Dear KC,

 

It's nice to hear that somebody actually cares what the street lighting looks like! Street Lighting played a much larger role in forming a community's identity back in the early part of the 20th century. Unfortunately there was never much thought put into what it would cost to maintain over 300 different types of street lights in the City. As a result, as the poles were knocked down, many were replaced with "modern" styles that were more efficient and easier to maintain. For several decades emphasis was placed on modernizing, not on beautification.

 

The City has become far more sensitive to the issues of aesthetics and scale when designing new lighting systems.

 

In regards to your question about "cleaning up" the lighting  on Hollywood Blvd. We do not have a program in place to "unify" lighting. However, we do have a program called the Replacement Lighting District (RLD) that may replace a system when it becomes obsolete and difficult to maintain. This will usually result in a new "unified" system, designed to modern lighting standards.

 

The property owners paid for the original system and continue to pay an assessment for maintenance. Since any project that the City would construct would be defined as maintenance, the existing equipment must be considered when designing a new system. Any "special equipment" may result  in an additional construction assessment as well as an additional maintenance assessment. The property owners would have to approve any increases through a proposition 218 ballot procedure.

 

We find that a project like this has a much better chance of getting off the ground with the backing of the local "stakeholders", such as a Homeowners Assoc., BID, Chamber, or Neighborhood Council.

 

If you are interested in having this stretch of Hollywood Blvd. reviewed for replacement, I would recommend that you write a letter to:

 

Phil Reed, Director of the Bureau of Street Lighting

600 S. Spring St., Suite 1400

Los Angeles, CA 90014

Street Lighting projects can be difficult due to funding and community concerns. If I can answer any more questions feel free to contact me by email or phone..

 

 

 

Ron Senger
Street Lighting Engineering Associate III
Bureau of Street Lighting
(213) 847-5368