Mr. Gordon: ...I live in the 2nd district. I'm on the 700 block of Rose Ave. I've lived in Long Beach for 23 years, approximately half of my life. To paraphrase Vice Mayor Lowenthal earlier, I'm not feeling the prosperity of the 41-year low in violent crime.

I am here tonight to make City Council aware of the very serious gang-related problem and events that are occurring in my neighborhood...These incidents are not unknown to the Long Beach Police Department or Commander Rocchi, but we've been told by PD that lack of resources hampers their ability to effectively address these problems.

Since early to mid-2013, I've reported hundreds of gang tags in my neighborhood using the Go Long Beach App. This figure is not an exaggeration. The incredible amount of gang-related tagging might have raised red flags at PD, but it could be that Council-directed budget cuts on police resources have exacerbated this problem. I'm told by adjacent community groups that the Wrigley, Craftsman Village, North Alamitos Beach districts have all reported similar upticks in these gang tags.

I would now like to profile a few recent violent crimes that have occurred immediately surrounding my home over the last six-plus weeks:

• On May 30 at approximately 10 a.m. in the 700 block of Rose Ave. just feet from my front door, approximately 6-7 rounds were fired across the street striking an unoccupied vehicle. This was not a point-blank shooting and anyone could have been hit by the crossfire.

• On July 16 at 8:12 a.m. on the 700 block of Gaviota Ave., a few hundred feet from my home, ten rounds were fired at a known gang-occupied house, striking two residences and one car. ANYONE could have been hit by the crossfire. It was not a point-blank shooting.

• On July 17 approximately 6:15 p.m., myself, wife, sister, young niece and nephew were standing in my front yard talking when suspected gang members began flew eastbound past my house and a gun was brandished at the proprietor of the store at the corner of 7th and Rose and he was told to watch his back and the gang member pledged allegiance to a west side gang.

• On July 19 at 7:00 p.m., just behind my house in the alley, an attempted carjacking took place. The victim was beaten by his assailants, they fled and were not caught despite a massive aerial and ground search.

I want reiterate that all of these recent and brazen crimes have occurred during broad daylight with nary a police officer in sight.

Despite the January 2012 declaration by Centers for Disease Control which ranked the City of Long Beach as having one of the nation's five highest gang murder rates, in late 2012, the City Council reduced the budget by more than $6 million and reassigned half the gang task-force.

I'm here to ask for two things: Mayor Garcia and City Council:

• I'd like you restore pre-2012 funding to the Long Beach Police Department as well as full restoration of the Gang Task Force;

• I am also asking the City Council to provide immediate resources to PD to take back my neighborhood from these violent and dangerous criminals.

I'm pleased to see that $2.2 million have been allocated for enhanced overtime and hope I hope it will be used to combat these problems that we're having in my neighborhood and throughout the city.

No Councilmember spoke in response to Mr. Gordon's testimony. Mayor Garcia thanked Mr. Gordon and called for the next speaker.

A few hours prior to the Council meeting, Vice Mayor Lowenthal issued a release (reported by LBREPORT.com here) in which she stated that as incoming chair [chosen by Mayor Garcia] of the Council's Budget Oversight Committee, she "strongly endorses" Mayor Garcia's budget recommendations. [This is prior to holding meetings of her Committee on the budget and making recommendations which she indicated she'll do.]

Earlier that day, Mayor Garcia announced his budget recommendations, which don't propose restoring police or fire services for taxpayers that were cut by majority voted actions of previous Councils (that included Garcia.) (LBREPORT.com coverage of Mayor Garcia's budget recommendation is coming separately.)

Mayor Garcia (while a voting Councilmember from May 2009-mid July 2014) and Councilmembers Lowenthal, O'Donnell and Andrews are the four remaining incumbents who in Sept. 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 voted for budgets that collectively cut the largest number of LBPD officers for taxpayers in the more than 100 year history of the City of Long Beach. [In 2012 Lowenthal was reelected by a roughly two to one margin; Andrews had no challenger; O'Donnell was elected to a third four-year Council term in June 2012 with the endorsement of the LB Police Officers Association and support from organized labor; he's now seeking an Assembly seat.]

Vice Mayor Lowenthal appeared to know Mr. Gordon's testimony was coming. A few minutes before he spoke during the Council's public comment, Lowenthal acknowledged that some parts of the city that she called "hot spots" hadn't benefited from city officialdom's frequently cited 41-year lows in violent crime. Vice Mayor Lowenthal asked City Manager Pat West if city management (i.e. LBPD administration) will be prepared to discuss details of those "hot spots" during budget sessions and City Manager West said yes. [A Council session on LBPD and LBFD budgets is currently scheduled for Aug. 12.]

Mayor Garcia's choice to chair the Council's Public Safety Committee is newly elected 3rd dist. Councilwoman Suzie Price. She hasn't indicated if she'll be holding meetings of her Public Safety Committee on the public safety impacts of the management/Foster/Garcia proposed FY15 budget.

Further to follow on LBREPORT.com.