Richmond mayor worries about light pollution as LEDs shine bright

RICHMOND, Calif. (KGO) -- You've probably heard of noise pollution - but light pollution? It's something that Richmond Mayor Tom Butt is worried about.

"They're not annoyances," he said. "They're things that can really have a physical effect you and sometimes serious."

Mayor Butt says there are too many artificial lights in the city that are way too bright. They're mostly the new LED fixtures with no shielding.

"They put so much light up in my yard. I can actually read a book at night, on a moonless night," he said. "And it's gotten a lot worse in the last few months."

Mayor Butt posted a note on Nextdoor, and received a lot of feedback. He says light pollution is causing some residents to lose sleep.

He says city code already requires some sort of shielding on all outdoor lights. It just needs to be better enforced.