After receiving complaints of unlit streets and broken lights, Riverside Councilmember Sean Mill is now championing an ordinance that, if passed, he said could deter copper wire theft throughout the city.
“It actually goes back to before I got in office,” Mill said. “That’s when I found out the reason that the lights weren’t working is because someone had stolen the copper wiring out of them.”
The proposed ordinance would create new restrictions on scrap metal businesses within the city, including lowering the amount of cash given to a seller in a single transaction by half and requiring a $50,000 surety bond from each scrap metal business.
“We’re going to go after the people who are buying it,” Mill said. “The more unattractive it is to these criminals, the better chances they are going to go to Corona to steal the copper wire or some other city.”
Riverside Public Utilities’ assistant general manager Daniel Honeyfield said his department had replaced an estimated 60,000 feet of stolen wire in the past four months.
He said his department is attempting new strategies to curb theft, including replacing stolen copper with aluminum — a less profitable material — and looking into purchasing solar-powered light poles. He said his team also requested police patrol in certain areas.
“We’ve been having a really difficult time maintaining our wire supply,” Honeyfield said.
Mill explained he initially looked to crack down on the thieves, but ultimately decided to ask the city attorney’s office to create tighter restrictions on scrap metal dealers.
The proposed ordinance mirrors regulations on junk dealers set by California’s Business and Professions Code. Both the state’s code and the proposal require junk dealers to keep a written record of transactions and various forms of identifying information. They also require the businesses to report transactions to the police department daily and allow periodic inspections. The penalties for not abiding by the regulations are also the same: a mixture of fines, prison sentences and license suspensions.
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City Attorney Jack Liu explained, in a phone call with The Riverside Record, that the similarities are intentional as it would give Riverside the ability to enforce the ordinance. The California code, according to Liu, is currently enforced through the District Attorney’s office.
The proposed ordinance would also create a minimum age requirement and limit operation hours.
Jonathan Jaffee, who manages the Cash4Cans recycling center in Riverside, said he understands the reasoning behind the effort but believes the ordinance won’t curb the theft.
“Sure, you can do all of these things, but how about enforcing this three-day hold policy,” Jaffee said, pointing to California’s code that requires a three-day hold on payments over $20. “That is a law that is completely unenforced.”
He added that, from his experience, most thieves either go to neighboring cities to sell stolen copper or chop it up to sell slowly over time. Jaffee said he would prefer the city collaborate with his business to find and report stolen wire rather than further restricting his work.
Councilmember Mill, however, was adamant that his proposed ordinance would be a better solution.
“We’re dealing with millions of dollars worth of theft here in our city,” Mill said. “If I can make it unattractive for folks to do this type of behavior in our city, and it takes holding scrap dealers a little more accountable, then I’m more [than] happy with any criticism they want to throw my way.”
The proposal has already passed through the city council’s Safety, Wellness and Youth Committee and is slated to be discussed at the council’s March 11 meeting.
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