GARDEN GROVE : Police Protection Called Inadequate

Deep budget cuts have left the city with insufficient numbers of police officers and firefighters, several City Council candidates said at a forum this week.

Tony Ingegneri, one of 12 candidates seeking two council seats in Tuesday’s election, said more police are needed to keep up with gangs and graffiti.

Candidate Ho Chung said crime is growing fast and more officers are needed. He said he fears that the riots that occurred in Los Angeles last spring “could happen here in Orange County.”

But candidate Martha Janet Anderson-Monroe said that police often sit in the parking lot of her saloon doing paper work and that she believes staffing in the department is adequate.

Another candidate, Bruce A. Broadwater, said he too believes the Police and Fire departments have sufficient numbers and are doing “a great job.”

Bart E. Blakesley, another council hopeful, said he worries about thin firefighter ranks. Blakesley claimed that there is not a single engine company equipped to fight a fire in the second story of his residence. “Every day, my home is in jeopardy,” he said.

Earlier this year, the City Council eliminated 53 city employee positions, including 14 in the Police Department and six in the Fire Department, because of plummeting revenues.

During the forum sponsored Monday by the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce, the candidates addressed issues ranging from the bickering among council members to what to do with vacant land and abandoned businesses and how to finance the arts.

Candidate David Baugh said the choice is clear between police and the arts. Arts are a luxury, he said.

Candidate Tayfun Amur said that arts are vital and that as a councilman he would go door to door to collect money for that cause.

Several of the candidates claimed that infighting among the incumbents is hurting city efforts to move ahead.

Ingegneri said council meetings “almost look like a fistfight.”

Candidate Milton Krieger said that the political bickering could be traced to a lack of respect and that he would work for a team-building program.

Candidate Walter C. Wood Jr. said one way to save money would be to cut city employee salaries by 5%.

Candidate Elizabeth Charron said she opposes the idea of a utility tax. She said city employees would stand to benefit in the form of a pay raise but that they wouldn’t have to pay the tax themselves because more than 70% live outside the city.

Candidate Diane M. Donovan said the city needs to improve its image in order to attract new business. An ombudsman might be helpful, she said.

Candidate Jose Luis Moreno Jr. said the city should convert the vacant land near the old downtown into a “family fun center” and hotel.