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# Soak up the rays even after sunset
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/soak-up-the-rays-even-after-sunset/
- Published: 2007-03-03T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:11:02.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: local, Venice, #archive-import

*City Hall gets power from cow manure*

VENICE Sunlight keeps the streets here bright, even at night.

With the help of former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, residents on Victoria Avenue were able two weeks ago to install the first solar-powered street light in a residential area of the city. The goal is to save both money and the environment at the same time.

The street light was installed after neighbors found out the high costs of placing a regular light, which city workers would have to hard-wire to the power grid after digging up the sidewalk. While solar street lights don’t come cheap — about $11,000 apiece, including installation costs and labor — they are easier to install since they have a self-contained power source.

The current cost per 50-foot wide lot for a modern lighting system on most residential streets totals about $3,400\. The annual maintenance assessment for a modern lighting system is about $70, according to the Bureau of Street Lighting for the City of Los Angeles.

“We thought solar would be more energy efficient, and maybe cost efficient too, in the long run, so we decided to try it out,” said Harris Levey, a member of the Presidents Row Neighborhood Association, which represents residents living in an area of Venice bordered by Venice Boulevard to the north, Washington Boulevard to the south, Lincoln Boulevard to the east and Abbot Kinney Boulevard to the west.

Getting the light — since nicknamed “Plexus” by neighbors — installed wasn’t easy. Residents said it took about four years from concept to concrete, and praised Miscikowski for finding the funding, around $35,000 to install light posts. City officials are installing a second street light on Coeur d’Alene, with residents pushing for it to spread across the city.

“We would love to see if this is workable. We’d love to see if this can catch on elsewhere,” Levey said.

They already have. The city of Los Angeles has installed solar street lights along the San Fernando Valley bikeway, and Santa Monica installed four solar street lamps along 26th Street, north of Wilshire Boulevard, in 2003 as part of a pilot project. The city added two more in front of City Hall recently, according to Kim Braun, facilities maintenance supervisor.

The lights in Santa Monica were installed for $4,200 each and were purchased from the same Florida-based company that worked with Venice residents, Solar Outdoor Lighting, Inc. (SOL) Using solar panels to store energy from the sun, the lights also run on batteries in the case of cloudy skies. The batteries must be checked every so often and typically have a shelf life of five years, said J.R. Finkle, account manager for SOL. Finkle said many universities and municipalities are in favor of the lights because they are easy to install and can be a quick fix for those areas that already have lights but are in need of more illumination. The posts are good for parks because no wires have to be laid underground.

“We’re trying very hard to decrease the price, but the cost of aluminum has gone up and there was some shortage in solar cells that pick up solar rays,” Finkle said. “But as the technology continues to improve, including the use of LED (light-emitting-diode) technology, we can make the product less expensive.”

City officials in Santa Monica and Los Angeles admit that costs have been a concern, but they are looking to use solar street lights whenever possible.Officials also said solar lights are not as bright as those attached to the power grid, which has deterred them from investing more money into the technology.

Even if Santa Monica decides to stick with regular street lights, City Hall is still doing its part to save the environment, since all power purchased is generated by biomass systems, or cow manure, according to Susan Munves, energy and green building programs administrator.

“And for that package, we pay less than we would to (Southern California) Edison,” Munves said. “We actually save money by doing the right thing.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 3, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/030307.pdf?ref=smdp.com)