“Aerosol paint container” means any aerosol container, regardless of the material from which it is made, which is adapted or made for the purposes of spraying paint or other substances capable of being permanently affixed to public or private property in a manner that defaces the property.

“Costs” means and includes, but is not limited to, court costs, attorneys’ fees, costs of removal of the graffiti or other inscribed material, costs of repair and replacement of defaced property, and the law enforcement costs incurred by the city in identifying and apprehending the person who created, caused, or committed the graffiti or other inscribed material.

“Enforcement officer” means any city official authorized to enforce the provisions of this chapter, including, but not limited to, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department, Cudahy departments of public works and community development, or designees thereof, as well as any contract agent authorized by the city to abate graffiti nuisances described in this chapter.

“Etching cream” means any caustic cream, gel, liquid, or solution capable, by means of a chemical action, of defacing, damaging, or destroying hard surfaces in a manner similar to acid.

“Etching tool” means any tool or instrument that is capable of etching or marking glass, plastic, wood, metal, or concrete surfaces, including, but not limited to, picks, scribes, awls, chisels, markers, and etchers, or any masonry or glass drill bit, carbide drill bit, glass cutter, grinding stone, etching cream or acid etching.

“Felt tip marker” means any broad-tipped marker pen with a tip exceeding three-eighths of one inch in width, or any similar implement containing an ink that is not water soluble.

“Graffiti” means any unauthorized inscription, word, figure, painting, mark, design, or other defacement that is written, marked, etched, scratched, sprayed, drawn, painted or engraved on or otherwise glued, posted, or affixed to or on any surface of any real or personal property by or with, but not limited to, any of the following: felt tip marker, paint stick or graffiti stick or graffiti implement, to the extent that the same was not authorized in advance by the owner or occupant thereof.

“Graffiti attracting surface” means any surface of a building, structure, tree, shrub, curb, or vehicle in the city which has been defaced with graffiti or other inscribed material after removal more than three times in any 12-month period.

“Graffiti implement” means an aerosol paint container, a felt tip marker or marking pen, gum label, paint stick or paint pens, glass etching tool, glass cutters, etching tools, or other similar devices that are commonly used or are likely to be used to scar or to leave a visible mark on glass, metal, concrete or wood or any other surface, etching cream or other such solvent, adhesive label, or any other device capable of being used to leave a visible mark at least one-eighth of an inch in width upon any surface of any material.

“Gum label” means any sheet of paper, fabric, plastic, or other substance with adhesive backing, which, when placed on a surface, is not easily removable.

“Minor” means a person under 18 years of age.

“Paint stick” or “graffiti stick” means a device containing a solid form of paint, chalk, wax, epoxy, or other similar substance capable of being applied to a surface by pressure, and upon application, leaving a mark of at least one-sixteenth of one inch in width.

“Property owner” means any person who owns, possesses, occupies, or otherwise has responsibility for the repair or maintenance of real property.

“Responsible person” means: (1) any person, including a minor, who has been determined to have placed graffiti on real or personal property of another person in the city; (2) a minor or other person who has confessed to, or admitted to, or pled guilty or no contest to a violation in the city of Section 594, 594.3, 640.5, 640.6, or 640.7 of the Penal Code, or a minor convicted by final judgment of a violation in the city of Section 594, 594.3, 640.5, 640.6, or 640.7 of the Penal Code, or a minor declared a ward of the juvenile court pursuant to Section 602 of the Welfare and Institutions Code by reason of the commission of an act prohibited in the city by Section 594, 594.3, 640.5, 640.6, or 640.7 of the Penal Code; and/or (3) the parents or guardians having custody and control of a minor who is responsible. “Responsible person” shall also include any owner of real property at which there exists graffiti.

“Retrofitting” shall mean and include, without limitation, the restoration, modification or alteration of a building or structure to remove graffiti, to prevent or inhibit the recurrence of graffiti, or to return the building or structure to an acceptable, usable, unblemished, unblighted, or original state or condition.

“Structures” shall mean any structure as defined in the city’s building code, and shall also include, but not be limited to, buildings, walls, fences, poles, signs, posts, railings, benches, tables, waste containers, sidewalks, streets, and cargo/shipping containers.

“Vehicle” shall mean a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved, or drawn upon a highway, excepting a device moved exclusively by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails. A vehicle shall include, but not be limited to, a trailer. (Ord. 659 § 1, 2016; Ord. 632 § 2, 2013).