SANTA PAULA : Anti-Graffiti Group Offers Free Cleanup

A group of Santa Paula residents has set up a hot line to battle graffiti.

Called the Group Against Graffiti, the panel has created a committee that has raised $3,000 and has set up a telephone number residents can call to report the markings and have them painted over for free.

Residents who call will be asked to provide the exact address of the tagged property. A painter, hired by the group, will then contact the property owner and get permission to paint over the graffiti, said Robin Sullivan, a Santa Paula city councilwoman who chairs the committee.

Those reporting graffiti do not have to give their names, Sullivan said.

Sullivan said she formed the group because she noticed an increase in the amount of graffiti near the roof lines of several buildings in downtown Santa Paula.

“When the graffiti is that high up on a building, you need to get a professional painter to remove it,” Sullivan said.

The city’s public works department removes graffiti from public places, Sullivan said.

The Santa Paula Redevelopment Agency has agreed to match every dollar the committee raises up to $7,500, Sullivan said. An estimated $15,000 is needed each year to clean up graffiti.

To report graffiti, call 933-9011.