LOCAL ELECTIONS LONG BEACH BALLOT MEASURE : Plan to Add Police in Trouble : Hiring: Even the city’s police chief is ‘not optimistic that two-thirds of the community will vote for it.’

Despite a surge in the city’s crime rate, some key supporters of a June 5 ballot proposal to pay for another 75 police officers concede that the measure is in trouble.

“I’m not optimistic that two-thirds of the community will vote for it,” said Police Chief Lawrence Binkley, who has consistently pushed to hire more officers.

City Councilman Les Robbins, a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff who also supports the measure, agreed that “it’s an extremely difficult goal.”

Organized support for Proposition E, a measure that would create a new property tax levy to pay for more police, has been slow to develop. Councilmen Robbins and Ray Grabinski only last week began to organize a campaign, and they lack money, mailers, volunteers or endorsements outside City Hall.

The councilmen concede that they have little time to put together a fund-raiser and mail flyers, but they insisted that it can be done. They also said they plan to conduct community meetings throughout the city.

“I’m doing the best I can with what’s available,” said Grabinski, one of the few proponents who expressed optimism that the measure will pass. “Clearly, it would have been great to have a group together six months ago. But everybody was fund-raising for their own elections.”

But Grabinski, who ran unopposed in the April 10 election, acknowledged: “I don’t have a really good excuse. I think this is probably the most important thing on the ballot in Long Beach in 25 years.”

Five of the nine council members, plus Mayor Ernie Kell, are running for various offices in the election. Kell and Councilman Tom Clark are vying for mayor; Council members Jan Hall and Jeff Kellogg are campaigning for a state Assembly seat; Councilman Evan Anderson Braude is seeking reelection, and Councilman Warren Harwood is seeking election to the State Board of Equalization.

“I think everybody has been busy on their elections,” said Kell, who met Braude, Grabinski and Robbins at a restaurant recently to discuss strategy for the ballot measure.

Kell argued that supporters of Proposition E have enough time and pointed out that most mailers are sent out during the last week before election.

Robbins questioned whether council members should have to take the lead in campaigning for the measure.

“Is it our responsibility to go out and really lead the charge? I don’t know,” Robbins said. “Most of us have full-time jobs (in addition to working for) our constituents.”

Proposition E would add $44 annually to the typical homeowner’s property tax bill.

Last year, Long Beach had the largest jump in serious crime of any of California’s large cities, and serious crimes in the first three months of this year rose 13.3% over the same period a year ago, according to police records. Residential burglaries rose 25.2%, aggravated assaults 32.8% and rapes 17.8%.

City and police officials warn that they will have to cut services to add officers if the ballot measure is not approved.

“If it doesn’t pass, then we’re going to see services cut that will make people scream 10 times louder than now,” Grabinski said.

Services that would probably be curtailed include park and recreational programs, tree trimming, street-sweeping, and curb, gutter and sidewalk repairs, Robbins said.

In the Police Department, Binkley said, he will consider such cost-cutting measures as not responding to non-injury traffic accidents and ignoring petty thefts of less than $400 and battery cases in which the victim requires no medical treatment, except in gang-related investigations.

“If we stay the size we are now, we’ll keep getting worse service,” Binkley said.

But foes said they resent being asked to pay more taxes for a service the city should provide.

“Police service is the most basic city service,” said Bill Stovall, the retired deputy police chief trying to unseat Braude in Council District 1. “Safety and health should be paid for out of the General Fund.”

Even the Police Officers Assn. has yet to take a position on Proposition E., which would generate up to $7.3 million in the first year to create 75 new positions--70 officers and five sergeants--and buy patrol cars, radios, firearms and other equipment.

Terry Holland, the police union’s vice president, said his organization is withholding support until officials can review the proposal and determine that the money will pay for patrol officers rather than more administrators or an increase in special squads.

Grabinski told the union’s board of directors last week that the money would be used to pay for more patrol officers.

Other community leaders have expressed mixed views over the ballot measure. “Personally, I would vote for it, because I’m concerned that crime is increasing,” said Gene Tenhoff, co-chairman of the California Heights Action Group, “but other people are hesitant. It’s about 50-50.”

The Long Beach Board of Realtors has not taken a position, although that may change before the election, said Greg Berkemer, executive vice president.

“It’s a tough issue,” he said. “Everyone agrees crime is a problem. We need more police. But is this the best way to pay for it? I don’t know how many people are in the mode of increasing their tax base right now.”

Bud Huber, president of the Belmont Shore Improvement Assn., said until two weeks ago, many residents in his area agreed to vote for Proposition E.

But they changed their minds, he said, after Kell announced April 30 that about 70 officers would be added to patrols for two months.

The announcement confirmed suspicions that city officials could have resorted to alternatives to increase police patrols, Huber said.

Half of the additional patrols will be covered by officers on overtime. Officers will be switched from traffic, detective and administrative assignments to handle the remaining increases, officials said.

The ballot measure has support on the west side, said Virginia Siegel, an executive board member of the West Long Beach Assn.: “Almost everyone I know is for the tax.”

Others questioned whether adding more officers is the answer to alleviating crime. Leaders of the activist group Long Beach Area Citizens Involved have long argued that officials need to provide low-cost housing, create more parks, offer more recreational activities for children and, overall, create a better climate that will deter youngsters and adults from gangs and crime.

Hiring “armed cops is not the only way to deal with the problem,” said Alan Lowenthal, president of the citizens group.

“It’s a politically expedient solution. . . . We’re focusing on crime,” he said, “but what we’re not focusing on is the explosion of population, the problem of crowding, the lack of opportunities.”

The organization has not taken a position on the measure.

PROPOSITION E: PROPOSED POLICE LEVY Special tax rates proposed for Long Beach property owners to provide additional police service. These rates are for the fiscal year 1990-91. Residential Dwelling Units

Maximum Annual Property Categories Tax Rate Single Family 0 - 999 square feet $ 34.00 1000 - 1999 square feet 44.00 2000 or more square feet 64.00

Maximum Annual Property Categories Tax Rate Multi-Family Duplex (per unit) 34.00 Triplex (per unit) 34.00 Fourplex (per unit) 34.00 Five or more (per unit) 34.00

Commercial and Industrial Buildings

Maximum Annual Property Categories Tax Rate Per square foot 0.041

Note: All churches, hospitals, private schools and public property, not including private possessory interest or private lease of public property, are exempt from the special tax. Source: City of Long Beach