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There was an attempt to cover the graffiti – and hopefully prevent it – undertaken this weekend as artificial ivy was installed on the walls. Video posted on social media showed Caltrans crews putting up the ivy, covering preexisting graffiti. They didn’t seem to finish, however, as evidenced by parts of the concrete wall still being visible.

Some criticized the project, which was initially thought to be part of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Clean California initiative, although state officials later confirmed it was not.

Among those who voiced displeasure was Kevin Dalton, a one-time L.A. County Board of Supervisors candidate. Dalton, who finished third in the 2022 District 1 primary election, reposted footage of the installation originally uploaded by a graffiti culture Instagram page and asked: “Any bets on how long it takes for the graffiti-proof ivy to be covered in graffiti?”

He didn’t have to wait long for an answer, as less than 24 hours later, there was already graffiti on the ivy.

Speaking to KTLA on Monday morning, Dalton said the ivy remained untouched for “about eight hours” before taggers returned. He lamented on the situation as being a “perfect example of taxpayers dollars going in and failure coming out.”

“Instead of painting [the wall] — a bucket of gray paint will cost you about $50 — now what they are going to do is replace individual sections every time it gets covered up with graffiti,” he said. “That is going to be wildly more expensive.”

Video from Sky5 taken early Monday morning shows workers removing the ivy that was tagged and replacing it with new ivy. It was not immediately clear whether the crews would just be replacing the vandalized parts or finishing the wall completely. Jan. 26, 2026.

Other social media users, responding to Dalton’s post, also expressed skepticism over the idea of “graffiti-proof” ivy and laughed at the idea that it took less than a day for taggers to strike again.

“I have bought that stuff before,” one person said. “It is God-awful, expensive and lasts about a year or two before the backing gets brittle and the ‘leaves’ start falling off. Also, it apparently doesn’t stop graffiti either.”

“The ivy really makes the graffiti pop much more than the concrete did,” another user chimed.

“New challenge [that] the taggers accepted,” a third user said.

Video from Sky5 taken early Monday morning shows workers removing the ivy that was tagged and replacing it with new ivy. It was not immediately clear whether the crews would just be replacing the vandalized parts or finishing the wall completely.

When asked for comment on the matter, Caltrans, who is handling the installation of the artificial ivy, provided the following statement to KTLA:

The installation of artificial ivy on U.S. 101 at Los Angeles Street is part of a pilot program that began two weeks ago and is expected be completed this week. The graffiti was reported this weekend by Caltrans staff and the contractor quickly worked to remove graffiti, which is currently 90% cleaned.

Due to a mural and related agreements at this location and several walls along U.S. 101 in downtown Los Angeles, Caltrans is not legally allowed to paint over or remove graffiti. As a temporary measure, to protect the mural artworks, Caltrans has been installing artificial ivy which has aesthetic benefits and acts as a graffiti deterrent and is a more environmentally friendly solution to graffiti removal. The artificial ivy is installed in 1’x1′ squares that can easily be removed and replaced. The removed squares can be cleared of graffiti and reused. The artificial ivy will remain in place until the mural artists are able to rehabilitate their murals.

Artificial ivy installed at another location along U.S. 101 in Nov. 2024, was successful in mitigating graffiti, with that location only requiring graffiti removal three times, which is an improvement for the region. This work is not related to the Clean California initiative, though it is in line with its goals to beautify the state’s highway system and local communities.

In the past year (2025), Caltrans spent $336,160 removing 318,793 square feet of graffiti on US 101 in downtown Los Angeles. Across District 7 in the past year, Caltrans spent $4,194,344 removing 3,973,054 square feet of graffiti.