FIGHTING GANGS ON TWO FRONTS VILLARAIGOSA, HAHN GOING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.

Byline: TONY CASTRO and RICK ORLOV Staff Writers

NORTH HOLLYWOOD -- Countering a recent crescendo of gang violence that included another shooting on Tuesday, city and county officials announced they will deploy a half-dozen probation officers to the San Fernando Valley.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky joined together at the LAPD's North Hollywood station to unveil a $500,000 program that will assign one probation officer to each of the department's six Valley divisions. The program will begin Feb. 5, they said, and will allow authorities to quickly identify and arrest suspects who violate terms of their probation.

``I can tell you that it's a step in the right direction,'' Villaraigosa said. ``We're focusing on the areas where the crime has risen the highest.''

While the mayor and Yaroslavsky focused on violence in the Valley, City Councilwoman Janice Hahn said she may ask voters to approve a parcel tax or sales tax increase to provide $50 million to fight the estimated 40,000 gang members in Los Angeles. To get on the May 15 ballot, the plan would need to be approved by the City Council by Jan. 24.

``I think we all know the problem is that there isn't enough money for anti-gang and prevention efforts -- and we have to do something about it now,'' she said.

Councilman Bernard Parks said he thinks the city should review the effectiveness of existing programs, but he's willing to consider Hahn's tax plan.

``I think it needs to be fleshed out, and I'm willing to look at whatever she has. But it will need some more work,'' said Parks, a former LAPD chief.

But Villaraigosa gave a cool reception to Hahn's proposal, which came on the heels of his own announcement.

``The mayor believes that a truly effective attack on gang violence will require a significant investment in preventative measures,'' spokesman Matt Szabo said.

``But the mayor is committed to funding only the programs that work. I believe we owe it to the taxpayers to conduct a full and thorough evaluation of the programs we are funding now before we can invest more significant amounts of money in additional programs.''

Critical questions are being raised about the effectiveness of the programs as gang membership has soared and violence has escalated. Gangs were blamed for four dozen homicides in the Valley last year, and authorities say they are increasingly concerned about the growing involvement of adolescents and young teens in gangs.

Random violence also is on the rise, including an incident about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, when a 19-year-old soldier was shot in the arm as he waited for a friend outside Sylmar High School.

Witnesses said the unidentified victim was wounded by one of three men who first flashed gang signs at him.

That incident was reported shortly after a roundtable discussion by City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, who outlined how his office has been using court injunctions and property seizures to try to disrupt gangs.

``We've been working with probation (officers) over the last couple of years,'' he said, ``and over the last year, I think we've done 15 stings at L.A. Unified School District, within 1,000 feet of the school, and we've taken out 40-plus criminals from those areas as well as weapons to make sure that our kids are safe.

``This is a team effort. We're working with the chief of police, LAPD, the D.A., the feds, the mayor, the community, local businesses, school officials. Everybody has to be part of the solution to deal with gangs in our city.''

But finding the right formula to quell the violence has proved difficult. A report released last Friday by respected civil rights lawyer Connie Rice criticized the area's piecemeal approach to gang crime and called for a comprehensive solution with a single agency headed by a gang czar with enough ``political clout'' to cut through red tape and coordinate prevention and intervention services.

But the report and its recommendations challenge the jealously guarded proprietary hold elected officials have on who will get the credit for ultimately solving the gang problem that now costs taxpayers and victims more than $2 billion a year.

The Mayor's Office is expected to release its own comprehensive gang report next month.

tony.castro(at)dailynews.com

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