City Council approves solar street‑lighting pilot, directs graffiti‑abatement review and okays ceremonial sign

The Los Angeles City Council on Feb. 27 approved a set of motions addressing street lighting, graffiti removal and a ceremonial street sign, with the clerk recording 10 AYES on the items brought forward.

Councilmember E. Hernandez, chair of Public Works, described a pilot deployment of about 91 solar‑powered street lights in Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park, saying the fixtures will “provide lighting without the traditional electrical system” and reduce incentives for copper theft. Hernandez said the approach lets the city light alleys and places existing poles cannot reach and argued the program can proceed “at no additional cost to the city” where LADWP installs lights on existing poles.

Hernandez also asked the council to back a motion to analyze graffiti‑abatement performance. He cited Office of Beautification data that the program’s 48‑hour response rate fell from roughly 76 percent to about 50 percent over two years and said proactive abatement locations dropped substantially. “These constraints mean we have to assess how we deploy our resources,” he said, urging a formal matrix by council district and a review of crew sizes and geographic distribution.

Separately, the council approved a motion to install a ceremonial sign at 8th and Valencia to honor Francisco Morazán; the motion’s sponsor said the sign recognizes historical ties to Central American communities in Los Angeles.

Councilmember I. Padilla also spoke in favor of motions that she said will protect community advisory processes where neighbors live near Van Nuys Airport, stressing that “community voices must be protected and moving forward.”

The votes were taken during the Van Nuys meeting after members called items 9–11 for special comment; the clerk announced 10 AYES on each set of items moved to a vote.

Next steps: the council’s actions direct staff to proceed with the street‑lighting pilot deployment and to prepare the graffiti‑abatement performance report for council consideration; the ceremonial sign will be placed per the motion’s instructions.