CalTrans, which is responsible for our city (and state's) freeways, has released some interesting numbers that help put graffiti crimes and cleanup into context. In the past year, CalTrans spent $2.7m cleaning up graffiti along the city's freeways. Predictably, the graffiti clean up, and the amount of graffiti (7,622,234 square feet), is getting all of the attention. Buried in the press release is the fact that a far bigger problem in terms of cost is the $8m spent annually on removing garbage. Graffiti is a crime, and so is littering. One costs our taxpayers more than the other, and the way society reacts should mirror that, I'm sick of hysterical articles in the mainstream press about the massive costs of graffiti. Yes, taxpayers should be annoyed at footing the bill for vandalism (especially toys) but let's put our priorities in order.
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