My street light

Almost eight years ago, we moved here to the country, two miles west of a pleasant little town with few amenities, but teeming with nice, politically conservative people. Across the road from our new digs, there was a street light, a bright beacon in the darkness. . . the only one for at least a mile in any direction. It was comforting. . . convenient. . . illuminating, because its light spilled over the road onto our driveway.

The light was on the shoulder, adjacent to our neighbor's property atop a tall, sturdy cement tower. Suddenly, however, two or three weeks after we arrived, the light went out.

In the interest of public safety (tinged with some nostalgia for the halogen pleasure I had enjoyed), I called Pacific Gas and Electric who told me the light had been extinguished because the bill hadn't been paid. Let's see. . . the pole is on county land, and the light illuminates a county road, so the county was delinquent in its payment, right? Wrong!

I was told that the previous owners of our property had always paid the bill, and if I wanted the light to continue to brighten my night, I would have to assume that financial responsibility.

So, for all these months I have added $11-12 to each of my household power payments. To be fair, twice, when the light went out, PG&E speedily remedied the problem (probably a burned-out lamp), at no additional cost. However, I can't dismiss the nagging suspicion that no other private citizen funds his own street light. Have I been snookered?