Gavin Newsom fancies himself as a future top Presidential contender.
But his political ambitions could be limited by the problems in his state.
And Gavin Newsom was groaning after this scary reality in Los Angeles was exposed.
Copper thieves leave Los Angeles residents stuck paying a phone bill with no service
Copper has become a popular target for thieves in California looking to make a quick buck.
Thieves have targeted electric vehicle charging stations, traffic lights, and utility lines looking for copper to steal.
It’s sold to scrap yards that buy it by the pound.
Residents of the Hacienda Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles have seen their phone service knocked out because of copper thieves in the area targeting utility poles and other infrastructure.
Landline phone service has been down for months and residents have gotten no updates when it could be turned back on.
79-year-old Michael Weiner told the Los Angeles Times that his phone company, Frontier Communications, has been billing him for the last six months even though he can’t get a dial tone anymore.
“No one contacted us to let us know. I had wasted so many hours trying to contact them,” Weiner said. “We live in a kind of a fire zone, so we’re always concerned about emergencies. We’re senior citizens. If there’s a health emergency between my wife and myself, it could be a problem if we can’t make a phone call.”
Phone companies can’t keep up with the volume of theft
Frontier Communications vice president of external affairs Doug McAllister said the repairs have been made in Hacienda Heights but thieves continue to cause setbacks.
“We’ve had so much cable theft we’re running out of copper,” McAllister said. “What happens is when we get it shipped to us, we put it up, we turn our backs and it’s gone again.”
Frontier Communications put up a $5,000 reward to anyone who could help lead to the arrest of the copper thieves.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis sweetened the pot with a $20,000 reward.
“I am committed to continue supporting our Sheriff’s Department of its effort to solve these crimes,” Solis said.
65-year-old Hacienda Heights resident Diana Arnold had to switch phone companies because Frontier was taking so long with its repairs.
“It’s not just a landline, it’s a lifeline,” Arnold stated.
Glen A. Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights had to cancel classes after the power was knocked out after a copper theft.
“The copper wire theft shut down Wilson High School’s electrical, computers, and phone systems. Copper wire thieves are preying on schools and stealing thousands of dollars of valuable material,” Hacienda La Puente Unified School District Assistant Superintendent John Lovato said. “This theft is severely impacting student learning and programs.”
Copper theft has become an epidemic across California under Governor Gavin Newsom.
Oakland shut down traffic lights at some busy intersections after thieves routinely stripped the copper from utility poles.
The pro-crime policies from Democrats have turned California into a playground for criminals.
