Los Angeles grapples with soaring copper theft and stalled infrastructure projects

The Sixth Street Bridge, finished in 2022 at a cost of $588 million, now sits without power after thieves removed almost seven miles of copper wiring, with repairs estimated at $2.5 million. Citywide copper theft has risen sharply, contributing to a shortage of functional streetlights and extending repair timelines. A 2016 settlement obligates $1.4 billion for sidewalk upgrades, yet progress remains minimal and litigation has already consumed more than $86 million.

Street resurfacing has stalled, with fewer than 10 miles repaired in the first nine months of the fiscal year, while officials forecast $15 billion in repair needs by 2035. Councilmember Nithya Raman, a Democratic socialist mayoral candidate, shared a social‑media post showing a newly painted crosswalk stripe laid over a cracked street surface.