(A) The City Council hereby finds and declares that graffiti is a public nuisance and destructive to the rights and values of property owners as well as the private community. Unless the city acts to remove graffiti from public and private property, the graffiti tends to remain.
(B) The City Council specifically finds that, based on information collected by its Police Department and studies of criminal gang activity, graffiti associated with criminal gang activity is not protected speech and its presence on property in this community is detrimental to the health, welfare, morals and safety of persons in the city. Other properties then become the target of graffiti, and entire neighborhoods are affected and become less desirable places in which to be, to the detriment of the city. The City Council intends, through this chapter, to provide additional enforcement tools to protect public and private property from acts of graffiti vandalism and defacement. The Council does not intend for this chapter to conflict with any anti-graffiti state laws currently existing.
(Ord. 878, passed 6-14-99)