Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Council to revisit curbside painters
So-called bandits often work without the homeowner’s OK, making the issue a public safety matter for the panel.
By Alison Tully
BURBANK — The City Council agreed Tuesday night to again look into residents’ complaints about so-called bandit curb painters.
The painters mark up curbs without the owner’s permission, and normally do not give any information about their affiliation. Most times they ask for a small donation, city resident Jeff Daniels said.
The painters typically mark the mailing address number of the residence on the curb.
The city does not require residences to have a mailing address number painted on the front curb.
“They have been coming for several years and it was usually spread out, but this year they came in December and then again on July 10,” said Daniels, who has owned his Burbank home for the past eight years.
“They claim that the numbers are worn out and need to be redone. But in reality, they do not need to be repainted a few times a year.”
The council will review the matter at an upcoming meeting and decide whether to formally address it, which could include requiring painters to receive a city-issued license, Mayor Dave Golonski said.
“I suggest that we hold a public education session about the issue and also research the current status of regulation,” Golonski said.
Curb painting is a public safety issue because it makes it difficult for fire and police departments to locate a residence during an emergency situation, Daniels said. Burbank fire Capt. Ron Bell said that firefighters do not rely on the curb numbers when responding to a call.
“We certainly use the curb number if it is there — because it is difficult to find a house, especially at night — but we don’t rely on it, because nine out of 10 times it is blocked by a car or a trash can,” Bell said.
Recently, the painters came to repaint Daniels’ property without his knowledge and painted his curb white without any numbers visible, he said. “They told me they were out of black ink and they haven’t been back since,” Daniels said.
City Manager Mary Alvord said that the curb painting issue has been brought before the council before, mostly out of concern that the painters are unlicensed.
“As far as I know, people are required to have a permit to be able to paint a resident’s curb, so staff and council would want to find out who these people are and whether or not they have a permit,” Alvord said.
The painters are normally part of private firms and ask residents for money for fundraisers that are not always legitimate, she said.
“The city should consider implementing a nuisance ordinance to ban all curb painters unless they are licensed and receive written permission from homeowners,” Daniels said.
ALISON TULLY covers City Hall and public safety. She may be reached at (818) 637-3242 or by e-mail at alison.tully@ latimes.com.
The painters mark up curbs without the owner’s permission, and normally do not give any information about their affiliation. Most times they ask for a small donation, city resident Jeff Daniels said.
The painters typically mark the mailing address number of the residence on the curb.
The city does not require residences to have a mailing address number painted on the front curb.
advertisement
“They claim that the numbers are worn out and need to be redone. But in reality, they do not need to be repainted a few times a year.”
The council will review the matter at an upcoming meeting and decide whether to formally address it, which could include requiring painters to receive a city-issued license, Mayor Dave Golonski said.
“I suggest that we hold a public education session about the issue and also research the current status of regulation,” Golonski said.
Curb painting is a public safety issue because it makes it difficult for fire and police departments to locate a residence during an emergency situation, Daniels said. Burbank fire Capt. Ron Bell said that firefighters do not rely on the curb numbers when responding to a call.
“We certainly use the curb number if it is there — because it is difficult to find a house, especially at night — but we don’t rely on it, because nine out of 10 times it is blocked by a car or a trash can,” Bell said.
Recently, the painters came to repaint Daniels’ property without his knowledge and painted his curb white without any numbers visible, he said. “They told me they were out of black ink and they haven’t been back since,” Daniels said.
City Manager Mary Alvord said that the curb painting issue has been brought before the council before, mostly out of concern that the painters are unlicensed.
“As far as I know, people are required to have a permit to be able to paint a resident’s curb, so staff and council would want to find out who these people are and whether or not they have a permit,” Alvord said.
The painters are normally part of private firms and ask residents for money for fundraisers that are not always legitimate, she said.
“The city should consider implementing a nuisance ordinance to ban all curb painters unless they are licensed and receive written permission from homeowners,” Daniels said.
ALISON TULLY covers City Hall and public safety. She may be reached at (818) 637-3242 or by e-mail at alison.tully@ latimes.com.
Save/Share
 |
 |
|
| Council approves budget | Council approves water-saving law |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of burbankleader.com.
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
Not registered yet?
RSS