Good morning lady’s and gentlemen, and thank you for attending today’s press conference.  I would like to thank Councilman Tony Cardenas and his staff for working with me and my office to help bring forward a nationwide model on how to prevent gang and youth violence.  For many years, Councilman Cardenas has been a champion in the California State Legislature and the Los Angeles City Council in preventing gang and youth violence.  His leadership and continued support is a blessing to the people of this city and to the nation.  The Councilman’s dedication to combating gang and youth violence is why I have attached his name to my gang legislation.

A bill I introduced in the House of Representatives, H.R. 3526 – the Tony Cardenas Community-Based Gang Intervention Act will provide definitions of terms and services related to community-based gang intervention programs to ensure that funding for such interventions is utilized in a cost effective manner and that community-based agencies are held accountable for providing holistic, integrated intervention services.

H.R. 3526 is the product of hard work and collaboration of Los Angeles based community gang intervention providers.  They have all worked together to come up with solutions to alleviate the plaque of gang violence that affects not only our city, but the entire country.  The overall premise of this legislation has already been adopted by the City of Los Angeles, but now it is time to work towards making this gang prevention model a national standard.

If we look at the statistics, the United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world with more than 2.3 million people behind bars and another 5 million on probation or parole; and we all know that African-Americans and Latinos make up the largest majority of the prison population.

The State of California leads the world in incarceration rates, with more than 175 thousand people in state prisons and county jails.  In fiscal terms, the State of California spends nearly $10 billion a year on incarceration costs; exceeding the $7.1 billion the State spends to fund the University of California and California State University education systems.

H.R. 3526 seeks to keep our young people off the streets, and offers youths in gangs a way out of a dead end lifestyle that leads to prison.  The bill will provide grants for community-based gang intervention agencies.  These agencies that receive funding shall carry out several guidelines that will make our communities safer and more productive.  What makes this bill so unique in comparison to other gang legislation in the House is that this bill calls for specific services to be carried out in addition to evidenced based practices.

My legislation requires that gang intervention agencies go out into the public and work hand in hand with the youth in schools and the community.  The bill provides for job career training, development and placement, and most notably provides comprehensive mental health services to youth and families affected by gang violence or involvement.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the State of California is currently at 11.6 percent unemployment.  To me, that means the young people in my Congressional District are facing unemployment rates that are much higher and are usually double the national average which is currently 9.7 percent.

If we do not provide our young people with the tools or resources to turn their lives around we will miss opportunities for our community to grow and strengthen in this new globalized world.  We cannot afford for our young people to miss out on the expansion of the national and global community.

My bill, H.R. 3526 lays the foundation to help not only the people of Los Angeles, but the entire country.  We gave the world the Crips and the Bloods and now it is time we take a leadership role to change the tremendous influence gangs have on our young people and society.

Thank you and I am open to any questions.

Additional Information:

• The bill has been referred to the Committee on Education & Labor.
• There has not been a dollar amount assigned to fund the bill.
• Grant money would come from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.