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Dark streetlights concerning East LA residents
City leaders are touting hundreds of streetlight repairs across neighborhoods in East LA, but some residents say they still feel left in the dark.
LOS ANGELES - City leaders are touting hundreds of streetlight repairs across neighborhoods in East Los Angeles.
While some residents say they still feel left in the dark, council members assure them the work to improve public safety is far from over.
LA councilmembers say many of the outages stem from delayed repairs, aging infrastructure and copper wire theft.
On Thursday, Councilmember Ysabel Jurado announced her office's streetlight repair crew had restored lighting for more than 400 streetlights across District 14, including Lincoln Heights and El Sereno.
The streetlight repair crew is backed by a $1.07 million investment from Councilmember Jurado’s discretionary funds, her office said.
"Dark, you can't really notice anything at night," said El Sereno resident, Sam Cardenas.
Several residents near N. Lombardy Blvd. say some of their streetlights have been out for more than six months. As of Saturday night, several neighbors in El Sereno point out many lights have yet to be fixed.
What they're saying:
"I know the area but if I didn't, I would be lost because you can't see the street signs," one woman in El Sereno said.
Driving around, FOX 11 also noticed several lights out along N Eastern Avenue.
After talking with Councilmember Jurado's Office about residents' concerns, a representative for her office said while the next step is to tackle outages in downtown LA, there will be a second round of repairs in the neighborhoods within her district and that the work to repair streetlights is far from over.
"The City and residents agree: City services are public safety, and we refuse to let neighborhoods be left behind when it comes to basic infrastructure," Councilmember Jurado said in a statement Thursday. "In CD14, we listened, we acted, and we delivered. We championed this long-term initiative to deliver the infrastructure and services Angelenos deserve, and we look forward to expanding this successful program to Downtown Los Angeles."
Copper wire theft impacting outages
Dig deeper:
Councilmember Jurado is also assuring residents that crews are fortifying streetlight infrastructure against copper wire theft. It's a crime trend occurring in neighborhoods across Los Angeles, including recently in Mar Vista.
RELATED: Mar Vista streets go dark after thieves steal copper wiring from streetlights
Earlier this month, several other councilmembers said they are taking similar action to deter copper wire theft and clear a backlog of streetlight repair requests in West Los Angeles.
City officials estimate it can cost taxpayers up to $2,000 to repair a single damaged streetlight.
The Source: Information for this story came from the office of Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. Interviews were also done with local residents.