Parents of children who spray paint, etch or slap stickers around Salinas could soon be on the hook for thousands of dollars in fines under new anti-graffiti rules.
Today, the Salinas City Council will consider an amended ordinance that would allow the city staff to fine parents along with their "tagging" progeny, holding them equally responsible for their minor children's actions.
The proposed ordinance amendments, set for a first reading at today's 4 p.m. council meeting, would also raise graffiti-related fines to cover all city costs, including staff, police and legal expenses, and allow city officials to pursue liens against private property if those fines aren't paid.
The amended ordinance seeks to make it tougher to purchase graffiti tools and materials, such as spray paint, felt-tipped markers and stickers, requiring identification to purchase those items.
City Public Works Director Gary Petersen said the new rules, in particular the parental responsibility element, are an attempt to more efficiently recover the city's costs in addition to tamping down on illegal tagging.
"You go where the money is; the minors are not going to have any money so you go after the parents," Petersen said, calling graffiti a "critical, community-wide issue."
Petersen said the new rules are a "first step," which he hopes is eventually followed by more sophisticated law enforcement measures such as GPS-powered maps of graffiti "hot spots," which the city afford right now.
The new rules also clarify the responsibilities private property owners have for cleaning up graffiti.
Currently, the city pays garbage collector Republic Services $120,000 per year to handle graffiti abatement on public property, but Petersen said that doesn't cover private property nor does it fully cover the cost of cleaning up public graffiti.
Mayor Dennis Donohue said the new rules emerged out of a recommendation from the Blue Ribbon Committee, charged with improving city efficiency and cutting costs.
If the council proceeds, final adoption would be set for Sept. 27.
