Manteca’s $28 million diverging diamond interchange — the first in California — was vandalized with graffiti weeks before it opened last November at Union Road on the 120 Bypass.
Taggers had hit the concrete walls of the pedestrian/bicyclist tunnel that runs beneath the westbound off-ramp.
The vandalism was removed before the opening. It underscores how graffiti has become a prevalent problem and an irritating issue since the pandemic lockdown a year ago this week sidelined the Seniors Helping Area Residents and Police (SHARP).
The SHARP unit volunteers were tasked with spotting graffiti and using graffiti removal supplies to remove graffiti on city poles, community mail boxes and painted over some graffiti. SHARP also assisted with the San Joaquin County Sherriff’s Department Alternative Work Program for offenders to tackle bigger graffiti removal projects on Saturdays.
The pandemic forced the suspension of the AWP effort until recently. They were pressed into service to help cleanup litter and homeless encampments along the 120 Bypass as well as tackle graffiti.
The City Council will have a presentation by the Manteca Police Department regarding the city’s graffiti removal efforts when they meet Tuesday at 7 p.m.
They are also expected to discuss ways of better tackling graffiti when it pops up.
For more than 25 years the city has relied on SHARP volunteers to pounce on graffiti within days of it appearing.
It was part of the city’s effort under the leaderships of police chiefs to work to prevent blight and crime based on the “broken window” theory. Simply put if blight and graffiti is allowed to linger it attracts more of the same and eventually allows criminal activities to take root and spread.
A report prepared by Police Captain Charlie Goeken notes Manteca “has established a multi-department graffiti response and eradication team to more effectively deal with issues that are seen throughout the community.”
The team is made up of employees from police, parks, solid waste, streets, and code enforcement. The team has already set up a plan to reinstate AWP and will be working collectively to tackle ongoing graffiti issues. The city has also been working with Caltrans on a regular basis to mitigate graffiti and garbage within the city.
While Caltrans has stepped up efforts lately they also have limited resources. Three different Caltrans maintenance yards — Stockton, Modesto, and Tracy — are responsible for three different sections of freeway right-of-ways through Manteca.
Whether the city has the ability — legal or otherwise — to paint over graffiti on freeway sound walls might be raised on Tuesday.
That’s because Manteca officials and leaders get 100 percent of the brunt of public criticism when such graffiti lingers. It also leaves a bad impression with travelers passing through the city. And if the city is able to tackle the graffiti on its own there is the question of funding the manpower and paint for the eradication.
Clearly the absence of the SHARP volunteers — many who fall into the higher risk groups for COVID due to age — has been the biggest reason why graffiti has become as major community issue in the past year. It is not clear when the SHARP will be able to return.
Who and how the graffiti is abated depends on where the graffiti occurs. If the graffiti is on Manteca public property it is handled by Public Works. This is especially true of decorative walls which must be pressure washed and not painted over to maintain appearances.
If the graffiti is in a city park or other area maintained by Parks and Recreation then they handle the graffiti. If the graffiti is on private property such as a fence or business, then the property owner is contacted to clean the graffiti. The Manteca Municipal Code says the property owner has ten days to abate the graffiti, but Code Enforcement is always willing to work with them if needed.
Tuesday’s Zoom council meeting can be seen livestreamed on the city’s website or by going to Comcast Channel 97.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
