25,000 Streetlights Go Dark in Los Angeles, Raising Alarms Across Neighborhoods – Find Out Details

A record number of streetlights are inactive across Los Angeles, an NBC4 I-Team investigation has uncovered, leaving some neighborhoods and blocks along major thoroughfares blanketed in darkness and raising public safety concerns. In this article we talk about 25,000 Streetlights Go Dark in Los Angeles, Raising Alarms Across Neighborhoods.

According to data from the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting, 25,890 streetlights are currently not functioning properly – the highest number in recent memory. For context, Los Angeles has 223,000 streetlights citywide meaning over 10% are presently inactive.

“This is a public safety issue,” said Estela Lopez, head of the Downtown LA Industrial District, where she estimates 40% of lights are not working. “These dark streets are perfect, God forbid, for someone to attack or rob another person.”

Lopez drove the I-Team through eerily dark downtown streets surrounding warehouses and businesses. All along the route, streetlights were unlit, leaving endless rows of blackened sidewalks and roadways.

The I-Team has received complaints from viewers across Los Angeles about months-long outages in their neighborhoods despite repeatedly contacting the city’s 311 services request line. Among the areas with nonfunctional lights are the San Fernando Valley, Mid Wilshire district, and heavily traveled blocks around downtown LA’s Crypto.Com Arena and Convention Center.

Additionally, the I-Team discovered entire blocks of inactive lights bordering Ninth Street Elementary School – concerning for parents and children.

“I worry about who is lurking here in the dark,” Lopez remarked.

Research Shows Street Lighting Cuts Crime

Studies demonstrate that street lighting plays a measurable role in deterring criminal activity. An analysis by the University of Chicago Crime Lab and researchers at three other universities found that improved outdoor lighting curbs nighttime crimes by approximately 36%.

“Bad guys are always looking for an advantage, and darkness is an advantage,” Lopez commented.

The reasons for the sudden surge in non-working streetlights vary – from rampant vandalism to thieves stealing copper wiring to sell as valuable scrap metal.

Vandalism accounts for many of the damaged or broken lights, according to LA’s Bureau of Street Lighting. Recently, the I-Team exposed schemes by some homeless individuals who illegally siphon power from streetlights to illuminate encampments.

Meanwhile, thefts of copper wires from light poles and junction boxes has skyrocketed over 800% between 2017-2023 as prices for scrap copper have soared.

Frustrated Residents Waiting Over a Year

When residents report an outage to 311, they receive little clarity on when crews might arrive to make repairs. The Bureau of Street Lighting told the I-Team that wait times are “unknown.”

Through interviews and records requests, the I-Team learned some residents are waiting over a year for broken lights to be mended outside their homes and businesses.

“It feels so dangerous, I won’t even walk my dog on the street at night since there’s no light here,” said David Schneiderman, a resident near Larchmont Village.

In 2015, homeowners in Schneiderman’s neighborhood agreed to pay an extra $500 per year for a decade to upgrade antique streetlights. But now, many of those new lights are inactive or broken with no crews in sight after months of darkness.

“To not get these lights fixed for a year is outrageous,” Schneiderman told NBC4.

Bureau Blames Lack of Manpower

Miguel Sangalang, Director of LA’s Bureau of Street Lighting, acknowledges his department is “not satisfied” with the extensive delays but explains they are severely understaffed.

“We would need more boots on the ground to achieve that,” Sangalang said about reducing wait times.

Presently, the backlog of repair requests exceeds the capacity of existing crews. Closing the manpower gap would require hiring around 100 additional maintenance workers, Sangalang estimates.

In the meantime, the Bureau is working to curb future copper wiring thefts by burying electrical lines deeper underground. They are also initiating a pilot solar streetlight program in Van Nuys to determine if transitioning to panels and batteries could mitigate wiring issues.

But for residents enveloped in darkness, these measures provide little immediate relief.

“This is a world-class city… but we’re not maintaining it in a way that makes our own residents feel safe,” Lopez argued.

How to Stay Safe

If your neighborhood is plagued by streetlight outages, here are some tips to enhance safety:

• Carry a flashlight or phone light when outside after dark
• Avoid isolated areas and shortcuts
• Walk in groups whenever possible
• Immediately report outages to 311
• Consider motion-sensor lights or solar path lights
• Ask city councilmembers to prioritize lighting repairs

With smart precautions, communities can counteract the recent surge of darkness. But long-term solutions will rely on officials bolstering resources to fix L.A.’s record number of broken streetlights. I sincerely hope you find this “25,000 Streetlights Go Dark in Los Angeles, Raising Alarms Across Neighborhoods – Find Out Details” article helpful.