Would Enlarge Police Force by 1,000, Woo Says

Joining the ranks of mayoral hopefuls with plans to enlarge the Police Department, Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Woo said Monday that he would add 1,000 officers to the force by cutting other city services and increasing property taxes.

The proposed tax increase would require approval from two-thirds of the city’s voters, similar to a ballot measure that was narrowly defeated two weeks ago. The Woo plan would also require cuts of up to 5% in every city department, except the Fire Department.

Woo said his plan was inspired by the nearly 63% of the vote received Nov. 3 by Proposition N, the measure that would have increased property taxes to add 1,000 officers.

“Voters were saying two things,” Woo said. “They are willing to make sacrifices of their own to hire more officers, but the second thing they are saying is that we at City Hall have to tighten our belts and cut the fat from the rest of city government.”

Mayoral rivals and others at City Hall criticized the Woo plan, saying that a property tax increase is not appropriate during a recession and that other city services would have to be gutted to augment the Police Department.

Some fear that the plethora of competing plans for expanding the 7,800-officer Los Angeles Police Department will make it difficult for any proposal to win approval.

“All the people competing for this all want their plans adopted so they can get the credit,” said one high-ranking official, who requested anonymity. “You have a real chance for a political logjam.”

Woo’s plan will be placed before various City Council committees along with those of two other mayoral hopefuls, Councilmen Nate Holden and Joel Wachs. Holden has proposed bringing the force at least up to its previous staffing level of 7,900 by rehiring retired officers. Wachs said 650 officers could be hired by cutting $42 million a year from a “bloated” sewer service fund.

Non-candidates are also jumping into the debate. City Councilman Hal Bernson has proposed a City Charter amendment to ensure that the police and fire departments are funded before all other city services, with the Police Department to be expanded to 10,000 officers by 1997. Bernson has not specified what programs should be cut to hire the extra police.

Holden predicted that “pride of authorship” might stand in the way as the City Council tries to expand the police force, which has one of the lowest officer-to-resident ratios of any big city in America. “If you come up with a good idea, they are always going to try to knock you off,” Holden said.

Woo said he plans to lobby other City Council members intensively to try to overcome any rivalries aroused by the mayor’s race. If he succeeds, the tax increase would appear on the ballot next April, when candidates will also face off in the mayoral primary.

Woo’s property tax increase would amount to about $37 a year for the owner of a 1,500-square-foot home, about half the increase called for in Proposition N and enough to hire 500 more officers.

Money for another 500 officers would be produced by cutting other city programs and taking money from a parking meter trust fund normally used to build parking lots.

Woo proposed $16-million cuts in each of the next two fiscal years, with 5% reductions in budgets of the controller, city clerk, mayor, City Council and city attorney, whose offices Woo said provide limited direct service to residents. Departments that serve the public directly--such as Recreation and Parks and Library--would take only 1% cuts.

“I’m not saying there won’t be pain for everyone,” Woo said. “But there is no priority higher than making people feel safer in their neighborhoods.”

Woo’s critics faulted the plan on several counts.

Wachs said that, despite the vote two weeks ago, many residents are not ready to support a property tax increase. The San Fernando Valley councilman pointed out that only about half the voters in that area supported Proposition N. “I think those people want us to find savings and pay for more police from existing revenue,” Wachs said.

Two city officials whose departments would be cut by the Woo plan said city services already have to be reduced to a bare minimum. The officials, who asked to remain anonymous, said the cuts would come on top of those needed to close a $71-million deficit this year and a projected $100-million shortfall next year.

City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, who has not ruled out a mayoral bid, called the Woo proposal “half-baked” because it does not assess the other budget problems.

“You can’t have 1,000 more police officers by paying for 500,” Yaroslavsky said. “The people of the city understand that you don’t get something for nothing.”

Meanwhile, Chief Willie L. Williams, in his first budget proposal as head of the Police Department, will present a financing plan to the Police Commission today that calls for the hiring of 240 officers.

“Most of these will be assigned to patrol, others to area detective divisions for homicide investigations and the balance to staff a new Legal Affairs Division,” Williams said in his proposal for the 1993-94 fiscal year. The chief added that the budget “reflects my goal to attain a sworn force of 10,000 officers by the year 2000,” up from the level of 7,800 officers.

Williams’ proposal, which sets a $603.7-million budget, an increase of just under 10%, will be reviewed by the Police Commission and then sent to the council.

The package also asks for 513 marked police cars. and notes that no funds have been provided for new cars over the last two years. And it reminds city officials that new money will be needed to pay for reforms sought by panels that studied the LAPD after the Rodney G. King beating and the spring riots.

Times staff writer Richard A. Serrano contributed to this story.