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February 17, 2010
Stricter Fines to be Imposed on Graffiti and All Other Violations to City’s Municipal Code
Starting March 1, 2010, Garden Grove will turn to a proven, yet seldom-used tool to make taggers think twice. Officials will begin issuing administrative citations for possession of graffiti instruments with new fines ranging up to $1,000. If the violator is a juvenile, the parent or guardian receives the citation and becomes financially responsible for the fine.
“Graffiti has been a long-time city problem that tarnishes the community and destroys a sense of security for residents, businesses, and visitors,” says Garden Grove City Manager Matt Fertal. He adds, “Last year it cost the City over half-a-million-dollars for police and cleanup efforts. By initiating these fines, we can now move quickly and more effectively to solve some real community issues, and save the City significant amounts of money to be put to better use.”
While administrative citations are not new to Garden Grove, their general use has been recent.
In 2007, the Garden Grove City Council passed an ordinance allowing police officers to issue administrative citations for illegal fireworks violations, with fines up to $1,000. On July 4, 2007, 150 citations with the $1,000 fine were issued. In 2008, only 67 citations for the same amount were issued. The totals dipped further last year. The Police Department also noticed a significant and continuing decrease in the amount of citizen calls reporting illegal fireworks since issuing administrative citations. Last year, police officers responded to 45% fewer fireworks calls than the previous year.
Since the administrative citation process proved effective in reducing illegal fireworks activity, in June 2009, the process was expanded to include all Garden Grove Municipal Code violations.
City enforcement officials are now able to issue citations rather than tying up the criminal justice system with cases where the violator is not likely to receive jail time. This tool will be used to maintain City residential standards, such as property maintenance, as well as for long-standing issues in the business community.
Law-abiding business operators cannot compete with similar businesses that do not follow the rules. Current enforcement actions to bring these businesses into compliance can take years to resolve costing the City time and money. The administrative citation will level the playing field for all permitted businesses operating in the city.
“The citations and fines would be reserved for those who have proven they refuse to follow the rules,” says Fertal. “We want to continue working with business and home owners to bring them to compliance. Our goal is to ensure the quality of life that the people of Garden Grove expect and deserve.”
Essentially, any violation to the City’s Municipal Code can now be enforced using an administrative citation and corresponding fines.
The City is currently undertaking a major, multi-lingual informational campaign on the new administrative citation process and fines. Information is available via the City’s website at this link, City water bills, flyers, local cable television Channel 3, and other media and communication outlets.
