Gardena Police May Get More Funds to Fight Gangs

Gardena city officials are proposing a $29.91-million budget for the next fiscal year, which includes an additional $250,000 for the Police Department to step up its fight against gangs and drugs.

The spending plan, a decrease of less than 1% from last year’s $29.94-million budget, would keep most city departments financed at current levels. The 1988-89 general fund is $20.3 million, 1.5% higher than last year’s $20 million.

Police Chief Richard Propster said the additional financing he requested, a 3.6% increase over last year’s budget, is part of a five-year plan to boost productivity and fill vacancies. If the council approves the increase, the cost of police services would be about $7.8 million for the coming year.

“Obviously, we’re very concerned with gangs and drugs,” Propster said.

The extra money would be used to increase police overtime, update radio equipment and promote seven officers to the position of police specialist, Propster said. As specialists, the seven officers would combine computer technology with traditional methods to gather information on drugs and gangs from other police departments as well as from within the Gardena department.

If business continues to boom at the city’s three card clubs, fees could generate as much as $3.5 million over the next year, compared to about $2.75 million last year, Finance Director Richard Roxburgh told the council. The increase would offset continued revenue losses. The council reduced the utility users’ tax last year from 5% to 4%, and a Gemco department store that had generated about $400,000 annually in sales tax revenues closed.

But Mayor Donald L. Dear said the city expects sales tax revenues “to increase dramatically in the near future” with the completion of several developments, including the $20-million Gardena Gateway shopping complex near the Artesia Freeway and the $56-million Eldorado Center hotel and office complex.

Other major departmental budgets are $4.6 million for the transit system and $1.75 million for capital improvements, about the same as last year’s.

Major revenues for the coming year include $5.4 million in sales tax and $1.95 million from the utility users’ tax.

The council will vote on the budget at its June 28 meeting.