We don't webpost pictures of graffiti vandalism but it's quite large and includes ominous "cross-outs." [We've asked those who understand graffiti to translate the messages for us and we plan to report it as newsworthy.]

Gang graffiti is an entryway sign. It tells everyone -- including prospective new businesses and new residents -- that they're leaving Long Beach City Hall's city limits and entering the gang's city limits.

It's relatively easy to paint over the graffiti. City Hall's politicians have provided a handy anti-graffiti smartphone "app" and the City Hall hired graffiti paint-over crew does a good job.

But painting over graffiti isn't what's needed here.

Mayors Garcia and Foster have in our opinion recklessly recommended a FY15 budget that, unless changed by a Council majority in the coming weeks, will completely eliminate budgeted funding for LBPD's field anti-gang unit. We opposed this when Mayor Foster proposed it in Aug. 2012 (entering FY13); multiple neighborhood groups did likewise...and the Council (Sept. 2012 floor motion by O'Donnell) ended up providing funding that cut the former 22 member field unit (20 officers + 2 sergeants) basically in half, but at least maintained it for a year using "one time" money. When that FY14 arrived, the Council shrugged and let the field anti-gang unit shrink as LBPD management scrambled to maintain a skeleton crew by using patrol officers and backfilling with overtime.

Garcia, who as a voting 1st dist. Councilmember was complicit in these actions, has now recommended as a non-voting Mayor that the Council kill off the field anti-gang unit entirely as a pesky budget matter. On Aug. 12, 2014, Police Chief McDonnell told the Council that LBPD has other officers working on gang matters but noted that they're different than LBPD's gang field team. "The gang field team would be on the field on a nightly basis interacting with people involved in gang activity," he said.

Does eliminating that previously budgeted police resource sound smart to you?

A new Council majority is now in office. They're not stained with any of this...yet.

In our opinion, the anti-gang field unit should have been fully restored, not half-painted over in 2012. Instead, a former Council majority went on to hand unbudgeted 15% raises to City Hall management and approved spending over $1 million to pursue a lavish Civic Center rebuild before seeking businesslike bids on an economical City Hall seismic retrofit.

It's easy for politicians to focus on future fantasies (which can advance them further without producing results) instead of dealing with present day realities that require results now. Long Beach is a great city in a great location, but won't be as competitive as it can and should be as long as prospective new businesses and new homeowners can see entryway signs showing that some gang has annexed parts of the city. Painting things over with an "app" isn't the answer.

In the coming weeks, a new Council majority needs to begin fixing what previous Councils left broken in the budget. It needs to begin restoring police and fire services that taxpayers need and deserve now.

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