Blumenfield moves to identify and intervene in West Valley gangs and fully fund Fire Station 73 in Reseda 

LOS ANGELES, CA – Councilmember Bob Blumenfield introduced two motions today focusing on public safety in the West Valley. The first, targeting gang violence, and the second, restoring a full engine company at Fire Station 73 in Reseda, are designed to help ensure the safety and well-being of West Valley communities.   

“Public safety is at the core of the health and vitality of our City,” said Blumenfield. “Our police and firefighters do a great job keeping my district safe, but the West Valley must be assured that sufficient resources and attention are given to our local needs.”

Blumenfield’s gang violence motion directs the Police Department (LAPD), with the assistance of the Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD), to provide a written report on gang issues in the Western San Fernando Valley. In recent years, the City has pioneered new efforts to address gang violence and intervene to give youth alternatives to gang life. However, very limited resources are allocated to the West Valley. This report will give an in-depth analysis on what types of crimes these gangs engage in, as well as information on intervention efforts and examples of the challenges and successes that the LAPD and GRYD have had in addressing gang crime in the West Valley.

To ensure timely and appropriate response to emergencies, he also moved to fully staff Fire Station 73 in Reseda. This station has struggled the past few years throughout the Great Recession. Blumenfield requested that the Fire Department (LAFD), with the City Administrative Officer, develop a plan to fund the restoration of a full engine company at Fire Station 73. In 2011, the LAFD was forced to close numerous engine companies across the City and had to make sacrifices on how they delivered their services. Over the last few years, the Mayor and City Council have made major strides in rebuilding the stations that faced serious cuts, but some communities, like Reseda, are still in desperate need of additional permanent resources, not just one time funding assistance.

Blumenfield stated, “With the recent uptick in crimes throughout the City, and the certainty that fires and medical emergencies can happen at any time, we not only need to fully fund our public safety efforts but be smarter about what exactly we are doing to combat crime and respond to emergencies.”  

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