Los Angeles Nears 5,000 Solar Streetlights Installed, on Pace for up to 6,500 by Year-End
The Mayor's Office of the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, reported new progress on October 30 under Executive Directive 18, signed in March 2026, which aims to repair or replace up to 60,000 street lights in two years: nearly 5,000 solar streetlights have been installed, and the city is on pace to reach 6,000 to 6,500 by year-end, nearly quadrupling its solar streetlights in under six months.
On the evening of October 29, the city held a lighting event at Selma Park in Hollywood with Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, whose District 13 has gained more than 270 solar streetlights. Officials said solar lights do not depend on underground copper wiring, cutting maintenance costs and removing the prize that wire thieves are after.
Los Angeles's street-light backlog is long-standing: the street lighting assessment that funds maintenance has not changed since 1996, while copper wire theft has risen 1,200 percent over ten years, and theft repairs cost at least four times as much as standard work. The city says it will keep pairing solar conversions with theft-resistant design to work down years of deferred repairs.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 太阳能路灯（资料图）。Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0。 / A solar-powered street light (file photo). Via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
