The iconic LED light installation — 25,000 lights stretching across the bridge's western span — returned with a grand lighting celebration, drawing crowds and no small amount of civic chest-thumping from local officials eager to attach themselves to something people actually like.

Let's give credit where it's due: the Bay Lights are genuinely cool. First installed in 2013 as a temporary art project by Leo Villareal, the installation became so beloved that the city made it permanent in 2016. It's one of those rare public art projects that virtually nobody hates, which in San Francisco is roughly equivalent to a miracle.

But here's where our fiscal spidey-sense kicks in. Public art installations have a way of becoming money pits — maintenance costs, electrical bills, and the inevitable "emergency restoration fund" that somehow always needs topping off. The original permanent installation was funded largely through private donations, which is exactly how public art should work. Taxpayers shouldn't be footing the bill for aesthetics when we can't keep the streets clean or the buses running on time.

So as we celebrate the return of the lights, let's also ask the boring but important questions: Who's paying for upkeep? Is there a sustainable funding model? Or are we going to get hit with a "Save the Bay Lights" tax measure in three years?

For now, though, enjoy the view. Take the photos. Post them with whatever filter makes you feel something. The Bay Bridge looks spectacular, and in a city that's spent the last few years giving people reasons to leave, it's nice to have a reason to look back — literally — and appreciate what makes this place worth fighting for.

Just keep the receipts.