Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Santa Clarita Reports 42% Decline in Graffiti : Vandalism: Costs show an even greater drop. Officials credit reward program, curfew, removal by volunteers.

Graffiti in this city was down 42% in 1994, according to a report to be presented to the Santa Clarita City Council tonight.

The report, prepared by the city’s Department of Public Works, says that 712 graffiti incidents were reported in Santa Clarita last year, down from 1,228 in 1993. The cost of damage caused by graffiti was calculated at $62,900 for the year, down from $161,423.

Officials with the city’s Graffiti Abatement Program say the reduction of graffiti and its cost is the result of the expansion of a reward program for reporting vandals, the enforcement of a curfew for youths and graffiti removal by volunteers.

“It’s really a case where everyone came together,” said Kevin Tonoian, a city administrative analyst who keeps track of calls into Santa Clarita’s graffiti cleanup hot line.

Program organizers aren’t surprised to see that graffiti incidents are down from 1993, since they’ve had plenty of anecdotal evidence that the vandalism was dwindling.

Organizers of the city’s fourth annual Teen Spring Clean, held in May, struggled to find enough graffiti to keep dozens of volunteers busy for a few hours on a Saturday morning.

Later that month, the City Council felt confident enough about anti-graffiti efforts to halve the $1,000 cash award offered for information about graffiti vandalism.

In November, Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block recognized 49 volunteers who were members of Santa Clarita’s Anti-Gang Task Foce, thanking them for their help in stopping graffiti and raising crime awareness.

Much of the graffiti is removed by members of Santa Clarita’s Pride Committee, whose volunteers paint over the markings.