There were no street lights for more than a century in the 300 block of East Yosemite Avenue in downtown Manteca.

As such, it was a dark street section to walk in downtown especially in the winter when students were walking to and from after school activities at Manteca High in the adjacent block.

In 2018, then Councilwoman Debby Moorhead was approached by those in the area — or who used the sidewalks — about the lack of lighting and general safety.

Moorhead made a pitch for street lights.

She was rebuffed by the then city manager who argued it was too expensive to install just two street lights and that the city lacked the funds.

“It was about safety,” Moorhead recalled Monday.

Moorhead didn’t give up.

She convinced the rest of the council including then Councilman Garry Singh to override staff.

The money was set aside but nothing happened.

Moorhead, as well as Singh, kept pressing to get movement.

They were told there were “bigger” projects that needed to be addressed first.

In January 2020, then Mayor Ben Cantu while criticizing staff for not addressing “dark holes” in the street lighting system throughout Manteca by not making sure there was a timely replacement of burnt out street lights, again pointed out the repeated council requests for improved downtown street lighting — specifically championed by Moorhead with help from Singh.

Things changed in 2022.

That’s when Toni Lundgren was appointed interim city manager prior to being elevated to the job on a permanent basis in May 2023.

Singh was also elected mayor in 2022.

At the same time the city by looking for a city manager in house ended a period where Manteca had six different city managers over the course of five years.

It was also when the dust had settled with the departure of a series of department heads on both a voluntary and non-voluntary basis while Cantu was mayor.

By then the city’s financial books were well on the way of being put in order.

That led to the installing  of the two solar street lights in January 2023 as part of the West Yosemite Avenue paving projects.

The cost was $30,000. They were paid for with federal pass through Commujity Development Block Grant funds

Singh said there were a lot of projects, including the street lights, that were not done that had been approved, funded by the council, and either set aside or were lost in the shuffle.

The mayor added that Lundgren along with the essentially all new senior management staff that had been put in place coupled with the municipal workforce have been effective at moving long promised projects forward as well as setting new initiatives in motion.

Moorhead is grateful the street lights are in.

But, as she pointed out, it shouldn’t have taken five years.

As for Singh, he stressed the city is committed not to losing sight of the fact little projects that impact the quality of life are just as important of the big projects

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@manetcabuileltin.com