Loomis officials address concerns after Del Oro High School senior graffiti reportedly went too far this year, violating regulations and creating safety hazards.
LOOMIS, Calif. — What has long been considered a senior tradition among Del Oro High School senior students is sparking concerns from officials after this year’s graffiti at the Taylor and King Road intersection reportedly crossed a line.
Each spring, the graduating class of Del Oro marks the intersection with printed messages and artwork to celebrate graduation.
But this year’s artwork included vulgar language and inappropriate images, extending beyond the pavement and into nearby sidewalks, signs, signal equipment and reflective markers.
Loomis Mayor David Ring says the markings violated state and federal regulations and created a safety hazard by covering traffic striping and pedestrian markings.
“Del Oro High School seniors have long held a tradition drawing graffiti at the intersection of Taylor and King Roads in celebration of graduation,” Ring said. “Neither the school, the town, nor local law enforcement sanction the activity.”
Historically, the messages were done in chalk, were limited to the road and were fairly easy to wash off, but there’s been a shift in recent years.
“The 2025 graffiti featured excessive foul language and inappropriate drawings which covered the intersection striping, sidewalks, bus shelter, pedestrian push buttons, signal cabinet, reflective roadway markers and delineators, and roadway signs,” Ring said.
The town of Loomis estimates restoring the intersection to code will cost between $12,000 and $15,000, which includes a surface treatment and repainting all necessary striping.
In response, town members met with Del Oro’s principal and Placer County Sheriff’s Office representatives to brainstorm preventive strategies for future graduating classes.
“The group discussed several ideas, including providing space on campus for seniors to apply graffiti, possible punitive actions to deter the vandalism, or a senior design competition with the school leadership participating in the final designs to be applied at the intersections,” Ring said.
The group didn’t make any decisions, as they plan to reconvene in September after students return to campus, so student voices will be heard in the process.
Below is what it looked like in 2020 vs. 2025:
“If we don’t include the students in the conversation moving forward, it will not matter what we decide,” Ring said.
While some people in the community support the graffiti as a form of youthful expression, others say it damages public property and the town’s image.
“There are truths in both of those statements and finding the middle ground is the hard part of making government and society work,” Ring said. “Vandalism isn’t acceptable, but public art and expression is protected in our Constitution and should be encouraged.”
The town is also considering increasing security at the intersection to prevent future incidents, like installing surveillance cameras to monitor vandalism and collecting traffic data for engineering purposes.
“I think we can provide adequate space for student expression that doesn’t interfere with public safety or damage public property,” Ring said.
The intersection’s cleanup will begin once the appropriate surface treatment is scheduled.
Watch more on ABC10: Repeat vandalism at Roseville Veterans Memorial Hall prompts community response
ABC10: Watch, Download, Read
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
