VALLEYWIDE : Groups Want Funds Used for More Police

Fearful of crime, three residents groups have called for the use of Community Redevelopment Agency funds to bring more police to the Valley.

“If we can make a case for emergency and public protection, some of those funds can be used for police,” said Don Schultz, president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn.

The redevelopment agency was created to remove blight and create an environment to attract private investment, said Chuck Sifuentes, an agency public information officer.

The agency, which is funded through property taxes, has spent millions since 1979 on a 740-acre North Hollywood project, Sifuentes said. In that area, the agency has remodeled 736 homes and added 883 new housing units, spent $4 million on public improvements, and built the new Academy Entertainment and Business Center at the corner of Vineland Avenue and Magnolia Boulevard. Its 1992-93 budget for the North Hollywood project area is $8.7 million.

Tony Swan, president of the North Hills Community Coordinating Council, said there are already enough apartment buildings in the Valley without the agency adding more.

“With the amount of vacant apartment buildings numbering in the thousands, we should use these funds differently, if only to pay for police overtime,” said Swan. Sifuentes disagreed, pointing out that state law does not allow CRA funds to be used outside project areas or for police or fire services within the project area.

In August, state Sen. David Roberti (D-Van Nuys) introduced a bill that would have authorized the expenditure of CRA money for local law enforcement efforts. Roberti’s bill passed the Senate but was killed in the Assembly. Steven Glazer, Roberti’s press secretary, said no efforts have been made by Roberti to reintroduce the legislation.

Meanwhile, Mildred Weller, president of the North Hollywood Concerned Citizens, said it may be time to ask new city leaders to take control of the funds.

“We’re just waiting for our new mayor,” Weller said. “We’ll wait for (Richard Riordan) to learn how destructive the CRA is. Their intent is not to help these neighborhoods. It’s to keep themselves in business.”