State bill waiting to be signed by Gov. Newsom would penalize the purchase of stolen copper wire

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Local leaders are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to crack down on copper wire theft.

On Monday, Los Angeles leaders, from public safety to city council and the business community, gathered below one of the many targets of copper wire theft -- the Sixth Street Bridge. They're urging Newsom to sign AB 476 -- a bill that would bring stricter penalties and enforcement to those paying for stolen metal.

"These folks are not stealing it to use it. They're stealing it to turn it into money, and if you can go after the illegal recyclers and the junk dealers out there, and shut down, basically, the demand side of it, the supply side will dry up," said L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

"By the time arrests are made, the lights are already out. AB 476 shifts focus to prevention, transparency and accountability. Make sure that families aren't left in the dark and that public resources serve residents equitably and effectively," said L.A. Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado.

The bill forces junk dealers and recyclers to collect detailed records and a signed statement verifying the seller's identity and lawful ownership. Also, scrap metal from essential infrastructure like streetlights and traffic signals would be illegal to possess without proper documentation.

For months, ABC7 On Your Side Investigates has reported on people without AT&T landline phone service due to copper wire theft. The outages have impacted medical alert services and the work of first responders, including the Los Angeles Fire Department.

"The fact that people are stealing these copper wire thefts, bringing them over to these recyclers. They're getting paid out completely without any real identification or indicators to who they are, where they came from, or where the wires themselves were even brought from," said California Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez.

For months, the lights have been out on the Sixth Street Bridge, which connects the Arts District to Boyle Heights. The stolen copper wire from the bridge has a street value of roughly $11,000, but repairs to the bridge and fortifying new lights to prevent future theft will cost the city roughly $2.5 million.

"Taxpayers should be incensed, they should be incredibly enraged, and channel that rage to make sure that Gov.Newsom signs AB 476," Hochman said.

Newsom has one more week to sign AB 476, which is opposed by the Recycled Materials Association.