The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday considered an ordinance to establish a metal- and wire-theft reward program but did not adopt it, holding the measure over for a second reading after a divided vote. Council members voted in favor at first reading but the ordinance lacked the votes necessary for final passage and was held over to Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, for further consideration.

The proposal would create a reward program to encourage tips and arrests in cases of copper and other wire thefts that have caused prolonged outages and safety concerns in some neighborhoods. "Having a metal and wire theft reward program would enhance the public's ability to see something and say something, leading to arrest of individuals engaged in copper wire theft," said Ani Boyajan of the Central City Association during public comment, urging support for items 24 and 35 related to the issue.

Council member N. Sotto Martinez said she would vote no, arguing the reward program was a poor use of city resources based on testimony at a recent Public Safety Committee meeting. "I just didn't think this is the best use of city resources and time," Sotto Martinez said, noting that some private-sector rewards have not been effective and that the Bureau of Street Lighting has told the council most outages are due to maintenance issues rather than theft.

Clerks announced the roll-call results on the measure. An initial tally was reported as "9 ayes, 1 no." Clerk statements that followed recorded a corrected tally and the council then held the ordinance over to Oct. 21, 2025 for a second consideration because it did not receive the required majority for immediate adoption.

Supporters at the microphone and in written materials told the council that downtown Los Angeles has been disproportionately affected by copper- and wire-theft incidents, with extended outage-repair timelines that harm businesses and public safety. "On average, repairs can take more than 180 days," Ani Boyajan said, adding that the downtown area generates roughly 30% of the city's tax revenue and that outages depress nighttime activity and safety.

Opponents urged the council to focus on hardening infrastructure and increasing street-lighting maintenance, arguing those steps would more directly address outages than a reward program. Sotto Martinez noted that the Bureau of Street Lighting has said roughly 60% of streetlight outages are not caused by theft and called for additional funding and staffing for the bureau.

The measure will return to the council docket on Oct. 21, 2025, for a second reading and further debate. In the meantime, related items addressing copper theft in specific neighborhoods remain on the council's agenda and have drawn separate public-comment support.