What is blight? Blight is “a deteriorated condition”. Neighborhoods exposed to blight are at an increased risk of various economic, social, and physical health disparities. Blight indicators:

• • Visual Cues: abandoned homes and buildings, vacant lots with trash, high weeds and grass, abandoned vandalized cars, and graffiti.
  
  
  • Physical Cues: air, water, soil quality, hazardous substances, streets, sidewalks, buildings, litter, trash, and illegal dumping.
  
  
  • Graffiti Vandalism, is a crime against the community. It is the act of marking or defacing items, public or private property, without permission. Graffiti vandals are essentially forcing their will upon an underserved community through “running” and “land grabbing” or “territorial hostage taking” where the property is taken over by force. This not only causes visual deterioration, it is an attack on a community’s physical and mental health.

Blight attracts crimes, such as drug use, gun violence, graffiti, and gang activity. Our collective efforts to keep California clean positively impacts public safety and public health.