Los Angeles has a streetlight problem. For years, copper thieves have been stealing the copper wiring that powers the streetlights. In addition to the cost problem, this doesn’t bode well for EV curbside charging.
Los Angeles leaders are asking property owners to approve a Proposition 218 measure that would significantly increase fees to fund a $125 million plan to replace more than 200,000 streetlights.
City officials say outdated funding and widespread copper theft have left tens of thousands of streetlights in disrepair, with more than 32,000 repair requests still pending.
Replace the copper with aluminum wiring. The scrap value of aluminum is about 1/10th that of copper. It takes more volume and is hardly worth the effort. Aluminum wiring is as safe as copper when properly installed, it got the bad reputation when aluminum and copper wiring were improperly joined, as they have different expansion/contraction rates and the joints often produced arcs and fires.
Galvanic corrosion is a common problem w mixed metals. The more reactive metal collects all the corrosion. The reason zinc is often used to protect iron. Galvanizing. Or even zinc blocks next to steel.