September 16, 2009

New Website: Request Graffiti Removal in City of LA

Round the Corner 2TONIGHT I'M requesting graffiti removal via the new "self help" website from the City of Los Angeles, anti-graffiti.lacity.org.

I'm reporting huge, multiple scrawls on columns and walls on the northwest wall of the Glendale Blvd. bridge (Google map), the wall facing the LA River. They're likely only visible from river trails in Atwater Village, but still. It's a historic damn bridge! Show some pride! And let's see how long it takes the City to clean it up. Next, maybe Sunnynook Footbridge?

UPDATE: Already got this: "Your report has been assigned the following Service Request Number: 310893. You will be notified via e-mail when the contractor reports they have completed this request."

8 comments:

Skrip said...

This is great news! I've discovered one here in Pomona and it works! I've logged in for 2 situations and in one day it was removed. Good luck and keep L.A. clean and beautiful (even though its frickin' hard).

Griffith Park Wayist said...

We've used this service and often don't get any action, or we get an email saying that the location of concern is someone else's problem even though we know for a fact that it is indeed the City's problem.

Fingers crossed for you, AVNewbie!

AVN said...

Good point, GPW, the city posts this disclaimer:

"Structures not included in this service are schools (maintained by LAUSD), freeways (maintained by CalTrans), and parks (maintained by Recreation and Parks)."

Hopefully they don't try to label the Glendale Blvd. bridge as a school, a freeway or a park.

Griffith Park Wayist said...

This is a big problem, and there are too many agencies involved - it is way too complicated. The trick is always how to find the right person or agency to call. It isn't always the agency responsible, however.

All the CalTRANS sections have web pages to submit graffiti removal requests. We haven't sent in any this fiscal year, but in the past CalTRANS has been lightning-fast compared to the City service-wise. They've usually done the work and reported back in 7 days, sometimes faster.

The worst agency we've found is LA County Public Works for graffiti removal for any structure in a flood control area. Unbeknownst to us, this includes bridges that are parts of City streets - says the City, anyway. LA Co PW totally ignores you unless you know someone. They often ignore City Council requests too. For a select few, they're Johnny-on-the-Spot.

Within the SFV, Sun Valley Graffiti Busters is by far the most responsive. Their management is top-rate. The other SFV "graffiti busters" usually have an excuse why they cannot do it.

Rec and Parks does have six employees for graffiti removal, but they are obviously overfaced and tend to have selective vision as to where/in which park they will do the work.

Although authorities highly discourage the activity in general on safety grounds, there are private citizens who do these things on a regular basis. "Graffiti Pete" is one of the best in Griffith Park. Unofficially, we do work in a couple of the larger regional parks on our own dime. The Amir's Garden people do removal in Griffith, too.

In the NE SFV, two home owners' associations bankroll private individuals who consistently do the work.

LA MapNerd said...

I've used this service three times here in Studio City - a neighbor's fence, a residential sidewalk, and a freeway underpass (not the freeway itself, but the supporting wall alongside the city street running under the freeway), and every time, the grafitti was gone the very next day.

I'm very pleased with it. I urge everyone to give it a try.

Anonymous said...

NEWBIE, I JUST READ YOUR ARTICLE AND WAS CONFUSED WHERE THE GLENDALE BRIDGE WAS AT? THEN I NOTICED THE MAP AND SAW THAT YOUR CONFUSED, THAT IS THE HYPERION BRIDGE!

AVN said...

David, there is a bridge carrying Hyperion Ave., and a connected bridge carrying Glendale Blvd. They split at the fork in the road, so to speak. And the graffiti I reported was on the Glendale Blvd. bridge.

Steffi said...

I actually enjoyed reading through this posting.Many thanks.

Graffiti Removal