We need a city ordinance to impose harsh punishment on anyone who puts graffiti around town. I'd say fine them $1000 plus 100 hours of community service plus mandatory 1 week jail time for the first offense and sentence triples for each additional offense.

BobD - Call City Manager Fialho and Mayor Hosterman. Send them photos. You can also send the photos and info to Jeb Bing.

I too, called the automated line for graffiti several months ago, to promises of a 72 hour turnaround and even a callback if desired (I did). But I never heard back. I gave it about 10 days then filed an online police report. Again no callback, although I asked for one, but a couple weeks after that the detailed police report it was silently cleaned up. There was a major article in the PW awhile back which is what gave me awareness of the graffiti hotline, but from my personal experience and the apparent experience of the original poster to this thread, it is not working as promised.

to the OP - I've had the exact opposite experience with the Graffiti hotline. I've called on numerous occaissions about graffiti along the Arroyo Del Valle sound wall next to 680. Everytime I've called, the graffiti was gone within 24 hours.

I've also called the Park Maintenance Hotline to report broken or vandalized playground equipment. Again, the equipment was repaired or replaced within 24 hours. In fact, I believe one instance, the problem was solved seemingly overnight.

Call the Loony Mayor and the City Council members and tell them you want:
1) The police to priorize crime prevention and quit spending so much of our police resource on catching "speeders"
2) An ordinance with some severe penalties for grafitti artists (such as a $1000 fine plus 80 hours of cleaning-up grafitti for the FIRST offense, with sharp increases for subsequent offenses)

I like what they do to graffiti artists in the Phillipines. I bet they don't have much of a problem. (was it 20 lashes that the idiot teenage american was facing?)

Dave

Correct me if I am wrong but, I believe you are referring to Singapore not the Philippines. More specifically the 1994 case involving Michael P. Fay who was accused and later found guilty of Stealing street signs, and vandalizing numerous cars. He was sentenced to four months in jail $3500(Singapore dollars) fine and six stokes of the cane, which was later reduced to four strokes.

Let's use clinging plants to solve this problem long term...it may take a bit more water but considering the overall impact of layers of paint (resources to create it, paint it, ugliness), I think the plant solution is better.