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WESTSIDE - There is an epidemic of streetlights out across Los Angeles, and here is an example of one out along Washington here in Venice, just blocks from the beach!
According to city sources, some 1,100 streetlights are not functioning across LA, lending to a potential crisis for drivers and cyclists as well as pedestrians.
There are widespread problems with broken streetlights across the Westside, and local leaders including LA Councilmember Traci Park (CD-11) and colleague Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky (CD-5) are actively responding to it.
Here’s the latest:
What’s going on with the streetlights:
- Recent reports show more than 1,100 streetlights in West Los Angeles (especially in neighborhoods like Mar Vista, Pacific Palisades, Venice and more) are currently out of service or in various states of disrepair. Much of this is attributed to a spike in copper wire thefts, where thieves strip wiring from the poles to sell the metal — leaving entire lights and circuits dead. Much of this attributed to unhoused individuals vandalizing these utility poles.
- Citywide, officials have described the situation as a “streetlight emergency,” estimating roughly 1 in 10 streetlights is out of service — and citing a large backlog of repair requests.
Both Councilwoman Traci Park (representing Council District 11) and Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky (Council District 5) have been leading local efforts focused on repairing these outages:
Pooling discretionary funds ($500,000):
- They announced a motion to combine funds from their council offices to pay for a dedicated streetlight repair crew aimed at tackling the backlog of broken lights in their districts. Venice District Deputy Sean Silva announced the mutual action at the February 17th meeting of the Venice Neighborhood Council.
Instead of waiting months under normal city schedules, this funding is meant to speed up fixes for streetlights damaged by copper theft and other issues. Part of their plan includes working toward solar‑powered streetlights that don’t contain copper wiring — which could help reduce future theft and outages. They’ve signaled interest in broader changes, like convincing property owners to approve increased streetlight maintenance fees (which haven’t been raised in decades) to better fund system upkeep.
Broken streetlights aren’t just an inconvenience — both councilmembers and residents say the darkness can increase safety risks for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, and is a significant quality‑of‑life issue in affected neighborhoods.
Venice Residents are encouraged to report streetlight issues through LA’s 3‑1‑1 (MyLA311) system so the Bureau of Street Lighting can track and address problems.
(Nick Antonicello is a 33-year resident of the neighborhood and covers all things, Venice. Have a broken streetlight on your street or block? E-mail him at [email protected])
