The Los Angeles City Council may look to Oregon to find further ways to prevent graffiti in the city.

Councilman Dennis Zine, 3rd District, recently authored a motion calling for the city’s chief legislative analyst, the city attorney and the Los Angeles Police Department to research whether Portland’s attempts to curtail graffiti would be suitable in L.A.

“Our neighborhoods are overrun by fear, anger, and frustration in the constant struggle against this type of vandalism,” Zine said in a statement. “My goal is to create laws that will assist law enforcement and ultimately reduce the number of incidents of graffiti vandalism. It is time we take back our neighborhoods, and I will continue to aggressively combat this destructive behavior by sending a strong message to taggers that graffiti and vandalism will not be tolerated in our community.”

In Portland, lawmakers have adopted legislation that requires every retailer that sells spray paint, nozzles, paint pens, glass cutting equipment, etching tools and any other items that could be used for graffiti, to maintain a record of each sale for at least two years. Residents who purchase such items are required to present identification. If retailers fail to do either and are caught during an audit, they are subject to fines.

In Los Angeles, there are laws that govern how spray paint products are displayed. They must be locked up or kept in an area away from customers, and no one under 18 years old can purchase them.

Zine also authored a motion to require that signs be posted on or near spray paint displays, notifying residents of graffiti vandalism punishments. If adopted, the signs would also state the city’s reward for residents who notify authorities of a tagger. Currently, the reward is $1,000 if it leads to an arrest and conviction.

Lastly, the councilman asked for an update on the city’s Graffiti Tracker Program. A spokesperson for Zine said the program has had some technical problems, and the councilman would like to know how the efforts to correct them are going. The Graffiti Tracker Program is a database that tracks types of graffiti. If someone is caught spray-painting a particular tag that has been found in other parts of the city, he or she can be held accountable for multiple tags.

“My goal is to create laws that will assist law enforcement and ultimately reduce the number of incidents of graffiti vandalism,” Zine said. “In my role as a city councilman and a LAPD reserve officer, I want to explore all avenues that will help eradicate graffiti from the streets of Los Angeles.”

The spokesperson said it will probably be about one month before any action is taken on Zine’s motions. They were referred to the Public Safety Committee, of which Zine is a member.

According to the Office of Community Beautification, the City of Los Angeles spent approximately $7.1 million in graffiti abatement in 2010.