Matthai Kuruvila, San Francisco Chronicle

Berkeley's $144 million budget is in the trash can - literally.

In a $10 million deficit announced last week, the single biggest factor - $4 million - was a decline in its refuse revenues.

The city says, in part, that it's a victim of its own success. Residents pride themselves on aggressively recycling and composting, so they're switching to smaller, cheaper trash cans - the only collection for which the city charges.

Sandy Nax, Fresno Bee News Blog

Cities in Fresno County have the distinction of participating in a pilot program that enables homeowners to finance energy-efficiency and water-improvement improvements via property taxes.

Steve Wiegand, Sacramento Bee

The Legislature's nonpartisan analyst says California's landmark greenhouse gas reduction law could cost jobs in the near term, while its long-term impact is uncertain.

Rick Longley, Willows Journal

Supervisor Leigh McDaniel will head a county panel to develop a green technologies policy for Glenn County.

That was the decision of his colleagues Tuesday after he brought up the topic following discussion the county landfill and the recruitment of companies to help divert the solid waste stream to energy or other recycled materials.

Cassie Tomlin, Tracy Press

Toni Scott, Chico Enterprise Record

CHICO — Streetlights in the city of Chico will soon get a makeover, with the city planning to switch out more than 1,000 lights to more energy-efficient bulbs.

Kirby White, city public works manager, said the city recently received approximately $800,000 in federal stimulus funds, with the dollars designated for energy-efficient projects.

Cosmo Garvin, Sacramento News & Review

California is not well. It’s not exactly a failed state, but it’s far from the optimistic Golden State that once was—one that did impressive things, like building highways and aqueducts and universities that were the envy of the world. Here in his last year in office, the state’s governor has lost a bit of his luster, too. Arnold Schwarzenegger is unlikely to be remembered as a political reformer or an adept fiscal manager.

Melissa Murphy, Woodland Daily Democrat

 Solano County leaders have put a hold -- for now -- on a planned $1 million solar project in Fairfield.

The Board of Supervisors pulled from Tuesday's agenda a proposal to use $1.45 million from a heating and ventilation fund to pay for the project.

"We have several concerns," Supervisor John Vasquez said after the meeting. "We're definitely concerned with the cost."

Staff Reports, Woodland Daily Democrat

 Fairfield is embarking on a citywide street and pedestrian light-conversion project with money made available through a Department of Energy block grant coupled with a low-cost loan from the state.

Susan Meeker, Colusa County Sun Herald

Williams officials are looking to cash in on a California Energy Commission grant to help replace the aging heating and air conditioning unit at City Hall.

The City Council authorized City Administrator Chuck Bergson to apply for the $28,000 grant even though the city has not fully identified a funding plan for the remaining $112, 000 to do the work.

"There is no question that we need to replace it," Bergson said. "It will have to be done sooner or later."

James Leonard, Patterson Irrigator

Patterson hopes to go green in the New Year, thanks to a $111,000 federal stimulus grant that's expected to pay for new bulbs in street lights and traffic lights and make pumps more energy-efficient at two of its wells.

The city was notified earlier this year that it would be eligible for the money - which comes from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants - if it could present a plan that followed the grant's guidelines.

James Burger, Bakersfield Californian

The largest wind energy project in California's history got the go-ahead from Kern County supervisors Tuesday.

But they delayed a decision on the massive Alta-Oak Creek Mojave wind power project until late Tuesday evening to try and solve the concerns of a handful of residents in the remote mountain areas. Those people were worried about the potential dangers of the sky-scraping wind turbines.

James Burger, Bakersfield Californian

Kern County's reliable relationship with the sun has become an attractive lure for companies who want to convert sunlight to electricity here.

This year county planners will be able to process 12 photovoltaic solar power plant projects that, together, would cover thousands of acres of Kern County land.