A Green Competition Shapes Up in California

(MoneyWatch)  Los Angeles has its eye set on becoming the "global capital of clean technology" -- just don't tell the dozen or so cities that are well ahead of it. The LA Times reports that the West Coast's metropolis has put itself into the running with a partnership between local universities, aimed at competing for Federal subsidies.

The competitors for that "global capital" title include, just within the United States, some pretty big towns like Austin, Tex., Boston, Mass., and San Francisco, Calif. Emphasize that last, which along with neighbors like San Jose and Berkeley has been pushing hard at the clean energy issue for years.

California's citizens are no doubt aware of that fact, which is why the competition for green bragging rights may soon get interesting. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is on his final term, which means some enterprising local politician will have to step up. And two of the top contenders just happen to be San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The latter, coincidentally, headlined the announcement of his city's green program personally.

The state's voter base is famously concerned with the environment, and there's no hotter issue than clean technology. Something tells me that Villaraigosa will be amping up his efforts in this arena, in an attempt to get the kind of statewide recognition he needs (especially in northern California) to make a run at the top office. So keep an eye on Los Angeles; in all likelihood, much more is in the works.