Graffiti Removal Program
Project
The County has examined rates of graffiti cases in unincorporated communities and found a disproportionate number of cases in certain communities. Graffiti is typically a code violation that a property owner does not initiate or want on their property. It can contribute to blight, crime, and impact community character. To help address this impact in communities, the County of San Diego is developing a program where the County could remove graffiti on private properties at no cost to the property owner.
Project Background
The County of San Diego
conducted a Community Needs Assessment to examine how some code
violations are more prevalent in some communities than others, and
how these violations can disproportionately impact communities.
Planning & Development Services (PDS) Code Compliance division
analyzed five years of case data and determined that graffiti
violations are more common in several communities. Presently, it is
the responsibility of a property owner to remove violations,
including graffiti, and if the property owner does not remove the
violation the cost of abatement falls on the victim of a graffiti
violation. To help reduce the impact of graffiti on communities
that are disproportionately impacted by it, staff is proposing a
project to have the County remove graffiti at no cost to a property
owner versus requiring private property owners to remove the
violation themselves. The changes can remove the graffiti and
associated impacts faster, reduce costs to property owners,
and improve quality of life and public safety in communities. To
implement the program, staff will need
to amend the County abatement procedure to allow the option not to
recover County costs associated with the
abatement.
Public Engagements
Planning & Development Services held several virtual public meetings to discuss the program and receive stakeholders' input. These webinars covered project background and objectives and provided an interactive forum to answer questions and gather public input. They were held at the following dates and times:
Tuesday, June 28, 6:00pm-7:00pm
Thursday, June 30, 12:00pm-1:00pm
Wednesday, July 6, 6:00pm-7:00pm
Monday, November 7, 6:00pm-7:00pm
Wednesday, November 9, 6:00pm-7:00pm
Board of Supervisors Approval
On January 11, 2023, PDS introduced an ordinance to the Board of Supervisors that would allow public funds to be used for the graffiti removal program. On January 25, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved this ordinance, to be effective on February 17, 2023. The program is expected to be implemented by late Spring 2023.
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Kenneth Melton | Email: PDS.CodeCompliance@sdcounty.ca.gov | Phone: (858) 761-8993