By Christopher Anderson, Age 11
We cannot drive. We cannot work. We cannot pay taxes and we cannot vote. But, we can be mentored and shaped into the future leaders that lie within us.
On August 5, 2008, there was a budget hearing held in City Council Chambers. Mayor Bob Foster and eight council members were present. Patrick O’Donnell, of the 4th District, was on vacation.
What is a budget hearing? According to the American Century Dictionary it is the opportunity to state one’s case regarding an estimate or plan of revenue and expenditure. Huh? It was easier for me to understand it as, how does the city spend the allowance it earns? For example, when I earn money I spend it on what is important to me after I have saved twenty percent for the future. I learned the budget is guided by city council’s priorities and that youth under the age of 18 were not included on that list. The five priorities, amended on October 9, 2007, boiled down to money, beauty, business, employment and transportation. Hey, do kids matter?
City Manager Patrick West was the main person who explained everything. Using a Powerpoint presentation he walked slide by slide through the proposed budget. I tried to keep up, but I was getting sidetracked. People were walking in and out, talking loud with the doors open and whispering loudly, not to mention everything was about adults. Then came slide number 13. They were proposing two items that really caught me off guard. Kids were finally being mentioned, but not favorably. The City of Long Beach wants to eliminate the remaining DARE budget and eliminate Police Athletic League (PAL) and shift six police department officers to crime suppression. Hey, do kids matter?
I decided to research PAL because it appears to have the biggest impact on kids. By using the computer and talking to an officer at one of the PAL locations, I tried to find out the number of kids that would be affected by the program’s elimination.
According to the Long Beach PAL page, the program was organized in 1990 for long-term crime prevention aimed at juvenile crime, drug activity and gang violence. For $20 per year, kids seven to 17 enjoy activities such as homework help, arts and crafts, graphic design and boxing. There are other activities available which differ depending on location. There are three locations: 1383 9th Street, 2311 E. South Street and 1202 Freeman Avenue.
According to one officer, there are approximately 1,400 kids served in the three combined locations. So what would happen to them? They will be shifted into existing recreation programs provided by Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM). PRM will continue to receive $1.9 million in after-school funding at 12 school sites serving 177,661 kids. When I pulled the list of sites on the computer, I found 15 school sites. Of the 15, five were Recreation On Campus (ROC), which is weekends only and serves kids up to 18 years of age. Weekend recreation is being recommended for reduction in two schools according to the Out of School Programs page under the PRM budget. The other 10 were Winners Reaching Amazing Potential (WRAP), which is for after-school elementary students, except Hudson which goes through 8th grade. What then will happen to middle school and high school kids who are in the PAL program? I encourage everyone to attend one of the four remaining scheduled budget workshops and hearings at City Hall to find the answer to the question, Hey, do kids matter?
