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(A) The City Council of the City of Los Angeles finds graffiti on public or private property a blighting element that leads to depreciation of the value of property and depreciates the value of the adjacent and surrounding properties to the extent that graffiti creates a negative impact on the entire city.
(B) The City Council finds and determines that the power of graffiti to create fear and insecurity within the community detracts from the sense of community enjoyed by residents making graffiti both a property crime and a social crime impacting the quality of life and freedom from intimidation that citizens desire within their neighborhoods.
(C) The City Council finds and determines that the spread of graffiti often leads to violence, genuine threats to life, and the perpetuation of gangs, gang violence, and gang territories.
(D) The City Council finds and determines that graffiti is obnoxious and a public nuisance, and must be eliminated by means of prevention, education, and abatement to avoid the detrimental impact of such graffiti on the City and its residents, and to prevent the further spread of graffiti.
(E) The purpose and intent of the City Council, through the adoption of this Article, is to protect public and private property from acts of vandalism and defacement.
(A) “Act of graffiti” means an act which causes any form of unauthorized inscription, word, figure or design to be marked, etched, scratched, drawn, sprayed, painted or otherwise affixed on any structural component of any building, structure or other facility or upon any other property, regardless of its content or nature and regardless of the nature of the material of that structural component or property.
(B) “Aerosol paint container” means any aerosol container, which is adapted or made for the purpose of applying spray painting, or other substance capable of defacing property.
(C) “City” means the city of Los Angeles.
(D) “Etching cream” means any caustic cream, gel, liquid, or solution capable, by means of a chemical action, of defacing, damaging, or destroying hard surfaces in a manner similar to acid.
(E) “Graffiti” means any form of unauthorized inscription, word, figure or design which is marked, etched, scratched, drawn, sprayed, painted or otherwise affixed to or on any surface of public or private property, including but not limited to, buildings, walls, signs, structures or places, or other surfaces, regardless of the nature of the material of that structural component.
(F) “Graffiti implement” means any implement capable of marking a surface to create graffiti, including but not limited to aerosol paint containers, markers, etching devices, and gum labels.
(G) “Gum label” means any material such as, but not limited to, decals, stickers, posters or labels which contain a substance commonly known as adhesive or glue, which cannot be removed from the surface in an intact condition and with minimal effort.
(H) “Marker” means any indelible or permanent marker with tips exceeding four millimeters in width or similar implement containing ink that is not water-soluble.
(I) “Owner” means any person, firm, corporation, partnership or other entity, owning property either public or private, whose name or title appears on the last equalized assessment role with the Los Angeles County Recorder’s Office, or the lessee, tenant or other person having control or possession of the property.
(A) It is unlawful for any person to write, paint, spray, chalk, etch, or otherwise apply graffiti on public or privately owned buildings, signs, walls, permanent or temporary structures, places, or other surfaces located on public or privately owned property within the City.
(1) A violation of this subsection shall be subject to enforcement only through civil action, administrative fine, or nuisance abatement lien.
(B) It is unlawful for any person owning or otherwise in control of any real property within the City to permit or allow any graffiti to be placed upon or remain on any walls, temporary or permanent structure, places, or other surfaces located on such property when the graffiti is visible from a public street or other public or private property.
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