There is a new kind of graffiti in town.

They are paper signs that some people are placing on poles, direction signs and utility posts.

At first we saw a few of these signs at the Newmark Mall, just behind the northeast corner of Garvey and Garfield streets.
Now the menace is growing with these signs showing up throughout the neighboring streets, particularly at bus stops where people congregate.

As soon as these go up, the city crews try to rip them down.

As soon as they are ripped down, a new sign goes up.

The signs are very simple and all in the Chinese Language. They are usually a white letter size flyer with little tear-off extensions with the phone number to call for the service.

When I take my weekly walk down town, I try to rip off any signs that I run across.

At first they were easy to pull off because they were only stapled on.

Now, they are getting "smarter," if that is the word to use.

They are using wide and clear packing tape and wrapping it around the entire sign. You can no longer remove the flyers with your hands. You need to have a pair of scissors or a small pocketknife to remove the tape and flyer.

Some are putting they advertisements on a letter size Avery sticker. They apply these signs to smooth surfaces such as large metal power poles. These are very difficult to remove and leave a mess on the surface of the pole.

At last week's council meeting, Monterey Park City Manager Paul Talbot addressed the problem and said that they hope to resolve it when the downtown association hires a new clean-up crew.

Some people have suggested other solutions. One is to place several large bulletin boards in public area.

On college campuses, they usually have many bulletin boards and a process for putting up notices and removal within certain time limits.
Maybe we could set up half dozen bulletin boards, sponsored by local merchants, in the downtown area. The Business district clean up crew would then remove everything on a scheduled basis.

My concern, however, is that the problem is growing. I found some of the signs posted on neighboring areas of Garfield Avenue and some of the adjacent streets, outside of the downtown business district.

Who's going to take those down?

Do you readers have any ideas? Please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or send a letter to the Journal, P.O. Box 987, Monterey Park, CA 91754