Largest Solar Program in US to Kick Start Green New Deal in LA?

The prospect of a Green New Deal that would simultaneously stimulate our economy and promote alternative energy development is perhaps the only remotely exciting aspect of the recession. And we may soon have the opportunity to see how it might work on the city level: in LA, where the unemployment rate has risen from 8.9 to 9.9 percent in the last year, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is spearheading a plan to expand citywide solar production and create jobs in the process.

Today he attended a training session for solar equipment maintenance and installation along with hundreds of electricians, many who are out of work. The training session is designed to prepare workers for thousands of new green collar jobs that the mayor hopes will be created with his massive solar initiative, Measure B.