Riordan Lashes Out After L.A. Loses Funding

In a stunning slap at Los Angeles’ law enforcement record and the lobbying efforts of Mayor Richard Riordan, a new set of police hiring grants announced Friday by President Clinton includes no new money to expand the LAPD.

Riordan has aggressively lobbied for money to hire more officers, raising the subject with Vice President Al Gore and congressional leaders on trips to Washington this year. As a result, Riordan administration officials were surprised and angered by the White House decision to bypass the city.

Washington insiders say that Los Angeles was passed over this time because the Justice Department decided that the latest round of grants should go to poor cities where crime rates have not declined significantly in recent years. Although Los Angeles has large impoverished areas, crime has dropped significantly citywide over the past five years.

“There are still some neighborhoods in America, and too many of them, where crime hasn’t receded far enough or fast enough,” Clinton said at the White House ceremony to announce the grants. He was joined by a dozen uniformed police officers in the Rose Garden.

In a statement released by his office, Riordan took a rare swipe at Clinton, whose largess for Los Angeles helped the city recover from the recession of the early 1990s and to rebuild after the 1994 earthquake--and, incidentally, helped to secure the president’s reelection victory in California.

“We have played by the rules, fulfilled our commitments, and been so steadfast in our fight against crime that the crime rate has dropped by 40%,” the mayor said in the statement, which was signed by four Los Angeles members of Congress. “Instead of being rewarded with more federal funding, Los Angeles is being penalized for its crime-fighting results.”

After years of lavish federal support from Clinton, Riordan and his top aides had counted on Gore being similarly disposed to Los Angeles and continuing the flow of federal money, particularly when it came to police. Because of that, the federal government’s decision to dole out money to 18 cities but not Los Angeles came as an unsettling surprise.

What’s more, it generated an unusual air of combativeness within the Riordan administration, where officials generally have relished their cordial relationship with the White House.

“It’s no more Mr. Nice Guy,” one administration official said.

Noelia Rodriguez, the mayor’s press secretary, stressed that the decision to bypass Los Angeles would not create havoc with the local budget, but added that local officials were extremely disappointed with the White House.

“This does not mean dire financial straits for us,” she said. “But we’re not going to sit idly by.”

Although the Clinton administration’s decision does not affect the city’s current budget, it could compound a problem that dogs Riordan’s aides: a projected $14-million shortfall in police funds next year, money that is being supplied this year by the federal government. Federal money to pay for officers would have alleviated some of that crunch.

Joined by leaders of the region’s congressional delegation, Riordan has urged federal officials to extend the funding for police hiring another year, has asked federal officials to lift a cap on the salaries that the bill subsidizes, and has requested that Los Angeles be considered when more federal police grants are announced.

As outlined Friday, however, the administration’s approach struck several Los Angeles representatives as being arbitrary and unproductive.

“We participate in the program, we hire police officers, we make progress on crime, and then, when they announce these grants, we’re nowhere to be found on the list,” said Rep. Howard Berman (D-Mission Hills).

Rep. David Dreier (R-San Dimas) agreed. “When we are effective, we get punished,” he said. “No good deed goes unpunished.”

Berman added that although the White House has been extremely supportive of Los Angeles in recent years, that did not diminish his unhappiness about Friday’s announcement.

“They’ve been a great friend,” he said. “This is no time to weaken the friendship.”

What particularly stings about not being included in the current round of grants, according to various city and congressional officials, is that the money doled out Friday comes with no strings attached. So far, the money that Los Angeles has received for police hiring has required the city to supply matching funds. These grants require no local commitment.

“This is still the most under-policed major city in the country,” Berman noted, a reference to the small number of officers who patrol Los Angeles streets relative to its population and geographic size. “But when the unmatched money comes, we don’t get any.”

Officials are expecting the White House to announce another set of grants next month, and local leaders are stepping up the pressure on the Clinton administration to include Los Angeles in its next batch. Dreier, Berman and Rep. Julian Dixon (D-Los Angeles) dashed off a letter to the White House asking for consideration next time.

“Violent crime remains a serious problem in Los Angeles,” the congressmen wrote, citing statistics on homicides and gangs. “Given the commitment by the city of Los Angeles to expand its police force and fight violent crime, we believe it warrants inclusion in the next cycle of crime bill funding.”

The grants announced Friday will pay for 700 officers in 18 cities--a total of more than $100 million. Fresno and San Bernardino were the only California cities selected.

The other cities receiving grants were: Baltimore; Bessemer, Ala.; Birmingham, Ala.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Camden, N.J.; Chicago; Cleveland; El Paso; Flint, Mich.; Fort Pierce, Fla.; Greenville, Miss.; Hartford, Conn.; McAllen, Texas; Miami; Monroe, La.; and Muskegon, Mich.