In 1997 the La Mesa and Trumbull Village Neighborhoods

(South Los Altos and South San Pedro neighborhoods were

included later) were awarded a $10 million dollar U.S. Dept.
of Justice grant to implement the Weed and Seed program,
that extended through 2010 with an additional $2 million
dollars being awarded in 2006.
The U.S. Department of Justice's Weed and Seed program
was developed to demonstrate an innovative and
comprehensive approach to law enforcement and community
revitalization, and to prevent and control violent crime, drug
abuse, and gang activity in target areas. The program,
initiated in 1991, attempts to weed out violent crime, gang
activity, and drug use and trafcking in target areas, and then
seed the target area by restoring the neighborhood through
social and economic revitalization. Weed and Seed has three
objectives: (1) develop a comprehensive, multiagency
strategy to control and prevent violent crime, drug
trafcking, and drug-related crime in target neighborhoods;
(2) coordinate and integrate existing and new initiatives to
concentrate resources and maximize their impact on reducing
and preventing violent crime, drug trafcking, and gang
activity; and (3) mobilize community residents in the target
areas to assist law enforcement in identifying and removing
violent offenders and drug trafckers from the community
and to assist other human service agencies in identifying and
responding to service needs of the target area. To achieve
these goals, Weed and Seed integrates law enforcement,
community policing, prevention, intervention, treatment, and
neighborhood restoration efforts. The Weed and Seed
program is being implemented in more than 150
communities across the country.
The following is the list of those responsible for
implementing that program in Albuquerque.
Eastside Weed & Seed Steering Committee Membership Roster



No

Name Title Organization Name of Representative Contact Address
1. Martin Chavez

Required Member
Mayor City of Albuquerque Valorie Vigil
COA-DFCS
Director

2. David Iglesias


Required Member
United
States
Attorney

United States Attorneys
Office
Ron Lopez
Law Enforcement
Coordinator/Public
Affairs Officer

3. Alma Stark

Required Member
President Trumbull Village
Neighborhood
Association

4. Nancy Bearce
Required Member
President La Mesa Neighborhood
Association

Dick Vollmer
5. Ana Beal

Required Member
President South Los Altos
Neighborhood
Association

6. Melody Porr

Required Member
Resident South Los Altos
Neighborhood
Association

7. Marissa Nordstrom

Required Member
President South San Pedro
Neighborhood
Association

8. Rod Davis

Required Member
Property
Owner

South San Pedro
9. Gil Gallegos

Required Member
Chief of
Police
Albuquerque Police
Department

Captain Mike Callaway
APD

10. Darren White

Required Member
Sheriff Bernalillo County Sheriffs
Department


11. Kari Brandenburg District
Attorney
2
nd
Judicial District Bill Hoch
Community Prosecution
Liaison

12. Wayne Dixie Resident
Agent In
Charge
Alcohol, Tobacco &
Firearms


13. Andreas Stephens Special
Agent in
Charge
Federal Bureau of
Investigations

14. Alex Garcia New Mexico National
Guard Drug Demand
Reduction Unit
Frank Del Margo
15. John Bulten Pastor East Central Ministries
(La Mesa)

16. Cecil Lynn Pastor Faith Tabernacle Baptist
Church (Trumbull)

17. Pending Pastor South Baptist Church
(South San Pedro)

18. Arthur Betonie Pastor Native Life Church
(Trumbull)

19. Dwight Diaz Program
Manager
Sobering Services


20. Bobbie Nobles Asian American
Association

21. Don Gould Executive
Director
East Central Community
Development Corporation

22. Mary Garcia Acting
Director
Albuquerque Indian
Center
Ritchie Simplicio
23. Barbara Trujillo Principal La Mesa Elementary
School

24. Jackie Costales Principal Emerson Elementary
School

25. Debbie Montoya Principal Hawthorne Elementary
School

26. Tom Rutherford County
Commissio
ner
Bernalillo County
Commission

27. Charmaine
Gutierrez
Director Cesar Chavez
Community Center

Tina Otero
28. Charlie Morgan Pastor Nazarene Church
(South Los Altos)

29. Erica Landry Coord. Southeast Community
Economic Alliance