City of South Gate Adopts New Budget; New Budget Enhances Public Safety and Community Services for City Residents.

Business Editors and City Desks

SOUTH GATE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 22, 2002

The city council of the City of South Gate moved forward today to approve a new budget that emphasizes enhanced public safety initiatives and community services for the residents of the city. The budget was adopted after a series of public workshops to solicit public input into the city's policies, procedures and priorities.

"This balanced budget reflects the hard work of this city council with the assistance of very talented staff and ample input from the community," said Mayor Xochilt Ruvalcaba. "It's a budget that emphasizes public safety and community services. Essentially we're doing more with less and doing it better."

Some of this year's newly approved budget highlights include:

-- Enhanced public safety: including the establishment of CAST (Crime Abatement & Suppression team) to suppress gangs, narcotics, graffiti and truancy; tougher traffic enforcement and commercial enforcement to reduce collisions, pedestrian accidents and ensure safety around schools; and three fully operational 24-hour police stations that will provide more accessibility for residents, enhance public safety and increase police presence in the community;

-- An aggressive host of community and economic development including an ambitious community rehabilitation program, a business improvement program to create a better business environment to increase the city's tax base; a home improvement program to beautify neighborhoods and increase property values; a neighborhood revitalization program and Section 8 housing to ensure that local families find suitable shelter;

-- A new Community Services Department that will operate two fully functional community resource centers and bring city services into the community including educational programs, ESL classes, aerobics and music classes, after school tutoring and soccer programs for hundreds of children. The department will also utilize staff and volunteers to organize local neighborhood clean-up programs and implement the COPS (Community on Patrol) program to enhance public safety for local neighborhoods; and

-- A number of impressive programs from Public Works, including a much needed sewer rehabilitation program and a 24-hour graffiti hotline that will help maintain the City of South Gate as the number one graffiti free city in the Southeast region.

"I am proud of the exemplary work that our staff performed in compiling this balanced budget," said Acting City Manager Jesus Marez. "The hours of staff work coupled with abundant public participation allowed the city council to adopt a city budget that meets the needs of the residents of our city. We have maximized resources and personnel to ensure that the city has not only improved the level of service to our residents, but the quality as well."

Incorporated on January 20, 1923, South Gate is the sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County and encompasses 7.5 square miles. The City, located just 12 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, has a population of more than 100,000 residents.