Overview

• AB 476 passed the California Assembly and Senate unanimously and now awaits the governor’s decision, with about a week remaining to sign.
• At a Monday event below the Sixth Street Bridge, officials including Assemblymember Mark González, District Attorney Nathan Hochman and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado urged a signature alongside LAPD and community leaders.
• The proposal requires recyclers to document transactions, verify IDs and lawful ownership with signed statements, and bars possession of materials from public infrastructure such as streetlights, traffic signals and EV chargers without authorization.
• Fines would increase for buyers who knowingly purchase materials belonging to public entities without confirming seller authorization, and prosecutors pledged aggressive enforcement against illegal junk dealers if the bill becomes law.
• Officials cited widespread damage and outages, including a darkened Sixth Street Bridge and tens of thousands of streetlight complaints, as the city advances a $2.5 million plan to fortify and relight the span with design work beginning this fall.