With layoffs and budget cuts squeezing city services, the
responsibility of graffiti removal will fall into the hands of
property owners and volunteers.
With layoffs and budget cuts squeezing city services, the responsibility of graffiti removal will fall into the hands of property owners and volunteers.
Community Service Officer Rachel Munoz, a 16-year veteran of the Gilroy Police Department, will wear many hats come February. Already in charge of the Neighborhood Watch program and community outreach events, Munoz will add graffiti abatement to her list of duties. She will assume the duties left behind by Angela Locke-Paddon, a part-time community service and graffiti abatement officer, and Nicole Nielsen, Locke-Paddon’s assistant, who were laid off in a recent round of budget cuts.
Where Locke-Paddon had the time and resources to remove graffiti herself in past years, Munoz will concentrate more on documenting graffiti, working with the department’s anti-crime team to prevent graffiti and notifying property owners, said Sgt. Kurt Ashley, who heads the department’s neighborhood resource unit. Property owners have 72 hours from the time of notification to remove graffiti, according to a city ordinance. Since Munoz will be taking on the work of two part-time employees, plus her former responsibilities of a community service officer, the role of volunteers will expand, Ashley said.
The department has had to cut the program in other areas as well. The graffiti removal kits previously available to the public at the police department will only be given away to members of Wipe Out Watch, a group of volunteers who help remove and report graffiti.
Though Munoz won’t be able to focus solely on graffiti, “she’s an outstanding employee who will take on the task with enthusiasm,” Ashley said. “Anything Rachel does, she does a high quality job.”
In tough budget times, the department is hoping to build up its volunteer base and encourages people to donate their time to cleaning up Gilroy’s growing graffiti problem, Ashley said. Paint donations are also needed. In the past, the department has attempted to proactively prevent graffiti by working with a local artist to paint two large murals under bridges, one near Third Street and Santa Teresa Boulevard and another near Princevalle Street and Luchessa Avenue. Both are sealed with a easy-to-clean clear coat, but even that gets worn down after being wiped down to many times. Lately, the department has had to reseal the murals several times a year, Ashley said.
Munoz would not comment, referring all questions to Ashley.
To make a paint donation, call Sgt. Ashley at 846-0521. To report graffiti, call the graffiti hotline at 846-0395 or Rachel Munoz at 846-0524.
