Graffiti artist tags every pothole along West Sacramento street: "I pay taxes"
WEST SACRAMENTO — There was a pothole protest along a busy West Sacramento street where CBS13 discovered a vandalism spree stretching more than a mile long.
Taking a drive along Sacramento Avenue earlier this week, you may have noticed someone used white spray paint to tag the pavement, but this wa not your average urban graffiti artist.
The tagger drew circles around every pothole along the avenue, and there was a lot.
"I just see a whole bunch of cars driving around and slowing down trying to get around them," said West Sacramento driver Albert Shebchuk.
This street graffiti stretched more than a mile and a half long.
"I've noticed it," Shebchuk said. "I thought the city did that."
The City of West Sacramento said the markings were not made by city crews.
While taking a closer look, there's no doubt about the tagger's intent. They left behind messages – which were also in white spray paint – to make their protest statement clear.
One message said, "fix potholes," and another said, "I pay taxes."
The one that was the most concise simply said, "fix," with an arrow drawn to a pothole.
Even though the vandalism is illegal, many drivers support this pothole vigilante.
"Whoever did that, I owe my honors to you because I can see them better now," Shebchuk said.
As of Thursday, the city removed the white spray paint and said potholes along Sacramento Avenue could be fixed as soon as by the end of March.
The City of West Sacramento said, last year, more than 2,300 potholes in the city were patched and more are popping up now because of the wet weather.
They encourage drivers to report potholes through an online form, not spray painting the street.
West Sacramento officials say the city is also set to redesign Sacramento Avenue this year, which will reduce lanes and expand sidewalks and bike paths.
