L A Bridges Organization

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made a splash when he announced plans last week for ending L.A. Bridges, an anti-gang initiative under fire since the Riordan administration for failing to demonstrate clear results. But in dropping the L.A. Bridges programs and shifting the money to his appointed "gang czar," Villaraigosa put off yet again answering one key question: Are these programs, which last year received $13.2 million, successful in quelling violence and keeping kids out of gangs?

Under pressure to show that the L.A. Bridges program actually works, the operators of the city's largest gang prevention effort released results of a study Thursday that sparked new debate about whether the city needs to rethink its anti-gang strategy. The data from the city Community Development Department shows that although some middle school students targeted by L.A. Bridges have boosted or maintained their grades and attendance, most last year did not improve. L.A.

Los Angeles has spent $100 million over the last decade on a gang-prevention program, even though it doesn't track how many youths it keeps out of gangs and has been repeatedly criticized for not adequately coordinating with schools and police. Unlike anti-gang efforts in other cities that have been held up as models by the federal government, L.A. Bridges lacks a system for determining whether its clients are involved in gangs, so there is no way of knowing whether the program actually works.

Five of the 25 contractors providing gang-prevention services for middle school students under the L.A. Bridges program were briefly put on probation this year because of performance problems, and one has been terminated, according to a report. The city of Los Angeles funds the program. It terminated its contract with Martin Luther King Legacy Assn. because of fiscal problems that included nonpayment of state and federal taxes.

A recent study has found that half of the 26 agencies providing gang prevention services to middle-school students through the city's L.A. Bridges program are failing to meet performance standards, leading city officials to terminate the contract with one program and put six other ventures on probation. The L.A.

Many of the 210 Los Angeles middle school students had never been out of their neighborhoods, eaten in a restaurant or slept in a hotel when they boarded four American Airlines flights to Washington this week for an unusual lesson in civics. These were not the blue-blazered high achievers usually selected to study in Washington. These sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders from 22 Los Angeles schools have been tardy, truant, suspended and courted by gangs.

About 20 community groups will hold an information fair Saturday at El Sereno Middle School to provide families with resources to help keep their children away from gangs. Organized by Barrio Action Youth and Family Resource Center, the fair is the official open house for L.A. Bridges, a city-funded gang prevention program that targets middle school students.

L.A. Bridges, the city's program aimed at reducing gang violence, was formally introduced Thursday with a gala at the Los Angeles Sports Arena as supporters proclaimed the effort as "the city's most ambitious attempt to save our youth." The goal of L.A. Bridges, which was launched last fall with an $11.

More than 150 activists from the northeastern San Fernando Valley rallied Tuesday at City Hall in favor of a proposed anti-gang program, but failed to convince a Los Angeles City Council committee to provide money for it. Despite that setback, however, members of the collaborative expressed confidence that they will get the money eventually. The four-year, $680,000 grant would fund counseling and mentoring programs and after-school activities at Maclay and Pacoima middle schools.

The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved a new approach to fighting gangs, but made a change that gives council districts the ability to make adjustments that an author of the plan said could threaten its effectiveness. The program L.A. Bridges was approved 14-1, with Councilman Joel Wachs opposing it.