Council Approves Graffiti Ordinance

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday agreed to charge uncooperative property owners for the cost of removing graffiti from their premises. But members stopped short of imposing criminal penalties on merchants and homeowners who do not cooperate with city officials, as they tentatively agreed to do earlier this month.

Councilman Joel Wachs, who authored the changes adopted Tuesday, said he wanted to soften the enforcement provisions so that city is not too hash in “penalizing victims” of graffiti.

Mel Bliss, of the city’s Building and Safety Department, said that under a newly expanded removal program, private property owners will be asked for permission to eradicate graffiti, at city expense, from their walls and buildings. If they refuse, the city will remove the markings under its nuisance abatement powers and place a lien on the property for the expense.

Bliss said the city doubled its graffiti removal budget this year to nearly $1 million, meaning about 5,000 additional locations can be cleaned.