LOS ANGELES — Longtime business owner and San Fernando Valley resident Moses Bislamyan still can’t believe his once-bustling grocery store was almost reduced to rubble.
He says arsonists and thieves targeted the Sherman Way Marketplace in Van Nuys back in January. And now, he has to pay for a private night guard — out of his own pocket — because he doesn’t see enough officers patrolling his neighborhood.
“We haven’t seen a lot of police around lately, honestly,” said Bislamnyan. “I think they should increase the budget because we really need to see more police officers here. The crime is getting worse and worse every day. It’s not just me. I know a few other businesses on this street that have been broken into, so they should do something about it.”
The LAPD normally has about 10,000 officers on the force, but right now, there are roughly 9,200 LAPD officers. Mayor Karen Bass wants to bring that number up to 9,700 at the very least, and some candidates for the District 6 race agree with her.
Rose Grigoryan, Douglas Sierra, Imedla Padilla and Marisa Alcaraz are in favor of keeping the LAPD budget the same or increasing it if necessary and support the idea of bringing LAPD staffing back up to 10,000.
Meantime, Antoinette Scully and Isaac Kim want to slash the LAPD budget and significantly reduce the number of officers in Los Angeles, saying more police does not lead to less crime.
Marco Santana, on the other hand, hasn’t said whether he would increase or decrease the police budget but has expressed that he wants to audit the LAPD, to see if any funds can be re-invested to social service agencies instead.
One thing all candidates agree on is taking certain types of calls away from armed police, which is something the LAPD’s union, LAPPL, has called for as well.
Kevin Perez is the founder of Somos Familia Valle, a grassroots organization fighting for LGBTQ and racial justice in the valley. He says when it comes to public safety, city leaders should look into what’s driving people to crime, rather than focus on policing.
“We need to go to the source and see why these folks are stepping into crime. We’re in a city that has a big, big amount of money and why are our community members in survival mode,” Perez said.
Perez noted that too much funding in the city of LA goes to police. He says that money should be re-invested in organizations that work on crime prevention, housing rights, mental health care and more.
“We need to talk to our community members. We need to talk with our neighbors and check in and avoid any tension. We don’t add police to it that’s going to create more tension,” he said.
But Bislamyan says more police for him would mean more peace of mind — so he can stop worrying about another break in and instead focus on rebuilding.
“I’m going to rebuild this place better than before. I’m going to come back stronger,” he said.
And while Bislamyan rebuilds his store, he’s hoping that a new council member can help rebuild District 6.