Mayor’s Pledge of Anti-Gang Funds in Limbo : Government: Riordan reaffirms the city’s commitment to give $2.5 million to Hope in Youth. But first the county must fulfill a pledge of $2.9 million.

Despite Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan’s pledge to 2,500 supporters of the Hope in Youth anti-gang program that the city will donate $2.5 million, the mayor still must maneuver the massive church-backed project past several bureaucratic obstacles before the money will be available.

The most significant challenge facing the program--and Riordan--is persuading officials in the financially strapped county to deliver on a financial pledge of their own for the project.

Funding for the counseling program, which would become the largest anti-gang project in the county, has been languishing for months because government agencies made their financial pledges contingent on action by other donors.

The city has pledged to give $2.5 million, but not until the county has donated its $2.9 million. The county has said it will give its share once the city, state and federal governments have made their donations.

Riordan on Sunday spoke to 2,500 members of several neighborhood organizations and reaffirmed a commitment that he made during his campaign to the anti-gang program. The mayor is a close ally of Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, who is one of the program’s key backers.

But despite the victorious tone of Sunday’s rally, Mahony, Riordan and the eight other religious denominations backing Hope in Youth must still persuade the Board of Supervisors to release its share of the money to break the funding logjam.

The county was in such severe financial straits that in April it shifted the $2.9 million to another fund in order to keep open 19 probation camps for juvenile offenders.

Supervisor Gloria Molina has called for an immediate release of the money to Hope in Youth. “Supervisor Molina has supported going ahead immediately to get it done because the gang problems are here now,” said Gerry Hertzberg, Molina’s chief legislative deputy.

Supervisor Deane Dana said Monday that despite the county’s budget woes, he is “inclined to support” allocation of $2.9 million in county funds to bolster the program.

“I’ve told Cardinal Mahony that I support it,” Dana said, and without waiting for commitments from federal and state officials, which the board had previously required.

But it is unclear if there is a third vote for releasing the money.

Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke said she still would like the county to release the funds only after Hope in Youth officials have their other sources of money in line. Two other supervisors, Ed Edelman and Mike Antonovich, were not available for comment.

Hope in Youth is the brainchild of nine religious denominations and several community organizations, which hope to raise $17 million to launch what would be the county’s largest effort to wipe out gangs.

The program would hire counselors to organize young people, parents and school officials to resist gang activity and provide alternatives. A well-organized campaign by sponsors, including Mahony, pushed the proposal through the City Council last year, despite objections by then-Mayor Tom Bradley and others that it was being favored over other organizations with proven records combatting gangs.

The council approved the funding 10 to 2 in November, but with a proviso linking the funds to county funding of the program.

Late last week, in anticipation of Sunday’s meeting with the large group of Hope in Youth backers, Riordan’s staff began intensive efforts to get city bureaucrats to commit money for the project.

There was “some major scrambling” so that Riordan could deliver quickly on his campaign pledge to fund the program, said one city official.

“This project is a big deal for Roger Mahony,” said another official, who asked not to be named. “And Dick Riordan wants to come through for him. (Riordan) was damned if he was going to go out to this community meeting without something to deliver.”

But city officials could not give any ironclad commitments on the funding. So in his appearance at Salesian High School in East Los Angeles, Riordan instead signed a document that essentially committed the city to the status quo.

Supporters said, though, that merely having the mayor’s support was a considerable improvement over the Bradley Administration, which was vehemently opposed to the proposal.

Even an action by the Board of Supervisors freeing its funds would not put the program in the clear at City Hall.

Despite the action by the council last year, the Community Redevelopment Agency never budgeted funds for the anti-gang program. Ed Avila, head of the agency, said it had been waiting for the county commitment before proceeding.

But, after lobbying by Riordan’s staff, the CRA board has called a special Thursday meeting, at which it is expected to transfer money in the budget to free funds for Hope in Youth.

Then the City Council will have to approve the budget alterations.

In other developments, Riordan named the Rev. E. V. Hill of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in South-Central Los Angeles as one of his volunteer advisers.

Hill is the second person named to such a post, after lawyer-developer Ted Stein, who last week was chosen as a senior policy adviser.

Hill has been pastor of the church for 32 years and is a board member with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and a past member of the city Fire Commission and Housing Authority.

Riordan was prepared to appoint the clergyman last week to the board of the Community Redevelopment Agency but the mayor’s staff learned that he was ineligible because he lives in Baldwin Hills, a few blocks outside the city of Los Angeles.

Hill will advise Riordan on “a spectrum of issues facing the city, from housing to gang violence,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.