"In my personal opinion, it boils down to having a strong, two-parent family that really spends time with their kids," Mansoor said. "I understand there are hardships where single parents are doing the best they can. I'm just talking about what I believe is the best-case scenario for a child."
Mansoor said he couldn't support the $65,000 grant proposed by police for an interventionist because it would have gone to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District's Project ASK, and he hasn't seen any proof that it's effective.
"It's already in place to the tune of $8 million, and where are the tangible results for that? I believe the public has a right to see them," he said.
The council on Tuesday unanimously approved an overall gang-fighting plan, but split on the intervention segment.
Councilwoman Linda Dixon, who supported the intervention program, said the shooting "illustrates the need for us to get in to the schools and to work with young children to make certain they realize there is an alternative to becoming a gang member."
But Mansoor said the Police Department's anti-gang efforts, some of which are already in place, seem to be working, despite the shooting.
"I think the fact that we pretty much immediately had about five gang members in custody [Wednesday] shows what a great job the officers are already doing," he said. "To me that's results."
Council members Eric Bever and Wendy Leece could not be reached for comment.
Councilwoman Katrina Foley, who voted with Dixon for the intervention, said while the majority on the council may not think intervention programs are an appropriate role for police, the city's top police officials — including the chief — disagree.
