Gang Activity Reductions Strategy (GARS) Report

Gang Activity Reduction Strategy (GARS) Report (09/11/06 - Budget & Finance Meeting

ZD attended the Budget and Finance Committee meeting yesterday and they happened to be addressing the GARS report findings. Councilmember Parks headed the meeting. And you can say what you want about Parks, it was pretty cool that a guy like me, was able to sit down at the mic, four feet away from the guy, and present my own report, publicly. And I know Parks probably hasn't been the biggest ZD fan in the City, he DID pass by me today and say, "Great job yesterday at the Budget and Finance Meeting." (Daaaaaaaaaamn...ZD is in the mix, with Bernie Parks, y'all!!!)

So, first; the summary, then an opposing viewpoint sent to me by email from a Mayor Sam reader/TV 35 viewer; followed by my comments; then highlights of the report itself on GARS. I CAN TELL ALREADY...based on the contraversy over the "trash collection fee" money going to these GAR Units (even though Council has clarified the money will be coming from somewhere else, we just don't know where, yet) -- THIS WILL BE A PRETTY BIG ISSUE IN THE CITY. So, again, here's your chance to read about it first (maybe) at Mayor Sam (or maybe just catch a few things you may have missed).

FIRST, dessert first: Here's the Summary, that says it all...
The City, while it has a few programs and community contractors that are excellent examples of best practices in intervention, and prevention, basically has no entity with the capacity, power, knowledge or funding design to develop and operate a compreshensive, coordinated, strategic, data based, state of the art, Citywide strategy that is accountable to reducing gang violence and activity. (ZD: Very excellently said!)

OPPOSITION: "First of all the first contract is for 6 months at $465,150. All this non profit has done is have 12 community meetings asking for solutions to the gang problem. This agency is called Advancement Project who did another study before this gang study that concluded $82 million given to the gang programs is not working. There is no accountability on how the gang programs have been spending this money all these years. Now, we're paying this non profit to study the problem instead of just making the gang programs accountable.

Now yesterday at Budget & Finance they approved an amendment to give them an additional $128,000 and extending for additional 3 months to do research. The total amount this non profit is getting from the city is $593,430 to do what? I've been to meetings and there is nothing new people are saying to resolve the gang issue.

Here's the file index on it. It will go to the full council floor for a vote to give them the additional $128,000 in the next couple of weeks. For what I want to know??"

ZD IS THINKING: Yeah, Cheif Bratton is the one who said the money is being wasted. But here could be why. We have all these separate Gang Reduction Units in the City working independently of each other, in an un-coordinated effort. If Los Angeles had a football team, how do you think it would do if each player on the field didn't coordinate the play together as a team. And what if the team didn't even have a coach? So if the Cheif says the money is wasted, I don't think he's saying, "So don't spend any at all." I think he's saying, "Let's get a coach, take all the players, give them a playbook, and let's run some plays as a team, working toward the same effort/play, instead of just yelling, "Hike", then have everyone run separate, individual plays. THEN AT LEAST WE'LL SEE IF THIS SH*T CAN WORK, AND IF NOT, PUNT. And another important point is, Cheif Bratton has aksed the Mayor for a Gang Czar to be the coach and coordinate the $80 effort. So Mayor V., just like State Senate couldn't look like they were standing in the way of your LAUSD improvement effort, so they "RELUCTANTLY" voted yes on AB 1381...You can't be appearing as if YOU are standing in the way of Cheif Bratton/LAPD/Citizen's effort to improve the public saftey of the streets of Los Angeles, so the kids can feel safe enough to actually try and walk to school and back, and so businesses will continue to invest in the City's development. Thank you Mayor V. Now, here's the GARS report.

* Increase the contract amount by $128,280 (from $465,150 to $593,430).
* Request to aend the contracts scope of work to include th following nw activities: Commuity Engagement Cluster; Cost Benefit Analysis and additional travel activities.

Assesment of current efforts toward gang activity in the City. (Based on ten different studies.)

* There MUST be clear mission goals and ojectives for EACH progrm and City funded effort;

* The City MUST understand the scale of the problem to approopriatly and effectively address it;

* There MUST e a centralized coordination of City and regional efforts to reduce gang activities;

* There MUST be manated data collection utilizing uniforme definition of "gang", "gang membership", and "gang crime";

* Resource allowcation MUST be based n needs assessment;

* Program MUST be guided by research and follow eviece based on practices and incorporate evaluation design from the planning stages;

* Sustinative external expertise must be maximied hke internal expertise is nurtured;

* Funding base MUST be reliable, substainable and broadened to match the scale of the problem and to allow for sufficient lexibility to address gang violence in a balanced way; and,

* Political dynamics from ALL SOURCES MUST NOT trump best practice and best policy.

FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT

The reccomendations of this report involve the use of $128,289 from the '06-'07 Adopted budget, unappropriated balance, gang prevention, intervention and reduction programs -- line item for a City wide GARS consultant contract with Advancment Project increasing compensation from $465,150 to $593,430 through a contract amendment.

This action complies with City financial policies in that sufficient funds are avaiable from the intervention and reduction line item to support an appropriation fo said amendment and also that funds allocated to this line item were identified to support the continued efforts related to development of a Citywide GARS.

FINDINGS/HIGHLIGHTS

Key obsticles to effective implementaion of a gang activity reduction strategy exist at mutiple levels of the City's operation particularly with regard to coordination within City departments and programs and on an inter-goverment/agency level, and inadequate community engagement.

* The region LACKS definitions (as those previously stated above). This makes it difficult for the city to understand the true magnitue of the gang problem.

* The City does NOT have sustainable and adequate funding stream that is sustainable and broadened to match the scale of the gang problem and which can provide sufficient fleiblity to address prevention, intervetion and suppression in a balanced mannner.

* Frequent changes in political and programmatic leadership hamper the deveopment and implementation of a sustained strategy. Develop and operate a comprehensive strategy hat is accountable to the gang problem OVER ANY POLITICAL CLIMATE.