Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on March 25 launched a new Street Lights Initiative that will repair and replace up to 60,000 street lights citywide over the next two years.
The program, which harnesses new solar street light technology, "will help bolster public safety, slash Los Angeles’ decade-long backlog of street light repairs, combat copper wire theft, and reduce L.A.’s energy consumption while helping accelerate the City's transition to 100% clean energy by 2035," the Mayor's office said.
Bass was joined by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and other city leaders to sign Executive Directive 18 to launch the new initiative, an historic agreement between the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the Bureau of Street Lighting to identify and install up to 60,000 solar street lights across the city over the next two years.
This Solar Street Lights Initiative will also address the more than 32,000 street light service requests by either modernizing these lights or repairing them.
There are currently 32,000 street light service requests. Funding for street light infrastructure has remained unchanged since 1996, and there has been a 1,200% increase in copper wire theft in the last 10 years.
Repairs caused by copper wire theft can cost at least four times more than standard maintenance. Los Angeles operates more than 220,000 street lights citywide -- an estimated 60,000 are eligible to be converted to solar.
Solar street lights equipped with integrated battery storage can provide dependable illumination even during grid disruptions, strengthening the City’s resilience. Solar street lights also do not utilize copper wire and are therefore less vulnerable to theft, more cost-effective over time, and help reduce emissions, a news release noted.
The agreement between LADWP and the Bureau of Street Lighting will invest hundreds of millions of dollars, through a phased approach, to assess and install up to 60,000 street lights across the city over the next two years.
In partnership with the City Council, hundreds of solar street lights have already been installed in neighborhoods like Watts, Historic Filipinotown, Granada Hills, and Van Nuys.
"By prioritizing the repair and replacement of street lights that are currently out, the City can deliver immediate improvements in safety and livability while laying the groundwork for a modern, sustainable street light network," the Mayor's office noted.
The Los Angeles City Council in March adopted a motion on solar street lights. Bass will work closely to address this citywide issue.
