Stockton invests $2 million to fix hundreds of broken street lights
STOCKTON - The city of Stockton investing $2 million into its city lights aimed at fixing every light in the city that is broken.
This initiative called Light Up Stockton, will also light up portions of downtown, not only fixing any broken bulbs or wires but also upgrading them.
Once the sun goes down in South Stockton, the street lights turn on, but not all of them.
"Especially the southside, we really need help out here," Pearly Edwards said.
Edwards, a south Stockton native, is excited to see a new project called Light Up Stockton that is set to fix the nearly 400 broken lights in the city.
"It means a whole lot because not a lot of lights work out here. In front of my house the lights don't work, the street's really dark," she said.
"South Stockton as I've said before many times, is one of the most underserved communities in the city of Stockton, and the fact that we have so many broken lights, and some areas where lights don't even exist," said Vice Mayor Jason Lee.
Vice Mayor Lee says fixing and upgrading the city's lights has been on his to-do list when he took office.
In early February, the city council approved using $2 million of general fund money to go towards making sure the entire city's nearly 20,000 street lights work and they're starting in his district.
"Stockton's infrastructure needs to be brought a little bit more current to these times," he said. "With what we've seen in some of the lights where there's damages is some people have stolen the copper wire out of those light fixtures which has made it really hard for the city to keep up with fixing."
The goal is to repair and fix every single street light in Stockton.
On Charter Way in south Stockton, the road is not lit up by those lights and that is bringing some concern to local businesses in the area.
"Over here just on the overpass, none of the lights are working, so when I go over there it's pitch black," said Hector Solorio, co-owner of El Dorado Market.
"When I'm driving, I just don't feel safe without them," he said.
Solorio also welcomes the lights so his coworkers can get to their cars without worry.
The city could also approve $350,000 to go towards solar panel LED lights where needed.
