Copper Wire Theft Bill in Awaits Governor's Signature in California

If signed, the bill will go into effect on Jan 1, 2026.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Local and state leaders urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign the bill aimed at curbing copper wire theft across California.

Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez wrote bill AB 476, which is currently awaiting Newsom's signature. The governor has until October 12, 2025, to either veto or sign the bill into law. The measure will take effect on January 1, 2026, if it is signed.

In order to more accurately represent the enormous costs of infrastructure replacement and damage, AB 476 suggests significantly increasing the penalty for offenders. It mandates that recyclers and scrap metal dealers keep thorough records, including confirming the legitimacy of the sellers' identities. Additionally, it will impose tight limitations on the sale of specific items, like metals from lamps, plaques, and traffic signals.

It is important to remember that copper wire thefts are still becoming a bigger problem throughout the state. Several areas have had public outages as a result of the thefts. Critical infrastructure repairs also cost the city millions of dollars.

Gonzalez pointed out that copper wire thefts are an annoyance and a direct assault on state infrastructure and public safety.

According to approximations, copper theft accounted for around 40% of all service requests for street light outages in the city of Los Angeles in 2024. Nearly 38,000 feet of copper wire, worth around $11,000, were taken from the 6th Street Bridge alone. Remarkably, the city had to pay over $2.5 million to fix it.

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