LA Lights Up: Millions Fund Streetlight Fixes

Residents in Los Angeles neighborhoods, particularly El Sereno and Lincoln Heights, are no longer in the dark thanks to a significant streetlight repair initiative. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado dedicated over $1 million from her discretionary fund to tackle widespread outages caused by copper wire theft and aging infrastructure.

The project, initiated in November 2025, has not only restored hundreds of streetlights but has also improved the speed of repairs and strengthened the overall infrastructure in areas like Boyle Heights, Eagle Rock, and Highland Park. Councilmember Jurado expressed a commitment to essential city services, stating, "City services are public safety, and we refuse to let neighborhoods be left behind."

Data obtained by CBS News California Investigates revealed that by the fall of last year, over 37,000 streetlight repair requests had been submitted, with more than half awaiting service. The Bureau of Street Lighting previously indicated that 15% of the system was affected by outages, and nearly half of these were attributed to wire theft. To combat future theft and reduce repair costs, enhanced security measures have been implemented by city crews. Councilmember Jurado plans to extend these improvements to downtown Los Angeles.