The increasing problem of graffiti is not just in Oxnard, it’s countywide.

If the City of Oxnard spends $700,000 annually dealing with graffiti, why doesn’t it stop the problem at the source and ban the sale of spray paint altogether? The county should do the same. Yes, you must be over 18 to purchase it now, but taggers of all ages have no problem getting it, either finding it in their parents’ garage or buying it at stores that sell to anyone.

No spray paint for sale, no more graffiti. Problem solved. There is no good reason to sell spray paint to the public. If you can’t paint with a brush or roller, buy an air compressor and air brush and get the same results as a “rattle-can.” Sure, the paint manufacturing industry will cry foul, but who cares? We are the citizens who must look at the graffiti, pay for its cleanup and face devaluation of our neighborhoods that repeatedly get tagged.

—Michael Rivers, Piru