Jefferson Merchants Pitch In for Cleanup

Even the casual observer can see that the largely commercial stretch of Jefferson Boulevard between Crenshaw Boulevard and La Brea Avenue has become a depository for graffiti and dumped trash.

But a coalition of merchants is ready to clean house themselves--and hopes to inspire similar grass-roots efforts in the process.

“Pure and simple, we need to keep the area clean,” said a music and arts promoter on Jefferson who did not want his name used. “As business owners, we can certainly afford to do our little part. This is our neighborhood.”

He and other small-business owners, many of whom have been on Jefferson for a decade or longer, have decided to pitch in between $25 and $50 a month each to put out extra dumpsters and hire local residents a few hours a week to help the beautification cause. “We’re in the best position to afford this,” said Sergio Acuna, an El Monte resident who runs AC Color Separators near Jefferson and Buckingham Road. “It’s not a lot of money per month to do something that will help the whole area.”

Calvin Hirohara, co-owner of L.A. Shoji Screen Manufacturing for 15 years, agreed. “This will show that the entire L.A. community can do things together,” he said. “One thing the riots showed is that if we go our separate ways, we’re lost.”

Once the funds are in place, the merchant group will buy trash containers to set up in alleys that are strewn with everything from telephone books to old furniture. Posters asking people to not litter and directing them to dump sites are being printed by a neighborhood shop. Plans for establishing a wall specifically for graffiti are also taking shape.

“We have to be aware that something like graffiti is cultural, that it can be a form of expression and maybe it needs a special place,” said Alex Perrinelle, co-owner of the Pet Center Inc. “We are in and part of the neighborhood. I don’t support the absentee-owner concept, where you come in only to make money and leave at night. My partner and I usually end up spending more time here than at home.”

Ricky Park, who helps run a family-owned liquor store and market on Jefferson, said the cleanup could also serve to ease racial tensions. “The situation between blacks and Koreans is pretty bad,” said Park, a Cal State Northridge student. “In this project, everybody can be involved and feel like they’re contributing.”

Bob Hayes, public information director for the Los Angeles Board of Public Works, called the idea a “model concept” for involving business, the city and the community simultaneously.

“Here are business owners giving back to the community,” said Hayes, who also coordinates community activities for the board. “Rather than wait for the city to pick up stuff in the alley, they’re trying to prevent the dumping themselves. If we had 25 more efforts like this one going, half of our problems would be solved. Plus, taxpayers would save a lot of money.”