Attorney General Eric Holder says California has Washington support for gang violence efforts

Attorney general talks gang violence in Calif.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says the Obama administration will make combating gang violence a top priority through initiatives that focus on prevention, education and intervention.

Holder appeared Monday in Sacramento before a group of California mayors, police chiefs and other leaders at a meeting of the California Cities Gang Prevention Network.

He says the federal government will be more responsive, creative and willing to take chances when it comes to steering teens away from gangs.

For example, he cited a U.S. Department of Justice plan to distribute $5 million in grants over the next few months to programs aimed at reducing childhood exposure to violence.