Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Council Declares War on Graffiti : Crime: Lancaster officials are encouraging residents to keep their eyes open for vandalism and to report the incidents to police.

After seeing the city hit hard by graffiti vandals three weekends in a row, Lancaster officials are pleading for community help in ending the spray-paint blight.

“Enough is enough,” said Mayor Arnie Rodio, making his statement inside an abandoned apartment with smashed-out windows and graffiti-covered walls. “The city spends more than $250,000 cleaning up this trash.”

Rodio and the other members of the City Council held a joint news conference with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to “declare a war” on graffiti.

The primary thrust of the new effort is to encourage residents to be more watchful for graffiti vandals and to contact the Sheriff’s Department when they see the vandalism occurring.

Lancaster also intends to focus the efforts of its citizen patrol volunteers on tracking graffiti.

The graffiti problem has exploded in Lancaster, according to city records. Just two years ago, the city removed 203,352 square feet of graffiti from 942 locations. Last year, the amount of graffiti soared to nearly 852,000 square feet in 4,764 locations.

“These people think they’re artists,” Rodio said. “We’re not going to tolerate it.”

The city hopes to convince Juvenile Court judges that convicted taggers should be sentenced to jail time, Rodio said.

Councilman Frank Roberts, although unwilling to provide details, said the city may begin using surveillance cameras to catch the graffiti vandals.

“It’s a travesty,” he said. “It’s a shame.”

Councilman George Root said he is appalled that taggers gain stature by putting their names on walls.

And Councilman George Runner said a clear message must be sent to taggers. “We’re going to find some people and they’re going to be punished.”

While Councilman Henry Hearns agreed with the others, he also believes that the popularity of graffiti is a symptom of a larger problem. “We’ve got to find the root cause. I don’t agree they’re all hoodlums. I believe there’s many innocent kids getting caught in the pack.”

Earlier this year, Hearns was unsuccessful in his efforts to sway the other council members to financially support a program that views taggers as artists without an appropriate means to display their works.

“We should not turn down any group that has any idea about doing something to eradicate (graffiti),” Hearns said.

If the vandals are punished, Rodio said that will serve as a deterrent. But first they must be caught in the act.

“We’re asking citizens to participate in this program,” he said. “It’s your town.”