Pacific Beach Town Council’s 13th annual graffiti cleanup on May 13 was a big success again this year.

“A total of 119 volunteers went out to remove graffiti, including District 1 Councilmember Joe LaCava and his aide Vickie Joes, and 730-plus tags were removed,” noted PBTC president Charlie Nieto who, along with Jaden Ballardo, delivered an event wrap-up at the group’s May 17 meeting.

The pair noted those numbers were an improvement from the 12th annual cleanup last year when 87 community volunteers, and one government office representative, removed 600-plus tags.

“Last year’s clean up is certainly one we are proud of, but this year the 2023 graffiti clean up undeniably blew 2022 out of the water,” said Nieto. “We had astoundingly even more volunteers than anticipated and broke last year’s record by 130-plus more tags and stickers removed from all across town. The turnout for this year’s event from not only residents but also several local groups meant a lot to us.”

Added Nieto: “We’d like to recognize DiscoverPB, Aloha Church, Pacific Life Church, PB Rotaract Club, MBHS Outreach Club, and County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer’s office. Of note, it was a breath of fresh air for us to see much more youth involvement this year. Lots of local families and current Buccaneers turned out for the clean up this year, which made the event especially worth it.”

Nieto and Ballardo gave kudos this year to the Graffiti Busters’ core team noting Jim Menders was the team’s “brains,” mapping all graffiti data as well as offering materials instruction. They hailed Marcie Beckett, a longtime member of PBTC’s Graffiti Busters team, for being the clean-up’s “mastermind,” given her utter familiarity with the task along with handling publicity, organization, and data recording.

Susan Crowers was cited by them for being the clean-up’s “guru,” as she was crucial in planning all the graffiti meetings leading up to the big day. The town council also acknowledged her efforts in making all banners and signage for the event, as well as dealing with logistics.

Nieto considers the annual clean-up part of the town council’s responsibility to ensure community enhancement. “One of many historic duties of the PBTC is to act as custodians and caretakers of the community that we all reside in and love,” he said. “The work of the Graffiti Busters is one way we can execute that mission. Not only do the Graffiti Busters offer an aesthetic service of community beautification for those who live in PB, but they also support our business community, as many mom and pops become victims of vandalization, and are unfortunately ill-equipped to tackle it on their own.”

PBTC’s annual graffiti clean-up was started in 2008 by then-PBTC president Jerry Hall. That inaugural event was preceded by Jim Menders organizing volunteers to survey the community for graffiti, which he used to map tagging locations before training volunteers to remove tags armed with supplies and maps of where to go.

Beckett pointed out the impact of the graffiti clean-up on volunteers is long-lived. “The rest of the year these folks are more likely to remove or report graffiti on their own, which results in a better-looking community and discourages future graffiti and crime,” she said. “It is a fun event and it makes people feel good to make such a positive impact on the community.”

The event involved a three-hour cleanup around the community mustering at Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church on Garnet Avenue on a Saturday morning. Volunteers were provided with materials, equipment, and training to participate. Minors were allowed to get involved with a safety waiver signed by their parent or guardian.

Attendees at the cleanup included Discover PB with Community Court, Mission Bay High School’s Outreach Club, Pacific Life Church, Aloha Church, PB Monthly, PB Rotaract Club, and County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer’s Office.

The effort was sponsored by Schoettle Financial, California Strategies Inc., Pacific Beach Ice Cream Co., and Campland on the Bay.