Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : City Halves $1,000 Reward for Graffiti Vandals

A $1,000 reward for turning in graffiti vandals has been cut in half, but city officials here say it won’t hurt the program that has led to 25 arrests since it began last year.

Established in April, 1993, the program has paid rewards in $250 increments for information about anyone placing graffiti in the city, up to a maximum of $1,000 if a suspect is ultimately convicted.

Santa Clarita has awarded $11,500 to 13 people since the program began. About 25 people have been arrested and convicted from information obtained via the program.

The City Council on Tuesday night capped the reward at $500 at the suggestion of the public works department that administers the program.

Residents turning in suspected vandals have not done it for the money, according to Jeff Kolin, deputy city manager and public works director.

“They felt the money wasn’t the thing,” said Kolin, who discussed the reward with the city’s anti-gang task force and a volunteer cleanup group before suggesting the $500 cap. “It was the pride in the community and a desire to deal with the graffiti issue.”

“That’s the truth,” agreed Sgt. Lee White, head of the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff’s station anti-gang unit. “I don’t think anything will change. These people that are doing it, it’s their way of giving to the community.”

The city has budgeted $6,000 for graffiti rewards for the upcoming fiscal year, and Kolin expects all of it to be spent.

City staffers will review the success of the program with the lowered reward and return in six months.

If the city’s Teen Spring Clean held last weekend is any indication, the reward program will not break Santa Clarita’s budget no matter how much is offered.

Organizers struggled to find enough graffiti to keep 60 volunteers busy for an entire morning.