Local News in Brief : Anti-Gang Funds Voted

After nearly two hours of debate, the Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to set aside $2 million next year for a yet-to-be-designated gang prevention program.

As initially proposed by Councilmen Robert Farrell and Richard Alatorre, the funds would have been spent to hire an outside firm to “develop methods and procedures to deter youth from joining gangs.”

But the majority of the council expressed concern that $2 million was too much money to set aside for a program that was undefined in scope. Several council members said they probably could support the idea if there were a specific agency or organization involved.

The council finally decided to refer the matter to a council committee for further study. The action came on the second day of the council’s annual budget deliberations.