TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Nader Heydari, Public Works Director
DATE:September 9, 2025
SUBJECT: Citywide Light-Emitting Diode Street Light Conversion RECOMMENDATION:
1. Approve the replacement of Southern California Edison (SCE)-owned High Pressure Sodium Vapor (HPSV) street light fixtures with Light-Emitting Diode (LED) fixtures, to be conducted by SCE through the LS-1 Option E Program (Option E).
2. Approve the specifications for the replacement LED street light fixtures as detailed in staff report.
3. Delegate authority to City Manager to sign agreement and associated application documents with SCE as necessary for Option E.
4. Find that this project is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to 14 CCR 15301.
LEVINE ACT ITEM: No
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. Project is expected to reduce street light energy costs by $137,058 per year for the first 20 years following implementation and $273,234 per year thereafter. The cost of the project is funded by the energy cost savings realized.
BACKGROUND:
On May 7, 2024, City Council adopted the Climate and Environmental Action Plan (CEAP), which details the strategies and actions that the City will pursue to protect the environment and address the challenges of climate change. One key measure in the CEAP is “Transition to LED streetlights throughout the City” (Measure BE2.3).
Citywide LED Street Light Conversion
September 9, 2025
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DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
There are 8,081 streetlights in the City, 7,554 owned by SCE and 527 owned by the City. 7,434 SCE-owned streetlights are HPSV fixtures, which utilize more energy to operate than LED fixtures. All other SCE-owned streetlights and all City- owned streetlights are LED fixtures. SCE informed the City of Option E, a program through which SCE will replace SCE-owned HPSV fixtures with LEDs with no upfront costs to the City. The cost of replacing the fixtures will be paid by the City through energy cost savings during the first 20 years following implementation of Option E. Annual energy cost savings are estimated to be $137,058 (9.5 percent) for the first 20 years and $273,234 (19 percent) thereafter. Conversion to LEDs will reduce annual energy usage by 1,028,611 kWh (58 percent) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 287 tonnes CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent), which is 5.2 percent of total GHG emissions from the City’s municipal operations. LEDs also offer more directional lighting than HPSV, which will reduce night sky illumination.
Under Option E, SCE will continue to own, operate, and maintain the streetlights.
LED fixtures are expected to last between 12 and 20 years and will be replaced by SCE as needed at no cost to the City. SCE estimates that the replacement of HPSV fixtures will take about two months and will begin within seven months of the Option E agreement being executed. SCE crews will work with minimal traffic interruption during normal business hours, and no power outages will be required.
In addition to analyzing the power and cost savings, staff evaluated the streetlight luminosity (level of brightness) that should be in place along the arterial, collector, and residential/local streets. Wattages of currently installed HPSV streetlights are not consistent per roadway class, resulting in inconsistent illumination throughout the City. On December 2, 2024, the Public Works Department updated its street lighting standard to include SCE Generation 6 LED wattages per roadway classification, consistent with the General Plan. The department also standardized the color temperature of all future streetlights to be 2,700 Kelvin (K). For each fixture to be replaced, staff determined the LED and HPSV equivalent wattages based on roadway class. Street light locations and replacement HPSV equivalent wattages are shown in Attachment #1. Specifications and quantities of proposed street light conversions are included in the table below.
Roadway Class Quantity LED
Wattage
HPSV Equivalent
Wattage
Arterial 488 76 W 200 W
Secondary/Minor Arterial 540 59 W 150 W
Collector 335 37 W 100 W
Residential/Local 6,071 29 W 70 W
Citywide LED Street Light Conversion
September 9, 2025
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This project meets City Council’s Top Ten Priorities #8, “Environmental Sustainability” and #9, “Public Works Infrastructure Investments.” The proposed project has been included in CEAP outreach activities since September 2021 and included in the CEAP adopted by City Council on May 7, 2024.
Replacement of street light heads with LED fixtures where street lights are already installed, does not expand current use. The LED streetlight conversion is exempt from the CEQA analysis based on State CEQA Guidelines Section requirements under Section 21084 of the Public Resources Code, in accordance with Article 19, Section 15301, Class (1) "existing facilities."
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goals:
C. Operate City government in a fiscally and managerially responsible and prudent manner to ensure that the City of Thousand Oaks remains one of California's most desirable places to live, work, visit, recreate, and raise a family.
F. Provide and enhance essential infrastructure to ensure that the goals and policies of the Thousand Oaks General Plan are carried out and the City retains its role and reputation as a leader in protecting the environment and preserving limited natural resources.
PREPARED BY: Kenneth Wang, Senior Analyst
Attachments:
Attachment #1 – Street Light Locations and Wattages
DPW: 821-35\ev\Council\2025\090925\Citywide LED Street Light Conversion staff report.docx