AG Rob Bonta promises to crack down on copper wire thefts plaguing CA

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta highlighted his office's efforts to crack down on copper wire theft at a news conference Thursday.

Bonta says his team is focused on assisting local jurisdictions around the state.

The AG also issued a new bulletin for law enforcement agencies summarizing existing California laws regarding copper theft and recyclers' obligations to report any copper transactions.

Copper theft has risen across California, including right here in the Bay Area.

During his news conference, Bonta even mentioned one prominent theft that happened in Solano County earlier this year.

MORE: SJ woman repeatedly loses service due to copper wire thefts; 2 caught with 150 lbs of phone lines

"This past January, a K-8 school in Vallejo was shut down for over a week after copper wire theft left them without power. More than 600 students and their families were left high and dry," Bonta said.

ABC7 News covered that school closure as events unfolded.

Vallejo hasn't been the only local city impacted though.

The Oakland Coliseum DMV has been shut down since April after thieves did extensive damage to the facility following a copper wire theft.

Oakland City Councilmember Noel Gallo says he sees the problem everywhere in the city.

MORE: Suspects arrested after targeting copper in Morgan Hill light poles, causing $20K in damages

"You drive down streets, the lights are all turned off. Because somebody went into the electrical mainline. Or you look at the signals. I drove past the signals here on east 12th, they're shut down," Gallo said.

Gallo says while he appreciates Bonta's efforts, he thinks local municipalities need to do more to stop these types of theft.

"Because we all know where it's happening, when it happens, who's doing it. But we just need to enforce the rules that we do have," Gallo said.

But with these thefts bleeding across city lines, Bonta says it'll take everyone's efforts to get the situation more under control.

"The people who foot the bill are you and me and us. Taxpayers, the public, law abiding Californians who had no role in the destruction and that cannot continue," Bonta said.