BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Continuing his commitment to combat gang violence in California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced over $9.2 million in competitive grants have been awarded to 24 cities throughout the state under the Governor's California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention (CalGRIP) initiative.

The City of Bakersfield applied for funding under CalGRIP in late 2009, a year that saw approximately 60% of the city’s homicides due to criminal street gangs. The grant was awarded based on the community’s risk factors, history of gang violence, and demonstrated willingness to use evidence-based strategies to address this issue.

These funds will be used to help form a Safe Community Partnership program that will enhance police response to gang violence and assist local organizations to provide gang intervention and prevention programs and education and employment opportunities for at-risk youth.

"My highest priority is the safety of Californians, and these grants will help reduce gang violence, improve public safety and assist anti-gang efforts in many of our communities," said Governor Schwarzenegger.

"My Administration is committed to reducing gang violence throughout our state with a comprehensive and coordinated approach to make our streets safer and keep our youth on the right track. These grants will help strengthen our statewide anti-gang efforts by giving our local communities greater resources to fight and prevent gang activity."

The Governor's Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy (OGYVP) received proposals from 36 cities and selected the 24 recipients through a competitive grant process.

Applications were rated by expert panels on the basis of more than 20 objective factors, including the number of gang-related homicides and other crimes, demographic information and use of evidence-based practices.

The expert panels were made up of representatives from sheriff, police and probation departments, local government, California Department of Education, Department of Social Services, and schools and community-based organizations.

In accordance with state budget language, the city of Los Angeles received $1 million through a non-competitive grant.

"The gang problem in California has become statewide, and part of the Governor's anti-gang initiative is to bring additional resources to our local communities to help combat gang violence and prevent at-risk youth from joining gangs," said Paul Seave, director of the Governor's OGYVP. "These grants will assist local anti-gang efforts, particularly those implementing strategies that have been proven to be effective."

Governor Schwarzenegger introduced the CalGRIP initiative in May 2007 to confront the dramatic increase in gangs across the state and their proliferation in suburban and rural areas.

Gangs are responsible for many crimes in California including more than 15,000 homicides since 1981 and other crimes like extortion, narcotic sales and identity theft.

In spite of an overall decrease in crime in most California cities since the 1990s, rates of gang-related violent crime have remained steady or increased in many California communities.

The grants awarded today are part of the Governor's initiative to address gang violence in a smart way at the local level. Cities are responsible for defining problems and solutions including prevention, intervention and enforcement strategies, and they must match the state's grant.

Through the Governor's OGYVP, the state will work with cities to implement proven evidence-based practices. Several grantees will implement the Safe Community Partnership model that has been proven to save lives showing a 25 to over 60 percent reduction in homicides in cities around the nation such as Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis and Stockton. Many other cities will implement programs proven to reduce recidivism among high-risk youth.

In order to implement these programs, cities are encouraged to partner with county agencies, educational agencies and community-based organizations.

Earlier today, the Governor announced $3 million in federal stimulus money for the Bridges to Success program, designed to open career paths for youths most likely to drop out of school and end up in dead end jobs.

The goal of the program is to help link at-risk youths with real-world jobs that offer a taste of the career opportunities available to them if they complete their education.

Below is the list of grants:

BAY AREA $1,721,873

Alameda County

Oakland - $382,639

Contra Costa County

Richmond (including San Pablo) - $382,639

Santa Clara County

Mountain View - $382,639

San Francisco County

San Francisco - $382,639

San Mateo County

East Palo Alto - $191,317

CENTRAL COAST $1,530,556

Monterey County

Gonzales (including Greenfield, King City & Soledad) - $382,639

Salinas - $382,639

Santa Cruz County

Watsonville - $382,639

San Benito County

Hollister - $382,639

CENTRAL VALLEY $1,721,722

Fresno County

Fresno - $382,639

Kern County

Bakersfield - $382,488

Wasco - $382,639

Sacramento County

Sacramento - $382,639

Stanislaus County

Modesto - $191,317

LOS ANGELES COUNTY $1,573,951

Los Angeles County

Duarte - $191,312

Los Angeles - $1,000,000

Long Beach - $382,639

SOUTHERN COUNTIES $2,666,898

Orange County

Anaheim - $382,639

San Juan Capistrano - $382,639

Riverside County

Indio - $371,064

San Bernardino County

San Bernardino - $382,639

San Diego County

Escondido - $382,639

Vista - $382,639

Ventura County

Oxnard - $382,639

TOTAL $9.215 MILLION