By DENNIS WYATTManteca (Calif.) BulletinCouncilman Vince Hernandez would hire additional police officers in a heartbeat - if he could.Hernandez related how a Manteca couple told him they came within seconds of being T-boned on Louise Avenue when two cars of apparent gang members trading signs sped down the street. It was the same night that a drive-by shooter fired two rounds into a crowded restaurant on West Yosemite Avenue with bullets narrowly missing patrons while three guests were injured by flying glass.“It’s getting out of hand,” Hernandez said.No one on the City Council believes Manteca has enough officers given the resilience of gangs.The council has made it clear on two occasions that they want police officer positions restored first and foremost when revenue allows it.After trimming city operations back significantly as well as securing $6 million in compensation concessions from custodians and police officers to the city manager to balance the budget, the only way to add positions is more tax dollars from rebounding sales tax, property tax, and the Measure M half cent public safety tax.Cutting spending elsewhere isn’t seen as an alternative due to the how far back service levels have already been scaled. And slicing into a thin reserve is dangerous as it would undo actions put in place designed to get Manteca out from under the city’s structured deficit and no longer spending more than they take in during a given year.