Eighteen months after the 6th St. Bridge’s reopening, city leaders are facing yet another challenge regarding the multi-million dollar structure. Copper wire thieves have broken into electrical boxes to steal and sell the precious metal, leaving the bridge, and other parts of the Eastside, in the dark.
In a press conference held Tuesday morning, CD 14 Councilman Kevin de León told the audience that the length of copper wiring stolen from the bridge measures a staggering 38,000 feet, or seven miles, and will cost the city upwards of $2.5 million to repair.
“Thieves are literally picking our city apart, for parts to sell,” de León said, frustrated with the countless calls from residents to the city reporting missing or damaged light fixtures in their neighborhoods.
To prevent further damage to city property and to protect the safety of community members who are living on dark streets, de León, CD 11 Councilwoman Traci Park, the LAPD, and the Bureau of Street Lighting have proposed to form a pilot task force in CD 14 to hold those responsible for copper wire theft accountable.
De León introduced a motion to that effect at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
De León says the district task force would cost $400 thousand to form but he hopes, if successful, that the city will adopt and implement the idea city-wide. Park, whose district spans the Western neighborhoods of Los Angeles, sees the urgency of forming a specialized watchdog group.
“Over the last decade, our city’s critical infrastructure has been repeatedly damaged and pilfered, and now the citywide theft of copper wire is one of the most egregious problems that we face from the Eastside to the Westside and in every community across the city of Los Angeles,” Park said.
The theft of copper wire has been escalating at an alarming rate, according to de León. “Just five years ago, we were dealing with 500 to 600 cases on an annual basis. However, just in the past year, that number has skyrocketed to a staggering 6,713 cases, with repair costs exceeding an estimated $17 million.”
De León also said that he tripled funding towards preventing copper wire theft while he served as a Budget Committee member but still hasn’t seen a notable decrease in the theft rates. In fact, the rate of copper wire theft multiplied tenfold between 2018 and 2022 according to the Bureau of Street Lighting.
“Just five years ago, we were dealing with 500 to 600 cases on an annual basis… in the past year, that number has skyrocketed to a staggering 6,713 cases, with repair costs exceeding an estimated $17 million.”
Kevin de León
Fabian Cheng, Assistant Director of the Bureau of Street Lighting, said that in neighborhoods like Boyle Heights or Lincoln Heights, when a city light is out, it’s immediately felt in the community.
Cheng also acknowledged that due to the age of the older, ornamental lights along streets like 1st or César Chávez, the historic poles are more susceptible to damage or deficiencies compared to their modern counterparts.
The task force will also work in collaboration with the LAPD to implement a reward program to encourage reports of copper wire theft from the public.