leads the way with a state average of $4.564, with Los Angeles' average at $4.579. "Southern California gas prices are nearly 40 percent higher than they were at this time last year and 93 percent higher than at this time in 2005," Jeffrey Spring of AAA told the Daily News. 30 days ago, gas in Los Angeles averaged......

Slowly we've seen man replaced by the machine, but at 3 parking lots in Long Beach they're powering the machines with a force even more powerful: the sun! According to the Long Beach Press-Telegram, the LBC's "Redevelopment Agency has replaced the honor boxes at three downtown lots with solar-powered pay stations." These units run on the energy generated by "a solar panel that's placed on top of the pay station." Even better yet, these machines......

A report released from the Brookings Institution says Honolulu has the lowest carbon footprint of any city in the United States. Then at number two is Los Angeles, which is a surprise considering the city's sprawling car culture and industry. Who is not surprised is Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office. His deputy for energy and environment told the LA times that "sprawl is a lot worse in other parts of the U.S." and that the city......

The Santa Monica Pier taken on May 24 | Photo by Atwater Village Newbie via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Last month, the classic ferris wheel on the Santa Monica pier at Pacific Park went up for sale on eBay, eventually selling for $132,400 (it originally costs $800,000), raising $65,000 for Special Olympics Southern California. Tonight, pier goers and city officials welcome the new wheel, dazzling in its solar power, energy efficient glory. "Like......

"The energy demand we are seeing is unprecedented, and it's only May," said David Nahai, LADWP CEO & General Manager, in a statement today, which is the second one regarding the same issue in less than thirty days. "We urge our customers to start cutting back their energy use now and to be ready for continued hot temperatures as we enter the summer months... It's incumbent upon all L.A. residents and businesses to look at......

Good news for the Los Angeles area as Santa Monica High School placed top honors today at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C. The bowl was created in 1991 "encourage high school students to excel in mathematics and science and to pursue careers in these fields," according to KCBS. North Hollywood High School, also competing, tied for sixth place after losing to Santa Monica. The Los Angeles Department of Water......

In a press release sent yesterday evening, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) stated that "peak energy demand reached a record-setting high last weekend and near-record on Monday, indicating the need for customers to reduce their electricity use." Megawatt usage over the weekend and on Monday broke records. Monday's demand was the second highest for a weekday in April while both Sunday and Saturday's power usage peaked at the highest ever for......

Last weekend, the homeowners, docents, and designers who are taking part in today's Green Gardens Tour gathered in the beautiful Santa Monica library to talk with each other and to be honored by the tour organizers at a thank you breakfast. The event was highlighted by brief talks from actress Amy Brenneman and TreePeople's Andy Lipkis, both of whom spoke about the power of conservation, and in appreciation of a few individuals who are doing......

I'm one of those paranoid, overly dramatic people who convince themselves that the entire world is out to get them. A lot of my paranoid delusions revolve around driving, of course: that dude slowed down just to piss me off! Every time I change lanes traffic gets worse! (Also known as the "Office Space" rule.) These lights are timed badly just to slow me down! Turns out, that last one might not just be all......