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LOS ANGELES () — Local politicians, law enforcement officials and business leaders are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a bill they say would help crack down on copper theft rings responsible for cutting phone service and leaving streetlights dark across Los Angeles and other Californian cities.
New data obtained by 7 On Your Side Investigates through records requests shows the scale of the problem. Since last year, just over 27,000 feet of communications cable have been stolen from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. That’s roughly five miles of cable — the height of a commercial jet’s cruising altitude if stretched vertically. It’s also the length of 90 football fields or 165 Olympic swimming pools laid end to end.
On Monday, a coalition of local leaders called on Newsom to approve AB 1941, which would create a new crime called “organized metal theft.” Under the proposal, teaming up to steal or buy stolen metal could carry a penalty of up to one year in jail.
“California’s infrastructure is not yours to steal. We have an opportunity to give prosecutors a stronger tool to hold organized metal thieves accountable and protecting the systems that keep our communities safe and connected,” Assembly Member Mark González said during a news conference.
González, who represents part of Los Angeles and sponsored the bill, spoke from the 6th Street Bridge — a structure repeatedly targeted by thieves. At night, the bridge has often gone completely dark after streetlight wiring was ripped out. According to González, taxpayers have spent $11 million replacing cables stolen from that bridge alone.
The bill now awaits action from the governor.
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