Vandals find it empowering to see their tag, and Jefferson stressed taggers and their parents must be held accountable for graffiti damage. “It’s a social plight; our city manager is working diligently to bring new industry here, and this doesn’t help.”Santa Paula police have done a good job in removing graffiti and taggers are eventually caught, but Councilman Bob Gonzales noted until vandals are caught “they inflict a lot of damage.”Parents also have to take responsibility, and Mayor Ralph Fernandez said graffiti creates a negative image of the city and he called on parents to keep an eye on their children and know what they are doing. Fernandez urged that all help the community for the betterment of the Santa Paula by reporting graffiti as soon as possible.
City Council learns of graffiti impact to local business
March 04, 2009
Santa Paula City Council
An area businessman who experienced a loss due to graffiti vandals told the City Council that more must be done to fight taggers.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesAn area businessman who experienced a loss due to graffiti vandals told the City Council that more must be done to fight taggers. Ross Jefferson, the owner of a transportation service company, said at the February 17 Council meeting he wanted to thank Santa Paula police for their response to the report that a company bus had been heavily tagged.“I had to lay off” an employee for the day because the bus could not be used, and Jefferson said it “took over four hours to clean it.... The only reason I was able to clean it was because low-grade paint was used,” otherwise it would have cost more than $7,000 for a new paint job.Stiff fines for graffiti to make an impression on taggers’ parents should be implemented, although Jefferson said some only care about “grandiose illusions and their own happiness.... These parents have to be held accountable.”
