BUENA PARK : Anti-Graffiti Law Called ‘Intrusion’

An ordinance that increases penalties for graffiti vandals who deface public and private property goes into effect in March.

The new anti-graffiti ordinance received final approval by the City Council Monday. The ordinance also requires parents whose children are caught vandalizing to bear the cost and allows the city to offer rewards for the apprehension and conviction of graffiti vandals.

The ordinance bans the sale to minors of spray paints, felt-tip markers and other implements typically used by graffiti vandals and also requires businesses to keep such devices out of the reach of juveniles.

Officials at one local business, which sells such equipment, said the new requirements won’t solve the problem and will create unnecessary expense for his company.

“We see it as an unnecessary intrusion into our workplace,” said Bruce W. Whitaker, controller at Buena Park Lumber.

The ordinance requires businesses to keep graffiti implements in a locked cabinet or display case, or they may be stored behind a sales or service counter--in an area where the public is not allowed.

Whitaker said the lumber company favors laws to reduce vandalism, rather than restrictions on businesses. Minors will find ways to get their hands on spray paints and other tools used in vandalism, he said.

“All they need is someone older who is willing to purchase them,” he said.

But police said that many of the youths caught for graffiti vandalism steal their tools.

Whitaker estimated that it will cost the store between $2,000 and $3,000 to comply with the ordinance even though the store already has an anti-theft system that tags merchandise with an electronic sensor. The system costs about $30,000, he said.

“We believe that this (system) supersedes this type of ordinance.”

Mayor Donald L. Bone believes the changes to the city’s graffiti ordinance give the city another tool in fighting the war on graffiti.

The city spends about $82,000 a year on graffiti removal, officials said.

“What we have with graffiti is a breakdown of parents controlling their children,” Bone said. “There is no doubt that the lack of parental control” has cost both business and government money.