Posted on 03/23/2002 2:11:38 AM PST by snopercod
For some 300 property owners north of Perris the darkest part of the energy crisis has just begun.
At the end of March their streetlights will be clicked off and then ripped out because they voted against paying higher assessments back when the energy crunch was in full swing.
And for thousands of others in Sun City, Wildomar, Valle Vista and southeast of Hemet, the lights will shut off at midnight each evening. Those areas have some money left in their district accounts to keep partial power, but they too could be left in the dark if they don't agree to higher rates.
Thirty-four of 40 lighting districts in unincorporated county areas voted against the rate increase by mail-in ballot last summer.
"Maybe that's what they want," said Craig Manning, a county executive officer who oversees the service districts. "They've tightened their purse strings and we have to tighten service."
Wait a minute, says Barbie Henderson. She lives in County Service Area 89, the one slated for shutdown. She recalls ignoring her ballot last summer and assumed the $2-per-month raise would pass handily. The bills would have gone from $27.36 per year to $51.70. The election failed, 51 percent to 49 percent.
"I hope they redo this," said Henderson, who has three kids and says the streetlights keep her 77-home housing tract safe. "I can't imagine our neighborhood all dark."
Henderson opened a letter from the county Thursday that said the lights would be turned off, and she immediately called the county. She said she plans to urge other neighbors to call.
Manning said that once the lights go, they're hard to restore because of the cost of infrastructure such as new poles.
"We've never had to do this before," Manning said. Since 1996, "We've held a lot of streetlight elections, and we've never lost a single one until this summer."
The areas reduced to midnight service are in danger of losing light altogether unless the property owners call for another election and approve increases, Manning said. Letters will be sent to property owners to gauge interest.
"I don't know that it really matters," said Sun City resident Don Bushnell. Bushnell said he voted against the roughly $20 annual increase. "We were burglarized soon after we moved into this house and it was at noon on a Sunday. Streetlights didn't help that."
The rate increase plan may have failed because in some cases the increase nearly doubled the current assessments, which vary in amounts, Manning said. "I don't blame anybody for the sticker shock. They might have voted against it just to lash back at somebody."
Supervisor Jim Venable's office appealed to Southern California Edison, which supplies the power for the streetlights. Three of the affected areas fall in Venable's district.
"They said it was a (Public Utilities Commission) decision, and there was nothing they could do," said Mary Moreland, Venable's legislative assistant. "When the voters voted it down, it was one of the ripple effects of . . . the energy crisis."
Reach David Seaton at (909) 368-9456 or dseaton@pe.com
Why does the same "law" not apply on public roads? Oh, I forgot, our government doesn't have to abide by the same laws that apply to business. I forgot that Enron is "guilty" of cooking their books, but not the Social Security Administration.
Ripping out the streetlights seems vicious to me. Also expensive. Wonder why there is money to rip out the streetlights but no money to keep them on? Something's not quite right here. Perhaps someone is being vindictive that these folk didn't vote the way they were supposed to. And the way they were supposed to vote was to send ever more of their neighbor's money to the powers that be.
I don't understand why the light poles have to be removed. I know Calipornia does things differently, but this makes no sense at all. Cut the juice now - two months, twelve months down the road, whatever, reconsider and if power is to be restored your still in business. What imbeciles!
On another note, why don't they have power co-op's in Kalipornica? We do in FL, non-profit power co's, we get a rebate check once a year for the unspent capital. Rates are cheap too.
There are power co-ops in California, but probably not in the south, in the greater LA metro-area. Power has been so cheap in the So Cal region until recently that houses there don't even have meters. Or is that no meters for water? Anyway, electricity has been so cheap there was no point in a co-op.
-The Christophers
Edgemont was a lower middle/upper lower class neighborhood and by 1990 had become widely infested with street gangs and their associated problems.
They got what they paid for.
Nocturnal animals will be better able to survive without all the light polution.
This benefits the poor and the homeless, who have no fancy venetian blinds to block out the harsh light.
The ecosystem will be improved, because the diurnal rhythms of nature will be restored.
Street lights fool many plants into premature blooming because the days are perceived to be longer because of artificial light. This measure will restore the natural order of things.
Anyone know the real story behind ripping out the street lights?
D
Oh, I agree completely with that sentiment. I am just pointing out the double standard here. Wal-Mart is routinely sued (they are the most-sued company in the world) when anyone is injured for any reason in their parking lots. Even rape and robbery in their lots is "their fault", according to the U.S. Courts.
Why doesn't the same standard apply on the public streets?
We like stars.
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