§ 20-91. Finding and intent.

The city council hereby finds the following recitals to be true and correct and adopts them for all purposes as findings of fact:

The creation of graffiti is a criminal act prohibited by state laws in the Penal Code. Although the person who has had graffiti applied on his/her property may be the victim of a criminal act, unless the city acts to cause the removal of graffiti, it tends to remain and causes other properties and entire neighborhoods to be affected and become less desirable places in which to be, all to the detriment of the city and the public welfare.

Graffiti is an impure and unwholesome matter and its existence is detrimental to the safety and welfare of the public; tends to reduce the value of private property; invites vandalism, additional graffiti, and other criminal activities; and, produces urban blight which is adverse to the maintenance and continuing development of the city. Graffiti is a public nuisance and destructive of the rights and values of property owners as well as the entire community.

It is the intent of this ordinance to serve the city's compelling interest to promote, protect and improve the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the city by providing an additional enforcement tool to protect public and private property from additional acts of graffiti, vandalism and other criminal activities.

(Ord. No. 1322-1, § 1, 10-26-09)