County to explore Lighting and Landscaping Act for non-lighting uses

The County of San Diego will be reviewing policies which might allow for an expansion of its use of the Landscape and Lighting Act of 1972.

The 5-0 Board of Supervisors vote April 19 directs the county’s Chief Administrative Officer to review all county policies related to the Lighting and Landscaping Act and to return to the supervisors within 90 days for recommended changes and revisions.

The Lighting and Landscaping Act of 1972 authorizes counties, cities, and special districts to form districts for purposes including maintenance of landscaping, streetlights, parks, and open space. These districts, which are also known as maintenance assessment districts, allow for voter-approved special assessments which are spent on the capital and ongoing costs of community benefit projects.

The County of San Diego’s only current utilization of the state act was the creation of the Countywide Street Lighting District, but the act also permits the establishment of districts for the installation, construction, and maintenance of sidewalks, irrigation systems, traffic signals, public restrooms, parks, community centers, and landscaped medians. The county does not have a clear policy for the use of such districts for programs other than streetlights, but recently supervisors and county staff have received requests from community residents for assistance with creation of such districts for parks, open space, and trails.

The supervisors now seek a clear policy to define the types of projects eligible for maintenance assessment district creation and guidelines for the process to form such districts. If such a policy were to be developed and the assessment approved by the property owners, a new tool would be created for the building and long-term care of previously unaffordable public improvements.

“We’re going to be working with other county departments on exploring the feasibility,” said Renee Bahl, the director of the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation. “It would help to maintain parks and trails, open space preserves or open spaces.”