Caltrans removes vandal’s racist message from Mendocino County traffic sign

Someone broke into the control box of a Caltrans electronic road sign in Mendocino County over the weekend and typed a racist message onto the sign, an agency spokesperson said Monday.

The vandalism, which occurred Saturday, involved a sign that was stationed on the northbound side of Highway 128 just north of the Sonoma County border, according to Manny Machado, a public information officer with Caltrans District 1.

He said the sign contained a “hateful message” and the incident is under investigation.

According to published images, the message, which included a racial slur, warned that Black people “aren’t welcome.” The side of the roadway where the sign is stationed leads into Mendocino County.

“We don’t know when the sign was vandalized, but staff did respond quickly Saturday evening and the message was removed,” Machado told The Press Democrat.

He said officials notified the California Highway Patrol and requested extra patrols in the area.

A CHP official did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

Mendocino County Sheriff’s Capt. Quincy Cromer said the CHP has jurisdiction along Highway 128 and his office had not been notified about the vandalism.

Machado said the sign is owned by Rege Construction in Cloverdale and it was in place for an emergency culvert project in the area.

Rege officials also did not immediately respond to a call from The Press Democrat.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi