Press Release issued – Nov. 7, 2011
LED streetlights now installed from North 65th street
in Seattle all the way through Shoreline
SEATTLE – In late September of this year, Seattle City Light began installing LED streetlights on residential streets from North 65th Street in Seattle all the way to the northern boundary of City Light’s service territory in Shoreline. The latest round of installations brings the total of installed LED streetlights to 18,000. This is ahead of the original schedule of 15,000 installations by the end of this year and nearly $5 million under budget. The savings are a result of the decreasing cost of the fixtures which are purchased each year instead of all at once.
“As our city continues to look for ways to save money, our new LED streetlights are already saving more than $300,000 each year and with the latest round of installations the annual savings is expected to grow to nearly $900,000,” said Councilmember Bruce Harrell, Chair of the Council’s Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee. “These and future savings can be used to help fund libraries, social services and parks, they will pay for themselves in less than 10 years.”
In February of 2012, Seattle City Light is scheduled to begin installation of LED streetlights at the southern end of its service territory all the way up to Brandon Street in South Seattle. By the end of 2014, all of the City’s residential streetlights will be converted to LED. Once all 41,000 residential lights are installed, City Light expects a $2.4 million reduction in operating costs each year.
Customers seem to like the LED streetlights. City Light surveys have found that 85 percent of residents are satisfied with the new lighting and City Light has received complaints on less than 2 percent of the installations to date. The most recognizable change of the LED streetlights is the color of the light. The old high-pressure sodium streetlights had an amber hue, while the new LED streetlights have a hue that is more natural and comparable to moonlight.
“I am excited to launch Seattle’s Great Student Initiative and lead a national effort to educate our students on important digital literacy skills,” said Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell. “The information and communication technology job sector contributes over $3.5 billion to Seattle’s economy and information technology job growth is projected at 22 percent in this decade, one of the fastest and more sustainable job industries. We must equip children from all backgrounds with tools to access online educational resources to compete in this global economy driven by technology, science, engineering, and mathematics. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), 77 percent of jobs in the next decade will require technology skills.”
City Councilmember Bruce Harrell, who chairs the Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee, said, “In 2009, our Committee announced initiatives designed to empower the public and enhance transparency. We identified the need to migrate our city system to one that releases city data in an open format that is more readable and favorable to programming. We are very pleased to see the results and we will continue this commitment in 2012.” 
Discussion will help spread awareness and educate
In July of 2010, way before the tragic death of woodcarver John T. Williams, I proposed the requirement that our Seattle Police Officers wear body-mounted video cameras. Recently, the city of Oakland deployed body cameras on all of their officers. I met with Oakland’s Chief of Police Anthony Batts the week before their department went live with cameras and we reviewed film footage taken from their initial trial. Chief Batts was excited about how these cameras were going to improve their ability to learn from field events and gain strides in public trust. I also met with San Jose’s Chief Chris Moore who has similarly deployed this technology. His enthusiasm was also clear. My research has determined that least 700 departments nationwide are employing this technology and 10 jurisdictions in our state, including police departments in Bainbridge Island, Lake Forest Park, Black Diamond and Orting. 
As you may know, on March 31, 2011, the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicated its intent to investigate the Seattle Police Department to determine whether its use of force has an unlawful and unfair impact on people of color and vulnerable communities. Very recently, I wrote a letter to US Attorney Jenny Durkan, indicating my support for this investigation and my hope that strong recommendations and improvements result from it. 
Very recently, I met with Ms. Shannon Lee, daughter of famed martial artist, Bruce Lee. Ms. Shannon Lee is the executive director of the Bruce Lee Foundation. She visited here from Los Angeles to discuss the possibility of establishing a Bruce Lee Action Museum here in Seattle. This has been a goal of mine since attending Garfield High School. In the policy work that I do, building an urban infrastructure where youth of all backgrounds can embrace discipline, hard work, self-esteem, and a love of life, is important. Seattle must maintain and establish creative institutions that perpetuate these values
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