ANAHEIM : Graffiti Covered Up by 275 Volunteers
During three Saturdays in May, hundreds of gallons of paint were sloshed on graffiti-marred buildings, walls and houses in Anaheim as part of Paint and Plant Month, a new city effort to involve residents in graffiti removal and prevention.
About 275 volunteers took part in the program, which city officials hope will encourage residents to play a bigger role in maintaining their neighborhoods and put pressure on those who deface property with graffiti.
In addition, the volunteers planted about two dozen shrubs in front of walls likely to tempt vandals.
The Saturday volunteer program saved the city about $29,000 which would have been spent on staff time and materials to clean up the graffiti-tainted surfaces, said Bret Colson, a spokesman for the city.
Last year, the city allocated about $250,000 to fight graffiti, money that was spent before the year was over.
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