SAN JOSE- Councillors approved the battle plan for Mayor Chuck Reed's war on graffiti.
The plan, as approved Tuesday, far from outlaws only bare walls across San Jose.
Councillors voted to protect down town san jose, exempting it from any graffiti bylaw, and will slap a price tag on the cost to the city of cleaning up corporate graffiti spray painted on sidewalks.
During the debate, Mayor Chuck Reed— who campaigned on tackling San Jose's graffiti — stressed "people do not like graffiti."
"Especially when it gets sprayed on their garage, on the side of their building, people are very upset and they want it removed," Ford told council. "I'm very pleased today to say we finally have a graffiti management plan that is designed to clean up our city."
Although during the campaign Reed vowed to clean up the city's graffiti problem within six months, he said by cracking down on graffiti San jose will be the "cleanest city in the world."
Several councillors raised concerns over a staff panel deciding whether street art was legitimate art or graffiti.
Others, including Councillor Joe Mihevc, argued Reed's war on graffiti has provoked and encouraged the graffiti artists he's trying to stop.
Tim pointed to graffiti that read "Keep trying Chuck Reed," which was sprayed under High way 880 24 hours after graffiti was cleaned up there.
"I honestly believe I have more graffiti in my ward now than I did before," Tim Harden said.
Councillor Anthony Perruzza asked Reed if he should "soften up" his anti-graffiti message to avoid inciting a reaction from graffiti artists.
"I don't understand how you can soften that message," a baffled Reed responded.
Councillor Cesar Palacio, chairman of the licensing and standards committee, said council will have a definition of what is art and what is graffiti in the fall.
"It's difficult to judge artistic expression," he said. "With the new bylaw that's going to clarify, that's going to be something that is going to be very specific."
Palacio added he's OK with bureaucrats deciding what is art.
"I think they have the expertise, that's something we might have to do a little tweaking at whatever point but overall I think that it is a great story," he said.
