City Council passes tough Fairfield graffiti law
FAIRFIELD — Fairfield has some new legal tools in its battle against graffiti, such as more penalties against graffiti vandals and possibly their parents. There also may be penalties against property owners who refuse to remove graffiti.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed additions to the city’s graffiti abatement law. The new provisions take effect in 30 days.
Council members first discussed the new law at their Oct. 18 meeting, but expressed reservations then. City Councilwoman Catherine Moy wanted to talk to school district officials about proposed limits to children and teenagers carrying felt-tip markers, to make certain that the new law wouldn’t interfere with school assignments.
That meeting between school district and city officials happened Nov. 7. Moy said Tuesday that school officials signed off on the proposals and think they are good ideas and much-needed tools to fight graffiti.
Several council members at the Oct. 18 meeting focused on the tension between having graffiti laws tough enough to make a difference and laws that could trap the innocent. City Council member Chuck Timm said at the time that common sense in carrying out the law must prevail and that he believes the city hires people with common sense.
On Tuesday, the council passed the law without discussion, other than Moy’s comments.
One provision says vandals must remove their graffiti within 24 hours of being contacted by the city. If the vandal is a minor, the parents or legal guardians are also responsible for the cleanup. If the city must do the job, the vandal, parents or guardians could face having a lien put on their property to pay for the cost.
Another provision gives the city the right to remove graffiti from public or private property. If a private owner refuses to remove graffiti, the city could do the job itself, after issuing various notices and obtaining a warrant. It could put a lien on the property to pay the cost.
Still another section makes it illegal for youths to have “graffiti implements” — items ranging from spray paint to felt-tip markers to adhesive stickers to etching cream — in public places such as parks. They would need the owner’s permission to have such items on private property. The exception is if the children and teens can prove they are taking felt-tip markers to and from school for a school assignment.
Under the new law, stores cannot sell and people cannot give “graffiti implements” to children under age 18 without the written consent of the child’s parents or legal guardians.
Reach Barry Eberling at 427-6929, or beberling@dailyrepublic.net.
Short URL: http://www.dailyrepublic.com/?p=108226
Posted by Barry Eberling
on Nov 15 2011.
Filed under Fairfield, Top stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
Lets see how this will all play out. Perp tags neighborhood. Perp gets caught. Perp accepts plea (despite numerous priors). DA drops case (DA more interested in harassing seniors, vets, homeowners, vocal opponents complaining of crime, corruption, etc). Perp does it again. Gets caught again. DA finally files charges. Perp is ordered to probation and community service. He fails to show up for both court ordered appointments. Judge tells perp “jails are full, please make another appointment to see probation”. DA tells public he needs more money! Sheriff tells public he needs more money. City hall tells public “were broke”. Perp laughs, gets another can of spray pain, inhales half of contents, then sprays remaining half on your home while you’re on vacation. You get fined for failing to clean it off (no excuses or matters of extenuation or mitigation considered). DA labels you public enemy number one. Perp laughs at you, laughs at cops, laughs at City hall and tells all his homey’s to “do the same”.
WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA.
Rich…you hit a home run!
Please take your time rounding the bases though….I don’t want you tripping on second base and then going on the disable list. As a taxpayer i’m tired of freeloaders.
For once Rich I fully agree with you.
Not just California, every state is having issues.
So I’ve finally scored huh? Even “loose cannon on the deck” Giddens will eventually hit his target and sink the corrupt ship o’ State along with it’s crew of freeloading rats!
Although it may be true all States have their common problems with regard to public safety, this leadership nut job State has excelled in setting the standard in the pejorative while over spending and failing to get results with the basic things. Get rid of the public employee unions! That’s the first step. That’s what’s bankrupting you. That’s what keeps bad leaders clinging to power.
Homeowners should not be held liable for any malicious gang writings on their property. With living halfway between both affiliated gangs I have had my share of slurs on my property. If they are going to hold the gang or individual responsible for the cleanup, Fairfield needs to back it by having a gang cleanup force. Maybe the hoodlums should be on it and be held responsible for cleaning the victims houses and/or property at their expense. Have you driven down any given block and seen beige paint painted ontop of a redwood fence, or on the sides of a house. How are we suppose to put pride in our homes and surroundings when they can go right behind us and destroy it again. The penalties should not be against the homeowner as scape goats, the purps (thanks Rich for the word!) should be the ones and only ones held accountable. Its bad enough we’re paying for the habits of the homeless, now we’re paying for gangs. We should all quit and go on welfare so we would get paid instead!
This nutty state’s public safety leaders now want to give the gangs quasi or even defacto diplomatic status for the express purpose of negotiations! Will they soon be declared Sovereigns and be allowed to build gambling casinos or something?
Fairfield’s Innovation Institute is happy to see this pass the city council. Cat Moy was instrumental in pushing it through.
Break the law and you pay the price.
In reality nothing needed to get pushed through by anybody. This is nothing more than a feel good story for the council. Correct me if I’m wrong but we already had grafitti laws. They just need to be enforced. Nothing will change. Well except for maybe some property liens.
The only thing that seems to have changed, Thanks to Moy pushing it through, is that now the home owners and property owners are solely responsible for cleaning up the graffiti. Waste of time if you ask me. The law should of been harder on those caught. The gangs should be responsible for the marks. Cops know whose markings are whose. Now the property owner has xx amount of time to paint over, scrub before they are penalized. The only people being penalized are the victims!
A Clear Step By Step Plan For Compromise Has Continued To Be Ignored By Harry Price. Voters should demand that Harry Price establish an open dialog on this and many other blog postings questioning Harry’s political “strategies” to put it politely.
All other options have been exhausted.
City Hall 707 428-7400.
Thank you for helping fix Fairfield.
Checking back for any non constructive remarks from the Blog Bully Group. None yet. Did your boss ask you to “tone it down” like you asked us to tone our comments down? We always kept toning it down. Do you really want the full truth?
Solution is:
1: Harry to drop his act. These blogs and links expose Harry.
2: Get real. No more “phony nice guy”. We want the “real nice guy” without the rhetoric.
3: Roll up his sleeves and get to work in fixing Fairfield. We need results, not talk.
4: Get others to join you. We’re first in line. Tell us what to do (other than get lost and forget the damages you incurred through your dog pony games). We are happy to compromise.
5: Keep Fairfield Fair. =)
Did you forget to take your meds today??????????????????
Call Me.
It’s sad that Blog Bullies need to hamper people’s efforts to fix Fairfield. T.J. maybe you need to see a therapist.
You will not be invited to rent free conference rooms given for charities at FixFairfield.Org until your doctor says you are better again. Good Luck.
Your phone number and name elude me. You sound like maybe:
“Mr Practical”
“Truth707″
Or…?
We are asking the DR to stop this Bully Blogging. They offer no help. No constructive suggestions. They do little other than chase people off the blog. Hence they are called the Bully Bloggers who use the first amendment to just be mean.
Blah, blah, blah.
And yes Hitler did have a better mustache Just Kidding
Perhaps the DR is laughing at you like everyone else is. Who are you to tell the DR who should and shouldn’t be able to blog?
Talking about being a Bully, Mr Hyprocrit, Why don’t you go back and read all of your posts about Harry. Yah your a bully. But hey thanks for all the Laughs.
Call me.
DR thanks for letting this guy post. He is funny.
You sound just like CD Brooks and Mr Practical.
Mr. Practical just wrote “I wear the Bully Badge proudly!”
Sad
As explained countless times already.
Step 1: The goal is to expose unethical practices thereby make it harder for others to continue being unethical. If that is not comprehensible, it also means that whistle blowing the bad buy may get them to stop being bad since they were caught.
Step 2: Begin repair work and make things fair again. Get results.
Details in the links.
Having an intellectual conversation with monkey minded cyber bullies is pointless. You don’t get it yet, and probably never will. How much are you paid to paste your non sense on the blog by your unknown benefactors?
Cyber bullies are one of the main reasons Fairfield lacks enough people to help fix Fairfield together. Those making needed changes keep getting shouted off the stage by the cyber bullies.
Fairfield suffers when you attack those trying to help. It’s very sad that you get away with this.
I whole-heartily support Mr. Practical and his stance on bullying. I LOVE the title “Cyber Bully!” Who are you? You are a laughing stock and you have nothing to add to this conversation. Who are you? You are a laughing stock and you have nothing to add to this conversation. Who are you? You are a laughing stock and you have nothing to add to this conversation. Who are you? You are a laughing stock and you have nothing to add to this conversation. Who are you? You are a laughing stock and you have nothing to add to this conversation. Hope we put this in terms you can understand.
Fairfield innovation institute and fix Fairfield.org…..are the same person. Still waiting for who “we” is? There is ONE person behind these “institutes or .org’s. Anyone who dare question or disagree gets labeled a “bully”. If you are going to say we, identify who we is to give them credibility.
I wear the Bully Badge proudly!
While FixFairfield believes cyber bullies should be stopped, we hope that at least the cyber bully above will keep his post up for some time. This serves as further evidence for web readers and those making links to this interesting cyber bullier. NothingWarranted.Com
The guy qualifies as idiotic and he’ll never get another vote in this town. But he has no clue how badly his constant whining makes him look. He should eat a bowl of Apple Jacks and get over himself!
Surf the web about cyber bully tactics before you keep up this nonsense. You appear to be in self denial. Get help.
Who are you? No org name. No tel. No email.
Innovation Institute has people working with it around the world. Most of its patent attorneys are outside the US. Patents are filed for over 80 countries.
There are many people with I.I. and its affiliates. You know that already.
Questions? Call Steven C Kays 434-8000. First read http://www.Cyber-Bullies.Net
Wow the cyber bullies are at it again. Readers of the Daily Republic should read http://www.Cyber-Bullies.Net that was just put up on their behalf. The page should go live shortly if it’s not yet up.
Cyber Bullying is in a distant fashion a form of graffiti. How apt that this is coming up under the graffiti article.
Steven Kays and others are too busy to respond to all the dumb rhetoric coming from Fairfield’s cyber bullies.
http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/obsessive-compulsive-disorder
Peace
do you guys cry any time the city does something trying to improve?
if they do nothing, you cry.
when they put in some new rules trying to make things better, you cry.
nothing is perfect, especially the “justice system”, but good god give it a rest.
My point to this story is that it was for feel good reasons only. We already have/had Grafiiti laws. People just need to be more aware of there surroundings and report it when they saw people doing graffitti and if they were caught the laws in place needed to be enforced. They are now going to pick on the victims such as property/home owners. My kid could be walking home now from school and decide to stop and hang out at the park and could now get in trouble because he has a felt tip marker in his back pack that he Might use. Isn’t that like a cop stopping me after I come out of the store with a twelve pack because I MIGHT drink and drive? You can not convince me we didn’t already have laws before the other night. Now they can legally harass the victims instead of enforcing what was already on the books.
Did anyone else see the news last night regarding the graffiti law that is part of Fairfield? Talk about being misinformed. The newscaster stated that Fairfield passed a tougher graffiti laws. The newswoman stated that the person who did the graffiti is responsible to clean it up and that the parents if person is minor will be held responsible and if necessary a lien will be put on the parents house of the person responsible. What is correct????
I hate looking at the glass being half empty but that’s what this law is. T. J. said it right; it’s a feel good law. Instead of enforcing our current law under 594 P.C. Vandalism and having those responsible pay restitution we create another law as though we are going to do something about it. What needs to be enforced is the penalty of those being caught doing community work for an extended period of time cleaning up our city and cleaning up graffiti and penalizing the parents monetarily.
Artimus, sometimes the glass isn’t half empty or half full. The glass is just too darn big!
You got a good point there Mr. P. I guess the bigger the glass, the more water you got to bring. Lets reduce the glass size so we can have that glass full. I like it. Sometimes you are deep Mr. P.
A shot glass would probably be appropriate!