Much of Hancock Park has lost its lights for months – and it will be many more months of what residents say are “pitch black” streets and prowling burglars before it’s fixed.
So the neighbors were improving themselves.
Last fall, copper thieves robbed about a dozen public streetlights over three city blocks, leaving the area in darkness.
Walking down Orange Drive feels treacherous – like “something out of ‘The Twilight Zone'” – said one resident.
“We’ve had cars stolen. We’ve had break-ins. It sounds dangerous,” said homeowner David Barlag.
A solar-powered light attached to a defunct street light illuminates part of the sidewalk along Orange Drive in Hancock Park. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
These incidents of theft were reported to the Department of Public Works in this city in October, but residents were given a period of nine months to fix it.
To make matters worse, repair times may be delayed even more after looters clear out the city’s yard that stores so much wire, Police Department Chief Harris Cho said at a recent Wilshire Neighborhood Council meeting.
“The warehouse that has all kinds of cables and wires that we need to fix these lights … was broken into and all of that was stolen,” said Sixto Sicilia, of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council.
Neither the Los Angeles Police Department nor the Department of Public Works returned calls seeking comment.
So some Hancock Park residents — who faced a nearly year-long wait before their streets could emerge from darkness — tried to come up with their own solutions. Homeowners pooled their money to buy and attach temporary solar lights to disabled light poles.
1. Working street lights along Orange Drive in Hancock Park. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times) 2. A solar-powered light attached to a defunct street light illuminates part of the sidewalk along Orange Drive in Hancock Park. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Although they are of some help, visibility is still poor, Barlag said.
The problem is not confined to Hancock Park. The infamous cable theft left the 6th Street Bridge in the shadows months after it opened to the public. And in Pico Union, the pedestrians were bull they were pointed at by the attackers and strengthened by the cover of night.
Such theft can seriously disrupt 911 emergency systems and other communications. Last year, copper wire thieves were accused of cutting off telephone service seniors in South Los Angeles. The next month, it caused thieves widespread internet service disruptions that affected Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Electronic service requests for street light repairs in Los Angeles have increased over the past few years, according to data from the Bureau of Street Lighting.
The city applied for an electronic traffic light service in 2018. Applications have increased since then, reaching an all-time high of 46,079 in 2024, the last full year of data available. In the early months of 2025, LA neighborhoods were reported unprecedented street light failuremainly due to theft and vandalism.
“Neighbors are broken into many times. For the streets to be dark like this is very dangerous,” Sicilia said. “We have had situations where homes are broken into, people pass by, no one has seen.”
Residents now take turns patrolling the area to prevent crime themselves. Many have also installed camera systems and burglar alarms. Others pay private, armed security companies that they believe will respond to security calls faster than law enforcement.
A solar powered light installed by local resident David Barlag is attached to a defunct street light near Orange Drive in Hancock Park.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Last year, lawmakers passed legislation regulating scrap-metal mills to curb the illegal trade. Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October, Assembly Bill 476 increases the penalties for thieves and requires junk dealers to collect detailed records verifying the dealer’s identity and proof of ownership.
Between lighting and private security, some residents feel they are doing City Hall’s job.
“I pay $1,000 a month in taxes on my house. What do I get for my $1,000?” Barlag asked. “The city is not providing, and if they do, it’s just a finger in the pond.”
