How to Get More Police

Mayor Tom Bradley gave the Los Angeles City Council a nudge last week when he urged a quick compromise on the stalled plans to raise money to hire more police officers. He said that he was willing to engineer a consensus on the two major sticking points--how many more officers there should be, and how to pay for them.

The mayor wants the council to agree on a new property tax by mid-February, in time to put it onto the ballot during the June runoff election.

City Council President Pat Russell welcomes the mayor’s interest but believes that there is enough of a commitment to get a measure onto that ballot without his intervention. That is good news after the many months of discussions.

Money has been the holdup. It is up to the council to come up with the financing. Fortunately, a majority of Los Angeles voters are willing to pay, according to a poll commissioned for Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores.

She has proposed a tax that would charge all but the largest homeowners $6 a month, regardless of the size or location of the house, and would levy new taxes of $12 to $18 a month on large commercial and industrial properties. The tax would raise $56 million, the price tag for 1,000 new officers. It would, though, be too much of a burden on less affluent homeowners.

A more equitable tax proposed by Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky would charge the average homeowner $31 a year. Owners of large properties would pay as much as $194 a year. This graduated tax, based on property size, would raise only $28 million, the price tag for 500 officers.

No new property tax is the preference of Councilman Dave Cunningham, who has suggested a modest fee on rubbish collection for single-family homes and an even lower fee for multiple dwellings, where more trash is economically picked up at one stop. It would raise an estimated $28 million to pay for 500 officers, but there is little support for assessing a new fee for a service that has been free.

The rubbish fee would require council approval but not voter approval; the two proposed taxes would have to get yes votes from two-thirds of the voters. Because of that reality, Yaroslavsky’s graduated tax, or another compromise plan that shares a smaller burden, would have the best chance.

The Los Angeles Police Department, 6,910 strong, is smaller than most big-city forces. Although increases don’t automatically reduce crime, according to national studies, a stronger police presence leads to peace of mind.

Public safety is an overriding concern in Los Angeles, whether the neighborhood problem is escalating gang terror, drug violence or a rash of burglaries. The mayor wants to help. The pressure is on council members to agree, and soon.