GRAFFITI BUSTING UPHILL TASK GANGS MAKE STRUGGLE HARDER FOR CITY'S VOLUNTEER REMOVERS.

Byline: Amy Raisin Darvish Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - An increase in graffiti in the last couple of months, particularly in Canyon Country and Newhall neighborhoods, is keeping volunteer removal teams busy and sheriff's gang units on alert, authorities said.

Deputies at the local sheriff's station say they have noticed an increase in gang-related graffiti writing or ``tagging'' since November in the Santa Clarita Valley.

``We're seeing more gang-related graffiti, no question'' said Detective Dan Finn of the Santa Clarita sheriff's station. ``There seem to be some recruiting efforts taking place. They're trying to get their numbers up. New members are encouraged to tag the neighborhood, show their allegiance to the gang.''

Removing graffiti as soon as it is spotted has been a policy in the city of Santa Clarita, but the recent increase in tagging incidents has turned a determined effort into a Sisyphean task.

Tom Haner, who started volunteering such work even before Santa Clarita gained cityhood in the late 1980s, has earned his title as No. 1 local graffiti buster. The 73-year-old often spends more than 40 hours a week painting over graffiti scrawled on city walls, gang-related or otherwise.

But much has changed since the days when a handful of volunteers could remove the graffiti in the community in a few hours twice a month. Today, Haner said it's not unusual for him to log as many as 70 hours a week painting over the unsightly vandalism.

``Oh, good gosh, I just can't imagine how much it has increased since 1988,'' said Haner, a grandfather who has been married for 50 years. ``But the gang names - that's the worst part because they like to outdo the others. And those are all messages of some form.''

Authorities have made 14 graffiti-related arrests in the last six weeks, Finn said. A sheriff's team has been conducting weekend graffiti sweeps in neighborhoods frequently hit by taggers.

City officials are concerned, as well, and have an anti-gang task force to work closely with law enforcement.

``We are using every tool to identify who the violators are,'' City Manager Ken Pulskamp told the City Council recently. ``We're planning to maintain this highest level of enforcement as long as the problem exists.

``I hate spending money on this problem. They (the perpetrators) are preventing the public from getting resources that they need,'' he said.

Councilman Frank Ferry said sheriff's deputies assigned to local schools are keeping an eye out for graffiti script on students' belongings in search of links to the vandalism on buildings, utility boxes, homes and bus benches.

Plagued by aching feet and exhaustion, Haner decided a few weeks ago to quit his crusade against graffiti. Within a couple of days, however, the retired county employee was back at it, unwilling to abandon the other tireless volunteers who work alongside him.

``I just said the heck with it,'' Haner said of his brief hiatus. ``Then I got ahold of myself and I said, If I don't do it, who will? Most of the time you feel (like it's endless). But you've got to get it off. If you don't, they win. Either they win, or you win. And I'm not a loser.''

Staff Writer Eugene Tong contributed to this story.

Amy Raisin Darvish, [phone]

amy.raisin(at)dailynews.com