Simi Valley Official Lauds Slayer of Tagger

A letter by a councilwoman praising a man who killed a graffiti tagger has dismayed her council colleagues, but Simi Valley’s mayor said her comments may reinforce the city’s “law-and-order lifestyle.”

Councilwoman Sandi Webb may have gone too far in calling the Sun Valley man a hero and recommending, even in jest, that Simi Valley police shoot would-be graffiti vandals with rock-salt pellets, Mayor Greg Stratton said.

But he said her letter, printed in the Daily News of Los Angeles, does not reinforce the negative image of Simi Valley that emerged after not guilty verdicts for Los Angeles police officers in the 1992 Rodney G. King trial.

“Maybe she got a little overly emotional,” Stratton said. “But I don’t think people will take away a negative image of our community from those comments. If anything people might just see that if they don’t like the law-and-order lifestyle, they aren’t going to be happy in Simi Valley.”

Webb, who is characteristically outspoken, praised William Masters as a “crime-fighting hero” for confronting two taggers in Sun Valley last week, then shooting the pair when they threatened him, killing one. Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to press charges after finding that the shooting was in self-defense.

Webb wrote that if Masters’ own city did not honor him for protecting himself with a gun, he should move to Simi Valley where he would be welcome.

She also wrote: “Here in Simi Valley, I’ve often suggested that we issue rock salt to our police to use in their shotguns against taggers.”

After receiving a few calls from local police officers who liked the letter, Webb said she jokingly delivered 25 pounds of rock salt to police headquarters Friday.

Webb said her actions make the point that graffiti vandals should be stopped. She said Masters was doing his civic duty when he tried to take down the taggers’ auto license number before the confrontation. He fatally shot the 18-year-old and wounded his 20-year-old companion only when the pair came toward him in a threatening way, she said.

Other council members thought Webb’s comments were out of place.

Councilman Bill Davis said: “I never like to speak negatively about another council member, but I did cringe a little when I read her comments.”