CaliforniaFIRST Local Government Information

The CaliforniaFIRST Program is a property assessed clean energy (PACE) finance program. PACE programs allow property owners within participating regions to finance the installation of energy improvements on their home or business and pay the amount back as a line item on their property tax bill. The CaliforniaFIRST Program is sponsored by the California Statewide Communities Development Authority (California Communities), an association of counties and cities, in partnership with Renewable Funding and the Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets.

A local government must adopt the Program in order for local residents to apply for financing. 

The pilot phase of the program includes 14 counties and over 120 cities and is set to launch in fall 2010. California Communities intends to extend CaliforniaFIRST to include all interested counties and cities following a successful pilot.  The legal and procedural steps for the next round of counties and cities are estimated to begin shortly after the initial launch of the pilot counties.  

Those counties and cities interested in participating in CaliforniaFIRST or would like additional information are encouraged to visit the main program site, www.CaliforniaFIRST.org.