Los Angeles: Want Your Streetlights to Work Again? Pay Up
Los Angeles faces widespread copper theft from streetlights, plunging neighborhoods into darkness. A low-cost solution involving protective covers costing $300 per unit has been rejected by city officials despite proven effectiveness. Instead, the city is considering a far more expensive switch to solar-powered streetlights costing up to $6,000 each, while asking residents to fund repairs through ballots.
- ▪Copper theft from streetlights has caused widespread outages across Los Angeles neighborhoods.
- ▪End Metal Theft developed a $300 locking cover that deters theft and has proven effective in places like Glendale.
- ▪City officials rejected the low-cost cover in favor of solar streetlights that could cost up to $6,000 per unit.
- ▪Los Angeles is sending ballots to residents asking them to pay for streetlights near their homes.
- ▪Mark James of End Metal Theft stated that criminals shifted to unprotected areas after secure covers were installed, proving their effectiveness.
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Los Angeles: Want Your Streetlights to Work Again? Pay Up David Strom 7:20 PM | May 01, 2026 AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki When there is an inexpensive solution to a big problem, what do you think the Los Angeles City government will choose to do?Find something mind-bogglingly expensive, of course. Because it's somebody else's money, and surely they can find a way to funnel some money to their friends and their union supporters. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display("div-gpt-300x250_4"); //googletag.pubads().refresh([gptAdSlot["div-gpt-300x250_4"]]) }); LA banned this device that protects lampposts from having their copper stolen because it would prevent the union overtime hours generated by repairing said copper thefts.
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