Mayor pledges faster streetlight fixes, says City College will get state-backed support after accreditor's ruling

Mayor Edwin Lee told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on July 9 that his office will partner with city departments and outside agencies to speed repairs and installations of streetlights in District 10 and other neighborhoods, and that he will back a state-led rescue and appeal process for City College of San Francisco after a recent accreditation decision.

The lighting issue was raised by Supervisor Malia Cohen, who told the board that parts of District 10 "are largely formerly an industrial part of San Francisco" that are becoming residential and that a "lack of adequate lighting has contributed to a number of public safety issues, such as illegal dumping, car break ins, and graffiti." Mayor Lee said residents "should be able to report a problem and have it fixed in a timely fashion," and described steps the city and utilities are taking to improve response and asset mapping.

The mayor said more than half of the city's streetlights are owned by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the remainder by Pacific Gas & Electric. He described ongoing work with PG&E and the SFPUC to digitize maps of streetlight ownership and said the SFPUC has already invested $380,000 in recent improvements in District 10, citing new lights on Sixth Street and near Starr King Elementary. "When it comes to public safety, the answer should be yes first and then let's deal with the bureaucracies and all the other challenges at a later time," Lee said, committing to communicate with Caltrans about lights on state-owned property and to work with supervisors and public works to put lights where they are needed.

Supervisor Cohen had also asked whether the city would support installing lighting on property owned by Caltrans; Lee answered in the affirmative and said the city would proceed with installations if needed and sort out maintenance and payment later.

On City College of San Francisco, Supervisor Jane Kim (appearing under the procedural motion enabling an additional question) and Supervisor Campos asked the mayor about the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges' (ACCJC) determination issued after the board's agenda was set. Mayor Lee described City College as "one of the most important education institutions for working class folks, for returning veterans, for immigrants" and said "there's no question that more work needs to be done before City College can once again stand on its own." He said the college remains accredited during an appeal and that "the closure plan is paused until the appeal is exhausted."

Lee said he has lent city staff expertise to the interim chancellor and special trustee and convened education leaders, including presidents and chancellors from local universities, to identify ways to support students and protect academic programs. He noted an appointment by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors of Bob Agrella as a special trustee to lead City College through the appeal and remediation process, and he urged the board to "collaborate with our education leaders and me to unite behind the college and to prioritize above all else, our students." Lee emphasized that decisions about selling public property are governed by established legal processes and said the focus should be stabilizing the college's operations and preserving classes and services such as ESL and vocational training.

Discussion vs. direction vs. decision

- Discussion: Supervisors raised public-safety and equity concerns tied to lighting in industrial-to-residential areas and asked whether the city would press Caltrans or modify permitting to speed installations. - Direction: Mayor Lee committed city staff support for digitizing ownership maps, to partner with PG&E and SFPUC on mapping, to communicate with Caltrans about lights on its property, and to lend city staff to City College's interim leadership during the appeal and remediation period. - Decision: No formal ordinance or budget action was taken at the meeting on either streetlight policy or City College governance; the mayor's commitments are administrative/directional.

Why it matters

Streetlighting affects public safety and quality of life in neighborhoods undergoing change; unclear ownership between city, utilities, and state agencies can delay fixes. City College serves roughly 85,000 students, including high proportions of immigrants and students in vocational, ESL and transfer programs; an accreditation sanction threatens course transferability, financial aid and state funding unless the appeal and remediation restore the college's standing.

Ending

Supervisors accepted the mayor's commitments and indicated continued oversight; several supervisors urged the city and state to prioritize preserving classroom access and workforce and language programs while the appeal proceeds.