sr-042782-6cGS:SS:JAS
Cour~il Meeting: April 27, 1982
Santa Monica, California
APR 2 7 9982
T0: Mayor and Ci y Counci
FROM: Stan Scholl, Director of General Services
SUBJECT: Request for Cal%fornia Public Utilities Commix lion to Revise
Street Lighting Charges
Introduction
This report provides i"nformati:on regarding street lighting charges.
from the utility companies and recommends: that the City Council adopt
a resolution requesting the California Public Uti ity Commission to
make changes in the street lighting rates to reflect actual energy
used.
Background
The current street lighting charges: for the Southern California Edison
Company charges the City of Santa Monica and other cities for the
rates which the other private utility charges to other cities. in
California do not reflect actual cocas for providing the lighting.
The charges are such that when our City or other cities convert
street lighting to save energy the charges to the City are not
proportional to the energy used (or to energy saved).
The staff has been cooperating wi h the staff of other California
cities including Redwood City, Long Beach, San Diego and several
other cities, to modify thi si uation, which i a disincentive to
save energy. There are other problems which. other cities are ex-
periencing, but which. Santa Monica is not, these being the desire
to acquire ownership of the street lights from the utili y companies
APR 2 7 9952
GS:SS:JAS Santa hlonica, California
Council Meeting: April 27, 1982
and the current policy vahich discourages acquisition by local agencies
of street lights owned by utilities. Another problem is a policy which
stipulates that only high pressure sodium vapor street lights may be
used on the utility-owned lighting system. Santa Monica's street
lights. are 95 percent owned by the City, therefore, acquisition is
not an important question. Also, the City has chosen to use sodium
vapor street lights in its system because these are approximately
twice as energy efficient as mercury vapor and approximately four
times more energy efficient than incandescent street lights.
The annual energy cost of street lighting in California varies from
$15.34 to $166.80. The annual average cost in Northern California
is $81.37, and in Southern California $112.55.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached resolution
requesting the Public Utili ies Commission to revise street lighting
regulations.
Prepared by: Stan Scholl