Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
With communities like Boyle Heights left in the dark, California moves to crack down on copper wire dealers and sellers
Copper wire thieves have targeted the Sixth Street Bridge.
(
Pablo de la Hoya
/
Boyle Heights Beat
)
A California bill aims to curb illicit copper wire sales amid a surge in thefts that have blacked out streetlights in Boyle Heights and other parts of Los Angeles.
About this article
-
This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on April 25, 2025.
A state Assembly committee on Tuesday endorsed the bill, known as Assembly Bill 476, on a unanimous 18-0 vote. The bill was referred to the Assembly Public Safety Committee with a hearing scheduled for April 29.
This piece of legislation — introduced by Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez — seeks to crack down on copper wire theft by enhancing reporting requirements for junk dealers and recyclers, establishing a licensing requirement for copper sellers, modernizing restrictions on the possession of scrap metal from critical public infrastructure and revising penalties to better reflect the true cost to the public.
Support for LAist comes from
“These measures will increase transparency, discourage illicit sales and ensure accountability throughout the recycling and resale process,” according to an analysis of the bill.
Gonzalez, in the analysis, said the “consequences of these thefts are far-reaching.”
He noted a “dramatic increase” in streetlight outages in his district, which includes parts of downtown, as well as Boyle Heights, Westlake, Koreatown, Pico-Union and Chinatown.
The city’s Bureau of Street Lighting reported about 45,000 service requests in 2024, many of which were due to theft or vandalism, according to Gonzalez.
In 2024, Boyle Heights ranked second out of the city’s 114 neighborhoods for streetlight outage service requests, with 1,907 reports, according to MyLA311 Streetlight Service Request data.
And, in “one particularly egregious case,” Gonzalez said 38,000 feet — nearly seven miles — of copper was stolen from the Sixth Street Bridge. This resulted in repair costs of approximately $2.5 million, despite the stolen metal’s street value being a mere $11,000, he said.
Support for LAist comes from
“These crimes go beyond financial losses; they create unsafe conditions for residents and businesses by leaving streets, neighborhoods and business corridors in complete darkness,” Gonzalez said.
Former L.A. Councilmember Kevin de León announces an anti-copper-wire theft effort by the city last y ear.
(
Andrew Lopez
/
Boyle Heights Beat
)
Early last year, former Councilmember Kevin de León, along with Councilmember Traci Park, launched a heavy metal task force in collaboration with the L.A. Police Department and the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting. The task force has led to dozens of arrests and thousands of pounds of recovered copper wire.
Supporters of the bill include the League of California Cities, the Electric Vehicle Charging Association, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, as well as the cities of Paramount, Norwalk and La Mirada.
The Recycled Materials Association is opposing the bill, noting that requiring “many of the honest and hardworking retail suppliers that collect and sell recycled material to obtain an expensive and time-consuming contractor’s license would either force them out of business or give them no option other than to sell to black market recyclers,” according to the bill’s analysis.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The new ordinance applies to certain grocers operating in the city and has led to some self-checkout lanes to shutter. -
Children asked to waive right to see a judge in exchange for $2,500 -
There’s still a lot to be determined as the refinery, which supplies about one-fifth of Southern California's vehicle fuels, works to restore production and as data is collected. -
The FCC voted to end E-Rate discounts for library hotspot lending and school bus Wi-Fi. -
About half the Pacific Airshow’s 2025 lineup has been grounded because of the federal government shutdown. -
USC says it’s reviewing the letter also sent to eight other prestigious schools nationwide. California's governor vowed that any California universities that sign will lose state funding.
Best of LAist