LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles City Council approved a $65 million investment yesterday to accelerate the installation of solar-powered streetlights across the city, a major step toward addressing widespread outages and improving safety in neighborhoods.
The initiative, introduced by Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky and Eunisses Hernandez, will fund the conversion of tens of thousands of eligible streetlights to solar power. By reducing reliance on copper wiring, the program targets one of the leading causes of outages: copper wire theft.
“The number one thing I hear from constituents, police officers, and business owners is, ‘when are the lights going to come back on,’” said Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee. “Angelenos expect reliable city services, and right now the City is falling short. This investment allows us to move faster on repairs while addressing the root cause of repeat outages. By shifting to solar, we reduce the risk of theft, improve reliability, and deliver basic services more effectively.”
“Our constituents are tired of an expensive, futile cycle where lights go out, copper gets stolen, and repairs take months just to happen all over again,” said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, Chair of the Public Works Committee. “Solar lets us get ahead of that problem instead of constantly chasing it. Our ecosystem of public safety starts with delivering the basics — like well-lit streets — and our communities deserve fiscally responsible, smart, sustainable and innovative infrastructure that works the first time and keeps working.” Los Angeles maintains more than 220,000 streetlights, with roughly one in ten currently out of service. Repair delays can stretch for months or longer, leaving streets dark and raising concerns from residents, businesses, and public safety officials. The approved funding will support an initial surge of installations citywide, with a goal of converting at least 500 streetlights per Council District, alongside the development of a broader implementation plan to complete additional conversions in the years ahead.
Now that the motion has passed City Council, the Bureau of Street Lighting will work with the City Administrative Officer to develop an implementation plan, including timelines, staffing needs, and a long-term funding strategy to expand solar conversions across the city.
This is a separate but complementary effort to the Mayor’s executive directive on streetlights, which will be announced later today. Both efforts will accelerate long-term infrastructure upgrades and will be deployed in coordination with one another.
The Solar Surge initiative is part of a broader effort to modernize Los Angeles’ streetlight system, reduce maintenance backlogs, and ensure safer, more reliable infrastructure for residents in every neighborhood.
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