Residents seek ways to stop graffiti blight
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Even as authorities, citizens, nonprofit groups and government leaders are hard at work trying to curb vandalism in the Moorpark area, incidents of graffiti continue to plague the community and mar the quality of life of residents, according to two speakers at a City Council meeting last week.

Cynthia Chambers and Felix Delgado told officials they want the city to be more proactive in fighting graffiti. They suggested Moorpark mirror a program that's been effective in Simi Valley.

Vandalism is on the increase, and current efforts are not enough to control the trend, said Chambers, who recently organized a meeting to address the issue in her neighborhood east of Moorpark.

"Graffiti should be a priority before cultural events," she said, referring to recent discussions about the Moorpark Redevelopment Agency's expenditures to sponsor the High Street Arts Center.

Homeowner associations have had to hire private security companies to limit the damages, said Delgado, who wants the city to provide more resources to keep young people engage in positive activities.

"We want to encourage youth to have other opportunities," he said, suggesting the city could use the clubhouse at his association to host activities for teenagers who live in the area. Or, he said, the city should set up a van service to transport children to Arroyo Vista Park, where programs are already offered.

Mayor Pro Tem Janice Parvin, who led the meeting last week in Mayor Patrick Hunter's absence, sympathized with the speakers. So did Assistant City Manager Hugh Riley.

"Graffiti is a problem but it's not like we're sitting on our hands," he said in a later interview.

The city spends about 150 hours and $7,800 per month to clean up vandalism on public property, Riley said, but funding shortages and liability concerns preclude city employees from cleaning up on private property unless it is within public view.

A group of local residents formed the Moorpark Graffiti Coalition last year to help private property owners who've been targeted by vandals. The group also wants to create programs to deter young people from engaging in destructive activities.

The coalition, originally made up of Moorpark school leaders, has gathered information about the behavior of local tagging crews and it is now managed by "Blight Lifters," another group of volunteers organized by the Fountain Foursquare Church of Moorpark last summer to provide assistance to local property owners affected by graffiti.

Police statistics show that incidents of vandalism increased from 16 in 2005 to 82 between April and August 2007, according to a report recently created by the coalition.

"There's a misconception that graffiti is done by gang members, but it's not," said Moorpark Unified School District Boardmember Ron LaGuardia, who spearheaded the local anti-graffiti coalition.

The criminal activity, which has increased dramatically in the past two years, he said, is committed in large part by four tagging crews composed of juveniles.

The coalition's goal is to identify what specific actions the Moorpark community could take to assist in graffiti eradication and to redirect youth to positive activities, said Diane Parcher, outreach director for Fountain Foursquare Church, in a memo to other coalition committee members.

"The purpose is not to interfere, supersede or direct other local agencies and organizations, but to complement and enhance systems already set forth," she said.

Community agencies, individuals and organizations were invited to be involved in assisting the Moorpark residents in putting an end to graffiti in the city, Parcher added.

Moorpark city leaders are also working with County Supervisor Peter Foy and the local Boy Scouts of America on a plan to clean up graffiti in floodway areas around town, Riley said.

The pilot program was initiated by Foy, who is president of the board for the Ventura County Council of the Boy Scouts organization.

The program will begin in about a month, said Mark Lunn, chief of staff for Foy. "We're gathering supplies and have to train the trainers who will supervisor the Scouts that will do the work," he said.

About 100 boys between the ages of 11 and 18 will take part in the program to paint over graffiti in the watershed area in Moorpark once it is reported by the city, said Carolyn Dosick, executive director for the Ronald Reagan District of the Boy Scouts organization.

"Foy asked the Scouts to do this because he thought it would be a good match for the organization, since members are supposed to do a good turn every day," she said.

The boys must complete service projects to obtain their merit badges, Dosick said.

To report graffiti on public property, call (805) 517-6232.