Residents Urge Stiffer Palmdale Graffiti Laws

A crowd of about 50 angry residents descended on the Palmdale City Council on Thursday night demanding tougher measures to combat what city officials acknowledge is a worsening graffiti problem.

“If this town looked like this four years ago, I wouldn’t have moved here,” said Mike Conner, a business owner who led the delegation of residents demanding tougher sentences for juvenile offenders and more measures to hold parents responsible for their children’s conduct.

Mayor Jim Ledford welcomed residents’ suggestions and promised that the city will take action, including holding a a Feb. 18 graffiti conference. But Ledford also warned the audience that some of their own children may be responsible, drawing a huffy reaction from the crowd.

Palmdale has long had a full-time worker to paint out graffiti and a hot line (805-947-7433) for residents to report it. The city also gives $1,000 rewards to citizens whose tips help convict graffiti suspects; six rewards were given on Thursday. And the city recently began an adopt-a-wall program.

But as residents complained and city officials agreed, the graffiti problem still is getting worse. “I just see the problem getting worse and worse and worse. These kids have no incentive not to do it,” said Conner, who moved to Palmdale nearly four years ago and owns two stores.

Councilman Jim Root, a teacher at Highland High School in Palmdale, told a story about one of his students who was arrested and released twice in one day for painting graffiti. “He’s quite a hero on campus” among the other students, Root said.

“There seems to be a general feeling among them that nothing will happen to them even if they are caught,” said Len Fox, a homeowner group leader. City officials said a standard sentence for a juvenile graffiti offender is 100 hours of community service and a fine.

Conner suggested imposing $1,000 fines on the parents of youngsters who paint graffiti, sentencing them to 100 hours of community service and other measures.