Driving around Manteca Mayor Ben Cantu often finds himself in the dark.

“I call them black holes,” Cantu said.

On any given night wherever he goes Cantu said you can count on passing a number of street lights that aren’t working.

The mayor believes the system to address those darkened street lights — relying on citizens to take the time to report them or having officers working night shifts to point out darkened street lights to public works — is ineffective.

“Our officers have more than enough to do,” Cantu said.

He also notes that the city is paying PG&E a flat rate per street light even if the bulb is burned out.

The solution that  Cantu says he’ll propose is having either a public works employee canvass all neighborhoods and commercial areas once or twice a year or rely on a volunteer group such as the Manteca Police Department Seniors Helping Area Residents and Police (SHARP) to do so.

The city is now relying on the public to use the government outreach app to alert officials when street lights aren’t working.  While that works to a degree it is hit or miss.

Cantu notes the reason for street lights in the first place is for safe passages through intersections as well as safely lit streets and neighborhoods. Various studies also indicated well-lit streets are a deterrent to crime.

The mayor also said he intends to find out if the more energy efficient LED light replacements the city is using as lights go out are of sufficient light output to keep streets as bright as reasonably possible at night.

Cantu would also like to see the city start compiling a list of locations where residents or public safety personnel believe the placement of street lights would enhance safety and potentially reduce crime.

He indicated if there are existing neighborhoods where residents want a number of street lights installed the city could possibly explore forming street light districts to finance the purchase and installation costs.

Cantu was also hopeful that council requests for additional downtown street lights for public safety — specifically requests Debby Moorhead and Gary Singh have repeatedly made for the 300 block of East Yosemite Avenue near Manteca High — will be addressed by staff.

Singh and Moorhead made the requests — that the council concurred needed to be addressed — after being approached by citizens about the additional need for lighting in the block that has a relatively high volume of foot traffic.

The council’s stated preference was for the additional street lights to continue the streetscape style already in place from Lincoln Avenue to the railroad tracks.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com