"Her reporting that Taxpayers, ratepayers will fund solar plants was widely criticized as getting the facts wrong, very wrong."

Good ol' Julie Cart lousy at science and at math.
There is NO major electricity producer in this country that hasn't been paid for on the backs of the taxpayers/ratepayers. Nuclear, Coal, Hydro power projects are in most part financed by Government grants, bonds and paid for by taxpayers through taxes and ratepayer fees on every KWh of electricity they use. It doesn't matter if the power is produced by Hydro power, natural gas, coal, nuclear or solar in the form of PV or CSP, the taxpayer/ratepayer will end up with the bill in the end.

As for John Benoit and his "sun tax", he is just trying to save a bloated bureaucracy by paying for it with taxes on everyone's electric bills. Even those who are using the electricity generated in Riverside county outside of Riverside county. Nice way to pass the buck and not have to deal with an over staffed, bloated government that adds little value to the taxpayer dime.