Repeat: Council candidates on graffiti and blight

San Bernardino council candidates weigh in on vandalism

Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - Many people would agree that the city looks a mess.

Whoever wins the Nov. 3 elections will take part in governing a city that like other urban environments, is slogging through a long battle against taggers. The graffiti problem is one issue that voters can consider when deciding who to cast ballots for.

Besides the mayoral race, this year's contests include competitions for three of San Bernardino's seven City Council seats. Two candidates are on the ballot in each council race.

Graffiti has lately received more attention from city officials, as police and other city staffers have recently worked to development an idea being called SB TAAG.

SB TAAG, or San Bernardino Taking Action Against Graffiti, would include educational efforts toward schools and the community at large to impress upon youths the idea that graffiti is a serious problem.

The plan also calls for cooperation between multiple agencies, such BNSF Railway police and the San Bernardino District Attorney's office, to arrest and prosecute vandals.

Mayor Pat Morris and City Attorney James F. Penman - two of three contenders in this year's mayoral race - have themselves been involved in graffiti-related efforts.

Morris has called for a new law to hold juvenile vandals' parents financially responsible for their children's crimes. Also, one of Penman's deputies has proposed the crafting of anti-tagger injunctions to prevent vandals from congregating around graffiti hot spots.

These efforts follow action taken in 2008 to cancel the city's graffiti abatement contract with Los Padrinos - an outfit that sought to help troubled youths by putting them to work painting over graffiti - and take graffiti removal in-house.

Council candidates' views on the issue follow:
FIRST WARD CITY COUNCIL RACE
San Bernardino's 1st Ward includes downtown and part of the Westside. Incumbent Esther Estrada, who is also executive director of Casa Ramona Academy, is running against Virginia Marquez. Marquez is a part-time field representative for U.S. Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino.

ESTHER ESTRADA
Estrada did not respond to an e-mail and phone calls asking for a written campaign platform statement.

VIRGINIA MARQUEZ
Marquez asserts that City Hall needs master plan that would lay out short- and long-term anti-vandalism strategies and a corps of "volunteer graffiti workers" that would work under the auspices of the Police and Public Services departments.

"The residents of this City are ultimately the 'eyes and ears' of our communities and will partner with these departments in an effort to accomplish this mission," Marquez wrote in an e-mail.

Marquez also calls for increased lessons at elementary schools to teach children to respect others' property and understand the demoralizing effects of graffiti on a city.

SECOND WARD CITY COUNCIL RACE
The race to represent the city's 2nd Ward, which includes the neighborhoods north of downtown and around Perris Hill Park, features incumbent Dennis Baxter and challenger Jason Desjardins.

Baxter is general manager of radio station KCAA and Desjardins owns Big Z Auto Works.

DENNIS BAXTER
Baxter contends that San Bernardino improved its anti-graffiti efforts when the city created its own clean-up force to replace Los Padrinos.

"Now we need to focus more attention on trying to get compensation from the vandals," Baxter wrote in an e-mail. "If the perpetrators are youth, then their parents must been held accountable and pay for the repairs including the replacement of expensive windows that have been etched with acid."

Baxter also writes that San Bernardino officials should also pay attention to businesses that fail to repair broken windows or other problems. He maintains that government intrusion into business is not always the best policy, but that the city also has a duty to protect residents' health and safety.

"I have been stunned by how many businesses do not apply for funding available to help fix and clean up some of these problems," Baxter writes.

JASON DESJARDINS
Desjardins' platform calls for strict deadlines to remove graffiti, a code enforcement "crackdown" and restitution penalties for vandals or their parents.

The candidate also aligns himself with the city attorney's stance to block any kind of new parolee housing within city limits.

"I will support a strict no-new group home policy for San Bernardino to keep additional parolees and sex offenders out of our city," Desjardins wrote in an e-mail.

FOURTH WARD CITY COUNCIL RACE
The Fourth Ward comprises San Bernardino's northeastern neighborhoods. Incumbent Fred Shorett, a businessman, is facing challenger Joe Arnett. Arnett works as an IT manager at Loma Linda University.

JOE ARNETT
Arnett, who is working with the same campaign consultant as Desjardins, also maintains that the city has too many group homes, needs tight deadlines for graffiti removal, and should fine juvenile taggers' parents.

"At a minimum, I suggest doubling the penalty both in terms of cost and community service time spent in the field," Arnett wrote in an e-mail.

He also supports the use of Administrative Civil Penalties, a mechanism favored by the city attorney that allows for a maximum fine of $1,000 per day to be imposed for any municipal code violation.

Arnett also wants to host monthly volunteer clean up days in the 4th Ward and a citywide policy to limit future low-income housing projects to senior housing complexes.

FRED SHORETT
Shorett also calls for vandals' parents to be held responsible for their children's crimes.
He also wants to consider publishing the names of taggers or their parents.

"Public exposure will ensure that our citizens know who in their neighborhoods are responsible for these hideous crimes and waste of taxpayer's dollars," Shorett wrote in an e-mail.

Shorett also wants to reexamine existing curfew laws and push the San Bernardino City Unified School District to place all campuses on a traditional schedule so police can have an easier time identifying truant youth.