Red Light District
To the surprise of residents in Santa Monica’s usually respectable Sunset Park neighborhood, this summer Southern California Edison began establishing a red light district in local alleyways. But pleasure-seekers will be disappointed if they come around looking for illicit entertainment: there are no houses of ill repute or ladies of the night – just very bright red lights illuminating obscure alleys and shining into local bedrooms.
Why would Southern California Edison want to suggest Sunset Park is tom-cat central? It turns out to be a classic case of bureaucratic overkill. Apparently, a few years ago SCE raised the height of some utility poles in the area, and somebody became convinced that meant Federal Aviation Authority rules required them to put up the lights to warn pilots of the extra danger.