Los Angeles Times: Berkeley and Palm Desert may be poles apart when it comes to politics. But the two cities are pioneering a new path to solar energy. Pushed by these unlikely municipal bedfellows, California on Monday enacted a law that allows cities and counties to make low-interest loans to homeowners and businesses to install solar panels, high-efficiency air conditioners and other energy-saving improvements. Participants can pay back the loans over decades through property taxes. And if a …