Long Beach : Special Police Tax Opposed

The 750-member Long Beach Area Citizens Involved opposes creating a special tax to hire more police officers. About 30 of the activist group’s board members voted earlier this week to oppose any special tax, spokesman Fred Kugler said. Only one voting board member dissented, he said.

City Council members recently asked City Manager James Hankla to develop a tax proposal they could place on the ballot, possibly in November.

Kugler said: “The people of Long Beach want more police protection, but there’s no evidence that they need a special tax.” In addition, Kugler said, “better education, more recreation, better library facilities and job training opportunities would do more good than hiring more police. We need police, but it’s more important to strike at the cause of crime.”