Jan. 23, 2026 7 AM PT
To the editor: This challenge of wire theft has been occurring for some years now (“Copper thefts turned these upscale L.A. streets pitch dark. Frustrated residents are fighting back,” Jan. 21). As an outside lighting skilled with greater than 60 years of expertise, this is a matter that, fairly frankly, could be very irritating. Why? As a result of for a minimum of the previous decade, I’ve tried mightily to get town of Los Angeles to pull itself into the twenty first century concerning photo voltaic road lighting.
I reside within the San Fernando Valley on a foremost road and thieves regularly steal the underground wiring of the streetlights, making a darkish hall. So, what did town do? It changed the wiring and “fortified” the underground pullboxes by tearing up and repairing the sidewalks (and never fixing any damaged areas!) and overlaying the pullboxes in concrete, marked within the cement as a deterrent.
What occurred subsequent? The vandals got here by, punched a gap within the concrete and eliminated the wire — once more.
I’ve provided my companies to the Bureau of Avenue Lighting to no avail. I’ve spoken with metropolis leaders after I get the prospect to no avail. I suppose from me, a median resident and citizen, the repair is simply too straightforward and won’t be thought of.
Take away the prevailing LED lighting fixtures. Substitute them with photo voltaic lighting fixtures. Take away the underground wiring and scrap to mitigate a few of the price of the sunshine swap. And eventually, repair the sidewalks.
Ricc Bieber, Northridge
