October Update
Here are photos of some of the sites we cleaned this month. Hundreds of bags and many truckloads of weeds and trash from all over Sylmar. The May Canyon road behind Veteran’s Park is a high fire risk area very close to homes. The railroad crossing at Polk was a disaster but we are not allowed closer than this to the tracks. The last set is up on Hubbard at the top of El Cariso, […]
Donations?
SGBI asks that you not hand cash to our crews because you may not be able to distinguish the Crew Leader and also they are in the field and could misplace it. Please use the address on the contact us page to send us a check or call for other options. If you wish to donate paint please call and speak to us. We can only accept some paint but gladly do accept what we […]
Thank You Sylmar Neighborhood Council!
At their November meeting the Sylmar Neighborhood Council approved a Neighborhood Purpose Grant to provide Sylmar Graffiti Busters with $5,000 to supplement our cleanup budget. This is significant because we have seen the funding from the Department of Public Works and the Council offices supplemental funding drop from over $50,000 per year to only $20,000 for the past two years. These cutbacks in funding have meant we have about 16 hours of supervisor time per […]
Reporting Graffiti
Sylmar Graffiti Busters only removes Graffiti in the Community of Sylmar. For other areas in the City of Los Angeles you should use the City’s 311 web, app or phone numbers. To report graffiti or cleanup requests within Sylmar you can call 818-362-8702 or use this page. Please specify the surface type so we know if we need to water blast on block or concrete, use chemicals on bare metal or paint other surfaces. If […]
Recent Work
Before and after photos of a number of locations we have cleaned this year. We have significantly reduced the fire hazard caused by out of control brush on sidewalks, horse trails and other public areas.
What slows us down?
We have two major types of activities in the community. We do graffiti removal and cleanup projects. They each have their own challenges. Graffiti removal is often hindered by weather. Vandalism can occur during a brief pause in a rainstorm. During the winter we need to wait until the surfaces in completely dry and, we think, will stay that way for several hours. Last winter we had many days when painting was impossible because of […]
How do we do it?
We operate with very few paid employees and many volunteers, some from the community and some referred by the court system. Our Directors are unpaid residents of the community who care about Sylmar and help manage the organization. We currently are funded primarily by the City of Los Angeles Office of Community Beutification which is part of the Department of Public Works. Other funding is provided by donations from residents and businesses in Sylmar.
Sylmar Graffiti Busters started removing graffiti in the late 1980’s with two volunteers. It soon ran under the umbrella of the Sylmar Chamber of Commerce and was incorporated separately as a non-profit in 1989. Our History page has more information. We currently are funded primarily by the City of Los Angeles Office of Community Beutification which is part of the Department of Public Works.
Volunteer Rules
Arrive before 6:30 am Tuesday – Sunday Bring: Photo ID Work Gloves Lunch – You cannot buy anything during working hours Face Mask Water Wear: Closed toe shoes Clothes without logos, words or graffiti A Straw, White, Brown or Grey hats only. No other colors, no logos. No bandannas, no beanies. A shirt with a short or long sleeve, no bare shoulders or midriffs. Long pants must fit at the waist line without a […]
What do we do?
Sylmar Graffiti Busters, Inc (SGBI) removes graffiti and cleans streets, curbs, gutters, horse trails and other public areas of Sylmar. There is no charge to the property owner for graffiti removal. Our goal is not only an attractive community, but to increase residents PRIDE in THEIR COMMUNITY. We are sorry but we do not work outside of Sylmar.