Bradley Scolds Mahony on Anti-Gang Program : Social services: He says church-led effort is seeking special treatment. Cardinal calls the response ‘cynical.’

In a sharp blow to the fledgling gang-prevention program known as Hope in Youth, Mayor Tom Bradley on Tuesday fired off a strongly worded letter to the campaign’s leader, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, saying the city will not contribute the requested $2.5 million to a project with no track record--especially when other deserving anti-gang programs are struggling.

In the four-page letter faxed to the archdiocese’s office, Bradley chastised Hope in Youth organizers for not following the city’s regular funding guidelines, for refusing to test the program’s effectiveness, for ignoring the depth of the current budget crisis and for using “threats of political intimidation” to try to win his support.

“Unfortunately, Hope in Youth has refused to submit its proposal to the scrutiny that all other anti-gang programs undergo,” Bradley wrote, adding: “There is simply no justification for giving Hope in Youth such favored treatment.”

Mahony responded Tuesday by calling some of Bradley’s criticisms “crazy” and “cynical,” saying he was disappointed that the city’s bureaucracy is impeding what he considers one of the most substantial efforts to address the cycle of street warfare.

“What troubles me most is the mayor’s lack of interest, of heart and of will,” said Mahony, who will lead a procession today from St. Vibiana’s Cathedral to City Hall, where he plans to hold a prayer service for victims of gang violence and again urge Bradley to find funds for the program. “We’re not his adversaries--we’re looking to the mayor to be our leader.”

The mayor’s message signals a crucial setback to the ambitious church-sponsored effort, which just two weeks ago received a commitment from the County Board of Supervisors that could total as much as $2.9 million, depending on the campaign’s success in securing funds from other sources. In all, organizers are hoping to raise nearly $20 million annually for the next five years to hire 460 outreach workers who would assist families with at-risk children.

Bradley’s letter also represents a further souring of the relationship between his office and the coalition of religious and grass-roots activists who had considered him an ally in their anti-gang crusade. Last March, shortly after the program was unveiled, Bradley told Hope in Youth leaders that it was not fair for them to ask for money when he was already struggling to cut more than $180 million from the city’s budget.

Reiterating that theme, the mayor wrote in his letter: “As you know, Cardinal Mahony, I have refused to make false promises to Hope in Youth and I have not given you pat political answers.”

Mahony responded by saying: “What puzzles me is we cannot get any meetings, we cannot get through the bureaucracy and we cannot get anything done with the city.”

Some of the tension seems to have stemmed from a discussion that several Hope in Youth leaders had with Deputy Mayor Mark Fabiani, who they say gave them a chilly reception. One of the participants, Eastside activist Lou Negrete, alleged that Fabiani later called and said Negrete would “have to show his support for Tom Bradley” if he wanted to meet directly with the mayor.

“I thought about that, but I didn’t know exactly what it meant,” said Negrete, a professor of Chicano studies at Cal State Los Angeles. “I have a sense that Mark Fabiani is just ticked off at us. The fact of the matter is, we’re going to get a meeting with our mayor.”

Fabiani was not immediately available for comment Tuesday, but Bradley spokesman Bill Chandler said that the deputy mayor denied making such a statement. In addition, Chandler said the letter represented genuine concerns that Bradley had with the Hope in Youth campaign, explaining, “It is ridiculous to dismiss the issues raised in the mayor’s letter as simply a conflict among staff members.”

The letter notes that the city is in the midst of an unprecedented fiscal crisis, and Bradley alleges that Hope in Youth leaders “have refused to recognize” that funding of their program might come at the expense of other well-deserving projects. “This unrealistic attitude does not contribute to the fruitful discussion of solutions,” the mayor wrote to Mahony.

Bradley also charged that Hope in Youth representatives have sought to pressure him into supporting the program by suggesting they could vote him out of office.

“The threats of political intimidation made by the Hope in Youth representatives to my staff . . . must be resisted at all costs,” wrote the mayor, who has not announced whether he will seek a sixth term. “The integrity of the funding process for the city’s social programs demands no less.”

Bradley concluded the letter by taking a swipe at the Board of Supervisors for hinging its $2.9-million allocation on the ability of Hope in Youth leaders to secure the remainder of the $20 million they are seeking from city, state, federal government and corporate sources.

Under the agreement approved by the board, the county will match 15% of whatever Hope in Youth is able to raise, with the payment not to exceed $2.9 million, said Debbie Lizzari, an official in the county chief administrator’s office.

Bradley contends that, because government agencies are hard-pressed for money, it is unlikely that the supervisors will ever have to pay the entire amount they have offered.

“Without the complete commitment from all these other governmental entities, the county’s offer of help is meaningless,” wrote Bradley, adding that he refuses to make such an “empty pledge.”

While county officials acknowledged that the chances of paying $2.9 million are slim, they argued that they are giving the program its first financial commitment. “It provides a certain amount of seed money to go out and now lobby other government agencies,” said Robert Alaniz, press deputy for Supervisor Gloria Molina. “The leaders of this organization sincerely believe they are going to be able to raise these dollars.”