Some Question Fairness of Madera Co. Graffiti Crackdow

By Sara Sandrik

09/14/2007 - Madera County is using a new ordinance to try and clean up its graffiti problem, but some property owners say they're the ones paying the price.

Many people see graffiti as an eyesore. But for victims like Sara Flores, it can also be a disturbing sign of criminal activity hitting close to home. Flores, Madera County resident, says "We never thought anyone would come into our yard and do something like that, so it was kind of a little scary."
The process of removing the painted words and symbols is often time consuming and costly, especially when it has to be done more than once. The owner of one market says he's removed graffiti at least half a dozen times, but every time he cleans his store, the spray paint soon reappears.

Ismael Benitez, store manager, says "We are the ones who have to pay the price because we have to buy the paint and everything."

To alleviate the problem, the city of Madera and portions of Madera County offer free graffiti removal. But now the county is also asking property owners to help take responsibility.

Under a new ordinance that took effect this week, abatement officers will notify property owners that they must clean the graffiti or sign a consent form allowing the county to do it at their expense. "I'm not too thrilled with knowing someone would want to charge me for not cleaning up something that I didn't do," says Flores.

But county officials say the ordinance is actually intended to help property owners. They say taxpayers are already paying the price, and this new measure will simply speed up the graffiti abatement process.

Vern Moss, Chairman Madera County Board of Supervisors, says "We're going to work with people. It's not intended to be something negative, it's supposed to be something positive, and if you've got people in issues where they're going to have trouble making it happen, we're going to be there to make it happen."