Have You Seen These 'Courtesy' Notices Around Town?

An unusual notice to residents offering to paint curb address numbers on the street in front of their homes has turned up in some Pacifica neighborhoods this week. There is no mention on the flyers of what business or organization is offering this service. 

Pacifica resident Brian Smith writes to Pacifica Patch about it Wednesday night:

"A guy was walking up to houses on Crespi Drive this evening and was posting this flyer on people’s front doors. It’s a 'Courtesy Notice' announcing that the curb address numbers on the street would be painted this week by local painters as self-employed people, and asks for donations. My first instinct is that it seems suspicious at the very least, and it well could be a scam of some kind at worst, as there is no contact information posted whatsoever on the flyer."

On the flyer it states: "Our method will leave your numbers brighter and more visible than ever before! ... The estimated value of this service is $10 to $15 however all your volunteer contributions large or small are appreciated. ... Your volunteer support provides income to our painters as we serve your community."

Pacifica Patch put a call into the Pacifica police department and City Hall to check if this is a service from a legitimate business or organization or simply a volunteer effort by citizens who want to make your numbers "brighter and more visible than before." Or perhaps it is a scam of some sort.

Cap. Joe Spanheimer with the Pacifica Police writes in an e-mail to Patch: "This is a perennial problem.  Sometimes these people have business licenses with the city, but most often they do not. An indication that they may not have obtained one is the fact that there is no contact information provided on the flyer. While clearly visible house numbers do aid emergency response personnel, this is not  a service sponsored by the city."

The Pacifica Police department is aware of one individual who has a business license for this type of service.

"However, given there is no information on the flyer as to the identity of the author, it is unknown whether this is a licensed individual," said Cap. Daniel Steidle of the Pacifica Police.

Steidle adds that as with any situation where a citizen is contacted by someone conducting business, they can ask to see the person’s business license, which they are required by the municipal code to keep with them while conducting business. He also says that these flyers seem to put the responsibility on the citizen to deny service beforehand.

"If the citizen has not requested the service, they are not required to pay or donate anything," he said. "If a citizen comes into contact with a solicitor and they have concerns, we suggest they call us here at the PD, and we will be happy to make contact with the solicitor to verify their validity."

Have you seen this flyer in your neighborhood? Where? Will you accept the services? Tell us in the comments.

Read more comments from your neighbors about this on Pacifica Patch's Facebook page here.