LA goes dark amid 'rampant' copper theft, city offers solar streetlights
By Kenneth Schrupp | The Center Square 15 hrs ago
(The Center Square) - “Rampant copper wire theft” is plunging Los Angeles into darkness, leading city officials to install solar-powered streetlights as a fortification measure.
Critics say undaunted thieves will just steal the valuable solar panels. They also wonder why Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is focusing on making infrastructure harder to steal instead of addressing theft itself.
“This installation is a result of Mayor Bass’ focus on improving city services and infrastructure for Angelenos by finding innovative and new ways to solve longstanding city challenges like rampant copper wire theft,” said Bass’s office in a statement. “Solar lighting disrupts the cycle of vandalism and robbery, providing a resilient and sustainable solution to dark streets caused by copper wire theft.”
Roxanne Hoge, chairwoman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, shared her concern that the solar panels will also be stolen as thieves continue to operate with impunity.
“Karen Bass once again proves her unsuitability for the job of mayor by ignoring the root cause — namely, thievery — and rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic,” said Hoge to The Center Square. “You get more behavior you reward, and she's incentivized copper theft, which will now become solar panel theft.”
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