Emergency: Police Chief Needs Backup : Huntington Beach Council Must Find Money for His Plan to Save Oak View

Huntington Beach has shown it has a knack for turning around a neighborhood. It did just that with Commodore Circle, which a few years ago was on a downward spiral caused by drug dealers, absentee landlords and general neglect. The city cracked down on slum landlords, supervised massive repairs and increased police patrols. Today, Commodore Circle has a new name--Amberleaf Circle--to reflect its fresh new look and renewed neighborhood pride.

The challenge is much greater with Oak View, a larger residential neighborhood where the crime and social problems are much more complex and overwhelming. There are gang problems, ethnic tensions and overcrowding. Drug dealers ply their trade in the open. And in recent years there have been drive-by shootings.

Still, Police Chief Ronald E. Lowenberg is undaunted. He has proposed a $500,000 plan to recapture Oak View that is good enough to merit the City Council’s backing. The plan would establish the city’s first police substation in Oak View and staff it with four new officers. There also would be increased foot patrols, which have been used effectively in other neighborhoods where gang and drug activities are rampant.

But Lowenberg’s recommendations do not stop with law enforcement. Wisely, he has recognized that there are underlying social problems that need to be addressed, including working with youths before they enter gangs. His plan would provide for professionals to counsel youths and their families.

There also would be added staffing and equipment for Oak View Community Center. In addition, Lowenberg recommended that the city establish a day laborer center so that unemployed men have a place to gather while waiting for work, rather than hanging out in the streets.

The price tag for all this is steep, and Huntington Beach is in no better shape than most cities in this post-Proposition 13 era. The City Council, whose initial reaction to Lowenberg’s plan was favorable, would have to find the money in next year’s budget by cutting other programs or raising fees. There is also no guarantee that Oak View can be saved.

Even with these odds, one thing is certain: If nothing more is done, Oak View will get worse and its problems will spread to neighboring areas. A comprehensive attack this year at least gives the city a fighting chance to do for Oak View what it did for Commodore Circle. Its track record there offers encouragement. The City Council should approve the money that Lowenberg has requested.