---
type: "Bill"
title: "Electricity: net energy metering."
description: "Existing law, relative to private energy producers, requires every electric utility, as defined, to make available to an eligible customer-generator, as defined, a standard contract or tariff for net energy metering on a first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated generating capacity used by eligible customer-generators exceeds 5% of the electric utility's aggregate customer peak demand. The existing definition of an eligible customer-generator requires that the generating facility use a solar or wind turbine, or a hybrid system of both."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20112012"
identifier: "SB 489"
citation: "California SB 489 (20112012)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Electricity: net energy metering."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Wolk"]
version_count: 8
action_count: 27
vote_count: 9
first_action: "2011-02-17"
last_action: "2011-10-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1b3d886a-801a-4408-812f-0e6d6fcdc7e4"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB489"
source_hash: "469777d206c2b2ad2a30575c912a4bcc467b5b098a49752801942bbf64e93356"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California SB 489 (20112012) — Electricity: net energy metering.

Existing law, relative to private energy producers, requires every electric utility, as defined, to make available to an eligible customer-generator, as defined, a standard contract or tariff for net energy metering on a first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated generating capacity used by eligible customer-generators exceeds 5% of the electric utility's aggregate customer peak demand. The existing definition of an eligible customer-generator requires that the generating facility use a solar or wind turbine, or a hybrid system of both.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **02/17/11 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB489&version=20110SB48999INT)
2. **05/11/11 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB489&version=20110SB48998AMD)
3. **06/16/11 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB489&version=20110SB48997AMD)
4. **06/30/11 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB489&version=20110SB48996AMD)
5. **07/12/11 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB489&version=20110SB48995AMD)
6. **10/08/11 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB489&version=20110SB48993CHP)
7. **SB489** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB489)
8. **09/01/11 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB489&version=20110SB48994ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass. — **12–4** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading — **31–7** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations. — **6–1** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on Natural Resources. — **13–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass. — **8–0** (pass) · upper
- Unfinished Business SB489 Wolk Concurrence — **30–8** (pass) · upper
- Placed on Appropriations Suspense file. — **9–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended, and re-refer to the Committee on Appropriations. — **9–2** (pass) · upper
- SB 489 Wolk Senate Third Reading By ALEJO — **59–18** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Wolk — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2011-02-17** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2011-02-18** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 20.
- **2011-03-03** Referred to Com. on E., U., & C. `referral-committee`
- **2011-03-15** Set for hearing April 28.
- **2011-05-10** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 2. Page 808.) (April 28). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2011-05-11** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `reading-2, reading-1, amendment-passage, referral-committee`
- **2011-05-13** Set for hearing May 23.
- **2011-05-23** Placed on APPR. suspense file.
- **2011-05-25** Set for hearing May 26.
- **2011-05-31** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 1118.) (May 26). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2011-05-31** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2011-06-02** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 31. Noes 7. Page 1275.) Ordered to the Assembly. `reading-3, reading-1, passage`
- **2011-06-02** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1`
- **2011-06-16** Referred to Coms. on U. & C. and NAT. RES. `referral-committee`
- **2011-06-16** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on U. & C. `reading-2, reading-1, committee-passage, amendment-passage, referral-committee`
- **2011-06-29** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on NAT. RES. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (June 27). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2011-06-30** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES. `reading-2, reading-1, amendment-passage, referral-committee`
- **2011-07-11** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 1.) (July 6). `amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2011-07-12** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `reading-2, reading-1, amendment-passage, referral-committee`
- **2011-08-18** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 4.) (August 17). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2011-08-22** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2011-08-29** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 59. Noes 18. Page 2635.) Ordered to the Senate. `reading-3, reading-1, passage`
- **2011-08-29** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
- **2011-08-30** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 30. Noes 8. Page 2160.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2011-09-06** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.
- **2011-10-08** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2011-10-08** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 593, Statutes of 2011.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1b3d886a-801a-4408-812f-0e6d6fcdc7e4`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).