Will billions of dollars combat street violence?

Salinas could score some much-needed gang prevention and intervention cash from a myriad of new state and federal initiatives.

When legislators finalize the state’s budget this week, it will likely include $9.5 million designed to keep kids out of gangs and to rehabilitate existing gang members. About a third of the money would be distributed to Los Angeles and other cities overrun by street gangs in the Bay Area and Central Valley. Jurisdictions and nonprofit groups could also compete for a total of $6.5 million in grants.

Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, who chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Youth Violence Prevention, helped design the funding package. The former Salinas mayor says the City’s chances of receiving money look good. “Not only can the City apply for resources but the nonprofits can as well,” Caballero says.

She says the Silver Star Resource Center, a one-stop shop for youth and family services, could potentially receive funds because of its collaborative approach. The center includes the county’s Probation and Office of Education, and community organizations like Partners for Peace, which Caballero used to run.

Like many local gang prevention organizations, Silver Star runs on a tight budget. The program’s initial grant recently dried up and Bob Reyes, probation services manager, is on the hunt for $1 million to fully fund the center. Reyes says the possibility of state dollars is encouraging. “I think locally we should start getting together to prepare for this,” Reyes says, “so that way if it comes down, we are already ready and in line.”

Cities and organizations that apply for grants would have to come up with matching funds. It’s unclear how big the grants would be.

The package, which the Legislative Budget Conference Committee adopted on June 19, was a part of a rebuff to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s multi-faceted proposal called the California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Program (CalGRIP). The $48 million initiative would, among other things, put tracking devices on gang leaders, give tax breaks to businesses that hire ex-gang bangers and install a state-wide, anti-gang coordinator.

The budget committee did approve nearly $5 million to fund part of the governor’s plan that creates “high-intensity gang areas.” Monterey County would be eligible for these grants because it ranks among the top 25 for gang-related homicides. The committee, however, axed the governor’s requests to send California Highway Patrol officers to gang-ridden cities and provide funding for additional school resource officers.

Caballero’s measure funds the gang czar but doesn’t provide any dollars for front-line police work. She says the state’s priority should be on reaching children before they join gangs.

“It’s a question of whether you continue to spend a lot of money on suppression programs that may not be effective,” Caballero says, “or do you start investing in programs that are really going to dry up the recruitment into gangs? I remain convinced that we need to do the latter.”

Bill Maile, a spokesman for the governor, says the two initiatives can be reconciled. “The governor’s office looks forward to working with legislators to hammer out the details of a final budget that reflects the priorities to combat gang violence,” Maile says.