And now for a more literal Afternoon Jolt: According to a briefing this afternoon (available online here) by City Light director Jorge Carrasco, the department has found more than 150 streetlights and sidewalk covers that are leaking electricity and pose a potential safety issue. Last year, a dog was killed when he stepped on an electrified sidewalk cover in Queen Anne.

In searching around 16,000 metal poles, Carrasco told the council's energy committee, contractors for City Light found 158 covers or metal streetlights that were leaking electricity. Of those, 56 were leaking more than 30 volts; 50 volts or more is considered potentially lethal ("You could get electrocuted," Carrasco said.) Carrasco said the number of faulty streetlights City Light discovered was, at about 0.13 percent, around a third of the industry standard of 0.37 percent.

"It wasn't the number of call or the number of identified incidents, as much as the potential for someone getting harmed, that made me decide that we need to do a comprehensive test of all of our ... metal streetlight poles," Carrasco said.

City Light deenergized every pole or cover where its contractors found more than 30 volts of leaking voltage, and made repairs on more than 40 poles.

In a statement this morning, Carrasco said the city would inspect and approve all new streetlights to make sure they aren't leaking electricity, inventory and monitor the condition of all the city's streetlights, and check for voltage whenever city crews maintain streetlights.