ONE THING THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS count on Mayor Christy Weir for is an eye for the aesthetics of her city. Since initiating her "Beautify Ventura" award several months ago, she has honored a citizen or business every month who has contributed to the attractiveness of our surroundings.
So that graffiti-covered atrocity of a train bridge over the 101 Downtown has been on our mayor's hit list for a long time. It's one of my pet peeves, too, as I reported in an earlier entry.
"It's such an eyesore," Weir said. "And because of its prominent location, people
traveling on the freeway identify it with Ventura, which isn't good for business."
So recently Weir went to Assembly member Pedro Nava and asked for assistance. Nava in turn wrote a letter to CalTrans. And slowly the wheels of change are grinding along.
There's been lots of finger pointing going on between the City, CalTrans and Union Pacific over who is actually responsible for this unwelcome mat to our city. "Both CalTrans and Union Pacific could not agree up until almost a month ago," explained Jerry Breiner of the Downtown Ventura Organization. "Finally CalTrans took the ownership of the maintenance."
The goal is to not just paint the bridge, but prevent future graffiti with increased security, fencing, and perhaps lights and cameras, Weir said.
The Downtown Ventura Organization has even grander ideas, Breiner said. "There has been much talk from the Downtown community to do something special there, to make it a true gateway with something other than silver paint. Public Art could get involved: pretty much anyone other than CalTrans painting it would be great."
In the mean time, if you know of an uglier bridge anywhere in the world, please send me a photo. I'll post it.
Who is your state senator? Were they contacted?
Brian, Tom McClintock is our state senator, as you well know. You also know that he has not the slightest interest in constituent services and is living in Sacramento (except for the mailbox he lives in sometimes in Thousand Oaks).
You also know that if Tony Strickland is elected as our state senator in November this tradition of ignoring constituents will continue.
But Nava's been great for us as was Hannah-Beth Jackson when she was our Assembly member. If she is elected as our senator, she will continue this history of service. She brought us money for the California Street onramp and for improvements to our state beach.
Thank you for the "softball" question, Brian.
To be honest, I like the bridge and its graffiti - I don't want Ventura too homogenized. The bridge is kind of gritty.
How do you like the F--- I spray painted up there?
Right on Marie, Christy Weir and Pedro Nava- hideous graffiti anywhere in public like this just tears down the collective psyche of a community and is plain old ugly. It is NOT art or "gritty." If you want gritty, move to LA, I grew up there and it's uglier now downtown than ever. Give me trees, the ocean and clean, safe neighborhoods. Taggers are bored kids with no supervision who are just hurting us, not using their talents in any sort of productive way and cowardly working under cover of darkness. Why don't they go paint a nice mural somewhere? I can't believe someone actually likes this- give me a break! It's the government's job to prevent this and DO SOMETHING, good for those in government who are trying.
I was looking at this map and it wasn't clear. I don't know where on the map the bridge is exactly. I figured it was McClintock's district. But the 101 seems to be the divide on this map. You might be able to get multiple legislators to help.
http://www.sen.ca.gov/ftp/SEN/senplan/SENMAPS/MAP19_300.JPG
Just like a broken window, that trestle is not only an eyesore but also a deterrent to downtown economic development efforts. As the gateway to downtown Ventura, that trestle sends the wrong signal about this neighborhood—one that it’s inherently unsafe because no one cares about gangs and their tagging. Which isn’t true. VPD does. But some savvy attorney may refer to the trestle’s abandonment as a "taking" from the surrounding property owners who experience less than market-rate values because of it—and start suing on their behalf. There are 50+ cities in this country that also have gangs who tag infrastructure. And many of them have figured out how to keep their bridges painted, up-lit, and graffiti-free. Pittsburgh is my favorite example. But the will has to be there—from elected officials, senior city staff, and the private sector. Maybe the outcry from those adversely affected by the status quo has to be louder. If not, those responsible for this eyesore won’t do a thing. The public needs to join the DVO and start demanding more attention to this issue. Because it is truly a solvable challenge. ~ Rob Edwards.
Amy B., I agree with you - it is hideous and ugly but I do kind of like it. So don't beat me up so much!
I'll never forget driving back from LA and seeing a couple of taggers grafitti some wall. They were ADULTS - which just blew me away. I don't think all taggers are bored kids - many of them are of age.
Something needs to be done about that nice new sign about Ventura that has a "for lease banner" on it. I think it is off Seaward. Now that really bugs me!
Rob,
You may have a better sense of this, but some reports I've heard from the Police Department actually attribute much of the graffiti to the homeless drunks and derelicts that hang out in the downtown area. So, it may not be a gang/tagger issue as much as it is a cleaning up the downtown streets of these unsavory types issue.
I know the City has not been as aggressive in enforcing the panhandling/loitering laws as it should be, which would drive some of these folks out, but this may be more at the heart of the graffiti problem than gangs and taggers.
I don't think it is true at all that the homeless and mentally ill folks down there are the taggers. Some of these people don't even have the ability to feed themselves, let alone find a ride to Home Depot to buy spray paint.
The city has been very aggressive with enforcing the panhandling laws and telling people not to give to them. I rarely get hit up Downtown these days and it used to be a regular occurrence.
There is a problem late at night with the punks who inhabit the bars Downtown. This is where the special team of roving police officers (paid by the 911 fee) could come in to help or the Business Improvement District that has been proposed.
The taggers are mostly teens and young adults. The sheer acrobatics needed to do this upside down on a train bridge over the freeway would require quick and nimble reactions.
Wow, Katie, you like the grittiness of the bridge? How punk rock of you. If you really want gritty, try walking across it at about 1:00 AM, or anywhere downtown, or at the Promenade at night. Yikes!
Let's make the bridge an icon for Ventura. Somewhere I read a suggestion somewhere, that the bridge should be illuminated. I think decorative lighting (outlining the trellis horizontal and angled braces) with globe lights would make an iconic immpression. While it's not the Brooklyn bridge or Australia's Harbour Bridge in Sydney, it is a unique structure and I can think of very few visible bridges of this style crossing a freeway in SoCal. With new LED lighting technology it could be a showcase for energy efficiency. Hmmmm, perhaps someone should approach GE or whomever makes LED lighting and see if there is a trade off for promotion...
The Adobe Bridge in Canejo ranks right up there.
Personally, when I've driven through or had to visit, it's usually my first impression of Ventura. If anything, the graffiti has got to go as in my mind it tells me the community may not be a safe place to visit.
One broken window, leads to a block of broken windows and so on and so forth. Perhaps, just start with graffiti abatement, then move on to improving it's aesthetic value.
Ok...the bridge...I wasn't sure which one we meant at first, but now I understand that we mean the one near the pier, Front Street....ok...we'll let that other ugly one over the Ventura River go for now....
Could it be nicer? Well..sure... I like Mr Macks ideas. It's more disturbing that it wasn't/isn't clear who is responsible for the train bridge..that is a problem!
Nicer would be good of course, but to be honest...by the time you see that bridge..you are, whether North or South bound...out of your way out of our town.
While it is a bit of an eyesore, I'm not sure it is the deterrent to visiting Ventura that some would have it be.
I should probably throw an update up there. I attended a DVO meeting where this was discussed. Union Pacific has offered to pay a third and CalTrans is still waffling. There is now the issue of the lead in the old paint to deal with.
Our city attorney's office has dug up records from the '50s that say it is CalTrans' responsibility.
Union Pacific has also offered to provide a camera for security and a flagman to stop trains while it is being done. (I should hope so!)
Over 4 years ago I was told by the local Union Pacific rep. that the UP was in "negotiations" with Ventura's city attorney over this matter; that Ventura's public works dept. wouldn't do anything because of liability issues; same with Caltrans; then the police chief postured all over the place last year that he was going after graffiti no matter where it was located within the city - so I wrote him - no response. So can we expect to see Rick Cole posturing up there in a boatswain's chair with a can of CO2-free black spray paint? And the beat goes on.
The graffiti is ugly but the bridge itself and its position across the Ventura River is very picturesque. I really hope it doesn't go the way of the shorty pier and so much of what "was" Ventura.