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Total revenues for the month were $397.6 million above (4.0 percent) estimates found in the Governor’s proposed 2011-12 state budget.
“While April’s revenues were nominally higher than estimates, they did not provide much breathing room in the budget debate,” said Controller John Chiang. “We are a long way from closing the books for this fiscal year. June is still a very important month for revenues, and in that month our outlook could improve or deteriorate significantly.”
Sales taxes were over projections by $45.2 million (5.0 percent) in April, and personal income taxes were up $272.7 million (4.0 percent). Corporate taxes were down $48.2 million (-3.1 percent).
Year-to-date tax revenues are approximately $2.5 billion ahead of projections. But from a cash perspective, receipts are actually up $1.3 billion.
The difference comes from the aborted sale and lease-back of State properties which Gov. Jerry Brown canceled this spring. That arrangement was originally projected to generate $1.2 billion in March 2011.
The state faced a $17.8 billion cash deficit on April 30. That deficit was covered by $7.8 billion of internal borrowing – short term loans from special funds – and $10 billion of external borrowing.
April 2011’s financial statement and the summary analysis can found on the Controller’s Web site at www.sco.ca.gov.
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The tasting center opening festivities will be held from noon to 4 p.m. and are open to the public.
Like the handcrafted wines that reflect the diverse micro climates and soil types from within the winery's sustainably-farmed estate vineyards, the long anticipated tasting center pays homage to the California mission-style in its use of reclaimed materials from the early 20th century.
The ranch in the High Valley Appellation was one of the first homesteads in Lake County and the construction of and attention to detail in our new facility reflects the authenticity of that time.
Award-winning architect Ron Firestone and landscape designer Dennis Turner have designed the extensive facilities and grounds.
The cabinetry and woodwork for the tasting center was milled from the winery's own walnut orchard and handcrafted by master carpenter Albert Edijou.
The winery's current vintages are a collaboration between winemaker Kevin Robinson and consulting winemaker David Ramey.
The $10 fee for the May 28 event includes a commemorative glass, hors d’oeuvres and wine tasting.
One hundred percent of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Safe House of Lake County.
Brassfield Estates Winery is located at 10915 High Valley Road, Clearlake Oaks.
Call 707-998-1895 or visit www.brassfieldestate.com.
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Landis+Gyr has determined the error affects fewer than 1,600 of the two million meters it supplied to PG&E.
The utility will replace the meters at no cost to customers and issue full refunds to customers who received inaccurate bills.
The average refund will be about $40 per customer. PG&E will also issue a $25 credit for customer inconvenience and offer a free in-home energy audit to affected customers.
“We take this issue very seriously and will do the right thing for our customers. We are committed to accurate metering and billing and will contact our affected customers immediately and issue full refunds," said Greg Kiraly, vice president, SmartMeter operations. “We encourage any customers with questions to call our SmartMeter help line at 1-866-743-0263.”
Landis+Gyr meters with the defect occasionally run fast when experiencing a narrow band of high temperatures, resulting in a miscalculation of energy bills.
The problem, which affects less than 0.08 percent of the SmartMeters supplied to PG&E by Landis+Gyr, was discovered by PG&E's quality assurance program and the advanced diagnostics available through the SmartMeter technology. If any additional meters malfunction, the diagnostic signals will flag the meters for immediate replacement.
“We are confident that we have identified the small population of meters with this defect based on the diagnostic flags and extensive additional testing in our labs and in the field,” said Jerry Figurilli, chief operating officer for Landis + Gyr North America.
PG&E will share the technical analysis of the meter issue with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for its review, and with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which approves the relevant testing standards for the metering industry.
PG&E is installing SmartMeters throughout its service area in keeping with California's statewide policy to provide customers with more affordable, reliable and environmentally sustainable energy services.
The company said independent tests have shown SmartMeters remain the most accurate and reliable tools for measuring customer energy use, although one of the major concerns raised about the devices by consumers has been the issue of inaccurate billings.
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Launched on Nov. 5, 2010, the “Lake County Energy Watch” program gives businesses, nonprofits, special districts, municipal facilities and residents new opportunities to achieve significant energy savings while saving money.
“Identifying Energy Efficient Upgrades and Incentives,” the second class to be offered, will be held Thursday, May 19, 9 a.m. to noon at the El Grande Inn, 15135 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake.
This half-day course, taught by Mark Jewell, whose experience includes over 25 years in commercial real estate and more than 15 years in energy efficiency, will explore the most time-efficient and cost-effective approaches to identifying energy-saving measures for your building, how the utility's incentive offerings can reduce cost and improve financial returns, and how properly evaluating the costs and benefits of proposed upgrades can help get these projects approved.
This free class includes a continental breakfast. Registration is required.
Visit the Lake County Watch Web page at www.energy.co.lake.ca.us, and select "Classes for Professionals" on the left-hand side of the page to register.
Upcoming classes include "Residential Lighting: Title 24 and Technology Update," and "Planning a Zero Energy New or Existing Home in California.
In addition to presenting classes for energy efficiency professionals, Lake County Energy Watch is partnering with Richard Heath and Associates to provide no- and low-cost lighting retrofits for government facilities - including city, state, and federal facilities located in Lake County - as well as to non-profit organizations, small businesses, and special districts.
RHA oversees the Energy Fitness Program, an energy efficiency program available to all non-residential Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) customers in Lake County who use less than 200 kW of electricity per month.
The Energy Fitness Program offers lighting retrofits (remove and replace existing lighting for high energy efficient lighting) at no- or low-cost.
The retrofits include four and eight foot linear fixtures , high bay fixtures, Energy Star compact fluorescent lamps, LED exit signs or retro kits, occupancy sensors, vending machine controllers, faucet aerators, as well as additional LED and other cost effective savings measures.
Most of these measures are at absolutely no cost – including removal and installation – with just a few of the options requiring a nominal surcharge.
Lake County Energy Watch was awarded $10,000 by PG&E to assist nonprofit organizations in Lake County with paying any applicable surcharge for lighting retrofits. When non-profits receive services from RHA through the Lake County Energy Watch program, RHA will invoice Lake County Energy Watch on behalf of the eligible organization.
For residential customers, Lake County Energy Watch is helping to promote A.B.S, an Energy Partner Contractor with PG&E that can provide residents with free energy education and weatherization on homes, apartments, or mobile homes which can include attic insulation, weather stripping, caulking, energy-efficient lighting and refrigerators, window repair, and more.
Lake County Energy Watch is administered by PG&E using funding from California utility ratepayers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.
Energy Watch partnerships are designed to help local governments and their communities lower their energy bills and enjoy a cleaner environment.
For more information about the Lake County Energy Watch program, contact Michalyn DelValle at 707-263-2221 or visit www.energy.co.lake.ca.us .