Political signs continue to be vandalized ahead of 2020 election

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) The last piece of a "Trump 2020" campaign sign was taken down in Sand City, Monday.

Sand City City Manager, Aaron Blair, said the owners of the property the sign was installed at were contacted. The owners were informed that the sign violated a city code that mandates all political signs must be under 4 by 8 feet in size.

The sign, previously visible from Highway 1, was vandalized, but it wasn't the first to be targeted on the Monterey Peninsula.

Numerous photos of destroyed signs have surfaced on social media. Some were kicked to the ground and others were sprayed with graffiti.

"Some people like to say that this is politics as usual or that politics is always nasty, but this is not "politics as usual. When you get to the point of vandalism and destruction, that's not typical," said political analyst, David Anderson.

Anderson said people have reported a lot more of this behavior recently. He cited a study from PBS that found around 80% of Americans think respect for political candidates is declining.

"People were fearing violence as long as a couple years ago. All of that happened before the violence since the death of George Floyd, and all the various incidents that have occurred nationwide since then. What we have is a lot of people out in the public who are frustrated, some angry and some opportunistic," said Anderson.

Police said vandalizing a political sign could cost you. According to California law, a person who causes damage worth more than $400 could face one year in jail and up to a $10,000 fine. A person who causes damage worth less than $400 could face one year in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.

"We are going to go out of our way to enforce and investigate. It's infringing upon the right of an American to run for office and be involved in the political system," said Sergeant Jorge Enriquez with the Seaside Police Department.

Many destroyed signs on the Monterey Peninsula have since been replaced. "Most people rise to the occasion. They get targeted and choose not to be intimidated. That's the usual response when this happens. I think we're going to see that," said Anderson.