Lighting Up Mt. Hope

Volunteers from San Diego non-profit Rebuilding Together will be knocking on doors in the Mt. Hope neighborhood today asking residents if they would like to have solar panel lights installed on their property free of charge.

The door-to-door campaign is part of the Safe Light Project, a program to place solar lights in neighborhoods with poor lighting and high crime and accident rates. The lights were donated by Rebuilding Together.

For the trial run, volunteers from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union will install 80 solar lights throughout Mt. Hope.

"If they cut crime and accidents, we plan to expand the program citywide,” said councilmember Marti Emerald who teamed up with colleague Tony Young, the San Diego Police Department, and Rebuilding Together to launch the program.

Emerald and Young will join representatives from the police department and Rebuilding Together at the Mountain View Community Center to kick off the program today at 11:30am.