By Megan Burks
Police Chief Defends Budget Request
KPBS had Police Chief Bill Lansdowne and Assistant Chief Shelley Zimmerman on Midday Edition and Evening Edition to discuss their department’s request for a budget increase of $66 million over five years.
In a report to City Council, police say they need the money to keep crime from rising—it was 12.6 percent higher in January through May of this year than it was during the same time period in 2011. Voice of San Diego’s Keegan Kyle took a closer look at the numbers and found the argument falls a little short.
| While the department’s statistic accurately reflects its crime reports, the figure distorts broader crime trends in San Diego. In its push for more funding, police compared current crime levels against one of the most unusual periods in city history.
The five-month period in 2011 that police are comparing this year’s numbers to marked one of the lowest periods of violent crime in years. If you compare the current year to 2008 or 2009, crime has gone down. If you compare it to 2010, crime is nearly the same.
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Lansdowne and Zimmerman defended their rationale, saying the department has been pinched by years of budget cuts. They’ve seen their ties with the community unravel as officers struggle just to stay on top of calls.
“As managers of the police department, we look at a number of different factors and just one of them was the crime rate,” Zimmerman told KPBS. “And it had been down for many years. And it was alarming to see just in the first five months of this year compared to last year that it was up.”
Follow KPBS @KPBSNews.
Skaters to Drum Up Support at Colina Park Night Out Event
The Mid-City Skatepark Advocacy Group has planned a skate jam for the Aug. 7 Colina Park Night Out event. The event is part of the National Night Out movement, which aims to bring community members together to rally for safety in their streets.
This year, City Heights skaters are brining skate demos to the event in an effort to drum up support for a full-size skatepark in City Heights. It’s part of a years-long campaign to bring a safe skateboarding venue to the neighborhood, where skaters often must put themselves and pedestrians in harm’s way to practice.
Currently, a small skateboarding plaza is planned for the Central Avenue Mini Park, but the skaters want a larger, more functional space. They’ve identified Colina Park as a possible location for that space.
Follow the Mid-City Skatepark Advocacy Group on Facebook.
Time Running Out for Farm Bill
Harvest Public Media reports Congress will have just eight working days to pass a new farm bill when they return from August recess.
The farm bill, which expires on Sept. 30, sets the nation’s food policies. It covers everything from insuring crops against natural disasters, to allocating money for food stamps, to setting up grants for community gardens.
The Senate passed its version of the bill in June. The House version hit a snag when lawmakers turned their attention to passing an emergency drought aid bill. Now, it seems Congress could forgo the full, five-year plan and pass a one-year extension instead.
Community organizers in City Heights have been paying close attention to the process because of the impact it could have on low-income families who use food stamps. Both houses of Congress have recommended budget cuts for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Follow the San Diego Hunger Coalition on Facebook.
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