Who Should Be LA’s Gang Czar?

***UPDATED***

In the last few days there’ve been several supposedly important meetings on the subject of what Los Angeles—and the state of California—ought to be doing about its persistent gang violence problem: Last Thursday, California State Senator Gloria Romero had a state hearing on the subject in South LA. All the usual suspects were there-–law enforcement and state corrections types, a few academics, the intervention experts, various politicos. The hearing lasted in excess of three hours during which time, many earnest statements were made. But, as is typical with these things, not a whole lot actually happened.

Ditto over the weekend when the mayor had his big, private gang meeting…. usual suspects…..worthy statements. No concrete plans of action.

The city council continues to have gang hearings, with similar invisible outcomes.

Yes, the police are out there doing their part, which is good. But, as Bill Bratton and Lee Baca will be the first to admit, we cannot arrest our way out of this problem.

I can’t speak for the state, but for Los Angeles, there is an obvious next step if we are to kick start the whole gang violence reduction thing into motion.

The mayor needs to appoint a Gang Czar. He’s talked about doing it for two years now. And the necessity for having one was repeatedly mentioned in Connie Rice’s $600K Advancement Project report on gang violence.

Bottom line: It’s time for the mayor to stop having press conferences on the issue and make the damned appointment. But whom should he appoint?

Never fear: I happen to have compiled the Ideal 4-Person Short List of LA Gang Czar Candidates. (Yes, one or two may annoy some people. But feel free tell me who you like, who you hate, and/or who you think oughta be on the list instead.) In the meantime, here they are:

1. CONNIE RICE:

In addition to being one of the smartest people in Los Angeles, civil rights attorney, Rice pretty much wrote the book on what modern LA gang intervention ought to look like. Okay, it wasn’t a book, it was the 131-page, single-spaced, chart-heavy, “A Call to Action: A Case for a Comprehensive Solution to LA’s Gang Violence Epidemic“ that she and her Advancement Project team delivered to the City Council in mid-January for a mere $600K. Although the council has done zip with it since she delivered the thing, it’s a smart blueprint for a systemic re-imagining of the the way we think about gang violence reduction. Connie respected by every group who has relevance to the issue. The cops and the sheriffs think the world of Connie. Even the grumpiest of the gang intervention and prevention people love her. South LA community leaders think she’s a goddess, and East LA and Valley leaders respect her. Plus she’s a down-to-earth theorist who knows all the pieces of the gang intervention/prevention puzzle cold, and probably has the strongest theoretical grasp of both the problem, and the multi-layered solution. But does Antonio like her? We’ll get back to you on that.

2. FATHER GREG BOYLE:

Of all LA’s gang intervention experts, the Jesuit priest who founded East LA’s Homeboy Industries is the only one with the bigtime national name. Yet he also has arguably the broadest base of on-the-ground local relationships. Gang members all over the County of Los Angeles nearly deify the guy; LAPD’s command staff likes him a lot. Ditto, state and local officials. (Local Boyle Heights street cops, not so much, but they could grow up and get over it.) And he, like Connie, can see and articulate all the pieces of the big picture. He knows what needs to happen, and the steps necessary to make it happen. Plus he’d be a uniquely powerful front man when it comes to focusing public attention—and public will—on solutions. (There is no better crowd-engaging speaker than Fr. Greg. You laugh, you cry, you open your wallet….) Main problem…..he probably wouldn’t take the job.

3. MARTIN LUDLOW:

No, I’m not kidding. And, yes, I understand the former City Councilman, former head of the County Federation of Labor, is still sorta…um….. radioactive because of that felony conspiracy-union-funds-diversion thingy. But, hey, we’re all for redemption and second chances around here. And while Ludlow doesn’t have Connie or Father Greg’s depth in the subject, he has a solid grasp in the issue, and would likely be better at shaking money out of the city council and the state legislature than either of the other two. He’s also a long-time FOA—friend of Antonio—with strong relational ties to both the South and East LA communities. As for the running-afoul-of-the-law issue, okay, it’s a bit of a problem—especially since he’s prohibited from holding public office for another three years or so. But does that mean a city appointment is out of the question?

4. BOBBY ARIAS:

Arias is the president of Communities in Schools and he and Blinky Rodriguez, the organization’s founder, are the valley’s main players when it comes to gang prevention and intervention. Blinky, the former-world champion kick boxer, is the star and primary spokesman-in-demand of the twosome. But Arias has the organizational and administrative chops. He’s a dark horse in this race, and perhaps someone with deeper ties to the south and east sides of town would be advantageous. But Arias is bright, ultra-knowledgeable and connected enough to bring juice to the job. Communities in schools was the first LA gang intervention group to pioneer a truly interactive working relationship with the police, without the integrity of either being compromised. And that’s saying something.

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So there you have it. Four good candidates. As for who would be the best pick….. Like I said, Greg Boyle, would likely say, no. (Although it couldn’t hurt to ask.) Martin….well, we know the issues with Martin. (Both the LA Times and the Weekly would scream bloody murder at the very notion. But they would be wrong.) Bobby Arias is certainly good too, but the others may be marginally stronger.

That leaves….Connie Rice. Face it, she’s been the obvious front runner all along. And I think she’d love to have the job if it was offered. But would Antonio pick her? Or does he have some sort of competitively-based Connie allergy?

Whatever it is, please get over it, Mr. Mayor. Pick a Gang Czar. Make it Connie. Make it somebody.
Do it soon.

(PS: If y’all have your own list, I’d love to see it!)
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UPDATE: Dead Mayor blogger Sam Yorty has already come up with his four nominees: Bill Clinton, Snoop Dogg, Tamar Galatzin’s campaign manager, Michael Trujillo, and crazy ol’ Mariposa County, AZ Sheriff Joe Arapaio. Maybe not entirely practical from a functional perspective, but certainly more imaginative than anything most of the live politicians are offering.