How clean are your streets?

2009-08-24T22:26:45Z

We've all seen the street cleaning signs Downtown. No Parking on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, take your pick, from 8 a.m. to noon, usually. We've struggled trying to remember which side is which when we've come home late at night, and then tried to find a spot on the correct side. Is it all really necessary?

I've had occasion to be home on a number of street cleaning days for my street. The funny thing is, I haven't seen street cleaners--ever! I don't see the evidence that they've even been there. What I do see are tickets. Evidence that the meter maid has come by to ticket you for parking someplace. Someplace where they need to clean, but won't.

For transparency's sake, during a recent event, I received a ticket on my car. I normally would have no problem moving my car, however this morning it wouldn't start. I had even set my alarm for 7:30 a.m., just to be sure I would move it in time, even though I don't have to be at work until 9 a.m.

Upon realizing that it wouldn't start, I called a tow company and proceeded to leave a note, "Car won't start, can't move. Will be towed shortly." I came out to the sounds of the tow truck at 8:30 and what did I see? A nice, fresh, yellow ticket staring at me.

Having just been written at 8:11, I furtively glanced around for the officer who was well on his or her way, I'm sure. So, to add insult to the injury of a broken down car and a tow fee, I now had a nice $49 ticket to keep them company in my bank account.

But what was the ticket for? Parking in an area marked for no parking during certain hours. For street cleaning. Upon coming home at lunch I looked at the streets; no cleaning had been done. So I became curious just how often does this "cleaning" that I had impeded, and been ticketed for, take place.

The street signs tell me once a week on each side, Wednesdays and Thursdays. My mind, knowing the state of the economy, the state of city budgets, and the condition of my street, thought otherwise.

An e-mail back from the City of Sacramento seems to suggest that it happens on the fourth week of every month. However, a follow-up e-mail clarifies that no, it is once every two months.

So, then why am I and hundreds, if not thousands of others, getting tickets on days where the street doesn't need to be vacated? It seems rather disingenuous to ticket so many people under the guise of "street cleaning."

Why not just say "No parking: 'cause we feel like it," or something more City of Sacramento-like? I'm sure this fills the coffers of the city and ensures services are paid for. But wouldn't reassigning the meter maids that work those areas have the same effect? Cutting off a large portion of the Downtown area has got to save on labor costs somewhere.

For those that are interested, the weeks the City chooses to clean Downtown streets are the fourth weeks of January, March, May, July, September, and November. As always, check with the City to be sure that that is the case for your particular area, if you're unsure, at 311@cityofsacramento.org.

Graffiti in Midtown, is it Art?

2009-04-11T02:42:57Z

You can’t escape it if you’ve been downtown for more than 5 minutes. Whether it’s a large mural, a few hastily scrawled “letters”, or an unintelligible scribble. Graffiti, an art form to some, a nuisance to others.

I’ve seen it on cross country trips as Amtrak passes any number of freight trains. It’s nearly the signature of the New York City Subway system.

What is graffiti? It depends on who you ask. The most common, and in my opinion least attractive, is tagging. Usually done with a paint pen on a street sign or a business door or window.

The kind of graffiti I saw on those trains is a more elaborate form of tagging. Sometimes it’s a persons nickname, other times it’s a word, occasionally, social commentary. These pieces can take one to several hours to complete, and can involve elaborate shading and shadows.

Then there are those that not only involve words, but characters—people. Some feature the characters subtly, for some it is the prominent focus. These can take hours and sometimes days to complete, depending on the complexity and the size.

I like all of these except tagging. The time and artistry put into these is not that of a tag. It’s the mark of someone who cares, who has practiced many hours…years, with paint stained hands and fume-ridden lungs.

The problem is one of space. The medium of spray paint art does not lend itself to a small canvas. This leads to large canvases being utilized. And since this art form began in the lower income areas, the canvases became the trains and alleyways of their neighborhoods.

Local businesses have been working on opening up the opportunity for graffiti artists to show their work, and improve the appearance of some downtown alleyway and walls, whose appearance leaves a lot to be desired.

The problem, as with many art forms, has been the contention that “this is not art.” Much as junk sculpture and other controversial art forms have been discussed at length, the graffiti art to many, is still a form of vandalism. Nevermind the huge murals that have been completed and the amazing artistry involved, that if seen on a canvas would be snatched up in a moment. Some still can’t shake that notion that it’s upper class vandalism.

I, for one, see it differently. So come join myself and many others at 17th and I streets tonight and tomorrow at Second Saturday (6 to late both nights), to enjoy the amazing art, both graffiti themed, and in more traditional art done by graffiti artists. That may come as a shock to some, but as much as an oil painter may dabble in watercolor, so graffiti artists dabble in other mediums. So come enjoy the amazing show and awesome music planned for this great event made possible by SaraJane & Co. (www.sarajaneandco.com) of 908 21st Street.

Newest articles on The Sacramento Press written by Paul Cox

How clean are your streets?

Graffiti in Midtown, is it Art?