Fresno County taking tougher stance on graffiti, vacant buildings

FRESNO COUNTY – Supervisor Steve Brandau has taken a step closer to cleaning up Fresno County. At a prior Board meeting, Brandau introduced two countywide resolutions. The first had to do with abandoned buildings; the second, with graffiti. At that earlier meeting on Sept. 25, 2024 Brandau informed the Board that Fresno County was experiencing a serious case of blight. That is, buildings in the county were left to neglect. These buildings, a portion of which were owned by out-of-town landlords, became magnets for drug dens, homelessness and other criminal activities. In the same vein, abandoned buildings invariably became the canvasses of taggers and graffiti artists. At the latest meeting on Oct. 22, the Board approved the first hearing of Brandau’s “Vacant Structures and Buildings” and “Graffiti Abatement” ordinances and scheduled the second hearing – and adoption – of these ordinances at the next Board meeting scheduled for Nov. 5, 2024. Urban v. Rural When Brandau introduced the two ordinances at a prior meeting, he said the intent of the legislation was to hold property owners accountable for the condition of their properties. At the Oct. 22 meeting, Brandau mentioned that absentee landlords need to be held accountable. “Maybe they...