WORKING -- GIL LOPEZ

HE IS

Holding graffiti at bay.

MR. CLEAN

Lopez, 38, is one of the people responsible for keeping Fountain

Valley a graffiti-free zone. As the crew leader of the city’s sign paint

department, Lopez says graffiti is hard to come by in this town because

of the department’s swift solicitude.

“Mostly, it is utility boxes and some block walls that are affected,”

Lopez said. “But the reason the city is so clean and a lot of people

don’t see the graffiti, is because we are usually able to get it off in

12 to 24 hours.”

CLIMBING THE LADDER

It was six years ago that he started as a part-time employee in the

city’s landscape department. Lopez, who is proud to have worked his way

up to crew leader, says he had previously worked as a foreman for the

Ameron pipe division for 14 years.

During that time, he oversaw production and special fittings,

something he feels was an important experience.

“Because of the experience working outside, it made the transition

easier when it came to working for the city,” Lopez said. “I think it was

important for them to see that I was handy.”

After graduating from the landscape department, Lopez spent the next

three years working in the city’s asphalt and concrete division. Once

again, he moved on, spending the last three years in the sign and paint

department.

“I was trained on the job and learned how make street signs --

regulation signs, warning signs, painting legends, construction signs --

basically, anything to warn the public,” Lopez said. “The thing with

Fountain Valley is that it’s well run. There is great management here all

the way from city hall to the superintendent.”

TEAM EFFORT

Lopez works with his partner, Charlie Vargas, and they don’t subscribe

to any routine or patrol any specific areas.

He says Vargas usually goes out in the morning to look for graffiti

while he sets the schedules for sign-making. When something is found

action is quickly taken.

“Since we’ve been doing the graffiti removal, we have definitely seen

a decrease in the activity,” Lopez said. “We have found that because we

remove any graffiti very quickly, it deters vandals from doing it again.”

Lopez says that he is very comfortable in his position but might,

sometime in the future, be interested in moving up to supervision. He

attributes his partner and Supt. James Sharp for showing him how the

department is run.

“I’ve only had one other job [other] than this one,” Lopez said. “I

like it here. The department here is great and if you want to learn, then

the opportunity is there.” -- Story by Torus Tammer, photo by xxxxx