The Region : Gang Members Aid Landmark Cleanup

Former gang members are repainting the city’s landmark “HOLLYWOOD” sign and spraying it with a coating that will make it easier to wash off the graffiti that mar the 45-foot letters, officials announced. Textured Coating of America donated about $25,000 to repaint and cover the famous letters with Graffiti Gard, the same substance used to protect 10 freeway murals painted before the 1984 Summer Olympics. Monique Moss, spokeswoman for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said four former youth gang members and employees of the paint company will spend three to five days freshening up the giant letters that loom over the Hollywood area. Although it cannot be seen from a distance, Moss said graffiti have always covered the lower 15 feet of the first few letters.