Reiner to Host Drug Abuse Forum in Downey

Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner will host a forum Saturday in Downey to obtain community comment for a plan he is developing to combat drug abuse in Los Angeles County.

Reiner will chair a panel of local officials to hear testimony from drug experts, community leaders and the general public on drug abuse in the Southeast area of the county. The forum, which is open to the public, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in the Downey City Council chambers.

“It’s an opportunity to learn and an opportunity for our office to speak to part of the community,” Reiner said.

The district attorney is seeking information on local drug abuse problems and programs, as well as comment on how current law could be changed and new legislation enacted to better deal with drug abuse, spokesman Andy Reynolds said.

Drug trafficking by gangs and undocumented immigrants is one problem affecting the Southeast, Reiner said.

The forum is the fourth of as many as eight that will be held throughout Los Angeles County. Reiner said testimony at the first three indicated the need for early education to combat drug abuse.

“If you don’t get to the kids early on . . . there’s not much you can do,” he said. “Waiting just a few years, in dealing with young kids, means you lose an entire generation.”

Reiner said he probably will submit his plan to combat drug abuse to the county Board of Supervisors in the fall.