I LOVE SANTA MONICA AND ITS QUAINT tree-lined streets. They have such a romantic feel to them this time of year, with a thin layer of fog wafting through the mature trees, they evoke this darkly romantic feel as you walk your dog late at night. Each street has these great big lights that cast pools of warm illumination, and you step from the foggy darkness into the light, perhaps with a fedora and an overcoat, mildly reminiscent of Bogey in “Casablanca.” You are reminded once again of the great charm of this city.
That ended last week for me. In a cost-cutting move, and one that will lead to less energy consumption, the city is replacing the lights in the lampposts. They are these newfangled, low energy, high-intensity, harsh white light lamps that make the city streets feel like the interior of a WalMart. They are so bright that I don’t need to turn the lights on in my house at night. I can easily raid the refrigerator at 2 a.m. without turning on a light.
I understand these new lights are not only more cost efficient, but also more energy efficient, which is a good thing for the planet. However, they are also highly polluting — light polluting. They are so bright that they make it possible for one to forget that it is nighttime. I don’t think that this is what Thomas Edison had in mind.
The new lights are probably safer, more durable and increase the safety in the neighborhood at night. I’m reasonably certain that it was vetted by some ever-diligent city department, but there’s a quality of life that comes with not always being obsessed with the brightest lights. It strikes me that perhaps we could have the same cost savings, but in a light that is more romantic, at a level that is not quite the glare of a runway.
Someone must make these lights with a little red hue to soften the harshness. There must be a way to turn them down from interrogation level. As a lawyer, I am acutely aware of the risks the city runs of failing to be as proactive as possible in creating a safe environment for people. I know that the city is at risk of lawsuits if they either create a hazard or fail to prevent harm, but seriously, do we have to live in the daylight to avoid to being sued?
The other thing that drives me nuts with city lights at night, is this — they are on even when they don’t need to be. Take, for example, the new parking structure on Fourth Street, between Pico Boulevard and Colorado Avenue. Not only have the lights been on inside the structure, when it’s not being used by the way, but they have lights on the outside. For a city that is so concerned with conservation, and being energy wise, how did we get a new parking structure that has an architectural element that requires electricity? And why is it on all night? It should have a timer, at a minimum.
This city has a goal of increasing the use of solar panels to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel electricity. The city wants to make it so that all business put up solar panels on their roofs. Frankly, I think that is a superb idea and one that needs to be marketed and made in a fiscally responsible manner. But I’d like to see the city take an active role in encouraging the reduction of use by leading the way.
I know that the city spokesperson will say that this is why we are changing out the lights on the street lamps, but, that is only one portion of the problem. There are city offices, city parks and city buildings that should also have timers or motion sensors installed to shut off the lights when not needed.
Do we really need to have the boardwalk lit all night long? The attendant parking lots? Honestly, after the bars have closed, and the parking lots have closed, why not turn off the lights? No one should be there anyway. If you are, it seems to me that you will know the lights are not on.
The City Council takes a pro-active approach on many things, and this is just one more area that I think it can show leadership that costs us less than doing nothing. Sure, there might be some start-up costs in putting in timers or motion sensors, but the savings, and more importantly, the public perception of leadership, will be worth it.
And while they’re at it, perhaps they can turn down the lights on my street.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 13, 2007. Read the original PDF.