SCE outlines LED streetlight replacement for Agoura Hills; council to review contract in February

Southern California Edison (SCE) on Wednesday described a plan to replace Agoura Hills’ existing city‑account streetlights with dark‑sky, GE Profile LED fixtures and asked the council to authorize a short contract at its February meeting.

The presentation focused on SCE’s “Option E,” under which the utility would change the 21 streetlights the city holds on its SCE account. SCE representatives also noted there are 1,972 lights in the Agoura Hills area that are on Los Angeles County accounts; county‑account decisions and color‑temperature standards are handled separately by the county.

SCE said the replacement fixtures are dark‑sky compliant, certified by the International Dark‑Sky Association and the Illuminating Engineering Society, and are used widely across the utility’s service territory. The company recommended GE Profile luminaires and said the commonly chosen color temperatures are 2,700K or 3,000K for residential settings and 4,000K for traffic/arterial lighting.

Why it matters: LED upgrades reduce energy use and standardize public lighting around the city, but color temperature and uniformity across city‑ and county‑owned lights are often contentious with neighbors and businesses. The council and staff pushed SCE for specific local choices and a timeline so the community can weigh aesthetics, safety and dark‑sky concerns.

Key details from SCE and staff

- City‑account lights: 21 fixtures would be replaced if the city authorizes Option E; Los Angeles County maintains about 1,972 lights within Agoura Hills’ boundaries. SCE said the county typically uses 2,700K as its standard and will defer to a city preference when asked. - Energy and cost: SCE estimated the city’s current immediate annual utility savings from replacing those 21 fixtures would be just under $1,800 per year under current tariff rules. SCE also described a recovery mechanism embedded in the tariff that recovers installation costs over a background period (the company estimated roughly $325 per light, varying by wattage), saying the collection lasts about 20 years. After the tariff collection ends, SCE projected the city’s annual savings on the 21 lights would rise to about $2,225. - Light selection and complaints: SCE said the GE Profile fixtures produce better color rendering (typically CRI 85–90 vs. older high‑pressure sodium at about 48–52 CRI), produce more even roadway illumination and significantly lower energy. The presenter acknowledged some communities object to change but said complaints are uncommon and typically handled with a shield or adjustment. - Next steps: SCE offered to show sample fixtures and light locations to the city’s public works subcommittee; staff said committee field visits are planned for early February. SCE asked the council to consider taking the contract authorization at its February council meeting; staff said Jensen Hughes (consultant work) and the public works subcommittee will provide recommendations beforehand.

Council and staff discussion

Councilmember Deborah Klein Lopez asked about how decisions are made so the city does not end up with a patchwork of different color temperatures and fixtures. SCE said color temperature is typically chosen by the city, with the county defaulting to 2,700K for county accounts unless a city asks for 3,000K or 4,000K on selected arterials. Klein Lopez asked staff to bring the Land Use and Economic Development Committee's prior lighting research into the discussion so the technical guidance already collected on signs, temperature and brightness is considered during the subcommittee review.

Klein Lopez also criticized the absence of SCE’s local public affairs staff at the meeting, saying the company’s local public affairs managers had declined to appear and that this lack of representation had frayed relations during recent public safety power shutoffs. The SCE representative said public affairs staff had been activated for incident response that day, and the representative — who noted he also serves as an elected mayor of another city — offered to pass council’s concerns on to SCE leadership.

What the council will decide and schedule

City staff and SCE agreed the next steps are (1) staff and the public‑works subcommittee to inspect sample fixtures and locations identified by SCE; (2) SCE to return with a two‑page contract for council authorization in February; and (3) staff to include the city’s sign‑ordinance/light‑research notes so the chosen color temperature aligns with other local lighting design decisions.

Community context and practical implications

- Geography: The changes would cover only lights on SCE accounts in the city; county‑account lights will require coordination with Los Angeles County. - Visual and safety tradeoffs: SCE emphasized improved color rendering and energy efficiency; councilmembers emphasized aesthetics, sign‑ordinance work and potential concerns from residents sensitive to changes in nighttime light appearance. - Financial: For Agoura Hills’ 21 lights, SCE estimated modest direct utility savings now and somewhat larger savings once the tariff recovery ends; for the county’s nearly 2,000 lights the utility said savings would be substantially higher and accrue to the county lighting district.

What’s next

SCE will share its PowerPoint and staff will place the item on the public‑works subcommittee agenda for February 4. Staff anticipates SCE will return in February to seek council authorization of the contract to do the replacements for city‑account lights.