As If Things Weren’t Dark Enough In Los Angeles
On February 8th, I wrote a column about the astronomical rise in copper theft in Los Angeles. It was titled, “Newsom And California Are Wired Differently, But Not With Copper.”
In it, I described the horrendous situation that was causing streetlights to go dark and even baseball fields to be pillaged for copper due to Gavin Newsom’s lackadaisical record in criminal prosecution.
“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.”
Newsom made a weak attempt to crack down on theft by enacting AB476, a law that strengthens regulations on 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 $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.
The law went into effect on January 1st, but little has changed; in fact, the little league thefts have taken place since then.
Now, as bad as the theft is that is causing streets to be darkened, increasing the danger factor for drivers, bikers, and walkers, city officials are proposing another theft, a new tax on law-abiding citizens to replace the copper wire that they did not steal.
FOX 11 in Los Angeles reports:
A citywide plan to replace thousands of broken streetlights across Los Angeles could come with a cost increase for property owners under a proposed Proposition 218 assessment.
Mayor Karen Bass is urging voters to approve the measure, which would raise property-owner fees by an estimated 120% to help fund a $125 million program aimed at replacing more than 200,000 streetlights citywide. City officials say the current system generates roughly $45 million and has not been significantly updated since the 1990s, when Proposition 218 was adopted by California voters, requiring property-owner approval for new or increased local assessments.
Under the law, the city cannot raise streetlighting fees without a majority vote from affected property owners, a process that has kept much of the funding system largely unchanged for decades.
Ballots are expected to be mailed this week.
Across Los Angeles, officials say copper theft continues to worsen infrastructure problems, with thieves stripping wire from underground fiber lines and disabling streetlights in neighborhoods across the city. More than 32,000 streetlight repair requests remain pending.
Quite a system Newsom and LA officials have. Do an absolutely horrible job of arresting criminals, and when you do, put them back on the streets so they can continue doing whatever crimes they have previously committed.
Then, when the bills come due, just tax the hell out of the crime victims. That’ll teach them to obey the law.
Keep voting for Democrats, California, and when you do decide to leave, you won’t have to worry about turning the lights off.
