Combating Graffiti

* I have lived in West Los Angeles for almost two years and continue to be amazed at the amount of graffiti that, in a lot of decent areas, is on virtually every mailbox, bus stop, newspaper rack, telephone booth, street sign, waste container, soda machine, etc. But the truly amazing element is how long it remains, in most cases for many months.

Other cities where I have stayed have implemented an ordinance that property owners must remove graffiti within a 72-hour period or the city will remove it and charge the owners, which, even though I had to pay, was a much better alternative than leaving it and letting the area suffer. The people who create graffiti must feel very empowered by the lack of any real effort to combat it, which results in the biggest loss for the community--not its property values, but fear and intimidation.

DAVID STEENSLAND

Los Angeles