Conclusions and Recommendations

Legislature and Governor Fail to Respond Adequately In this section, the Senate Special Task Force on a New Los Angeles sets forth its recommendations for action. The Task Force is compelled to conclude that the Legislature and the governor, sadly, have thus far failed to address the needs of the communities victimized by the Los Angeles unrest of 1992. Moreover, the Legislature and the governor have failed to take the steps necessary to correct the problems underlying the outbreak of violence. The recent report, The City in Crisis, by former FBI Director William Webster, the special advisor to the Board of Police Commissioners on the Civil Disorder in Los Angeles, dated October 21, 1992, found that there has been a crushing burden placed upon our cities by poverty, racial intolerance, lack of opportunity, crime, drugs, and the loss of hope. That report concludes these fundamental problems lie at the core of the civil unrest (page 175). Moreover, the report concludes that these problems are the responsibility of our elected national, state and local governments to solve. A proposal was made this year to approve a 1/4 cent increase in the state sales tax, in order to assist businesses and residents who were victims of the civil disaster. TMs approach would have been similar to the 1/4 cent sales tax increase, authorized in 1989, to help victims of the Loma Prieta Earthquake in the San Francisco Bay area. However, there occurred such a public outcry against a 1/4 cent increase for the civil disturbance victims that no similar legislation was approved in 1992 for Los Angeles. The Legislature did approve three bills that provide some economic help to victims, namely: AB 38X (Archie-Hudson), which establishes a revitalization zone to offer tax incentives to businesses; AB 598 (Elder), which authorizes Long Beach to "fast track" redevelopment procedures; and AB 3636 (A4urray), which provides bridge loan guarantees to small businesses affected by the civil unrest. These efforts are not only more limited in scope than for major recent earthquakes, they also fall drastically short of what Is needed to overcome the lack of jobs, economic opportunity, and public safety in the areas most affected by the civil unrest. The governor vetoed legislation', SB 2OX (Torres), that would have restored the Los Angeles River, established a transit plan, and created an urban restoration zone in the area adjacent to the river. This legislation would have made it possible to build a rail transit system within the river corridor. The Los Angeles River restoration and redevelopment corridor, surrounding parks,. recreational facilities, and housing cooperative ventures would have provided many employment opportunities. The Legislature failed to reform the manner in which local governments investigate reports of improper police conduct. The spark which touched off the uprising in Los Angeles was the "not guilty" verdict of the officers who had been videotaped repeatedly hitting Rodney King. This case was not an isolated case of reported police mistreatment. Yet, the Legislature failed to approve a modest bill, SB 1335 (Torres), which would have: (1) established a special prosecutor within each county to Investigate felony complaints against officers of the law. and (2) required the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to adopt training guidelines for law enforcement officers that would include instruction on racial and cultural diversity. The Legislature and governor failed to initiate or approve legislation that would, in a major fashion, improve the availability of jobs or economic opportunities. or improve confidence In our justice system.

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