DANA POINT : City Will Try Out Anti-Gang Project

Dana Point recently became the third South County city to sign up for a tri-city gang prevention project, although the City Council wants to monitor the program closely before making a yearlong commitment to the effort.

The council voted unanimously last week to join San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano in the anti-gang project run by Community Services Programs Inc., a private, nonprofit organization based in Irvine.

The program in Dana Point is on a trial basis and will target members of Barrio Chico San Clemente, a San Clemente-based gang known to recruit members from Dana Point and Capistrano Beach, according to a city report.

Council members stopped short of endorsing the program for an entire year but appropriated $18,083 for the first seven months of the program. Monthly reports will help them check the program’s progress, Mayor Mike Eggers said.

“We’re going to monitor the heck out of this program,” Eggers said. “Every time I turn around we’re putting money into gang problems. But I’m willing to go for a trial basis.”