SPECIAL REPORT: Graffiti Art proposed for Salinas Skate Park

Graffiti has become a big problem at a Central Coast skate park. So much so, the city’s spending thousands to cover it up.

It’s at Natividad Creek Park just off of Constitution Boulevard in Salinas and has been the topic of some negative stories.

In September a teen was brutally attacked there. Still Salinas city councilmember Scott Davis calls the park a gem of Salinas and hopes a proposal to allow graffiti art will make it better.

It’s an idea he looked into after getting suggestions from community members on Facebook.

“I did some research on it and I thought it’d be a great opportunity here given the fact that we have a new arts commission, we’re working on an arts master plan from the city,” Davis said.

Davis says artists are already tagging the park and the clean up is costly.

“I’d venture to say tens of thousands of dollars cumulatively to cover it up,” Davis said.

Thousands of dollars councilmember Davis says could be saved by approving graffiti art, something already done at places like the Venice Beach Art Walls.

“Costs us almost nothing, if anything and the second part is, if it can get some of this graffiti not only covered up but also incentivize people to not want to come over here and tag over a nice piece of artwork, then we’re doing a really solid service for everybody in the community,” Davis said, “We can turn around and use that money for important projects we’re working on.”

Many of those who hang out at the park say they’re on board.

“I think it’s good, it kind of gives color to our parks,” local skater Daniel Diaz said.

Another skater, Brayan Ruiz, agrees: “People don’t have a way to express themselves in an artistic way and I think it would be a way to express themselves without being negative.”

The skating area is tucked away in a small valley at Natividad Creek Park. It can hardly be seen from the road but it’s very visible to those who live across the street from it. Many residents question what graffiti art would bring to their neighborhood.

“I would love it if they could maintain it just in the park but unfortunately it doesn’t work that way, Tony Anderson said.”

He says that graffiti hasn’t just been a problem at the skate park, it’s also crossed into his neighborhood.

He showed KION cameras the area most tagged.

“If you look at the walls on both sides of this [corridor] and the park is directly underneath it,” Anderson said, “You’ll see that after they get through tagging here they come right here and they tag again.”

Jaime Rubio says he doesn’t necessarily mind graffiti at the park, but wonders how it will affect his home.

“I do believe that it could bring down the property value when you do have a bedroom looking over the park and you’d be looking at that every day,” Rubio said, “Do you want to look at graffiti every day do you not?”

“I understand what they’re trying to do,” Anderson said, “Unfortunately kids just see that as sometimes ‘I have the right to keep going’ and they just keep going.”

Councilmember Davis says his proposal is just that for now, and that it still has to go through a process.

“It gets voted on by the arts commission, it has to be able to fit the area that we’re looking for and some other policies and regulations, Davis said, “Then they’re given permission by the city to go ahead and have fun and create that art that they want.”

Davis says he proposed the plan at the last city council meeting, now it goes to the art commission.

He plans to bring it up again at the March 19th city council meeting.