Vandalism Damages Vacant Schools in California

A series of break-ins and vandalism has damaged shuttered schools in Santa Rosa and San Jose. At Steele Lane Elementary in Santa Rosa, police say about 5,000 feet of copper wire may have been stolen, with total damage estimated at $260,000; library books, furniture and electronics were also destroyed. Staff saw two women and a man in a wheelchair at the campus, but investigators have not established whether the library vandalism was connected to the theft; Santa Rosa also reported nearly $200,000 in damage at Brook Hill Elementary. In San Jose, vacant Alum Rock district campuses have been targeted: Joseph George Middle School sustained an estimated $200,000 in damage in a repeat incident, while Meyer Elementary was reportedly ransacked and stripped of wiring. The incidents have intensified pressure on school officials to secure unused properties, several of which remain vacant after closures.