San Leandro City Council Facilities & Transportation Committee Meeting (January 8, 2026)

The Facilities & Transportation Committee met on Thursday, January 8 starting at 4:00 PM and adjourned at approximately 4:33–4:34 PM. The committee received an information-only presentation from Public Works staff on San Leandro’s streetlight system, including system types, ownership/utility coordination, maintenance workload and costs, common service requests, and the high costs and tradeoffs involved in making lighting improvements.

Attendance

• Council Member Esedillo: Present
• Council Member Fults: Absent
• Mayor Gonzalez: Present

Discussion Items

• Streetlight System Overview (information item)
  • Presenter: Nicole Castellino (Public Works Department) provided an overview of streetlight purposes and typologies in San Leandro:
    • Street lighting only (primarily illuminates vehicle travel lanes; sidewalks not effectively lit)
    • Street + pedestrian lighting (two luminaires—one for roadway, one for sidewalk/parking strip—used in high pedestrian areas)
    • Pedestrian lighting only (uncommon; focuses on sidewalk/parking strip; reduces light trespass)
    • Intersection/safety lighting (targets conflict points; typically on metered electricity; different standards than typical streetlights)
  • System components and reporting: Staff emphasized each pole has a unique pole number, and providing the pole number helps respond to issues.
  • Lighting technology:
    • High-pressure sodium (HPS): orange/yellow light; poorer color visibility; 15,000–20,000 hours lifespan.
    • LED (transition began in 2014): whiter light; better visibility; directional; 50,000 hours lifespan.
  • Electrical feed types: underground (cleaner appearance but more susceptible to wire theft) vs. overhead (more common in older neighborhoods; impacts other utilities if struck).
  • Photocell explanation: John Angel (Public Works Traffic Supervisor) explained the photocell turns lights off when the sun comes up and on when the sun goes down.
  • Existing conditions / system statistics:
    • San Leandro Public Works owns and operates 5,348 streetlights; Caltrans has 87.
    • Pole types (city system): 2,950 wood poles shared with other utilities; 1,763 metal/standard poles; 395 decorative poles; 89 combination poles (street + pedestrian); 13 concrete poles.
    • Typical streetlight spacing on major roads (examples provided):
      • Bancroft Ave: 100–150 ft
      • E 14th St: 100–125 ft
      • San Leandro Blvd: 110–200 ft
      • Davis St: 150–200 ft
      • Residential: 300 ft max
    • Residential spacing follows a 1969 internal city design policy: lights installed on every other pole, about 300 feet between lights.
    • Referenced guidance (not mandatory):
      • Federal Highway Administration (1978): 150–250 ft (vehicle safety focus)
      • American National Standards Institute: 158–300 ft (visibility/uniformity focus)
      • Global Designing Cities Initiative: 80–150 ft (pedestrian comfort/placemaking focus)
  • Maintenance funding and workload (John Angel):
    • Public Works annual maintenance budget: $1.5 million.
      • 40% devoted to streetlights (maintenance/repairs/replacements/knockdowns)
      • 60% devoted to traffic signals
    • Staffing (traffic section): two electricians/traffic control technicians plus a maintenance supervisor; staff share responsibilities across signals and streetlights.
    • Typical service request volume: 100–150 requests per year, including lights out, “too dark” complaints, knockdowns, and vandalism/copper theft.
    • Knockdowns: staff noted ~12–15 per year (often reported by police).
  • Improvement options and rough costs (staff estimates):
    • Extend luminaire arm: ~$2,600 (may create uneven lighting / bright spots)
    • Install brighter luminaire: ~$2,000 (may increase glare, light trespass, and energy use)
    • Add new luminaire to a wood pole: ~$10,000 (requires significant utility coordination; not all poles can accept more load)
    • Install new metal streetlight: ~$25,000 (high upfront cost; construction impacts; ongoing operations/maintenance; right-of-way constraints)

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were received on the streetlight item.

Key Outcomes

• No votes or formal actions were taken; the streetlight presentation was explicitly described as for information only.
• Staff reported the city has fewer than five high-pressure sodium lights remaining, with the rest converted to LED.
• Committee discussion highlighted:
  • Concerns about dark crosswalks/intersections (particularly an intersection referenced by a committee member) and the safety implications.
  • The challenge of prioritizing lighting upgrades citywide within existing budgets and infrastructure constraints.
  • Tradeoffs and costs of anti-theft measures (e.g., locking covers and other deterrents), which staff described as costly at scale.
  • Staff encouragement that residents with concerns about dark sidewalks may consider private lighting (e.g., motion lights), especially since many streetlights are designed primarily to illuminate the roadway.
• Meeting adjourned at approximately 4:33–4:34 PM.