GLENDALE : Graffiti Vandalism Agreement Near

City officials who threatened to take legal action against two Glendale families to recover graffiti cleanup costs may instead settle for community service work by the alleged vandals or their parents.

The case stems from a Feb. 25 incident in which police stopped two 14-year-olds marking up a traffic signal pole and a utility box at San Fernando Road and Colorado Street, officials said.

Both youths allegedly admitted to being part of a “tagging crew,” a group of teens known to spray-paint or mark property with gang monikers.

Last Tuesday, the Glendale City Council approved City Atty. Scott H. Howard’s plan to sue the boys and their parents if they failed to pay a $350 bill for damages by Monday. The Superior Court civil suit would also include a request for a court order barring the youths from graffiti vandalism in the future.

A longstanding civil code involving defacement of property allows public property owners to sue minors as well as their parents or guardians.

One of the youths and the mother of the second boy contacted Deputy City Atty. Christina Sansone last week about the bill. Their names have been withheld. Both said they couldn’t afford to make the payment but would be willing to do community service work instead.

The mother “felt frustrated that she couldn’t control her son,” Sansone said.

Sansone plans to come up with a plan in two weeks for both families to help the city’s graffiti abatement workers. A parent and child must then sign an agreement to do the work. City officials will leave it up to the two families to decide how to split community service hours.

“The message is parents will pay for this and the taxpayers will not,” she said.