Politics
City Council boosts copper wire theft crackdown with $200,000. Critics call it a waste
The Los Angeles City Council has dedicated an additional $200,000 toward the copper wire task force, tripling the funds focused on curtailing the theft of metal from public infrastructure.
Peter Brown, Councilmember Kevin De León’s communications director, said the initiative, dubbed the heavy metal task force, is the “most aggressive and proactive effort” to crack down on the thefts that have left predominantly working-class communities without adequate street lighting or internet service — and cost the city at least $17 million in repairs.
The money, which comes from De León’s discretionary funds, brings the total funding toward the endeavor to $600,000. It will be allocated to the Los Angeles Police Department, whose officers from Central, Newton, and Hollenbeck Divisions have led 26 operations in recent months, resulting in 82 arrests, 2,000 pounds of recovered copper wire and the confiscation of nine firearms.
Of the 82 arrests, 60 individuals are facing felony charges.
“This additional funding will enhance our ability to combat these destructive crimes and ensure that our neighborhoods can be safe and secure,” De León said in a statement Tuesday. “The success of the Heavy Metal Task Force sends a decisive message to criminals that Los Angeles will no longer allow you to use our city assets as your ATM. This ATM is closed. While we have had success with the results of the task force, we still have much more to do.”
Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martínez voted against the motion, which passed 12-2 Tuesday.
The streetlight outages are a “serious problem,” Soto-Martínez told The Times in a statement Thursday, but the issue may not necessarily be due to copper wire theft.
“We’ve discovered that around 70% of those outages are because of a lack of maintenance,” Soto-Martínez said. “Without seeing any data to suggest that this task force will actually prevent future vandalism and outages, our limited funds should be better spent in supporting the Bureau of Street Lighting in fixing lights that are currently out, while also supporting proven preventative measures like streetlight hardening and installing LED lights, which don’t use copper wire.”
Hernandez agreed and said she’d rather have resources devoted to efforts that “actually prevent thefts from happening in the first place,” such as the solar-powered street lights that were installed on streets in Van Nuys earlier this year.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León holds copper wire while giving interviews on July 30.
(Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times)
Instead, she said in a statement, the city has been “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results when it comes to copper wire theft.”
“Streetlights are out all over the city, and it currently takes almost a year to fix them, just for the cycle to repeat again,” Hernandez continued. “The Bureau of Street Lighting has started piloting solar powered lighting that eliminates the problem of copper wire theft and moves us closer to our renewable energy goals — but the City has only deployed a few hundred of these lights. It’s time to make investments in solutions that will get the lights back on for good.”
Hernandez and Soto-Martínez also voted against forming the task force in February, arguing that the endeavor focused more on punitive measures than prevention.
De León referenced the February meeting July 30 in a news conference announcing the results of the task force, saying the thefts were “not a victimless crime.”
The same day, De León and Councilmember Traci Park introduced motions instructing the Bureau of Street Lighting to brand its copper wire as city property and for City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto to draft an ordinance prohibiting the possession of telecommunications cable by any individual or business unaffiliated with telecommunications companies.
The council has yet to vote on those motions.
Politics
Manhattan DA’s office employee charged with sexual abuse after alleged incident on Queens subway
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
An analyst with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office was arrested Tuesday on allegations that he sexually abused a woman while off duty, police told Fox News Digital Wednesday.
Tauhid Dewan, 28, is accused of inappropriately touching a 40-year-old woman’s private area during a late-afternoon rush-hour subway ride in Queens, according to local outlet PIX11.
The victim was reportedly a random woman, the outlet added, citing sources who said she and the suspect were strangers.
A spokeswoman for the office told Fox News Digital that the staffer has since been suspended.
MAN ARRESTED IN NYC STRANGULATION DEATH OF WOMAN FOUND OUTSIDE TIMES SQUARE HOTEL
Tauhid Dewan, 28, was arrested in New York City Tuesday following allegations that the Manhattan DA staffer innapropriately touched a woman during a subway ride (LinkedIn)
According to the New York Police Department, Dewan was arrested around 5 p.m., possibly after returning from work.
PIX11 added that the arrest occurred minutes after the incident, which allegedly took place on a No. 7 train near the Junction Boulevard station.
He was subsequently arrested by the NYPD Transit Bureau and is facing multiple charges, including forcible touching on a bus or train, third-degree sexual abuse, and second-degree harassment involving physical contact.
He was also charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child under the age of 17, suggesting a minor may have been nearby and either witnessed the alleged conduct or was placed at risk by it.
ERIC SWALWELL FACES MANHATTAN SEX ASSAULT PROBE AFTER ENDING CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR CAMPAIGN AMID ALLEGATIONS
Tauhid Dewan is an employee of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which is led by DA Alvin Bragg. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Law enforcement sources said Dewan has no prior arrests, local outlets reported.
According to city records, Dewan has worked at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as a senior investigative analyst for nearly four years, since July 10, 2022.
People board a train at a subway station in New York City on Aug. 1, 2025. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
His arraignment in Queens Criminal Court was scheduled for Wednesday, according to state records.
SAN FRANCISCO — With the California governor’s race quickly approaching, six candidates will face off Wednesday evening in the first debate since former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race in the aftermath of sexual assault and misconduct allegations.
The debate takes place at a critical moment in the turbulent contest to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom. Ballots will start landing in Californians’ mailboxes in less than two weeks, and voters are split by a crowded field of eight prominent candidates. The debate also takes place after former state Controller Betty Yee ended her campaign because of a lack of resources and support in the polls.
Two Republicans — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton — and four Democrats — billionaire Tom Steyer, former Biden administration Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan — will take the stage at Nexstar’s KRON4 studios in San Francisco. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, both Democrats, were not invited to participate because of their low polling numbers.
As the candidates strive to distinguish themselves in a crowded field, the debate could include fiery exchanges about the role of money in politics and potential heightened attacks on Becerra, who has surged in the polls since Swalwell dropped out. With the debate taking place on Earth Day, environmental issues are also likely to be raised.
The Wednesday night gathering is the first televised debate in the gubernatorial contest since early February. Last month, USC canceled a debate hours before it was set to begin over mounting criticism that its criteria excluded all major candidates of color.
The 7 p.m. debate is hosted by Nexstar and will be moderated by KTXL FOX40 anchor Nikki Laurenzo and KTLA anchor Frank Buckley. It can be viewed on KRON4 (San Francisco), KTLA5 (Los Angeles), KSWB/KUSI (San Diego), KTXL (Sacramento), KGET (Bakersfield) and KSEE (Fresno). NewsNation will also air the debate.
new video loaded: Virginia Voters Approve New Map Favoring Democrats
By Shawn Paik
April 22, 2026
-
Science45 seconds agoOn Earth Day, House Cancels Vote to Narrow Endangered Species Protections
-
Health7 minutes agoHow Well Will You Age? Take Our Quiz to Find Out.
-
Culture19 minutes agoPoetry Challenge Day 4: What The Stars Can Teach Us About Love
-
Lifestyle25 minutes agoThe Japanese Designers Changing Men’s Wear
-
Education31 minutes agoOpinion | Yale Has Come Up With a Surefire Way to Make a Terrible Situation Worse
-
Technology37 minutes agoThe Iranian women Trump ‘saved’ from execution are simultaneously real and AI-manipulated
-
World43 minutes agoFormer Mexican beauty queen found shot dead as investigators examine possible family involvement: reports
-
Politics49 minutes agoManhattan DA’s office employee charged with sexual abuse after alleged incident on Queens subway