SACRAMENTO - Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Anaheim) congratulated the cities of Anaheim and Garden Grove for being among the first recipients to receive funding from the competitive Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Grant Program. The grants are part of the state's $48 million California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention (CalGRIP) initiative.

"This is real money on the ground generated from months of Legislative maneuvering, says Assemblyman Solorio. "Last May I joined the governor to roll out CalGRIP and then fought for its survival through the contentious budget debates. So it is very satisfying to see this funding finally land in the lap of local anti-gang programs."

(May 2007) Assemblyman Solorio and Governor Schwarzenegger announce CalGRIP program. Publications: click for high resolution image

The Anaheim $400,000 grant will be implemented by the Anaheim Police Department in cooperation with the City of Stanton, the Orange County Department of Education, the Anaheim Unified School District and the Magnolia Unified School District. It will fund a case manager and a school resource police officer to develop and implement an anti-gang violence curriculum, and train students, parents, teachers, and staff on violence prevention and gang awareness.

The Garden Grove Police Department's Juvenile Justice Center, in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove, will provide anger management, drug and alcohol education, runaway intervention, individual and family counseling and other support services to families with their $240,000 award.

"This is just the beginning," Assemblyman Solorio says. "The success of these programs will generate more funding for other creative programs to combat gang violence. I look forward to monitoring their progress."

State Assemblyman Jose Solorio is the Chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee and also serves on the Assembly Education, Transportation, and Appropriations Committees. He represents the Sixty-Ninth Assembly District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana. For more information about Assemblyman Solorio, visit www.assembly.ca.gov/solorio.