Residents of Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park may soon notice brighter streets. Crews began installing 91 solar streetlights on Monday, funded by $500,000 in discretionary funds from L.A. City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, after years of outages.
The Background and Wednesday’s Vote
The move comes as the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday progressed a strategy to address the city’s streetlight repair and maintenance budget, which has remained largely unchanged since the late 1990s. The strategy hinges on securing approval from property owners for a potential increase to the yearly assessment on their property tax bills.
A 2024 third-party study found that current assessments cover only 45% of the Bureau of Street Lighting’s needs to “properly maintain and operate the system.” The city cannot raise the fee without property owner approval.
The City Council voted to extend a contract with a consultant to prepare an engineer’s report. This report will detail proposed assessment increases and demonstrate how the additional revenue would support streetlight maintenance and improvements.
Councilmembers Heather Hutt, Monica Rodriguez, and Katy Yaroslavsky were absent during the vote. The remaining councilmembers voted in favor of the item.
Miguel Sangalang, head of the Bureau of Street Lighting, indicated he plans to present the engineer’s report and a public outreach plan to the City Council in March. If approved, ballots could be sent to over half a million property owners as early as April, though the city’s timeline has been adjusted in the past.
Sangalang also stated that any assessment increase would include a “three-year auditing mechanism” to ensure responsible spending.
Frequently Asked Questions
What prompted the installation of new streetlights in Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park?
Years of streetlight outages prompted Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez to allocate $500,000 for the installation of 91 solar streetlights in those neighborhoods.
How is the city’s streetlight system currently funded?
The Bureau of Street Lighting’s budget primarily comes from an assessment paid by property owners who benefit from streetlights on their county property tax bill.
What is the next step in increasing the streetlight budget?
The City Council has approved extending a contract for an engineer’s report, which will detail proposed assessment increases for property owners. The report will then need council approval and a vote by property owners.
As Los Angeles considers a potential increase in property assessments to fund vital infrastructure, how might the outcome of the property owner vote shape the future of public services in the city?
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