In the wake of this spring’s fatal gang stabbing of a young teen, Santa Barbara officials discussed padding budgets for youth programs and police services as part of planning for the city’s budget over the next two years.

The city’s finance committee took no formal action Tuesday, but heard a report on the possibility of increasing the fees for parking tickets to pay for a bike patrol officer assigned to the Westside, and possibly Eastside, neighborhoods and other areas where troubled youth live.
 
Parking tickets are now $40, and the city may increase that by $5, some of which would be used to raise $100,000 to $150,000 for the bike patrol.
 
“I’m a real believer in community policing,” said Councilman Das Williams, a member of the finance committee. “If people knew they were paying an extra two bucks to make sure we have good policing in an area of the city that it needs it most … it might be an easier pill to swallow.”

The city pays a portion of parking ticket fees -- which gross about $4 million a year -- for street sweeping, staffing and administration. Revenue from tickets was actually down this year because of staffing shortage; there weren’t enough parking enforcement officers on the streets to bring in the revenue, said Deputy Police Chief Rich Glaus, of the Santa Barbara Police Department.

The Police Department should be up to its goal of 140 officers by the fall, he said. More analysis needs to be done about whether a portion of ticket revenue can go toward a specific area of enforcement, such as bike patrols -- a decision that would normally be made within the department.

Police Chief Cam Sanchez has said in the past that restoring the patrols are a priority. The bike patrols were folded into the department’s enforcement of the homeless and mentally ill population downtown about two years ago.

The bike patrols have been a popular suggestion at community meetings and forums held after Luis Angel Linares, 15, was stabbed to death by gang members at Carrillo and State streets on March 14.

There are about 500 gang members in Santa Barbara. Violent crime is still relatively low, but concern has been heightened this spring due to a rash of stabbings and the violent death of Linares.

Other community members have called for more youth programs, after school activities and job training for those who are at risk for gang activity.

City officials heard a report from the city’s Parks and Recreation department requesting about $280,000 for new programs and an expansion of existing programs to serve youth in hopes of guiding them away from gang affiliation.
 
The programs include after school activities for youth at La Cumbre and Santa Barbara junior high schools, work training through an apprentice program for teenagers and expanded hours and staffing levels at the Franklin Center and Lower Westside Center.

The city is also hoping to add more teen dances, athletic activities such as handball and a “mobile recreation program” that would bring arts, crafts and sports equipment to various neighborhoods.

“No matter where you put your money, the youth involved have to stay engaged and interested,” Rapp said.
Members of the finance committee -- Williams, Helene Schneider and Chairman Roger Horton -- seemed supportive of the programs, but are still early in the budgetary process.

Last week members heard presentations from community groups, which collectively requested about $400,000 for various youth programs and community events.

City leaders are hashing out an estimated $100 million budget that will likely be voted on at the end of June. The budget includes only about $300,000 for extra expenditures such as youth programs and other requests from outside groups. Leaders may also decide to use some of that surplus to pad their reserves.

Another budget presentation will be made to the full City Council on June 4, and the Finance Committee will make its recommendations on June 5.

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