BACA USES GANG STATS TO PITCH FOR TAX MEASURE COUNTY TASK FORCE DEDICATED TO FIGHTING RISING VIOLENCE.Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer Citing the results of a Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County task force created to quell escalating gang violence, Sheriff Lee Baca Leroy David Baca (b. May 27 1942, East Los Angeles, California) is the Sheriff of Los Angeles County, California. After graduating from Benjamin Franklin High School (Los Angeles) in 1960, Baca worked his way through East Los Angeles College before starting with the L.A. called Friday for the chance to convince voters to approve a sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. hike next year to boost law enforcement funding despite two previous failed attempts. ``What we are dealing with is the violence of wanton Grossly careless or negligent; reckless; malicious. The term wanton implies a reckless disregard for the consequences of one's behavior. A wanton act is one done in heedless disregard for the life, limbs, health, safety, reputation, or property rights of death, the violence of drugs, competition between gangs and racial warfare on the streets between gangs,'' Baca told a news conference. ``This is something that is not going to away simply. We have to stay on top of it. And county taxpayers have to weigh whether or not more resources need to be brought to bear, such as a quarter-cent sales tax totally dedicated to this problem.'' Baca said the 57-member task force has seized dozens of automatic weapons and arrested 230 suspects in seven months. It was created as gang- related homicides in areas patrolled by the Sheriff's Department have risen 31 percent since 2003, from 144 to 189. Of those, 141 were reported in Compton, Lynwood and unincorporated areas near South and East Los Angeles East Los Angeles, uninc. city (1990 pop. 126,379), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles, in an industrial area. It has a large Mexican-American population. There is a performing arts center and a cultural center. A junior college is there. . The number of gang slayings has risen in other areas too, including the first gang murder in three years in the area patrolled by the Malibu/Lost Hills station, a jump from three to five slayings in Palmdale and an increase from six to seven homicides in Lancaster. ``Lancaster and Palmdale have real growth going on there,'' Baca said. ``Those are basically gangs whose families have moved out of the lower (Los Angeles) basin and they are trying to start over again, but the kids are still bringing in that gang mind-set. So hence, we have a problem in the High Desert and are still trying to get it under control.'' The Industry station saw a rise from seven to 10 homicides, Norwalk had an increase from one to four, San Dimas saw its first two gang slayings in three years and the Temple station experienced a rise from three to four. Of the victims this year, 107 were Latino, 74 were black, four were Asian, one was white and three were classified as other races. In Los Angeles, the number of gang homicides rose from 265 in 2003 to 289 last year, falling to 173 as of Oct. 20, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . . Baca said gang homicides in sheriff's areas surged about 20 months ago after members of an African-American gang raided a drug house occupied by a Latino gang. ``It got to the point where the shot-callers were saying, 'Just kill them if they are black' or 'Just kill them if they are brown.''' As a result, Supervisors Yvonne Brathwaite Burke and Gloria Molina Gloria Molina is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the current chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.[1] Molina grew up as one of ten children in the Los Angeles suburb of Pico Rivera, California, U.S. allocated $1 million to assemble the anti-gang task force. So far, the task force has arrested about 230 gang members, including 51 arrested on charges of murder or attempted murder. Of the homicides, Baca said 15 have been solved. The task force also confiscated con·fis·cate tr.v. con·fis·cat·ed, con·fis·cat·ing, con·fis·cates 1. To seize (private property) for the public treasury. 2. To seize by or as if by authority. See Synonyms at appropriate. adj. 130 firearms. Molina urged parents to take responsibility for their children, making sure they stay in school and are supervised before and after class. ``One gang acts with such brazenness and impunity that they even sell their gang paraphernalia over the Internet,'' Molina said. ``Baby clothes typically covered in ducklings or teddy bears now show a gang name. Bibs ordinarily covered in slogans like `I Love Mommy' instead feature gang insignia.'' Baca said the Department of Children and Family Services has removed about 700 to 800 children from the gang members' homes in the last two years and placed them in foster care. Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985 troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): box Box: County Gang Murders Rising SOURCE: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. Daily News |
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