Street lighting outages continue to plague Larchmont area
Residents of the Larchmont area have noticed an increasing frequency of street lighting outages, sparking concern over public safety. According to city officials, the persistent outages are a result of a complex set of issues including a rise in copper wire theft, staffing shortages and a budget that has failed to keep pace with inflation for the past three decades.
Zoe Friedlander, a long-time Norton Avenue resident, shared her frustration after reporting a series of outages that left her street dark over the holidays. “It’s frustrating, but I realize the city has much bigger issues to deal with, and I am committed to being patient,” Friedlander said.
Growing problem
100 NORTH BLOCK OF VAN NESS AVENUE, which includes Burns Park, on the evening of March 12.
Copper wire theft has become a significant issue, with criminals targeting streetlights and traffic signals. Desperate thieves resell stolen copper wire for a fraction of the cost of repairing the damage. The City of L.A. Public Works Bureau of Street Lighting (BSL) oversees the city’s streetlight system and reports that 40% of street lighting outages are directly linked to theft and vandalism. The Los Angeles Police Department has a task force to go after these criminals, but this has not significantly slowed the problem.
Most streetlights in the city rely on copper wiring, making them easy targets for theft. The BSL is experimenting with theft-resistant solar-powered lights to reduce vulnerability, but these are still in the pilot phase for residential areas and currently only in the East Valley. The BSL is also fortifying equipment by sealing off other points of entry so that criminals cannot get in and has reinforced approximately 200 street lighting circuits in the past year. However, these enhancements affect only a small portion of the city’s vast network and, according to the BSL, at the current rate it would take over 70 years to fortify all vulnerable streetlights.
City response to the crisis
Vahid Khorsand, the newly appointed president of the city’s Board of Public Works, acknowledged the challenges faced by the BSL. “Ensuring safe, well-lit streets is a fundamental priority, and we recognize the challenges posed by staffing shortages and the rise in copper wire theft.”
Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, who represents Council District 13, of which the Larchmont area is part, has made streetlight repairs one of his top priorities. As a part of his response, he allocated $200,000 in discretionary funds for overtime pay to create a dedicated street lighting team both this year and last. The funds are meant to cover overtime costs for the remainder of this fiscal year, ending June 2025, with plans to continue this funding annually as necessary.
“These funds are crucial to meet the rise in reported outages and to restore reliable street lighting for our neighborhoods,” Khorsand said, commending Soto-Martinez’s leadership in addressing the issue. The discretionary funds come from repurposed redevelopment funds for infrastructure repairs including streetlight systems (the Councilmember directs their use in his district).
Soto-Martinez expressed frustration over the long delays in repairing outages, stating, “A broken streetlight shouldn’t take up to eight months to fix.” He noted that the city must “get back to basics” and prioritize these essential services.
Staff shortages continue
to hinder progress
Like other city agencies, the BSL is facing significant staffing challenges. Last year, the city enacted a hiring freeze. At that time, the BSL was significantly understaffed, with one-third of all positions vacant, and now those vacant positions have been eliminated as part of a citywide effort to close budget gaps. The resulting staff shortage has led to delays in addressing both repairs and preventive measures. Employees receive 1 1/2 times their regular wage for overtime work.
BROOKSIDE AREA has also been dark since December.
The road ahead:
advocating for change
The challenges of street lighting in Larchmont go beyond simple repairs. With the city budget tight due to broader financial concerns, including the aftermath of recent wildfires, there is growing uncertainty about the future of funding for essential services like street lighting.
One proposed solution is to update the outdated street lighting assessments that have been unchanged since 1996. These assessments, funded through property taxes, generate $42 million annually but fail to reflect rising costs. City officials are interested in a citywide ballot measure that could adjust these rates to help secure the funding needed for consistent street lighting repairs. Assessment updates could also be tackled district by district. At present, there does not seem to be any real momentum by the city or advocates on tackling this three-decade-old issue at either the citywide or local levels.
How you can get involved
As city leaders finalize the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, now is the time for residents to make their voices heard about BSL staffing shortages. However, there is no logical budgetary reason not to restore and fill positions with dedicated street lighting funding. These funds can only be used on the street lighting system and therefore cannot have much impact on the wider budget crisis.
It is important that the mayor and City Council hear from citizens who want staff restored at the BSL. The mayor’s office is actively putting together the budget for the next fiscal year now and will present the budget to the City Council in late April. The City Council has the opportunity to adjust the budget to their priorities before it is finalized, and concerned residents can make their voices heard at meetings in May.
Advocating for increased staffing, better funding for streetlight maintenance and proactive theft prevention can help ensure safer, more reliable streets for the entire Larchmont community.
What can
residents do?
As frustration continues to grow among residents, there are steps the public can take to help address the problem. The first is to report outages to the city’s 311 service by calling 311 or visiting lacity.gov/myla311. After getting a service request number, residents should email that number to Councilmember Soto-Martinez’s office (councilmember.soto-martinez@lacity.org) to ensure their issue is tracked and addressed promptly.
By Bridget Smith
Category: Real Estate
