Long Beach : Council Urged to Fund 13 Gang, Drug Programs
Long Beach needs $3.8 million worth of programs to help solve drug and gang problems, a committee told the City Council Tuesday.
The Inter-Agency Committee on Substance Abuse and Gangs said city officials should set up 13 programs, including citywide youth centers, job training programs for young adults and a low-cost drug treatment program for parolees.
The Long Beach Police Department reported that it has already begun two of the committee’s suggestions: a police unit that specializes in gang crimes and community-oriented policing at three schools and a park.
The council decided to consider hiring a consultant to set priorities for the 13 suggestions. City Manager James C. Hankla said he could not estimate the cost of a consultant but he suggested that the city might fund it with money seized from drug dealers.
“The money for this consultant would be money well spent,” Councilman Ray Grabinski said. “The hardest thing to quantify is prevention.”
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
