ORANGE : Graffiti Hot Line Put in Operation
In an effort to combat a growing graffiti problem in Orange, the city’s Community Services Department has set up a hot line for residents to report graffiti.
“It’s definitely gotten worse in the last eight or so years,” said Dave Ramirez, supervisor for the graffiti control program. “It’s become a citywide problem. It’s found in every corner of the city.”
Orange now employs two full-time workers in addition to Ramirez to remove graffiti in Orange, Villa Park, at the schools that make up the Orange Unified School District and in unincorporated areas of Orange County that abut Orange.
It takes about three working days for Ramirez and his crew to remove graffiti, including gang writings, once they get a report. But if it is sexually graphic or concerns a specific person, Ramirez assigns a higher priority to the graffiti’s removal.
If graffiti is gang-related, the work crew takes pictures of it and sends them to the Police Department to assist in gang control activities, Ramirez said.
Businesses and homeowners who are interested in eradicating graffiti themselves can call the graffiti hot line to request free paint and rollers.
To report graffiti, or for further information about anti-graffiti programs, call (714) 744-7279.
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