By Ed Sotelo
September 15, 2004

Re: Paul D. White's Aug. 30 commentary, "Oxnard's graffiti a pox on community":

I am writing to clarify the misperceptions that Mr. White's statements created as a result of misinformation and editorial oversight.

It must be made clear that the Santa Clara River overpass is a California Department of Transportation construction site. The contractor is responsible, as part of their contractual obligation, to maintain this site graffiti-free.

Caltrans' failure to do so creates the impression that, instead, the city of Oxnard is not addressing the problem.

The city of Oxnard has a Graffiti Abatement Program or GAP in place, which removes most graffiti from public and private property in less than 48 hours. Since most graffiti vandalism occurs during the hours of darkness, the program, with three truck rigs and four GAP crews, hits the streets at 4 a.m. every day in order to remove the graffiti before the commuters can see it, and continues until 8 p.m.

Further, when graffiti appears on private property, city personnel request permission for GAP crews to remove it. If permission is not granted or the property owner/renter cannot be reached, Code Enforcement issues a 10-day notice requiring the immediate removal of graffiti. After 10 days, a citation is issued with its consequent fine.

Beyond that, the city of Oxnard has extended its GAP service to the county of Ventura, at the Victoria Avenue Santa Clara River overpass. This bridge is inspected and graffiti is removed twice a week by Oxnard's GAP program.

When it comes to the Santa Clara River overpass of Highway 101, Oxnard Police Department's Graffiti Investigation Unit enters those areas where GAP is unable to remove this blight.

Additionally, the Graffiti Investigation Unit conducts strategic foot patrols and surveillance to prevent taggers from marking city sites.

Taggers are identified and arrested every day by this unit and other patrol officers. Sting operations are carried out regularly at retail stores to keep paint out of the hands of youth.

In addition to its enforcement efforts, the Graffiti Investigation Unit makes educational presentations to schools, community and civic groups. Graffiti cleanups are conducted regularly with youth on probation for graffiti as part of their education and community service obligation. These are the teams that take part in graffiti removal in areas inaccessible to GAP and their equipment, such as the Highway 101/Santa Clara riverbed.

The Santa Clara River Bridge project is one of the city of Oxnard gateways and also a gateway to Ventura. It distresses us that Caltrans is unable or unwilling to keep this blight in check. Even more distressing is that the information that appears in Mr. White's commentary is skewed and ill-informed.

In publishing such a piece, The Star is responsible for giving credibility to "facts" that are not facts at all. It's these "facts" that the writer uses as foundation for his opinion. Observers have frequently pointed out that The Star is not sensitive to the needs of the Oxnard community because its staff does not take the time to investigate issues, thus, presenting critical issues in the most simplistic terms.

Mr. White's commentary is a prime example of the degree to which problems, such as graffiti, are manipulated to create the impression that government, businesses, churches, schools, parents and neighborhoods of Oxnard do not care enough about their city. If the writer did care, and had he taken the time to inform himself, he would know that the Santa Clara River overpass is not a city project or property.

If the writer cared about the city of Oxnard, he would be familiar with the mechanisms this city has in place to address graffiti, to prevent it before it happens and to clean it up after it happens.

-- Ed Sotelo is the Oxnard city manager