Escondido increasing graffiti removal, prosecutions
By: PAUL EAKINS - Staff Writer | ∞
An Escondido graffitti coordinator paints over graffitti on a wall beside Centre City Parkway on Friday morning.
BILL WECHTER Staff Photographer
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ESCONDIDO ---- Early most mornings, city workers serving Escondido's Appearance and Compliance Team head out with cans of paint to cover up the graffiti left on walls, fences, utility boxes and anything else targeted by taggers and gang members.
The graffiti removal is just one mission of the appearance and compliance team, a multi-tiered program that was formed last March, and city officials say the team is beginning to hit its stride.
At an Escondido City Council meeting earlier this month, officials presented a report that says the city is increasing the amount of graffiti it removes, is improving code enforcement and is prosecuting more people for violating city ordinances. Council members have applauded the effort.
"I think it's extremely effective," Councilman Ed Gallo said recently. "When you look at the numbers, it's really a result-oriented problem. We're making some headway here."
The appearance and compliance team was formed by City Manager Clay Phillips last year to address a continuing council focus on improving the city's image and appearance. In June, the City Council approved a nearly $1 million budget for the team.
Many city entities work together on the team, including the city attorney's office, the Escondido Fire Department, Housing and Neighborhood Services, the Escondido Police Department, the Community Development Department and others.
Jon Brindle, the city's director of community development who leads the team, said this month that the groups are learning to work more closely together to improve the team's effectiveness. And it seems to be paying off, he said.
"I think the ACT team has been really a model of how the different resources are brought to bear to improve city appearance," Brindle said.
The team conducted monthly sweeps last year in which as many as 50 police officers, code enforcement officers, graffiti removal workers and other team members moved through neighborhoods looking for graffiti and code violations. The sweeps especially target violations such as illegal garage conversions, cars parked in yards, illegal signage, improperly maintained properties and stray shopping carts, officials said.
According to the team's report presented to the council, the number of land parcels examined in the sweeps was more than 100 each month from March to November, with more than 500 parcels being reviewed in December. Hundreds of code violations and instances of graffiti were discovered during the sweeps in 2006.
Brindle said the amount of graffiti removed overall also increased throughout the year as the appearance and compliance team improved its effectiveness and word spread about the city's graffiti hotline: (760) 839-4OFF.
The amount of graffiti removed in the city increased from 726 in May to 1,466 in December, the report says.
By removing graffiti soon after it's reported ---- ideally within 12 to 14 hours ---- taggers and gang members hopefully will become discouraged and eventually cease their vandalism altogether, Brindle said.
The report also says 31 of 117 businesses that provide shopping carts have submitted plans to the city for keeping their shopping carts on their property, and that 41 criminal complaints regarding code violations have been submitted to the city attorney's office.
Assistant City Attorney Jennifer McCain said a reward system that pays people for information leading to the arrest and conviction of graffiti offenders has helped her office to prosecute the criminals, as has a graffiti tracking system used by the police.
The police track graffiti by photographing it, documenting it and looking for similar graffiti. Taggers often are responsible for many instances of graffiti and paint the same phrase or symbol, which means when they are arrested they can be charged for multiple offenses, McCain said.
McCain noted one case in which a man was convicted of doing more than $13,000 in damage with his graffiti and the city now garnishes his wages to pay the money back.
"The dollar's really what's going to impact (graffiti offenders)," McCain said.
Brindle said the appearance and compliance team is continually re-evaluating itself to improve its operation. But, he said, it already seems to be having a positive impact on the community.
"Our hopes are that a lot of the concerns will diminish over time, particularly the shopping carts and the graffiti," Brindle said.
-- Contact staff writer Paul Eakins at (760) 740-5420 or peakins@nctimes.com.
Graffiti removed in 2006 (in number of instances)
May 726
June 645
July 671
August 710
September 746
October 1,140
November 1,115
December 1,466
-- Source: City of Escondido Appearance and Compliance Team
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Graffiti wrote on Jan 24, 2007 5:51 AM:According to the list above, the amount of graffiti has doubled between May and December. Brindle hopes that removing it quickly will discourage graffiti. Obviously that hasn't been the case. There are many plants that provied a simple solution...Creeping Fig for instance. It's a small leafed vine that quickly grows to a dense wall/fence covering. It should be planted in front of every wall in town. Other options are hedges (preferably with big thorns) that discourage taggers from getting close enough to a wall or fence. There's also technology that is sensitive to the sound of a spray paint can. It automatically notifies police. It's called Tagger Trap.
Beans for Brains wrote on Jan 24, 2007 5:55 AM:Why is a graffiti coordinator doing the graffiti removal? Shouldn't an arrested gang banger be made to do it under the watchful eye of law enforcement? That would be a humbling experience for the banger because he/she would have to erase the "message". Think about it.
esteban wrote on Jan 24, 2007 8:31 AM:There MUST be harsher penalties for vandalism. I think after your 2nd conviction, you have shown you awill not comply...so you should start losing fingers. Ever see graffiti in the middle east?????
Tax Payer wrote on Jan 24, 2007 8:32 AM:Why garnish the looser's wages? How about putting him in jail?
Esco Local wrote on Jan 24, 2007 9:36 AM:Hey NCT, how many total arrests have been made? And how many convictions? You list only one. My bet is that the City isn't making the arrests.
bryan wrote on Jan 24, 2007 9:43 AM:Great work Escondido city council, If you act now you just may save this city. I may not have to sell my home and leave after all.
Todd wrote on Jan 24, 2007 9:52 AM:Make their parents clean it up or cut their thumbs off.
AResident wrote on Jan 24, 2007 10:11 AM:What happened to the law that you have to be 18 to buy paint? Why aren't the stores gathering ID from anyone that buy's spray paint? What would the harm be? Have the purchaser have his/her picture taken upon purchase. If you are legal who cares. You couold have the stores provide the paint purchase info on a daily/weekly basis to this agency. Then, when you go to clean green paint you know who and when it was purchased. WOW!! What an easy way of catching the taggers. Of course, you would have to get the surounding city's to do the same. Also, possibly the body shops that mix paint in rattle can. Just look at afew of those workers.
Gary in Murrieta wrote on Jan 24, 2007 1:07 PM:When I drive home from San Diego, this afternoon I will check to see if last weeks graffiti is still on the bridge overpass just South of the 78.
Skip wrote on Jan 24, 2007 1:10 PM:RE: the amount of graffiti has doubled between May and December >>> The amount of gang activity is also rising, and the amounts of Illegal Aliens moving into Escondido have also been rising. They have to mark their new turff somehow.
anomaly wrote on Jan 24, 2007 3:22 PM:This city is in need of some real fixing up. It's nice to see their trying to put another band aid on the problem, but can they at least match their own colors, the city looks like a giant patchwork quilt. I've lived here for 45 years and this city has NEVER looked so bad, and graffiti isn't its only problem.
Bro Rufus to SKIP wrote on Jan 24, 2007 3:54 PM:Yo Skipper! They can mark their territory like a dog or cat would. And they can start at YO HOUSE!!!
We need leaders that will ask Singapore for advice on zero graffiti wrote on Jan 24, 2007 4:25 PM:Having traveled to Singapore a few times I noticed no walls with graffiti on them. What a clean country. There are tens of thousands of youths living in Singapore and no graffiti is on the walls. How is this possible? Could the US ever train our teenagers and young adults to respect their countries property and not defame it? Seems that in Singapore everyone knows that they will be punished if caught tagging. In the US everyone knows that no punishment will be given.
Gary in Murrieta wrote on Jan 24, 2007 4:28 PM:I did not notice the graffiti that I saw last week, but I did notice that while driving under the 78 bridge that there was graffiti on every pillar on both sides of the freeway and also on the concrete road dividers. If anyone from city government sees this blog, please pass the word.
To Gary wrote on Jan 24, 2007 4:37 PM:Gary, you need to report it (and myself and others will appreciate your efforts!). Call the hotline listed above, or go to the web site http://www.ci.escondido.ca.us/depts/cs/report/form.html
Library Nerd wrote on Jan 24, 2007 6:33 PM:Hi Bro Rufus...I mean,,YO BRO!!! They can mark Yo Skipper house? How do you feel about graffiti Bro...you like?
Getaclue wrote on Jan 24, 2007 8:08 PM:The city does not clean up graffiti on the freeway. Cal-Trans handles everything on their freeway.
trent wrote on Jan 25, 2007 9:54 AM:Gangs and graffiti are destroying this city. We should have minimum prison sentences for these crimes. If you are caught just being a gang member 20 years. Caught doing graffiti 19 years. i know you liberals will complain they are only expressing themselves and the ACLU will say gang members have the right to sell drugs and kill innocent people.
gripy people wrote on Jan 25, 2007 10:26 AM:I'm starting to think some of you just sit around and bitch constantly at everything. It's always the same goons on here complaining about stuff. If I led you to a pot of pure gold, you would probably bitch about having to open the lock. Get positive, or get gone people. Sell your house and move and do us all a favor.
anomaly wrote on Jan 25, 2007 12:22 PM:Actually, "gripy people" This is the first time I have ever responded to an article on here. Obviously your the one sitting around reading this all the time or you wouldn't be noticing names. This city looks terrible and everyone is starting to notice. Maybe you enjoy graffiti, trash, laundry hanging on fences, and several other code voilations. I would like to see the city take notice and get their rose colored glasses off and save this city before it's too late.
gary wrote on Jan 25, 2007 4:17 PM:"gripy people" must be a parent of a gang member or an illegal. When you say to get posative you mean ignore the huge problems that city has? and to ignore crime and murders and robberies? The silent majority is fed up and we want our city back. Again the city council has state that escondido is not a sanctuary city and all illegals are not welcome in this city. Illegals move on to another city that welcomes illegals, like nasty city.
Admit It wrote on Jan 30, 2007 11:50 PM:Despite all of the readers accusing others of being racist, there is no more profound evidence than this widespread proliferation of graffiti all over Escondido that undeniably gives this town a major black eye and indisputable Mexican problem.
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