Tuesday, October 8, 2013

VIDEO: An Inside Look at Glendale's Graffiti Removal Program


Graffiti abatement techniques and practices have evolved in the years that Program Specialist Javier Covarrubias has been on the City’s graffiti removal team. Covarrubias helped lead the shift from an outdated “cover up” strategy to what he calls “surface restoration”, a specialized but highly efficient “removal” technique.

Watch this short video to see Javier in action.


Painting over graffiti, even graffiti on sidewalks, was not uncommon 20 years ago.  This he attributes to a lack of available technology at the time. Today the Graffiti Response Team tackles this blight in a vehicle custom-designed with Glendale in mind. For example, the truck is built on a smaller chassis, allowing it to fit in narrower streets which make accessing some hillside neighborhoods, like Adams Hill, safer and easier. The graffiti removal vehicle is fully equipped with the latest graffiti removal equipment and eco-friendly removal solvents.

Javier is proud of having played an important role in the vehicle redesign but the improvements to the way graffiti is handled today are not limited to the truck he drives.  Restoring surfaces to the condition they were in before they were tagged takes more than slapping on a new coat of paint. Thanks to the ever evolving technology available to Javier, he is able to remove graffiti from glass, brick walls, stone surfaces and other sensitive surfaces without damaging them.

Glendale Municipal Code requires that graffiti be removed from private property within ten calendar days. Property owners can choose to take advantage of the City's Terminate All Glendale Graffiti (T.A.G.G.) Program, which offers fee-based graffiti removal services to private property owners.

The nature of graffiti has also evolved throughout the years as the mediums used today have become more sophisticated and as the draw of graffiti has lured youth of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to engage in tagging. Covarrubias now removes tiles, wheat pasting, sharpie, acrylic paint, stickers as well as the traditional spray painted tags throughout the entire city.

As both technology and tagging behaviors change throughout the years, Javier, maintains a steadfast commitment to terminating all Glendale graffiti. To report graffiti in the City or to learn more about the T.A.G.G. Program, please call (818) 548-3700 during regular business hours. Graffiti can also be reported 24/7 on the Graffiti Hotline at (818) 548-3726.

Links