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Sen. Stern seeks tougher valuation for copper-theft prosecutions, cities warn of infrastructure costs
Summary
SB 1266 would change how the value of stolen metal is calculated to reflect repair and public‑infrastructure costs; cities and telecoms supported the measure citing outages and high replacement bills, while public defenders cautioned it could convert misdemeanors into felonies and increase court costs.
Sen. Stern presented SB 1266 and accepted committee amendments clarifying that value does not include labor costs but may include destroyed equipment and infrastructure. He described municipal repair bills in the tens of millions and said: "It's costing us over $100,000,000 to do the retrofit" for public street lighting in his city.
US Telecom and city witnesses stressed the operational impacts: stolen copper can knock out streetlights, disrupt transit and 911 communications, and cause multi‑million‑dollar repair bills. Opponents including the California Public Defenders Association and ACLU argued the bill's valuation method would inflate theft values, turning many petty thefts into felonies and imposing substantial court and incarceration costs.
Sen. Stern pledged to continue discussions with cities and stakeholders and accepted an "I" recommendation from the chair; the committee noted additional conversations will be needed about valuation and local‑control impacts.
