By Johnny Flores, Jr.
Coachella Unincorporated
COACHELLA, Calif, — In the 2011-12 fiscal year, the City of Coachella budgeted $91,372 to combat the costly problem of graffiti or “tagging,” as it commonly known.
But it doesn’t have to be this way going forward.
“The escalating graffiti problem that we are currently experiencing is becoming very costly financially to the city,” said Mayor Eduardo Garcia. “It is money that could be used to promote public art and create spaces for artists to express themselves in a positive way on the walls of our city.”
Maritza Martinez, the city’s public works director, estimates that the city cleans up about 12,000 square feet of graffiti of each month.
“The direct abatement costs (of the cleanup) without any other compounded costs average $1.75 per square foot,” said Martinez via email.
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