County to Test Graffiti Cleanup Plan for 1 Year

A one-year pilot project that holds private citizens accountable for graffiti on their property won preliminary approval Tuesday from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

The project, to be administered by the Department of Public Works, will be tested in the unincorporated areas of Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s district, which includes the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys and the San Fernando Valley west of the San Diego Freeway and north of Chatsworth Street.

If successful, it will be expanded to all unincorporated areas of the county.

The board, with Supervisor Kenneth Hahn absent, unanimously voted to amend the county building code, making graffiti a public nuisance and requiring property owners to remove it from their buildings, fences, signs and walkways. If they don’t, the county will remove it for them, then bill them for the cost.

The program follows a similar effort in the city of Los Angeles. Last month, the City Council agreed to charge uncooperative property owners for the cost of removing graffiti from their premises. But the council stopped short of imposing criminal penalties on merchants and homeowners, as they had tentatively agreed to do a few weeks earlier.

Final Vote Next Week

The county program, proposed by Antonovich, returns to the board for a final vote next week and, if approved, takes effect in 30 days. An aide to Antonovich estimated that the program will cost about $60,000, an amount that could be offset by fines on property owners.

Antonovich initially proposed a countywide program but scaled back the project after other supervisors questioned whether the board would be punishing property owners for problems they did not create. But Antonovich argued that other county ordinances hold owners responsible for deteriorating conditions on their property and suggested testing the program in his district.

Owners will get written notice of any problems that need correction and an opportunity to appear before a citizen appeals panel before they are billed.

“But I have a hard time believing that a gallon of paint is beyond the wherewithal of any property owner,” said Charles J. Moore, principal deputy county counsel. “If you own the property, it seems to me this is not an onerous burden to be placed on you.”

Although inspectors will canvass problem-plagued areas, the program will also rely heavily on citizen complaints.