The Kern County grand jury
released a report Wednesday urging the Board of Supervisors to funnel more
resources into the county’s graffiti-abatement program because it is reportedly
“buried under the daily requests” to clean graffiti and county staff are
“frustrated and exhausted” with the problem.
Kern County’s
graffiti-abatement program contains one employee with a truck responsible for
about 8,163 square miles, the report states, while also noting this person’s
work is “stellar.”
County employees said in
the report a minimum of three people and another truck should help stem the
vandalism. The grand jury said the city of Bakersfield spends around $2 million
per year on graffiti abatement, while the county allocates about $70,000
annually.
“Although graffiti may be
regarded as an artistic expression, when a neighborhood is cluttered with
graffiti it sends a message that nobody cares about that community,” the report
said. “From storefronts to staircases, shop owners worry the unsightly views could
possibly cost them business.”
Ryan Alsop, the county’s
chief administrative officer, wrote in an email he did not have a chance to
review the report, though the Board of Supervisors has 90 days to respond. He
also admitted the county’s abatement standards are not where he would like them
to be.
“This is a war, and our
path to winning is through a rigorous and robust abatement offensive, which is
what is being worked on,” Alsop wrote, adding he looks forward to sharing new
details about the crackdown on graffiti soon.
Kern County launched the
Adopt a Wall program, which provides residents with an online form to fill out
and then receive supplies to clean the graffiti. However, the report notes
county employees said this program’s success has been hampered by COVID-19 and
a lack of enthusiasm from the community.
“Although the county
supplies the materials to cover the graffiti, community members do not want to
do the work,” the report states. “They want county employees to come paint it
for them.”
Furthermore, the grand
jury reported the county’s graffiti-abatement truck is 15 years old and has
130,000 miles on the odometer; neither the county nor the city of Bakersfield
have a sandblaster, which helps to remove the paint; and the county maintenance
manager must spend several hours processing graffiti-removal requests because
it is often unclear if the vandalism exists in city or county jurisdiction.
Joe Conroy, a spokesman
for the city, did not have someone immediately available to comment on the
claim the city has no sandblaster.
“The city is aware of
graffiti and its effects on the morale of residents as well as the impacts it
can have on visitors’ impressions,” Conroy wrote in an email.
In contrast, the grand jury
also claims the city of Bakersfield’s graffiti-abatement program continues to
“thrive and expand” with 12 trucks and 12 full-time employees, though the
city’s jurisdiction is less than 2 percent of the area the county is expected
to cover.
The grand jury called upon
the Board of Supervisors to double the budget of the Kern County Graffiti
Abatement Program, purchase vehicles and equipment by January 2023, hire more
staff, clearly indicate which jurisdiction the graffiti falls in and apply for
federal grants allocated for homelessness and gangs, because both largely
contribute to graffiti.
Bakersfield.com
By Ishani Desai
March 23, 2022
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