TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to execute an agreement, any subsequent amendments, and sub-contracts in the amount of $175,000, for a period of one year, with the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Program, to provide Weed and Seed Community services in Police Beats 4 and 5; and increase appropriations in the Health Fund (SR 130) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HE) by $175,000. (Districts 1,6,7)
DISCUSSION
The Weed and Seed program furthers the Department of Justice mission to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity. The Weed and Seed initiative is a community-based, comprehensive multi-agency approach to law enforcement, crime prevention, and neighborhood restoration. It is designed for neighborhoods with persistent high levels of serious violent crime and corresponding social problems. Weed and Seed Communities (WSC) must be developed in partnership with many local organizations-including the United States Attorney's Office to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in a community primarily through the redeployment of existing public and private resources into the community. WSC also helps to address related social problems that, without proper intervention, often lead to violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity.
The primary partners in this collaboration, which comprise the Weed and Seed Steering Committee, are the City of Long Beach Departments of Health and Human Services, Community Development, Parks, Recreation and Marine, City Manager, Library, Planning and Building, and Police, the Office of the City Prosecutor, the United States Attorney, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the State of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the County of Los Angeles Department of Probation, social service agencies, faith-based and community-based organizations and residents. The Co-chairs of the Steering Committee are Dr. Lydia Hollie of the Youth and Gang Violence P...
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