The Los Angeles City Council has approved an ordinance to begin the process of increasing streetlight maintenance assessment fees for property owners, aiming to address widespread outages and aging infrastructure across the city. The measure passed in a 13-1 vote.
The proposal is expected to generate an estimated $125 million to repair damaged streetlights—many affected by copper wire theft—and upgrade outdated systems. Officials noted the assessment fee has not been raised since 1996 and would impact approximately 584,000 properties tied to the city’s 225,000 streetlights.
“Today, 1 in 10 streetlights in the city of L.A. will sit dark,” said Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, citing decades of underfunding and repeated theft. “We cannot keep throwing money at temporary fixes.”
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez opposed the measure, raising concerns about affordability for residents and businesses already facing financial strain.
As required under Prop 218, the city will notify affected property owners and initiate a ballot process for approval. A public hearing on the fee increase is scheduled for June 2.