(The Center Square) – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has thrown her support behind California legislation to combat organized metal theft.
The Democrat backs Assembly Bill 1941, which was introduced by Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez, D-Los Angeles. It aims to strengthen enforcement by targeting repeat and organized offenders who steal or traffic materials that are stolen.
AB 1941 would also establish a statewide data-sharing tool to allow law enforcement, public agencies and private partners to share information and track organized theft operations.
The measure comes at a time when copper wire theft is a leading cause of streetlight outages in Los Angeles.
“What we’re hearing directly from small business owners is that copper wire theft isn't just about infrastructure. It's about whether we have safe, well-lit streets, whether businesses can conduct their daily operations, and whether people want to visit to shop, eat and spend to support jobs,” the Mayor’s Office told The Center Square. “That’s why we’re supporting AB 1941 to bring a more coordinated, statewide response.”
Gonzalez described AB 1941 as a “beacon of hope” and urged lawmakers to come together to remind vandals that endangering communities with a senseless crime will come with hefty consequences.
"Up and down the state, we have seen families left in darkness, while thieves use our cities like scrap yards, and this is not just about streetlights,” Gonzalez told The Center Square. “We have seen thieves go after broadband infrastructure, which, when damaged, has left neighborhoods without access to emergency services like 911.”
Steve Kang, president of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works, also supports the legislation.
Kang said copper wire theft is not random. Rather, it's a coordinated, persistent and deeply disruptive action that harms the city’s day-to-day functions, he noted.
“Along major corridors like Wilshire Boulevard in Koreatown, these thefts leave entire stretches without lighting, impacting businesses, residents, and public safety,” Kang told The Center Square. “This also puts significant strain on our crews, who work around the clock to restore service as quickly as possible.”
This is not the mayor’s first time doing something about copper wire theft.
In October, Bass signed the Los Angeles City Council’s Metal and Wire Theft Reward program into law. The program offers up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of people responsible.
Bass has also pushed for police training on how to target and investigate metal theft. Meanwhile, Bass has called for the installation of solar-powered streetlights in neighborhoods such as Watts, Historic Filipinotown and Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley. Solar-powered streetlights are less susceptible to theft.
Kang has also been busy combating this problem.
“At the Department of Public Works, we are advancing more resilient infrastructure solutions while strengthening coordination with our city and state partners,” said Kang. “Efforts like AB 1941 are critical because they recognize this is not just a local issue, but a broader, organized problem that requires stronger enforcement, better data sharing, and real accountability.”
AB 1941 calls for prison time and a fine not to exceed $5,000. Text of the bill on the Legislature’s website states that “copper wire theft has repeatedly plunged entire neighborhoods and landmarks into darkness with repair costs exceeding $2,500,000 and thousands of feet of wire stolen” during the daytime.
“The Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting has reported unprecedented levels of streetlight outages, with nearly 46,000 service requests in 2024, of which approximately 40 percent were theft-related,” according to the bill.
There have been incidents of thieves cutting cables and finding fiber-optic lines instead of copper, which leads to disruptions of phone lines and internet, according to media reports.
The Center Square asked Southern California Edison, which supplies electricity throughout the region, about damage to infrastructure.
"Like utilities across the region, we see occasional theft targeting infrastructure and work closely with law enforcement, which is best positioned to speak to motives or specific incidents," SCE spokeswoman Diane Castro said.
