Gang Violence, Police and Public Money

Even the LAPD agrees that law enforcement alone can’t rid the city of 700 gangs with 40,000 members, but this year’s bare bones budget will fund more cops even if that means cutting everything else. Anti-gang programs are scattered over a dozen departments with no clear mandate for goals or objectives. In the wake of the gunfight that terrified an area north of downtown last week, we’ll ask about the likelihood of improvement. On Reporter’s Notebook, is foster care a refuge or prison for juveniles?