Vandals Hit King Freeway Sign

One of four signs erected last month renaming a 10-mile stretch of California 94 as the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway was reported defaced Thursday morning with the letters KKK, according to the California Department of Transportation.

A Caltrans crew went out shortly after the sign, on westbound 94 near the Lemon Grove Avenue exit in La Mesa, was vandalized with spray paint, said Jeff Morgan, a Caltrans supervisor.

“Because it’s an important sign, we try to remove the graffiti as quickly as possible,” he said. “If it becomes a repetitive problem, we may find a higher elevation to move the signs.”

The four green-and-white signs, paid for largely by private donations, were unveiled Nov. 20. The segment of the state route christened in honor of the slain civil-rights leader begins in downtown San Diego and ends at the interchange with California 125 in La Mesa.