Parks and rec director takes over building PAL leadership
Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Hawkins is the man charged with building the Police Activities League's board of directors and recruiting its executive director.
Hawkins told this reporter that he has people in mind for all the positions, but that they will be finalized next month at the earliest.
Hawkins' major role is a relatively new development. The Police Department, not parks, were given $75,000 to build the league in February, at which time Chief Michael Billdt said he had a candidate ready to go. Not sure how police came up empty after several months and turned to Hawkins, but Hawkins did say Billdt asked him to do it.
According the the California PAL website (calpal.org), the goal is "California PAL's primary goal is to assist police and sheriff's departments in establishing and developing PAL chapters in every community in California; thereby ensuring that all California youth have the opportunity to participate in California PAL programs. "
Why is Parks and Rec leading this program? It makes no sense. The goal is to get our youth involved with our police officers.
Rich Lawhead of the Police Officers Union has made noise about getting the Union involved with the community.
The Police Department is supposed to run this thing. Hawkins said that Billdt asked him to help - more like Billdt is passing the buck once again!
The implementation of San Bernardino's Police Activity League is like all the other programs this administration has dreamed up so far (example: Operation Phoenix) - doomed for failure AND at the expense of our youth.
What has this league actually done for the $75,000?
Once again, Government run social programs do not work. When you see that Chief Bildt has one man to run the PAL program, that means that we the taxpayers are being told we have to have another appointee to this portion of the Phoenix/Albatross program.
Now it is being shifted over to Mr. Hawkins in Parks; a n d , he says he has several people that can run the PAL program. It has now gone from one person to "several" to run it. That is another hit to the taxpayer. The $75,000 could have instead gone to churches or non-profits and this program could have been run more efficiently by them without costing us all the big salaries that these figure heads get. How much of the CITY do they serve?
Now, Mr. Hawkins Parks dept. will go the way of CODE in that they cannot serve effectively anyone not in the Phoenix/Albatross area. Mr hawkins and his staff in Parks have had nine months to make relatively minor fixes at the Campo Santo Memorial Park, a historically designated City park. Every month, for the last 9 months, they have been asked to make these minor fixes, some of which are true dangers and liabilities for the citizens and the City. The only answers coming from the Parks Director and the Parks superintendent and the Parks landscape supervisor are "your concerns are being addressed". This after nine months of reminding them monthly; yet I read about the entry points off the freeways to the City being renovated by Parks, new parks being built, and lately, Parks running the PAL program.
Why don't the politicians who spend our tax dollars fix the broken City first.Once it is under control and SAFE with the FORTY police officers that were promised, then work at increasing the money normally given to the churches and non-profits so they can do the job the way it is supposed to be done. Look at the latest $36,000 for a 6 month stint as a consultant being doled out. This is a $1500 a week position. This is paid whether the person works 40 hours or not to act as a liason to put meeting together. I need to ask any of you(if there is anyone reading this) who did that job last year? why couldn't any of the SBPD community service officers in every PD district do that job? There are literally 100's of City employees that live in the Phoenix/Albatross areas that could do that as part of their job. Why not give that assignment to the clerics in those areas. Why not tap the Civic leaders to do that?
$6000 per month to set up meetings is a true abuse of taxpayer money. This Phoenix/Albatross program is a long run political stategy to keep the people in those areas "in their place". the program is not designed or meant to be a hand up, it is designed to be a hand out. It is meant to buy votes for any future elections in areas that typically don't vote. It is meant to establish a legacy for the Mayor that is being financed by us, the taxpayers. As far as I am concerned, the former Mayor had the "pot hole" and the ugly "round balls on inner City sidewalks" legacy.
Now we will have the legacy of the Mayor having given us "THE BIRD". Heck, it was even mentioned that the 2nd Centennial Rose Parade float be the Phoenix/Albatross. If that happens, everyone watching will be given "THE BIRD" compliments of the abused taxpayers.