Newsom And California Are Wired Differently, But Not With Copper
Gavin Newsom has made the state of California his own personal toilet, and as a result, anyone who can is leaving. One of the worst decisions that he has made dates back to 2014. It was then that California passed Proposition 47, a bill that Newsom pushed. Under the misleadingly named The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, it reclassified certain low-level, nonviolent property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors when the value does not exceed $950. It aims to reduce incarceration rates and costs, with savings directed toward mental health, substance abuse treatment, and school programs.
Translation: Newsom basically made crime a nine-to-five job. As long as what’s taken is under $950, if the person is caught and incarcerated, they will be released. It’s basically a rinse-and-repeat criminal justice system, complete with a revolving front door.
There is an idiom that says “They can’t see the forest for the trees,” which perfectly describes Democrats and liberals. They are always so eager to placate the criminals that they can’t see the damage it will cause law-abiding citizens. They also fail to realize the extent to which these changes will embolden the criminals.
A perfect example is the astronomical rise in copper wire theft, which is blacking out streetlights, over 37,000 of them, and even damaging 911 systems. At the famous Sixth Street Bridge in Los Angeles, over seven miles of copper wire was torn out, causing $2.5 million in damage. In 2025, there were 15,540 copper wire thefts, more than double the amount in 2024.
Criminals are even stealing copper wiring from California Little League baseball fields, leaving hundreds of kids without a place to play.
The Long Beach Little League, Village Baseball Little League in Lakewood, and East Long Beach Pony League have all been targeted in the past month. Thieves stole over seven miles of copper wire from stadium lights, electrical boxes, and power lines.
Long Beach Little League President Doug Wittman told The 562.
“Everyone’s schedule will be shrunk down; we’re going to have to trim back games. We’re already losing practice times this week.”
His league serves 600 kids this year and has won back-to-back Little League World Series titles — the only U.S. team to ever accomplish that feat. Champions or not, now they are forced to beg for security and try to arrange daylight practice times. No light means no night games or practices.
League officials are trying to schedule volunteers to work overnight shifts to prevent further theft.
Adriel Tedesco, the Long Beach Little League Vice President, told The Athletic, “It should not have to come to that. It’s a feeling of being violated,” he continued, referring to having to watch criminals destroy what volunteers spent years building.
As a parent who managed both my son’s and my daughter’s teams for ten years with two seasons per year, I can relate to how much time is spent at these local fields. When airheads like Newsom push these bills through, they give them names that sound embraceable, yet the reality is that they never pan out that way.
Calling this lousy piece of legislation “The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act” is a joke. All this bill did was create a pathway for increased crime, which has now stretched all the way down into children’s sports. Trying to play catch-up, Newsom signed Assembly Bill 476 in October of last year, ostensibly to crack down on copper theft by imposing tougher penalties. The law took effect on January 1st of this year, but little has changed; in fact, the little league thefts have taken place since then.
Titled AB476, this law strengthens regulations for recyclers and increases penalties for theft. It requires junk dealers and recyclers to maintain detailed records, including a signed statement that verifies the seller’s identity and lawful ownership of the materials. The law increases the maximum fine for knowingly receiving stolen copper or related materials—particularly those essential to infrastructure such as streetlights and traffic signals—from $1,000 to $5,000, with some sources suggesting it could reach up to $10,000 in certain situations. Additionally, the law defines “organized metal theft,” providing law enforcement with better tools to track theft rings and prevent illegal resales.
Blah, Blah, Blah. All of that sounds good, but nothing will change unless arrests are made and the criminals are kept incarcerated, regardless of the theft value. These thieves are putting people in danger by shutting off traffic and streetlights. They are also robbing children of the ability to play sports as they should.
Newsom’s California is a dumpster fire that has literally spread to the streets and Little League ball fields. The state went woke long ago and has been going broke ever since. That debt now includes the mental health of sports-loving kids and their parents who are trying to accommodate them.
Baseball has long been considered America’s Pastime. Only a career far-left Democrat could make the words Play Ball become endangered.
