When I bought my 1938 house in 2017, I’d fallen in love with my house by day, never thinking to look up and search for street lights. Had I looked, I would have noticed the absence of street lights. Inexplicably — at least to me — on my block, we have a few street lights located in the alley. Those lights are fine for illuminating the alley during night-time garbage dumps, but that’s about it.
The longer I lived on this dark street that more I found myself envying Redding neighborhoods that had street lights. I viewed lighted streets as evidence of superior neighborhoods, and saw mine as a red-headed stepchild, unworthy of street lights. I imagined what it would be like to confidently take a walk in the evening after dark, and not worry about tripping on a piece of uneven sidewalk, or not worry about surprising a skunk or a sketchy human in total darkness. I wondered what it would be like to not yell out a list of cautionary instructions to departing guests leaving my home as they gingerly navigate two sets of concrete steps from my front porch to the sidewalk where they carefully shuffle from the sidewalk and off the curb without suffering a fall or a sprained ankle, and finally make it to the safety of their vehicle. With my guests safely on their way, I’m always left with a profound feeling of relief that my guests weren’t injured during their blind departure into an abyss of blackness.
Hang onto the railing. Watch your step. Careful! Almost there!
I am not bashful about being a squeaky wheel when necessary. But when it came to my street’s lack of overhead lights, eventually I’d accepted the situation as permanent. I’m no quitter, but after enduring this dark street for two years, in 2019 I emailed my concerns about my dark street to REU’s online complaint portal. I pointed out that my street was frequented by students coming and going to Shasta High School and Manzanita Elementary School, sometimes in the dark. I focused on kids’ safety. A short time later I heard from an REU senior service planner. He said that unfortunately this older neighborhood lacked existing infrastructure to support/install street lights. He said that with some exceptions, REU’s electric facilities were located along the backyard utility easements, and without easements from the property owners, REU was unable to extend its lines through the properties to bring power to street light poles along the street. I’m a property owner, and if asked I would have gladly extended permission to go through my property to extend back alley lighting to the street.
Despite this negative news, he said he’d pass along my request to the city’s public works department, the entity responsible for identifying areas within the City for pedestrian (sidewalks, lighting, bike lanes, etc.) improvements, where there is no existing infrastructure. He said he’d let me know if he received any direction/information from Public Works.
That was 2019. I didn’t hear a peep from Public Works, so I let it go. In the meantime, I did what I could to mitigate the lack of street lights. I installed hand railings. I scattered solar nights near my walkway. But still, come nightfall, my street was damn dark.
Two years later I mentioned my dark neighborhood in a 2021 column. I joked that my street was so dark that it was a stranger to Christmas carolers and trick-or-treaters. I wrote that despite a plethora of lighted pumpkins outside my home, on Halloween 2021, families and children took one glance down my coal-black street and they’d move onto a lighted street just one block over. I didn’t blame them for fleeing my street and turning a deaf ear to my shouts of, “Hey, kids, over here! Follow the lights! Head for my voice! We have candy,” which, in retrospect, sounded kind of pervy.
Here are excerpts of that column:
“… One major flaw about my sweet old house is that it’s located on a block that has not a single street light. Not one. And while it’s true I did have all those lighted pumpkins, and also some battery-operated large candles, and my front yard does have dozens of solar path lights, it’s also true that when the sun sets, my street is black as the inside of a construction-paper witch’s hat.
It was nearly 7 p.m. after eating an embarrassing number of little Hershey bars and Whoppers, when Shelly and I faced the fact that no trick-or-treaters were coming. We quickly made some calls and found some friends who live in a Lake Redding neighborhood which was at that very moment under siege by marauding trick-or-treaters. Our friends were at the point of rummaging through their pantry looking for something else to give the little goblins and baby Yodas.
We promised help was on the way soon.
As I went to the front of my fence to remove a few grotesquely carved pumpkins and blow out the candles, I heard children’s voices, far up the street. I called out into the inky night, “Hey, we have lots of Halloween candy! Here! We’re down here!”
I held up one of the big candles and moved it from side to side, like a lighthouse keeper showing sailors the way to safety, away from the jagged rocks.
I heard a man’s voice. “Look to the light, Zion! There’s someone standing there. See?”
Soon, down the sidewalk and out of the darkness came a little boy – Spiderman – and a girl – bless her heart, a witch (or maybe a fairy; too dark to tell). Behold, our first and only trick-or-treaters. I didn’t ask them for a trick. They’d already done enough. Their trick was facing fear and and trekking into the darkness for a few sacks of candy.”
Unexpectedly, I heard from Kristen Schreder shortly after I wrote that column. Schreder was then a Redding City Council member.
“I recently read your November 2 article regarding your Halloween experiences. I reached out to Cary Moore, Senior Distribution Planning for Redding Electric Utility, to see what street lighting improvements could be made for your neighborhood. I have copied Cary on this email. Cary indicated he will look into your neighborhood street lighting and assess what improvements could be made. Cary said he has received a couple of inquiries that referenced your article.
Efforts by REU, RPD and RFD to improve neighborhood safety have included conversation and suggestions for improving neighborhood safety through “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” (CPTED) which can also include street lighting improvements.”
Now that’s what I call public service.
Fast forward to an afternoon when Schreder and Moore were sitting in my living room with a map and explanations about the CPTED program, and how my neighborhood might benefit from it.
I was impressed by Schreder and Moore, but didn’t hold out much hope for street lights. Even so, every so often I’d hear from Schreder and Moore with updates. Before long, Schreder was no longer on the Redding City Council. Moore had retired from his position.
I applauded them for trying, and chalked up the light project as a lost cause. Periodically I’d hear from Schreder who said she hadn’t forgotten about the prospective street light project. She encouraged me to keep the faith.
In January of 2025, just for the heck of it I sent an email to the new Redding City Council members and the REU folks in charge with my renewed plea about street lights for my neighborhood.
While I was at it, I also contacted them about the possibility of paving the back alley that I share with my neighbors, as well as the multi-ton city garbage trucks, which contribute to huge crevasses carved into the gravel road, which turn into rushing waterways during heavy rains.
I heard from new councilman Mike Littau, who expressed his concerns and said he’d see what he could do to help. I also heard from Michael R. Webb, then Director of Public Works/City Engineer, and Nick Zettel, who’s now REU’s director. To their credit, Webb and Zettel actually met me and several neighbors in the alley to chat about a solution. We didn’t get the answers we’d hoped for, but Zettel and Webb were good listeners.
The concept of a paved alley was a hard no from the city. We were told that if we neighbors were so inclined we could pay to pave the alley, but that area wasn’t the city’s responsibility, yes, even though three sets of Redding garbage trucks use that alley each week. Whatever. As the saying goes, you can’t fight city hall.
I had other fish to fry in life, so it caught me by surprise one warm August day when I noticed that REU trucks converged upon my street. Within the next few weeks, trucks came and went as they installed street lights in several locations up and down the street. The last one installed was the one closest to my home.
I was so overcome with joy that my eyes welled with tears. Maybe a street light is no big deal for some people, but for me, it was proof that sometimes elected leaders like Schreder, and subsequent elected leaders –like Littau — use their powers for good, to benefit the people they represent. How affirming. How refreshing. How hopeful.
In my neighborhood’s case, the city brought our street into the 21st century with a warm glow of light that washes over our streets and sidewalks, making for a safer place for residents, bicyclists, walkers and students. I realize that not all neighbors are fan of the street lights. One guy said the light shines in his bedroom window. Another neighbor complains that the street lights interfere with his ability to sit in his driveway and see stars and a dark sky. I happen to adore this particular neighbor, so when voiced his disappointment a few months back that some busy-body woman in the neighborhood convinced the city to install street lights, I fessed up and admitted that I was that busy body. And proud of it.
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Sometimes in the evenings I step outside just to admire the street light, which every so often looks like it’s attempting to mimic the moon. It’s mesmerizing.
Halloween will be here soon. For only the second time since 2017, I’m stocking up on Halloween candy for trick-or-treaters. I will get the good stuff: Hershey’s, Twix, and Reese’s cups. No Dum Dums here! I’ll reach out to my neighbors and see if they’re willing to pass out candy, too. It might take a few years before kids discover our lighted street, but it’s worth a try. Maybe Zion will trick-or-treat, or maybe by now, five years later, maybe he’s outgrown Halloween. Or, with any luck, perhaps we’ll see Christmas carolers in a few months, too.
To those who’ll claim that I received preferential treatment for these city street lights because I’m a squeaky wheel who happens to be a journalist who happens to own a website frequented by more than 100,000 unique monthly visitors, I remind them that there are plenty of requests I’ve made over the years that have fallen on deaf city ears. For example, the paved alley comes to mind. Also, every year or so I offer my pointed suggestion for a city slogan to celebrate the best our city has to offer: “Redding, a City of Trails and Bridges.”
For now, I’m celebrating light, and Kristen Schreder’s tenacity, even after she’d left her city council position. Yes, I can complain about the city as much as the next citizen, but today I’m grateful for Schreder, and all the folks at REU and Public Works who made modern lights possible for one of Redding’s oldest neighborhoods. Thank you!
Meanwhile, while we have the city’s eyes and ears — yes, we know they’re reading — this is a good time to submit your City of Redding wish list in the comments section. Current leaders can take note, and incoming elected leaders can have their fingers on the pulse of the people’s wishes before they even take office.
I’ll go first: Abolish paid downtown Redding parking. Do as Ashland, Oregon, and regulate parking availability through time limits, not cumbersome payment systems that dissuade the public from visiting downtown. I can’t count the number of times I’ve taken the downtown Redding shortcut past places like La Joie, and thought about stopping in for something really quick, but I cancel that thought as I think about the paid parking process, and the risk of getting a ticket. So I continue driving, right out of downtown.
Your turn. You have the city’s attention. What’s on your wish list? Look at my street lights. Sometimes, wishes do come true.
