San Francisco officials enraged over Justin Bieber graffiti

A Justin Bieber sidewalk ad in San Francisco.

(Image credit: Twitter.com/KRON4News)

last updated 29 December 2015

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera is not a Belieber.

On his website, Herrera vowed to "identify and punish" those responsible for spray painting the name and release date of Justin Bieber's latest album, Purpose, on sidewalks across San Francisco. In a letter sent to executives at Def Jam Records and Universal Music Group, Herrera wrote that the stunt was illegal, and he planned to "aggressively pursue all available penalties and costs from those responsible for lawless marketing tactics that intend to financially benefit Mr. Bieber and your respective companies." Each violation could result in a $2,500 fine, CBS San Francisco reports.

The city has heard from several residents complaining about the ads, which have not washed away despite several rainstorms, and Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru vowed to take a "strong stand" against taggers "who believe they are above the law when it comes to blighting our city." Bieber, Def Jam Records, and Universal Music Group have yet to comment or stencil their responses on the sidewalks of San Francisco.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.