Light up  the Night- a Persia Ave. Pilot Project

As many of us are aware, over the last several years several homicides and other criminal acts have occurred on Persia Ave. in the Excelsior.  Residents have long been aware of the inadequate, uneven street lighting on Persia and the interference that the tree canopy can provide to that lighting.   Local law enforcement has advised us that poor lighting can be a significant factor in attracting anti-social behavior to a location.
 
Several months ago, a number of  local  residents, Supervisor Avalos, various non-profits, police representatives and others attended a community meeting convened under the aegis of the Excelsior Action Group (EAG) concerning violence in the Excelsior.  At that meeting, several attendees mentioned the generally poor level of lighting for pedestrians on the streets of the Excelsior and especially on Persia Ave., a major transit corridor for the district.  It was suggested at that time that if the residents of Persia , between Mission and McLaren Park, turned on their porch and/or other exterior lights facing the street, it could materially enhance the lighting available to pedestrians and possibly improve public safety.   Hence the birth of the Persia Light up the Night project.
 
In subsequent meetings and discussions, it was decided that this project would have two other goals, the improvement  of tree pruning on Persia so  that the existing lighting would be more effective and eventually the installation of more pedestrian friendly lighting.  We've already been in contact with the S.F. Department of Public Works, the agency responsible for pruning the large trees on Persia, and with PG &E, which provides the street lighting for Persia. 
 
So, who are "we".  Mostly just local residents who are concerned about neighborhood issues.  EAG, a  non-profit, located on Mission St.  The office  of John Avalos, our Supervisor.  We have the support of the Excelsior District Improvement Association, a neighborhood non-profit and  the officers of Ingleside Station of the S.F.P.D. 
 
And yes we feel a little uncomfortable asking you, our neighbors,  in these tough economic times to spend money on electricity and bulbs for what most of us believe should be a city/public utility function.  But we also know that in these deficit ridden times, a major new investment in street lighting is unlikely.  Our most recent estimate of the electricity cost for keeping a compact fluorescent bulb equivalent in lumens to a 100 watt incandescent bulb  illuminated all night all year is roughly $ 15.   Simply, we ask you to do what you feel you can comfortably afford.  We hope that we can get a significant portion of Persia residents to participate and if they do, and the results are positive, we will explore extending this project to other streets in the Excelsior.   We welcome your input and invite your involvement.  You can contact us via e-mail found on the below website addresses.
 
We plan to have  more information available at a public event to be held in the neighborhood within the next few months.
 
Check back later with this website and the Excelsior Action Group website.