A Creative Edge in Fight Against Graffiti : * Huntington Beach Makes Seawall a Cement Canvas for Artists With City Permits

Huntington Beach’s mile-long seawall, once a backdrop for a colorful mix of surfer and other mural art, in recent years has become an invitation to defacement.

The City Council, by adopting a policy last week to allow muralists and other artists to use the wall as a cement canvas, has signaled it is willing to take an innovative and practical approach to the problem. It’s a noble experiment believed to be unique on the West Coast, which ought to earn it some attention.

The program will allow “aerosol artists” and other individuals to express their creative ideas as long as they have permits from the city. Work must be done during daylight hours and be in “good taste” and non-commercial.

Those caught painting on the wall without permits will be cited and fined $100, which they can work off by removing unwanted graffiti from the seawall. That seems like an especially fitting punishment for violating the new law.

There is a long history of mural art on the seawall. For many years, the wall was under the supervision of the state, which oversaw the beach areas. In 1979, a lifeguard assigned to the area talked his supervisors into allowing him to work with local artists, who were allowed to paint murals that became identified with the city’s surfer beaches.

When the beaches were turned over to the city to run, however, the city embarked on a policy that can best be described as benign neglect, with an emphasis on neglect. As a result, the wall, especially in recent years, has attracted a lot of graffiti.

City residents shouldn’t expect too much from the new ordinance. Eyesores such as “tagging” with spray-painted names are extremely difficult to prevent and may continue along the wall and in surrounding areas.

But the city’s new program actually may help discourage graffiti while at the same time providing a channel for the creative energies of young artists seeking a legal venue for their work.

The city deserves credit for attacking an old problem with a new idea. It’s an idea that might be adaptable for other communities.