CLIPBOARD : HOW TO HAVE GRAFFITI REMOVED

Graffiti in Orange County is spreading like spray paint on cinder block.

You can’t drive anywhere in the county without seeing initials, slogans, drawings or musings spray-painted on a wall these days. But cities are fighting back.

Anaheim, La Palma and Orange have rewards ranging from $50 to $500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a “tagger.” And with the exception of four municipalities in South County, all of the cities, the county and Caltrans have graffiti hot lines.

Cities consider the unsightly scrawlings to be a “public nuisance,” according to one official, but the commitment to its eradication varies from city to city.

Fountain Valley and Tustin, for instance, consider graffiti removal the sole responsibility of the property owner. But others, such as Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Stanton, are more aggressive. Larry Christian, maintenance services manager for the city of Santa Ana, says his department paints over or sandblasts a 1 1/2 million square feet every year.

Anaheim is equally aggressive but because of budget cuts relies on an all-volunteer program that works with property owners to remove graffiti.

“It is the property owner’s responsibility to remove graffiti in Anaheim,” said Carolyn Griebe, coordinator for the Wipe Out Graffiti program. “But the city doesn’t want to come down hard on the owners. It realizes they are victims and wants to help them.”

The program revolves around a paint bank for donated paint, city cooperation and more than 1,000 volunteers who participate in “paint-outs” every other Saturday.

“We have had help from the Scouts, high school groups, ecology clubs and church groups,” she said. “They caravan with a code enforcement officer who carries the supplies. All the volunteers need to bring is the handle for the roller brush. As for the paint, that’s donated--most of it from Dunn Edwards and Home Depot. Graffiti attracts more graffiti and gives taggers unwarranted recognition. It should be removed as quickly as possible,” said Griebe.

Here are some suggestions for getting rid of graffiti, whether on your property, public property or the property of a neighbor or business:

* Call the graffiti hot line number listed below for your community. In most cases, graffiti will be painted over or sandblasted. (Call the county for unincorporated areas and county property, such as the Santa Ana River; call Caltrans for graffiti on freeway sound walls and signs.)

* If you are able, paint over the graffiti yourself as soon as it appears. If you don’t have enough paint to do the job or can’t afford to buy paint, call the the graffiti hot line and see if the group has a closely matching paint it can give you.

* If it is a graffiti-in-progress, call the police immediately, and they will dispatch an officer.

* Call a graffiti hot line and volunteer your services for a paint party, or send a paint donation.

GRAFFITI REMOVAL PHONE NUMBERS

Following are phone numbers to call for graffiti removal. Most cities will eradicate or assist in the eradication of “tagging” from private and business property, though a couple of cities such as Fountain Valley and Tustin do not. Residents should call the number for the county for graffiti removal from unincorporated areas or county property and the Santa Ana River banks, and Cal Trans for graffiti removal from freeway sound walls and signs. The “R” designation means the city offers a reward for the arrest and conviction of taggers.

City: Number Anaheim: (714) 776-1306 R Brea: (714) 990-7650 Buena Park: (714) 821-8658 Costa Mesa: (714) 722-6714 Cypress: (714) 229-6761 Dana Point: None Fountain Valley: (714) 965-4493 Fullerton: (714) 738-3108 Garden Grove: (714) 741-5381 Huntington Beach: (714) 960-8861 Irvine: (714) 724-7196 Laguna Beach: (714) 497-0706 Laguna Niguel: None La Habra: (213) 905-9723 La Palma: (714) 523-1140 R Los Alamitos: (213) 431-3538 Mission Viejo: (714) 582-7155 Newport Beach: None Orange: (714) 744-7265 R Placentia: (714) 993-8245 San Clemente: None San Juan Capistrano: (714) 493-1171 Santa Ana: (714) 565-4007 Seal Beach: (213) 431-2527 Ext. 232 Stanton: (714) 821-6847 Tustin: (714) 573-3350 Villa Park: (714) 998-1500 Westminster: (714) 895-2876 Yorba Linda: (714) 961-7170 County of Orange: (714) 567-6300 Cal Trans: (714) 724-2607 Source: Cities listed