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PERSPECTIVE - A few months back, I wrote in this space that the Bureau of Street Lighting’s (BSL) stated goal is to “light the way for Los Angeles.” However, despite this self-described mission, 33,000 of the city’s 223,000 streetlights remain nonfunctional. As a result, residential and commercial areas are left in darkness, fueling growing concerns about safety and crime.
By late last year, over 37,000 repair requests were still pending, and CBS News reported that outages impact 15% of the system. Maintenance funding has been flat, and the city’s long‑term capital needs have been deferred for years, leaving the system brittle. Copper‑wire theft accounts for nearly half of all service requests, dramatically slowing repairs, which can take up to a year, according to BSL.
Streetlight maintenance requires significant funding, yet the bureau currently lacks adequate resources, despite property owners contributing $44 million annually for this purpose. Due to the city's financial challenges, the resolution of the street lighting issue remains uncertain. Historically, the city has not allocated sufficient funds to properly maintain streets, lighting, sidewalks, and other public infrastructure.
The bureau has a history of not paying LADWP for street lighting electricity, owing over $78 million since 2016. Given the city's ongoing financial challenges and wildfire recovery costs, these debts are unlikely to be paid soon.
As the formal system struggles to keep up, some council members running for reelection in June are turning to discretionary funds—money originally designated for community programs, transit improvements, or redevelopment projects—to restore essential street lighting in districts. These funds are drawn from various revenue sources, differ from one district to another, and come with varying degrees of flexibility. Discretionary funds are among the few resources councilmembers can use at their own discretion, without requiring approval from citywide voters or the mayor.
Of great concern, of course, is that discretionary funds were not intended to replace core infrastructure maintenance, but they are increasingly being used this way. When councilmembers use these funds to repair streetlights, it underscores departmental shortcomings and a reliance on political improvisations to overcome City Hall’s weakened operations.
With discretionary funds being used to support solar projects in Los Angeles, the city now is beginning to treat solar as a parallel system to avoid copper-wire theft and long repair delays affecting the traditional grid. It can be installed quickly, needs less maintenance, and works well in difficult areas. To me, solar is a supplement, not a replacement, so LA is developing a dual system.
All this stresses the fact that LA has become a city that does not plan but just reacts to crises. And the response to crises consists of short-term fixes rather than long-term structural solutions, all exemplified by the streetlighting issue. Our governance model is built on inventiveness. When city council members must use discretionary funds to personally react to infrastructure repairs, it means that a weak central capacity exists, and that service delivery is uneven, at best.
There have been reports that the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission is reviewing street-lighting concerns; however, the commission's mandate focuses on structural governance rather than service delivery. Its responsibilities encompass matters such as the election process for the City Council, the distribution of powers between the mayor and council, departmental independence and oversight, ethical standards, and transparency regulations, as well as budgetary and procurement authority.
Nonetheless, I can see a possibility for the commission to advance better streetlighting objectives by considering structural revision, such as the merger of BSL with LADWP. In “The Making of Modern Los Angeles,” I wrote that the city does not need two utilities doing street light work. The City Charter does not prevent LADWP from taking over the Bureau of Street Lighting to provide improved services which are economic and effective.
With the city government stretched thin, council members are using discretionary funds to add streetlights, prioritizing public safety. Undoubtedly, safety is the true operating system of the city. When it works, everything else becomes possible. When it fails, everything else becomes performative, without true effects on progress.
Darkness denigrates Los Angeles and diminishes its valued historic fabric. Quickly fixing the streetlighting issue is a start, but there is so much to do to lift the pervading gloom.
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(Nick Patsaouras is an electrical engineer, civic leader, and a longtime public advocate. He ran for Mayor in 1993 with a focus on rebuilding L.A. through transportation after the 1992 civil unrest. He has served on major public boards, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Metro, and the Board of Zoning Appeals, helping guide infrastructure and planning policy in Los Angeles. He is the author of the book "The Making of Modern Los Angeles.")
