SMOOTH AS A BABY'S BEHIND!

Nice job everyone!  It only took a bit under a year of screaming, pleading, bitching and complaining, but its finally done!  And smooth as a baby's behind I might add.   The squeaky wheel really does get the oil sometimes.  Thank you to all that  joined in the fight.


Ross Sagun


  

SHOUT OUT FOR EXCELLENT SUPPORT

SHOUT OUT FOR EXCELLENT SUPPORT

I just wanted to say thank you to the Benicia City Council for unanimously voting to fund the repaving project for which we have been clamoring! Did I say the vote was UNANIMOUS?

Thank you Mayor Patterson and the entire City Council.

I would like to especially thank Councilman Tom Campbell for his excellent support. Tom was watching our back at virtually every meeting by keeping it front and center. Thanks Tom! We appreciate your excellent support.

Also, thanks to our Public Works Director, Mr. Graham Wadsworth, for an excellent presentation at the October 18th meeting. You can view it here (fast forward to the 2:17 mark).

http://benicia.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=232

Great job to all.

VOTE AS IF YOUR STREET DEPENDS ON IT

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Tomorrow is your day to speak your mind.  I hope that you do, if for no other reason than to respect those that have sacrificed to protect our right to vote.

Thank you for supporting our collective efforts to make Benicia a better place for all of us.

..Ross



Below is a list of
proposed streets scheduled for pavement repair and resurfacing treatment in
2017 between April and October:

2017 Resurface/Reconstruct Streets	Limits
Southampton Road	400’ east of Panorama Dr to Military West
Industrial Way	Lake Herman Road to Teal Street
Teal Drive	Industrial Way to Mallard Dr
East O Street	West of East 3rd Street to East 5th Street
St. Augustine Drive	East 2nd Street to East 3rd Street
Panorama Court	Panorama Dr to end
Merlin Court	Panaroma Dr to end
First Street microsurfacing	K Street to waterfront
Pavement Seal Project	Approximately 700,000 to 1.4 million square feet (SF) on four lane miles of streets

$500,000 FUNDING APPROVED FOR EAST O STREET REPAVING

Mr. Wadsworth,

Thanks for the update and for your efforts and those of the City Council in obtaining the funding to finally repair East O. 


Also, thank you for directing the temporary repairs in the 400 block near the car wash.  We hope that more of the bigger potholes can be filled in the next few weeks as a temporary measure.  They seem to be getting bigger.  Our vehicles and our nerves will appreciate it.

We appreciate your responsiveness.  Thanks again for your help in making Benicia a better place for all of us.

- Ross

On 10/26/2016 2:46 PM, Graham Wadsworth wrote:

Mr. Schwartz, Furtado and Sagun,

I am happy to report that the City Council approved $4.4 million in funding for the 2017 Street Resurfacing Project, which includes removing the existing asphalt concrete on East O Street from 225 west of East 3^rd to East 5^th at a cost of over $500,000. If all goes well with the design and bidding process, then construction should begin during the summer of 2017.

Over the past few weeks, the Street Maintenance crew has placed a thin overlay on part of East O Street and placed a 20’ x 20 pavement patch near the car wash. Over the next few weeks when the weather permits it, they will place more thin overlay to help reduce the risk of potholes forming this winter.

More information about the action that the City Council took on 10/18 can be found at the following web page.

https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/31011/Citywide_Street_Resurfacing_Program_and_Request_for_Funds_-_Staff_Report.pdf

Graham Wadsworth, P. E.

Public Works Director / City Engineer

City of Benicia Public Works Department

250 East "L" Street

Benicia, CA 94510

707-746-4240

gwadsworth@ci.benicia.ca.us

www.ci.benicia.ca.us

ACTION AT LAST!!!! --- O STREET TO BE RESURFACED!!!

Progress at last!

O Street is going to be resurfaced on October 17th and 18th!

Also, Public Works Director, Mr. Graham Wadsworth, informed me today that they are requesting funding for repaving O Street from East 5th to East 3rd.  This is real progress.

Thank you Mr. Wadsworth and to the City Council for helping us make our neighborhood, and Benicia, a better place to live.

Mr. Sagun, A staff report has been prepared for the October 18 City Council meeting recommending that the City Council allocate funding to pave East O Street from East 3^rd to East 5^th. The staff report is available at the following web page: http://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/agendas  Graham Wadsworth, P. E.
Public Works Director / City EngineerCity of Benicia Public Works Department250 East "L" Street
Benicia, CA 94510707-746-4240gwadsworth@ci.benicia.ca.uswww.ci.benicia.ca.us

BREAKING NEWS...CITY COUNCILMAN TOM CAMPBELL BRINGS OUR ISSUE TO THE FOREFRONT!!

Benicia City Councilman Tom Campbell brought our neighborhood's concerns about our streets to the attention of the entire council at their meeting on Tuesday, October 4th.  During the public comment session, Councilman Campbell reminded the council about the need to immediately address the deteriorated conditions in our downtown Benicia neighborhood.  The council was quick to note that they had received "many emails" about our concerns.

Mayor Patterson echoed Councilman Campbell's comments.  Graham Wadsworth, Benicia's Director of Public Works, then gave an update on their proposed timetable to make repairs.  He stated that crews would be out this week to make temporary repairs to East O and East N.  More permanent and substantial repairs and their required funding will be the topic at the next City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 18th.

This is a huge step forward thanks to Tom Campbell. Thank you, Tom, for bringing our concerns to the forefront.  Time will tell if the City is true to its word.

You can view video of Tom's comments on the Benicia's website at http://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/agendas (fast forward to about 1:40 on the tape).

On Oct 8, 2016, at 02:18, Tom Campbell <TCampbell@ci.benicia.ca.us> wrote:

Ross
    Brought the O & N St. roads up in public comment section on Tuesday. You might see what was said. It sounds like the City crew will be out next week for short term work and then at the City Council meeting on 10/18 a long term fix will be on the table. 
Tom

I HOPE THAT THE CITY OF BENICIA HEARS THIS ONE LOUD AND CLEAR! - IT SAYS IT ALL

I receive a lot of comments but this one really says it all.  

If the City of Benicia truly wants to be "ONE OF THE 10 BEST PLACES TO LIVE", they need to pay attention to this one:

"Every time ... and I return home in the evening, we are pretty shocked, slowing to about 10 mph on P [sic] Street to keep our car suspension from being further damaged (both our cars now make strange sounds in the rear suspension). We think -- What sort of town do we have here? Don't we have any pride? What must visitors think of us? (We had better take them the other way to 2nd Street and turn at McDonald's!) For some reason, our city can't take care of even our most basic needs."

 

DID EAST O AND EAST N "SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS?" - BENICIA PUBLIC WORKS RESPONDS

Graham,

Thank you for the background info on how are streets are supposed to be maintained and repaired.  It all makes good sense to me. 

Did East O and East N just "slip through the cracks"?  They were bad 8 years ago, we reported them several times, and they didn't received any attention. 

I hope that major repairs will be scheduled for the future, next summer as you state.  In the meantime, don't you think some immediate pothole repairs are justified?  Its pretty bad when motorists have to slow to a walking pace or even stop to avoid the holes.

Its unfortunate that our neighborhood's streets have been allowed to deteriorate to such a bad condition and will now need more extensive and unnecessarily expensive attention.  Nevertheless, on behalf of our neighborhood, thank you for looking into the needed repairs. 

Ross

On 10/4/2016 1:49 PM, Graham Wadsworth wrote:

Mr. Sagun,

Benicia does not have the worst streets in Solano County. In the 2015 Pavement Management Plan, the average PCI in Benicia is 58, the average PCI in Suisun City is 55, and the average PCI in Vallejo is 49. Ten years ago, the PCI in Benicia was 70, so there has been a downward trend with a reduction in gas tax revenue.

The first criteria used to determine if a street will be repaved usually starts with the PCI. A street with a PCI less than 25 then the street should be reconstructed, which is 10 to 30 times more expensive than doing preventive maintenance, such as slurry seals and microsurfacing. It is less expensive to keep a street in good condition, than let it deteriorate to the point that it must be reconstructed. This is why you see streets in better condition being repaved. Another reason is that the City receives state funding to pave arterial and collector streets, but not for residential streets. Other criteria include the volume of traffic on the street, the best treatment for the street, and grouping streets with the same treatment in a geographical area for one contractor to resurface, which reduces costs.

In terms of emergency repairs, those are made when there are potholes that need to be filled, which are usually filled in the fall and spring. Potholes are a symptom of a street network that has too much deferred maintenance. I am attaching a file with a list of streets with a PCI less than 20 in case you want to make comparisons. Please note that the street segments are a few blocks long and not uniformly deteriorated, so there may be parts of the segment that are in worse condition than other parts.

I had a meeting today to discuss the available funding for the next street resurfacing project. As I stated in my 9/19 email, City staff will be preparing the paving program this month for construction during the summer of 2017 and East O will be evaluated and considered for inclusion.

Graham

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE LIONEL LARGAESPADA WEIGHS IN

Mr. Largaespada,

Thank you for sending your story to us.  We can certainly relate to it.  Those of us that live in the neighborhood bounded by East 2nd - St. Augustine - East 5th - East Military feel like we have been forgotten by our City's leadership.  For eight years we have reported our deteriorating streets with little to show for it, while other neighborhood's get repeated attention.  Why has our neighborhood gone largely unaddressed?  East O near the car wash is the most egregious example and located at a major gateway to Benicia, near hotels and businesses. 


I am embarrassed to drive visitors down these streets.  What must they be thinking?  Doesn't Benicia have any money for street repairs?  Do they even care?  How does this reflect on our City's values and its pride, and what is the effect on our property values? 


It's a mess and I hope that we, and especially our City leaders, can address forthwith.  Thanks again for weighing in and for your support.

..Ross
www.safebenicia.blogspot.com

On 10/4/2016 10:31 AM, Lionel Largaespada, Candidate for Benicia City Council wrote:

Lionel Largaespada, Candidate for Benicia City Council has left a new comment on your post "IT'S DEAD JOE. CAN'T WE GET THIS FIXED?":

While I don’t have a picture, I wanted to share my story with you Ross. This summer, my youngest daughter attended art camp at Robert Semple Elementary. After dropping her off one morning, I decided to drive around the neighborhood because in a few months I would be walking these streets as a candidate for Benicia City Council. To my dismay, I discovered the street conditions were beyond terrible – you would have thought I was driving on a dirt road in the Central Valley (that is NOT meant as an insult to the good people from the 559 area code). Benicia has the second worst roads in all of Solano County—and I agree with you; that’s is unacceptable. While money has been allocated for road repair— I also agree with you that we (i.e. the residents) have been asked to wait too long. That’s why if I am elected to the Benicia City Council, we will make road repair a top priority and we’ll keep repairs at the top of the Measure C project list until it is complete.

Sincerely,
Lionel     

NEWS FLASH!! -- POSSIBLE BREAK IN THE PAVING LOG JAM

Friends and Neighbors,

I just received this potentially good news from Mr. Graham Wadsworth, the Benicia Director of Public Works.  Let's keep our fingers crossed.  Thanks in advance to Mr. Wadsworth and all of you in the background that are helping to make progress and address our neighborhood's concerns.

..Ross

Mr. Wadsworth,
That is excellent news and would be a huge step forward towards addressing our neighborhood's concerns.  We will stand by for the results of their evaluation.  Please keep us advised.
Many thanks.
..Ross
www.safebenicia.blogspot.com

On 10/4/2016 9:57 AM, Graham Wadsworth wrote:
Mr. Sagun, I spoke with the Public Works Street Maintenance Supervisor and the crew began patch paving and filling potholes this month. The crew did what is called a “skin patch” or thin overlay on East O Street near East 5^th Street last year. They will evaluate doing another in the location of the picture that you sent below. If it an appropriate pavement treatment, then they should be able to do the work this month.
 Graham Wadsworth, P. E.
Public Works Director / City EngineerCity of Benicia Public Works Department250 East "L" Street
Benicia, CA 94510707-746-4240gwadsworth@ci.benicia.ca.uswww.ci.benicia.ca.us

IT'S DEAD JOE. CAN'T WE GET THIS FIXED?

Hi Friends and Neighbors,

I can't make the City Council meeting tomorrow night.  If you are going, can you bring this to the Council's attention?  Please remind them that we have been reporting this for 8 years now.  I bet that if this were happening in front of City Hall it would be fixed by now.

Thanks,

Ross

CITY OF BENICIA NEEDS TO KEEP ITS PROMISE TO THE VOTERS - USE MEASURE C FUNDS AS INTENDED

Elizabeth,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to our neighborhood's concerns.  We all realize the funding challenges facing the City.  However, you yourself stated that the City of Benicia committed to the voters that Measure C would be used for pot hole repair.  I challenge anyone to point out a street in Benicia that is as well-traveled as East O from East 5th to East 3rd that is in worse condition.

We are talking about two blocks.  Mr. Wadsworth, the City's Public Works Director, stated himself on 9/19/16 that the street has "failed".  While Southampton Road from Panorama to Hastings is an important artery and needs some repairs, it has not failed.  EAST O HAS FAILED.

NO POTHOLES LIKE THIS ON SOUTHAMPTON ROAD

We urge you and the City to keep your promise to voters to use the funds we voted in for the purpose for which they were intended.  To do otherwise would not be fulfilling of the City of Benicia's responsibility to our City's residents and voters.

We happily noted your commitment to get the discussion rolling within City Hall.  We are anxiously awaiting some results.  Getting a failed street fixed shouldn't be this difficult.

..Ross

On 9/21/2016 11:00 AM, Elizabeth Patterson wrote:

Some people also state all or most of Measure C - thanks to all who voted for our one cent sales tax - can be used for streets.  But that would break our promise of maintaing city services, public safety, parks (library) and fixing pot holes.  We are and will spend some of Measure C on streets, but there is not is not enough in the tax revenues to cover all the needs.  We knew that when we adopted the resolution and anyone who says the Measure C is enough to fix all our roads is wrong.

MAYOR PATTERSON PROMISES ACTION ON OUR CONCERNS

Ross,

First, I am wrong about the last meeting of the month to consider staff recommendations for the road maintenance work. Apparently it will be at an October meeting and I will try to send you a notice.


Right now I don't have all the information I need, but my educated guess is that the maintenance work for Southampton is to keep it from degrading to the point of having to completely reconstruct the road. And from my observation of the road conditions at East O and N and West I and Mills . . . and the list goes on, the road is so bad that it may have to be seriously reconstructed. Again, I am not the expert and these are the questions that we will have when the schedule of road repair is discussed.


I am copying the interim city manager who will be able to give you more firm dates for the council meeting at which we will discuss the situation and give direction to staff.


Take care,


Elizabeth

September 28, 2016 at 1:27 PM

STEVE YOUNG - CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE - RESPONDS

"now that I have looked at your blog and the pictures, it is hard to understand how the City would not make the repair/rebuilding of this street the highest priority. "

Steve suggests that we get together and show up at the next City Council meeting.  Good idea, but one would think that the City of Benicia wouldn't need a neighborhood revolt to get a street fixed in a timely manner.  After all, we have been waiting for ALMOST A DECADE (since 2008) to get this fixed!  Do you agree?

 --Ross

THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME HAD TO STOP! DUE TO THE POTHOLES

I was driving down East O near the car wash today and following an SUV.  The SUV literally came to a stop to avoid being swallowed by a pothole.  Maybe he was shifting into 4 WHEEL DRIVE!

Sadly, I am not feeling very optimistic about getting any help from the City.  Perhaps I am wrong. Maybe the City will take our suggestion of diverting a small portion of the Measure C funds destined to repave Southampton Road, A ROAD THAT IS MUCH SMOOTHER THAN EAST O.

Call me a pessimist but cars don't have to stop on Southampton Road to avoid road hazards like in OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!

MAYOR PATTERSON RESPONDS AND MY RESPONSE (9/20)

9/20

Ross,

I have a response from interim city manager in response to your first email to me. There is no final decision on this and we will consider our choices the last council meeting this month. 

Elizabeth

9/21

Elizabeth,

Thank you for responding to our concerns about East O and East N Streets.  Mr. Wadsworth, Director of Public Works, stated that a portion of Southampton Road is scheduled to be repaved.  I drove down that portion of Southampton Road yesterday.  It is smoother than a baby's behind compared to East O and East N.  Perhaps the City could take a small portion of those funds and reallocate them.  

We understand that Southampton Road gets a lot of traffic, but what is the rationale for repaving a smooth street when you have streets in an emergency condition?

We will be very interested in the outcome of the upcoming council meeting.
Thanks again.

Ross

IS WAITING UNTIL 2017 ACCEPTABLE? WE HAVE WAITED 8 YEARS TO GET THIS FIXED

Dear Councilmembers,

With all due respect, we do not believe it is an acceptable response to ask us to wait until next year to possibly fix a problem that has been ignored by the City of Benicia for almost a decade.  Have all of you driven down East O Street near the car wash?  It is deplorable, plain and simple.  We need some immediate action to be taken, at least in the 400 block of East O, and respectfully ask for your intervention.

Thanks.

Ross Sagun


www.safebencia.blogspot.com

BENICIA'S PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR RESPONDS - HIS NOTE AND MY RESPONSE

Mr. Wadsworth,

Thank you for your response to our concerns over the deteriorating condition of our neighborhood's streets, specifically, East O and East N Streets.  We have been reporting the poor condition of these streets since at least 2008.  Yet, the City of Benicia has taken virtually no action to repair them.  Our neighborhood feels like we have been ignored and forgotten by the City.

You stated that 35% of Benicia's streets are in "...poor or failed condition."  Is the pavement condition of Benicia's streets the worst streets in Solano County?  What criteria do you use to determine if a street will be repaved?  We have witnessed many of Benicia's streets that are in much better condition being repaved.  When does the deteriorated condition of a street reach the level of requiring emergency repair?  One has to dodge potholes on East O Street near the car wash much like driving down a farmer's dirt road.  One would think that such a deteriorated condition would warrant immediate repair.  We think that the 400 block of East O Street needs immediate repair.  You can visit our website at www.safebenicia.blogspot.com to pictures of the street's failed condition.


While we take pride in our neighborhood, this is not just a nuisance and asthetic issue.  This is a safety issue.  The numerous potholes, cracks, and surface failures that you mentioned can easily cause bicyclists and motorcyclists to lose control, especially in wet conditons.


The area in question is about 4 blocks long.  This would not seem to be a huge project.  We urge you to take immediate action to repair the unacceptable conditions that have been ignored by the City for over 8 years.  Anything less would not be fulfilling the City's responsibility to Benicia's businesses and residents.

We look forward to your answers to our questions.  Thank you again for your response. 

Ross Sagun

www.safebenicia.blogspot.com

On 9/19/2016 11:51 AM, Graham Wadsworth wrote:

Mr. Sagun,

I drove on East N and East O Streets, and looked up the Pavement Condition Index (PCI), which are 27 and 35, respectively. The streets have deep longitudinal cracks, alligator cracking, and surface failures. It appears that the City has done some patch paving on these streets in the past. The Public Works crew fills potholes in the fall before the winter rains begin, so I am copying the Superintendent for his information.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission classifies a PCI less than 25 out of 100 as a “very poor / failed” street, and recommends that the street be reconstructed. The portion of East O between East 4^th and East 5^th appears to have reached this level. On page 8 of the attached City Manager’s Report, it states that 70 out of 200 miles (or 35%) of City streets are in poor or failed condition. With a decrease in Gas Tax funding over the past 20 years, there is more work to do than funding available to fix the City’s streets.

The City used Measure C sales tax revenue to hire a contractor to do some patch paving work on streets south if I-780 within the past year, but I did not see any recent patches on these streets. Measure C funding will be used to pave Southampton Road from Hastings Drive to the new pavement near Panorama Drive.  In October, City staff will be preparing a paving program to use the available funding as cost effectively as possible to stretch the dollars as far as possible. East O Street is already on the Pavement Repair Request Log. By copy of this email, I am asking Lisa to add East N Street to the Log. We plan to hire a contractor to do more patch paving in 2017, so we will see if there are places on East N and East O Streets where that makes sense.

The paving program will be used to recommend projects in the Fiscal Year 2017-19 Budget. If you would like more information about the paving program, feel free to contact Steve Yee at the email above or 746-4240.

Graham Wadsworth, P. E.

Public Works Director / City Engineer

City of Benicia Public Works Department

250 East "L" Street

Benicia, CA 94510

707-746-4240

gwadsworth@ci.benicia.ca.us

www.ci.benicia.ca.us

East O Street near the car wash - nice huh?

BENICIA CITY COUNCIL - RESPONSIVE OR SILENT? YOU BE THE JUDGE

Here's the responsiveness score so far:


Tom Campbell - RESPONDED! (9/16)

Christina Strawbridge - RESPONDED! (9/17)

Mark Hughes - RESPONDED!  (9/19)



Elizabeth Patterson - SILENT

Alan Schwartzman - SILENT

CHRISTINA STRAWBRIDGE RESPONDS!

Kudos to Councilmember Christina Strawbridge for her timely response:

I am forwarding your e-mail to our City Manager for information on where we are on road improvements. With Measure C money we have been able to address our roads in Benicia.

Thank you,
Christina 

SOMEONE AT CITY HALL IS LISTENING TO US! HOORAY!

KUDOS TO COUNCILMAN TOM CAMPBELL





I'll send this to the city manager and ask him what's planned. I'll try and get back to you when I know something.

Tom


From: Ross Sagun
Sent: Friday, September 16, 2016 7:35:55 PM
To: Tom Campbell
Subject: deteriorating street condition


Councilman Campbell:

Here is a copy of a letter that I sent to Mayor Patterson. We are asking for your help and support to address this problem. We know that this is a busy time for you but hope that you will share our concerns about this longstanding problem.

Thank you.

Ross Sagun

www.safebenicia.blogspot.com

DO YOUR TEETH FALL OUT WHEN DRIVING DOWN EAST O STREET? AN OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR PATTERSON

September 16, 2016



Dear Mayor Patterson:



I would like to bring to your attention an important issue on behalf of my friends and neighbors living in the Harborview Knolls neighborhood. That issue is the serious deterioration of the streets in our neighborhood, specifically, the following:


East O Street from East Fifth Street to East Third Street


East N Street from East Fifth Street to East Third Street



The pavement on these streets is seriously failing, and in some cases such as the section of East O near the carwash has completely failed, with cracks up to 6 inches, potholes, and erosion. These defects pose a safety hazard, especially to motorcyclists in the winter when the streets are wet. One must slow to a crawl to drive a car along the street to avoid serious vibration. We have seen motorists driving in the opposite lane to avoid potholes. It is literally like driving on a dirt road.


These streets get a substantial amount of traffic and are located at a major gateway to Benicia (East Fifth Street off-ramp). East N Street goes right past the Holiday Inn Express, giving visitors and tourists a first-hand look at the disrepair of Benicia’s streets. East O is adjacent to a popular carwash, auto parts store, and child care center, as well as high density housing.


We reported this to the City of Benicia as early as April 2008 but little has been done to repair these streets. All the while, we notice less traveled and streets in better condition, such as East J and K Streets east of East Fifth Street, getting repaved. We feel like we have been forgotten.


Could you please look into this for us? Just take a drive down East O from East Fifth to East Third and you will see just exactly what we are talking about.


Thank you in advance for your attention and any help that you can offer.




Sincerely yours,

Ross Sagun

www.safebenicia.blogspot.com



cc: Vice Mayor Mark Hughes

Councilman Tom Campbell

Councilman Alan Schwartzman

Councilwoman Christina Strawbridge

Benicia PD Does It Again!! Great work! Let's just hope that the Solano DA doesn't let us down by letting these guys off easy

Based on a call from an alert citizen, Benicia police officers arrested four Vacaville residents for a felony graffiti / tagging incident that occurred on the 300 block of Warwick Drive. This is the latest in a series of graffiti related investigations that police hope will reduce the amount of graffiti incidents around Benicia.

At 2:23 am on Wednesday morning, Benicia police received a phone call from a resident on the 2000 block of Havenhill Drive reporting that three male subjects were walking around a car in the area. Responding officers located the vehicle - a 2005 white Toyota Corolla - parked in front of a residence but could not locate the three subjects. A check with the resident where the car was parked revealed that the car did not belong to them and they had not seen it before.

Officers then conducted surveillance on the car for about 40 minutes. At 3:03 am, officers saw four subjects return to the car and take off. Officers initiated a stop on the vehicle on the 100 block of Warwick Drive. Contacted where two adults and two juveniles, all from Vacaville. During the car stop, officers found 24 aerosol spray paint cans and two of the subjects had spray paint on their hands. A check of the area found graffiti spray painted on a 60' long retaining / sound wall on the 300 block of Warwick Drive that backs up to Highway 780. All four admitted their involvement in coming to Benicia to "tag" and to "tagging" the retaining wall (photos attached).

Since the estimated damage from the graffiti was in excess of $400, all were booked for felony vandalism charges. Those booked were:

1) Troy ORETA, 20 year old Vacaville resident and driver of the car; booked into the Solano County Jail for felony vandalism and an outstanding $500 misdemeanor warrant from Solano County;

2) Joseph CAUDLE, 18 year old Vacaville resident; booked into the Solano County Jail for felony vandalism.

3) Two 17 year old Vacaville residents; booked into the Solano County Juvenile Hall for felony vandalism, minors in possession of aerosol container, and one of the 17 years old was also booked for violation of their Solano County juvenile probation.

"Once again, a citizen provided the call that led to an arrest of those committing crimes in our community," Lt. Mike Daley said. "Our officers did a great job of surveillance on the car and eventually apprehending these suspects. Generally our tagging and graffiti crimes have been committed by youths who live in our town. This is the first case in a while in which we had someone from a neighboring town come here to tag. Hopefully this arrest and the prosecution of these four will deter similar events in our city."

Benicia police are looking through incidents to see if the markings are similar to other incidents in town. In addition, Benicia police will be providing Vacaville police with information on the case to compare to incidents in their city. For information on this press release, contact Lt. Daley at (707)590-4259. Anyone with information about graffiti crimes or tagging in Benicia is asked to call School Resource Officer Sergio Cruz at (707)746-4253 or Crime Stoppers at (707)644-STOP (7867).

Benicia PD Nabs Taggers - Great Job!!

Kudos to Lt. Mike Daley, Officer Sergio Cruz, and the entire Benicia Police Department for a fine job in nabbing these taggers. I hope that all available resources, including taking away the taggers driving privileges and stiff penalties, are sought for these delinquents that have striven to blight our community. We need to demonstrate to other potential vandals that we are serious about enforcement.

Benicia needs a ZERO TOLERANCE policy against graffiti.

My congratulations and thanks to Lt. Daley and his team.

..Ross Sagun


>>> Lt. Mike Daley 4/15/2009 10:49 AM >>>

Following a variety of leads, Benicia Police detectives have identified and interviewed a graffiti "tagger" who has been active in Benicia for over a year. The suspect is a 19 year old Benicia youth. In addition, a 15 year old Benicia youth and another 14 year old Benicia youth have been issued misdemeanor citations for vandalism for separate incidents.

"We have seen graffiti around the city over the past year," Lt. Mike Daley said. "Hopefully this investigation and the arrests we anticipate making will significantly decrease this problem."

Tagging is when an individual marks a particular name or symbol on property. Graffiti is when the suspect draws or paints a design on property.

School Resource Officer Sergio Cruz, who oversees graffiti investigations for the department, developed a lead on the 19 year old suspect and Benicia resident in early March. Based on SRO Cruz's investigation and interviews, it was determined that the this subject had at least two "tags" seen around town - PEWK and GURP along with a "Hard Times", or HT, graffiti marking. It is suspected that this subject has been tagging certain areas of Benicia since the beginning of 2008. "We will be pursuing felony vandalism charges from the District Attorney's Office due to the amount of damage caused by this one person," Lt. Daley said.

"Taggers target certain areas of our town like parks, a tunnel that runs under highway 780, and some of our shopping centers, " Lt. Daley added. "In addition, taggers will mark roadway signs, utility boxes, or anything else they can put their tag or sign on. We think these latest investigations will put a stop to some of the tagging and markings taking place."

The City of Benicia has a pro-active stance in the immediate removal of graffiti. The City has one full time civilian Community Preservation Officer, Roger Core, who works for the Fire Department. However, this officer has worked directly with the police department in documenting graffiti incidents and gaining the cooperation of businesses in its immediate removal. "Roger has done an excellent job in assisting our department with these graffiti investigations," Daley said. "His work with Detective Cruz should lead to the arrest of others committing these crimes."

According to Daley, there are a couple of groups of taggers they would like to obtain information on relative to graffiti crimes. "We are in the process of trying to identity additional groups and taggers around town. We encourage anyone with information on graffiti crimes to contact us and help curtail this problem."

For information on this press release, contact Lt. Mike Daley at (707)590-4259. Anyone with information on graffiti vandals or taggers are asked to contact School Resource Officer Sergio Cruz at (707)746-4253 or Crime Stoppers at (707)644-STOP (7867)

Is there any money to fight graffiti and vandalism, or just bus shelters?

The City of Benicia has asked for their share of President Obama's stimulus package pie. Admittedly, many of these requests have merit. But, don't you think the City should reserve just a little bit of that money to fight Benicia's graffiti and vandalism problem? Do you think the battle to keep our neighborhood's safe and blight-free might just be a higher priority than bus shelters?

Now, I'm not suggesting that the the idea of funding bus shelters should be thrown out. What I am saying is this: Is it just lip service when the City keeps telling us that there is no money for graffiti cameras? I hope not.

I've done just a little research on this and have found camera solutions costing as little as $300. That's right... $300!! How much is a bus shelter? And besides, I will take bets that the proposed bus shelters will be victimized by vandalism and graffiti, costing much more than $300.

Where is the Benicia City Council's priorities? It will soon be "show time". Time tells all...time to put their money where their collective mouths are.

..Ross Sagun

from the Times-Herald:



So far, the city has applied for:

* $400,000 to resurface East Second Street from Lake Herman Road to west of Park Road;

* $4 million to develop a water reuse project for the Valero refinery;

* $2 million to install an ionic exchange system to cleanse the city's drinking water;

* $130,000 to create a Sky Valley rainwater management plan to help keep pollution out of Benicia's water supply.

Other projects the city hopes to identify or secure funds for include a new police station, more police officers, fire station renovations, a hiking trail, a bus shelter and a library expansion project, among other things.

Contact staff writer Tony Burchyns at tburchyns@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6831.
Times Herald

Stakeouts aim to curb graffiti

By Brent Begin
Examiner Staff Writer 3/18/09

San Francisco officials say they have seen an increase in complaints about graffiti. Examiner file photo SAN FRANCISCO – Police are turning to stakeouts in order to nab graffiti vandals.

The City has seen an uptick in complaints about graffiti, specifically to the 311 call center.

A series of stake-out operations are planned between the California Highway Patrol and the Police Department. The law enforcement agencies are targeting overpasses and freeway signs after a series of bold vandalism incidents on Highway 101.

“It’s costing The City millions,” said Mohammed Nuru, the Department of Public Works deputy director, who oversees graffiti cleanup for The City. “They’re using climbing gear. They’re sophisticated and climbing up sheer surfaces.”

After averaging about 1,400 calls a month, that number climbed in December to more than 3,000. Those calls have continued to roll in at a steady pace, and city officials want to catch the vandals in the act.

Officer Christopher Putz of the San Francisco Police Department’s graffiti unit said he believes the increase is not in graffiti incidents, but in citizen reporting of the vandalism.

Nuru is heading a graffiti task force, which is lobbying to pass even stricter policies regarding graffiti in upcoming months, including a law prohibiting spray-painted vehicles from parking in a residential area and creating a Superior Court position that deals strictly with vandalism cases.

Other cities have installed barbed wire around posts so they are more difficult to climb. Nuru said they hope to catch the recent vandals before turning San Francisco into a “prison yard.”

The hardest-hit areas are the Financial District, SoMa, the Mission and Chinatown, according to authorities. Some neighborhood advocates said they have not noticed the increase.

“I haven’t seen a huge difference than what it was,” said Erick Arguello, who heads the Lower 24th Street Merchant and Neighborhood Association. “It comes and goes, just like crime.”

Keith Goldstein, who heads the Potrero Hill Merchants Association, said he recently followed up on a complaint about graffiti, but didn’t find an increase in his neighborhood.

City officials are also looking to boost the reward amount for information about graffiti vandals.

The City’s Graffiti Rewards Fund typically offers residents $250 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects. However, the reward has been boosted to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who took part in defacing highway signs last weekend on southbound Highway 101 at Third and Bayshore streets.

To apply for the reward, visit www.sfgov.org/dpw or call 311.

Surge in graffiti complaints

From July to November, graffiti complaints to The City’s 311 call center averaged about 1,400 per month.

Month Complaints
December 3,066
January 3,396
February 2,668
Through March 17 1,681

Source: Department of Public Works

bbegin@sfexaminer.com

One City Council Rises to the Occasion

Anti-graffiti ordinance approved by Grover Beach City Council

Posted: March 17, 2009 10:47 AM

Monday, March 16, 2009

Reported by: Emily Kiefer

Leaders in Grover Beach are working to keep the city cleaner.

Monday night, the city council unanimously approved a proposal for an updated graffiti ordinance. It's designed to replace the ordinance already in place.

Among some of the changes:

• The new measure will call for graffiti to be removed within 72 hours instead of 15 days.
• A clearer plan for graffiti prevention, including education in the community and schools.
• And a reward system for reporting offenders.

A second reading of the ordinance is scheduled for April 6. It will then go into effect 30 days later.

Cameras help catch graffiti vandals

Arrest in case of Staten Island graffiti vandal caught on camera

Alleged vandal arrested less than a day after video is posted on silive

Saturday, March 14, 2009

By FRANK DONNELLY

STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 15-year-old alleged graffiti vandal was arrested yesterday, less than 24 hours after a video of him defacing a Concord deli was posted on silive.com, the Advance's home on the Web.

Police said those images, captured by high-tech security cameras at My Deli & Grocery on Rhine Avenue, along with other information, helped them track down the suspect.

The video first appeared on silive.com around 2:45 p.m. Thursday and still photos ran in yesterday's Advance.

Authorities did not release the suspect's name, or neighborhood, due to his age. He was charged with single counts of criminal mischief and making graffiti, said Detective Joseph Cavitolo, an NYPD spokesman.

The arrest came on the same day a graffiti scourge from Midland Beach was sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to pay $5,000 restitution. Joseph Battaglia, 19, was accused of plastering his tag, "Rank," or an abbreviated version, "Ra," in 75 different incidents since January 2007. Battaglia pleaded guilty in January to two misdemeanor counts.

"This shows how working together helps make our neighborhoods a better place to live," Hamim (Shah) Syed, who owns My Deli & Grocery, said yesterday. "We appreciate all the work the police and the Staten Island Advance did and we are glad they apprehended the young man who was responsible for the graffiti. While we feel sorry for his parents, we hope he learns a lesson from this experience and chooses a more positive path in the future."

Two weeks ago, Syed installed four video cameras as part of $9,000 spent on renovations, which included repainting the building.

The security cameras allegedly caught the youth in the act of spray-painting an indecipherable tag on the side of the building early Wednesday morning.

The video shows a hooded male with a backpack skulking around the store exterior about 12:45 a.m. After a few cars have passed, he pulls out a can of spray paint and defaces a wall behind an ice box. Then he walks away.

According to Syed, the vandal also sprayed graffiti on the side of the building facing a neighboring business, All Tire Repair Shop, but that crime was committed off-camera.

How one California city nabs taggers

Corona's anti-graffiti effort nets 16 arrests in a month

10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, February 18, 2009

By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise

Using a graffiti-tracking system and a three-week enforcement blitz, Corona police have made a string of arrests they believe will help wipe out a nagging problem in the city.

Graffiti has been one of the most visible and complained-about crime issues in Corona in recent years.

But city police say several anti-graffiti initiatives are starting to bear fruit.

In about a month, Corona police have made 16 graffiti-related arrests, including eight of the city's top 10 taggers, police said.

Those 16 people are believed to be responsible for at least 1,028 acts of vandalism that caused an estimated $16,126 in damage.

Corona police Detective Bob Newman said that in the past, motorists on Main Street would see graffiti on every light pole.

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William Wilson Lewis III / The Press-Enterprise

Corona police Officer Gary Griffitts worked with gang detectives for several weeks in the recent enforcement blitz against graffiti crimes. "I feel like it's making a difference," he said.

A concerted enforcement effort involving police, public works and parks employees has changed that, he said.

"If you drive the 91 freeway within the last three weeks, you'd see that there isn't any paint on walls that (previously) have been hit really hard," Newman said.

The city's major anti-graffiti effort began 2008, in part as a response to a change in the nature of the problem.

Three to five years ago, Newman said, most graffiti in Corona was gang-related -- marking territory.

Since then it has shifted toward tagging -- self-expression or art.

Many taggers are young and hope to become famous, Newman said.

"They want to be artists," he said. "They want to get their name out there within the graffiti world, so that's what they turn to."

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But to city officials and homeowners, tagging is vandalism.

The city offers rewards for tips that lead to graffiti arrests.

Park rangers started a program using volunteers to watch city parks, frequent targets of taggers.

Police say what may have made the biggest difference is a Web-based graffiti-tracking system that can compile and show all instances of graffiti associated with a particular tag and where they occurred.

That allows police to hold taggers accountable for many more incidents, Newman said.

"We're hitting them with not just one or five, we're hitting them with 183 (tags) that we've found with this graffiti tracker," he said.

Another weapon used during the recent enforcement blitz was Corona police Officer Gary Griffitts, who worked with gang detectives for several weeks because of his special interest in graffiti crimes.

It's too early for statistical results, but Griffitts said he thinks graffiti probably has decreased in Corona in the past month.

"I feel like it's making a difference," he said. "That's my job -- hopefully you can keep some of those kids from doing it again."

Bobby Spiegel, president of Congregation Beth Shalom and the Corona Chamber of Commerce, already has felt the impact of the enforcement push.

Someone tagged Congregation Beth Shalom's new building, which is nearly completed.

Police said the tagger responsible for that vandalism was one of those recently arrested.

"They were pretty ingenious about how they were able to capture the person," Spiegel said. "Graffiti over the last six months has been cleaned up tremendously."

Police are proud of their success, but they said graffiti requires constant vigilance.

They're also turning their attention to recovering the cost of the damage through restitution.

"What the kids need to know," said Corona police Sgt. Kurt Yinger, "is that we're not going to tolerate it and their parents are going to pay for it."

Reach Alicia Robinson at 951-36... or arobinson@PE.com

Meeting scheduled with Benicia Police Department

[meeting postponed until Wednesday,  February 25, 2009]

The Benicia Police Department has offered to meet with me to discuss Benicia's graffiti problem. Here are the issues that I plan to discuss at our meeting today (2-20-09) at 4pm. I will keep you advised of what transpires. Please email me with any other issues or questions that you would like me to raise. My email address is rsagun@sbcglobal.net

..Ross Sagun

2/20/09

Dear Officer Cruz:

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me later this afternoon to discuss Benicia's growing problem with graffiti. I am pleased that the Benicia Police Department has decided to appoint you as our Graffiti Officer.

So that we may make the best use of our time, here is a list of issues that I would like to discuss with you.

1. who is doing the graffiti
   
2. who has been arrested
   
3. who in city government is charged with overseeing the problem/strategy/budget of this problem
   
4. what is the rate of occurrence of graffiti crimes (how many have occurred in 2008 vs 2007)
   
5. what is the criteria for classifying incidents (incident number? How do Roger Core's reports get integrated into the stats?)
   
6. what is the cost of graffiti abatement and enforcement
   
7. what is the budget for graffiti abatement and enforcement
   
8. what is the status of the New Year's Day arrest at BHS
   
9. what happened at the X-Park and what is being done about it
   
10. what is the city's strategy to attack the problem
    
11. where are the graffiti hotspots in Benicia
    
12. when will the xpark be remediated and reopened
    
13. when are graffiti offenses being committed? (e.g. mostly at night?)
    
14. how does the BPD investigate and catalog graffiti offenses
    
15. how does the BPD process graffiti-based evidence (e.g. paint cans located at scenes, graffiti indicating specific names in its content)
    

I would also like to get your feedback on the following ideas:

1. the use of cameras to catch suspects, as other cities have successfully done
   
2. reward system
   
3. tip hotline
   
4. graffiti page on the website
   
5. school information program
   

Thanks again to you and BPD for being responsive to the community's concerns about this problem. I am looking forward to meeting with you later today.

..Ross Sagun