This pro-agriculture sign on Highway 47 was vandalized.

Five signs along Highway 47 expressing citizens’ opposition to threats to agriculture, were vandalized overnight with black spray paint.

The signs were placed by citizens who believe both the proposed county hospital, which might be constructed near Highway 47 at the south end of Tome-Adelino, as well as a four-lane Highway 47 and bridges across the Rio Grande, will lead to the “destruction of farm land,” as the signs say.

In some cases, the signs have been up less than 15 days.

While at least one pro-hospital sign was spray painted on its posts and areas where no text appears, the target was the pro-agriculture signs, which had their words struckthrough, letters and words like “WS” and “B TOWN” written on them, and smiley faces painted on. The “WS” (Westside) and “B TOWN” (Belen town) references are likely an attempt to make the graffiti look like as if it was done by people with a gang affiliation.

Rita Padilla-Gutierrez, who has helped coordinate the placement of the signs and is a plaintiff in the hospital lawsuit, said the vandalism was reported to the Valencia County Sheriff’s Department.

There’s a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The sheriff’s department can be reached at 866-2400.

This page was published on April 28, 2009 at 8:58pm and is filed under Hospital, Police.