Mayor Bass Highlights Major Progress on Initiative to Repair and Replace 60,000 Street Lights Citywide

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Number of Solar Street Lights in Los Angeles Will Nearly Quadruple By End of Year

LOS ANGELES - Mayor Karen Bass was joined yesterday evening by Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez and community leaders at Selma Park in Hollywood to highlight progress on Mayor Bass' initiative to repair and replace up to 60,000 street lights citywide over the next two years. In March, Mayor Bass signed Executive Directive 18 to launch the plan, which harnesses solar street light technology to bolster public safety, slash the city's decade-long backlog of street light repairs, combat copper wire theft, and reduce energy consumption while accelerating L.A.'s transition to 100% clean energy by 2035. B-roll available here.

"We've launched this historic initiative to break away from outdated street light infrastructure and invest in a comprehensive plan to leverage solar technology, clear out our backlog of service requests, and make our communities safer," said Mayor Bass. "We're already on track to install nearly 6,500 solar street lights across Los Angeles by the end of the year. That's real progress that Angelenos can see and feel in their neighborhoods - and we're just getting started."

"Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Bass, we're bringing better lighting to neighborhoods across the city," said Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez. "This is the kind of investment that makes an immediate difference in people's everyday lives while building more sustainable infrastructure for future generations."

So far, the City has installed nearly 5,000 solar streetlights citywide and is on pace to install over 6,000 this year, nearly quadrupling the number of solar lights in Los Angeles in less than six months.

"When elected officials invest in our streets, they invest in the safety and vitality of our neighborhoods," said Kathleen Rawson, President and CEO of the Hollywood Partnership. "In Hollywood, where most residents are renters, our streets and sidewalks are more than pathways. They are shared spaces that connect us to our community. Keeping them safe and well-lit matters. Public space is our backyard."

Street Light Assessment funding has remained unchanged since 1996, and there has been a 1,200% increase in copper wire theft in the last 10 years. Repairs caused by copper wire theft can cost at least 4 times more than standard maintenance. By prioritizing the repair and replacement of street lights that are currently out, the City can deliver immediate improvements in safety and livability while laying the groundwork for a modern, sustainable street light network.

Through Mayor Bass' Executive Directive, more than 270 solar lights have been installed in Council District 13. Furthermore, in partnership with Councilmember Soto-Martínez, Mayor Bass' Inside Safe program brought nearly 50 people indoors from an encampment that once existed at Selma Park, with the site remaining clear since.

Read Mayor Bass Executive Directive 18 here.