In response to a rash of copper wire theft, hundreds of solar-powered street lights will be installed in Filipinotown, Mayor Karen Bass announced Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning, Bass joined Bureau of Street Lighting crews who were installing the new lights, which she said will help disrupt the cycle of vandalism and robbery, and serve as a sustainable solution to dark streets.
“We are using new and innovative ways to improve city services for Angelenos — from modernizing the MyLA311 system to installing new solar lighting,” Bass said in a statement. “The city is taking action to make your neighborhoods safer and cleaner.”
Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, who represents the First District, which includes Filipinotown, called the investment a “win for our communities.”
“We’re reducing our carbon footprint, we’re deterring copper wire theft, and we’re tackling the street light backlog in the neighborhoods that need it most,” Hernandez added.
According to the Mayor’s Office, later this week, the Bureau of Street Lighting will install similar lights in the Watts area.
Last year, Bass initiated the first phase of this endeavor with the installation of more than 100 solar-powered street lights in Van Nuys for residents and a nearby elementary school.
Elected officials have taken steps to crack down on copper wire theft by funding specialized Los Angeles Police Department task forces and other measures. The city has also grappled with rampant theft of precious metal from city plaques, tombstones and statues, among other things.
Copper wire theft has sometimes left city neighborhoods in the dark, including the Sixth Street Viaduct Bridge, which was a target for thieves.
These Solar Lighting installations are not new to the City of Los Angeles at all.
Current LA Mayor 2026 candidate Asaad Alnajjar have been installing since 2010 in the City of Los Angeles thousands of solar lights, solar panels on street lighting poles and other green energy products.
Alnajjar for the past 35 years have been part of the design-build team many Transit & Infrastructure projects in the City of LA.
It’s time for new era for the City of LA.