Cities Don't See Tagging Calls as Off-the-Wall

Cities Don’t See Tagging Calls as Off-the-Wall

By JERRY HICKS

July 10, 2000 12 AM PT

Don’t think if you call about graffiti that it will be ignored. Almost every city in Orange County has a graffiti removal program. And most have graffiti hotline numbers.

What happens if you catch someone in the act of spraying graffiti? Call the police immediately. But how to do that is a little trickier.

Most cities say call 911, the police number in all cities for emergency response. But some cities don’t want people to dial 911 for nonviolent crimes or non-life-threatening situations. Huntington Beach, for example, prefers that graffiti-in-the-act calls come in through the main police headquarters number.

If you don’t find a graffiti removal hotline number readily accessible in a telephone book for your city, you might suggest to city officials that they get one.

If the graffiti is on your private property, most cities won’t remove it. But many will provide you paint so that you can remove it yourself.

For unincorporated areas, or graffiti on county buildings, call (714) 834-3400. If you see graffiti along the freeway, call Caltrans at (949) 724-2500.

Here are a few key city or city graffiti hotline numbers:

Anaheim: (714) 765-5200.

Brea: (714) 671-4465

Buena Park: (714) 821-8658

Costa Mesa: (949) 548-4165

Dana Point: (949) 770-6011

Fountain Valley: (714) 593-4400

Fullerton: (714) 738-3108

Garden Grove: (714) 741-5381

Huntington Beach: (714) 960-8861

Irvine: (949) 724-6000

Laguna Hills: (949) 770-6011