L.A. officials urge Gov. Newsom to sign bill to combat copper

As Southern California continues to grapple with widespread copper wire thefts that have left neighborhoods in the dark, elected officials today urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign new legislation aimed at cracking down on the crimes.

Assemblyman Mark González, whose district includes Boyle Heights, led a news conference in downtown Los Angeles with L.A. County and city leaders to encourage Newsom to sign AB 476 , which they said would strengthen enforcement tools and help protect critical infrastructure from copper wire theft.

In the L.A. area, more than 38,000 feet -- or about seven miles -- of copper wire have been stolen from the Sixth Street Bridge, resulting in $2.5 million in taxpayer-funded repairs.

The city's Bureau of Street Lighting has also reported nearly 46,000 service req