Mayor Bradley on Gangs, Tourism

Only through a comprehensive program that includes tough law enforcement along with encouraging today’s young people to reject drugs and gangs can we wage a successful war on this scourge. I remain committed to funneling the resources necessary to fight this battle. Unfortunately, the April 24 story in The Times and the letters in response to the article (May 3) do not accurately reflect my position regarding gang violence.

The city is doing everything within its power to deter gang violence and drug abuse. Our after-school education and child-care program provides our youngsters with positive role models to allow them to stay free of gangs and drugs. This program is already in place at 19 schools, but I will not stop until every one of the more than 400 elementary schools in the city offers this option to its students. The Police Department has deployed as many as 1,000 officers on a given night to target gang and drug users.

The city’s Gang Related Active Trafficker Suppression Unit is one of the most successful programs in the country to locate and arrest gang members who violate the law. And over the last five years, we have added 1,500 new police officers, creating the largest police force in Los Angeles history.

To support our efforts to fight gangs and drugs, we must maintain a healthy economy. The city’s $3.8 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year has required some reductions in the budgets for most departments, but a priority has been placed on funding our Police Department. The budget for the police has grown this year, and the overtime account that allows officers to be deployed on an as-needed basis has been fully funded.

Another critical component of our Los Angeles economy is the tourism industry. More than 1 million visitors from the Far East come to Los Angeles every year, generating $400 million in economic activity. It was for this reason that I embarked on a mission to encourage visitors from the Far East to choose our city as a travel destination. More tourism translates into a healthier economy.

The Times story does not accurately reflect my efforts to combat gang violence. During the speech that The Times wrote about, I was trying to express the view that foreign tourists should not be deterred from visiting Los Angeles because of the fear of crime. Los Angeles certainly has many big-city problems, but we cannot allow these problems to stifle our efforts to improve the local economy. Although I did no intend to minimize these problems, I wanted to emphasize that tourists should feel free to visit Los Angeles.

I am confident our city will weather the financial strain placed upon us by the recession and that our war on gangs and drugs will continue without interruption.

MAYOR TOM BRADLEY, Los Angeles