Copper wire thefts are leaving some Los Angeles neighborhoods in the dark - a growing issue costing the city millions.
"It's their neighborhood asset," said Miguel Sangalang, director of the L.A. Bureau of Street Lighting."It allows them to really go around at night -- to interact with others.""Folks who are in a desperate situation or who unfortunately see this as an opportunity - they're doing it for cash," said city Councilmember Bob Blumenfield.The city, meanwhile, has added $4 million to help fix the issue, as it has grown in the past four years.That's citywide.
In Tarzana, crews have continued repairing and replacing the power sources by putting reinforcements underground, then sealing it with cement. However, when there's an electrical issue, the extra protection makes it that much more difficult to fix it. Blumenthal says people determined enough can and have broken through the reinforcements.
Long-term, the city is testing out different ways to power the poles, through solar with wires at the top of the lamp, or with materials that are less of a target. Officials also urge people report thefts in progress to the police, and ones that were already done to 311. "The predominant way that we find out about outages is through people," Sangalang said."Through residents and businesses that let us know."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
2021: El año de la recuperación y la renovaciónLa vida en 2021 volvió a ser algo parecido a la normalidad, con los estadios de nuevo llenos, los cierres reducidos y los niños de vuelta a clase. Pero también hubo acontecimientos que nos recordaron que la verdadera normalidad sigue estando lejos.
Read more »
LA County Surpasses 16,000 COVID cases, Hospitalizations Over 1,000Two weeks ago, on Dec. 15, there were 1,850 new cases and 751 hospitalizations. There have not been over 1,000 hospitalizations because of COVID-19 since Sept. 20.
Read more »
“Rebuilding” L.A. After the RiotsSubscribe to Slate Plus to hear an extended interview with KarenBassLA about the atmosphere in South Central L.A. in the early 90s and the efforts to rebuild the community after the riots.
Read more »
La pandemia transformó la televisión. Un nuevo informe muestra el impacto duraderoCalifornia es el hogar de la televisión guionizada, pero cuando llegó el COVID-19, el Estado Dorado experimentó el mayor golpe, según un nuevo informe.
Read more »
Warnings Issued For LA County Burn Areas; State Resources In PositionLos Angeles County Public Works issued its own winter storm warning Wednesday to people in burn areas, with the potential for heavy rain looming in Southern California.
Read more »