Pulse Beat December 2007 by City of Paramount

Serving the Community Since 1990 PARAMOUNT

Fun, Food and the Paramount Family Celebrating Seniors At Thanksgiving

The City of Paramount held its annual Seniors Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Paramount Park gymnasium. The popular event, which saw the large gym warmly decorated with fall colors and a cornucopia of fruit and seasonal flora, drew nearly 700 diners for the free afternoon meal.

The proceedings also included the tuneful stylings of the James Tobin Band for dancing and listening pleasure, as well as door prizes and sing-alongs.

December 2007

The turkey dinner, with all the trimmings, was served up, as usual, by the kids from the Paramount High School Corsairs Club and members of the Paramount Rotary Club. There were also booths featuring Apple Care and CareMore health care

providers. (Each vendor gave out door prizes and generously donated $2,000 to help fund the dinner.)

Special recognition, and flower bouquets, were given to the unofficial “Over 90 Club,” those seniors in attendance in their tenth decade were:

Alta Bingham – 90

Alvin Coale – 90

Anna Haddeman – 90

Susie Harris – 90

Alice McCain – 90

Cruz Quesada – 90

Marie Ward – 90

Rosemary Bullette – 91

Eugene Bumgarhen – 91

Alice Weber – 91

Helen Melton – 92

Ann Mary Myott – 92

Harley Priddy – 92

Jack Seymour - 92

Miguel Torres – 92

Emilia DeFour – 93

Thelma Locken 93

Henry Harkema – 96

Mary Linarth – 97 It was a warm and wonderful occasion, a fine way to begin the holiday season in Paramount.

You Can Help Give a Family in Need a Wonderful Holiday!

Su Casa ~ Ending Domestic Violence, a nonprofit organization that empowers individuals and families to live free from domestic abuse and builds partnerships with communities to end domestic violence, is seeking new donations for their Adopt-A-Family program and Toy Drives. Many families who fled the abuse in their own home and sought safety within shelters this year are hoping to live healthy, happy lives free from the violence, but they could use a little help for the holidays and the year to come. Help lift the spirits of a family in need by giving them some gifts and joy this holiday season?

for details.

Nearly 700 seniors were served a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings at the City of Paramount’s annual luncheon held in the Paramount Park gymnasium.

Mayor, Peggy Lemons

The Holidays in Paramount

As is the case each and every year, the City of Paramount will offer several beautiful holiday events for residents to enjoy. It began with the Seniors Thanksgiving Dinner – attended by nearly 1,000 diners – and included the 9th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 28. (Going back a little further, the Halloween Carnival was its usual hit, with about 7,000 revelers filling Paramount Park.)

This month, be sure and join friends and family at the following:

December 10-13 – Paramount Christmas Train. For almost 40 years our beloved train has been chugging through every neighborhood in town delighting kids and their parents. This year we’ll hand out about 30,000 apples and candy canes over four separate nights. Folks can also take a picture with Santa on his sleigh. The train begins visiting stops at 3 p.m. each day. (You should have received an Around Town newsletter from the City recently that has the schedule of stops, or you can call the Recreation Department at the number below to ask any questions.)

Saturday, December 15 – Breakfast with Santa and Snow Day. Santa Claus makes his annual sojourn to town, along with 100 tons of snow, to create a winter wonderland in Paramount Park on Saturday, December 15, from 8:00 a.m. till noon.

McDonald’s will help us serve a couple thousand breakfasts. Admission for the breakfast that day is $4. There will be $1-off coupons

at the Christmas Train earlier that week. Also, $3 tickets are available for purchase at STAR Program afterschool sites on all Paramount campuses. On Snow Day, Santa will be available for photos for a nominal charge.

There will also be crafts, prize giveaways, entertainment and a train ride at this community tradition.

For more information on any of Paramount’s holiday events, please call (562) 220-2121.

Household Hazardous Waste Roundup In Town on January 5, 2008

For toxic materials that can’t be thrown away in the trash, Los Angeles County holds collection events at various locations and has five permanent collection sites. Products such as motor oil, antifreeze, paint, turpentine, pesticides and herbicides, household and car batteries, acid-based cleansers, expired pharmaceuticals, ﬂuorescent light bulbs and e-waste are properly disposed of by the county.

Locally, there will be a “Roundup” collection on January 5, 2008, at the Paramount Swap Meet, 7900 All American City Way, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. (Enter from Paramount Blvd.) This service is free. Bring the items in a sturdy box, preferably in their original labeled containers. There is a limit of 15 gallons or 125 pounds of hazardous waste per trip. Be prepared to leave the containers and boxes. Remove all other items from your trunk.

To ﬁnd a full list of what is acceptable, and where all other locations are, call 1 (888) CLEAN-LA (1-888253-2652) or visit http://www.lacsd. org or www.888CleanLA.com.

Used Motor Oil

Used motor oil can also be dropped off at two centers in Paramount – Kragen Auto Parts at Alondra and Downey, and Texaco Xpress Lube at 8627 Rosecrans

Ave. In addition, there are more than 600 recycling centers throughout Los Angeles County. Call (888) CLEAN-LA to ﬁnd out where. Cost: Free. For home curbside collection (also taking used car ﬁlters), call Curbside, Inc. at 1 (800) HHWPKUP. Cost: Free.

Free Disaster Guides

The City works closely with the American Red Cross, Greater Long Beach Chapter to get the word out about the importance of disaster preparedness planning.

As part of this push, the Paramount Public Safety Department has produced a Disaster Survival Guide. Topics covered in the booklet include “Creating a Basic Emergency Plan,” “Preparing a Disaster Supply Kit,” “Managing a Disaster at Home” and “What to Do After a Disaster.”

The free Guide is available at City Hall, the Sheriff’s Station and the City Yard.

The Red Cross Chapter is also looking for volunteers in the community to help with its outreach efforts with emergency preparedness. There is an especially great need for Span-

ish-speaking volunteers. It doesn’t take much time, and the beneﬁts to the community are great.

For more information, you can call the Greater Long Beach Chapter of the Red Cross at (562) 595-6341 or visit its website at www.greaterlongbeachrc.org.

Thank You, Paramount Volunteers

Every Thanksgiving Paramount Service Clubs come together and give generously of their time and energy, and deserve a big thank you. The Corsairs along with the Paramount Rotary helped serve the Seniors Thanksgiving Dinner at the Paramount Park gym, and make the event go extremely smooth for the hundreds of diners who take part. The Macaws come to the Paramount Sheriff’s Station and cook a turkey dinner for the deputies and other personnel who are on duty that day.

These efforts are just a sample of how dedicated volunteers give back to the community, and are very much appreciated.

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass... It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

Remove the Opportunity For Crime

In order for a crime to be committed, there must be an opportunity available to the potential criminal. These opportunities come in the forms of open doors or windows at a residence or valuable items left visible on dashboards and seats of vehicles. An opportunity can be exploited when a person walks away from a stroller or shopping basket that contains a purse, checkbook or wallet. Using an ATM at night by yourself also presents an opportunity to criminals.

The first step for successful crime prevention is to remove these opportunities by thinking about the security of your personal property and the safety of yourself and your family. Simple things such as securing all doors and windows before leaving your home and never leaving items in plain sight in your vehicle can greatly reduce your risk of becoming a victim. Never leave an open garage door unattended, and do not leave property where it can be easily taken. When you shop at night, have someone accompany you, and when you walk in a parking lot, always look around to see who or what is near you. Constantly be aware of your surroundings and the conditions you create that can make you or your property vulnerable.

Be Sure to Insure

The following information explains the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ recent changes in vehicle liability insurance requirements:

• Insurance companies are required to report insurance status to the DMV for all private use vehicles.

• Law enforcement and court personnel have access to DMV records to verify that your California registered vehicle is currently insured.

• Your vehicle registration is subject to suspension if the liability insurance is canceled, or if your insurance company has not electronically provided evidence of insurance when you purchase and register your vehicle, or if you provide the DMV with false insurance information.

• Motorists must carry proof of insurance in their vehicle at all times.

These changes ensure that fewer uninsured vehicles will be on California’s roadways.

Vacation Home Checks

If you are a Paramount resident and have plans to be out of town during any part of the holidays, you

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

can contact the Sheriff’s Station for a vacation home check. The City’s Volunteers on Patrol will periodically take a look around your home or property while you’re gone. (This service is available throughout the year, not just during the holidays.)

Call (562) 220-2002 for more information.

DUI Checkpoint to be Held in December

In order to help facilitate safe streets for the residents of Paramount, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) checkpoint on Friday, December 28. The checkpoint will be held in the City, at a location to be announced, between 6:00 p.m. and midnight. It is designed to heighten awareness regarding the perils of drinking and driving.

Vehicles will be stopped in predetermined patterns or random order, depending on traffic volume. Deputies will speak to the driver of the vehicle for approximately 15 seconds while looking for any obvious signs of intoxication. Drivers displaying symptoms of intoxication will undergo a more extensive field sobriety test. All drivers stopped will be given pamphlets on driving under the influence of alcohol as well as “do-it-yourself” breathalyzer strips.

Funding for this checkpoint is provided by the California Ofﬁce of Trafﬁc Safety. The OTS will also fund three other DUI checkpoints in Paramount over the next year. They are tentatively scheduled for the following dates in 2008: May 4 (pre-Cinco De Mayo); June 8 (preParamount High graduation); and August 31 (Labor Day weekend).

For more information, call (562) 220-2002.

CITY SERVICES

Free Workshops Offer Tips On Continuing Education

To increase awareness of information resources and educational opportunities available to families in the community, more speciﬁcally for the Latino/Latina population, Gateway Cities Partnership, Inc./ Paramount Education Partnership (PEP) is offering a number of workshops on important health issues and education-related resources.

In October the following three workshops were offered: “Under-

standing the U.S. System of Public Education,” “Helping Your Child Achieve Academic Success,” and “Beyond High School.”

This December there will be a large workshop for students and their parents entitled “Inform Yourself/Informate.” The following topics are to be covered: Enrollment at a trade/vocational school, a two-year institution, or a four-year institution; ﬁnancial aid for school; and dorm life

Council Proclamations

and living away from home. The purpose of this workshop is to offer students and their parents an idea of what to expect in the process of choosing a college, applying to the school and enrolling in classes. They will have the opportunity to receive help ﬁlling out their college paperwork during the workshop. They will also be given an informational kit including contacts and resources that can assist them in addressing future

• REMODELING

• FRAMING

• ROOFING

• PLUMBING

• BLOCK WALLS

• STUCCO

• PLASTER

• TILE

• ELECTRICAL

• KITCHEN CABINETS

questions or concerns throughout the college-seeking process.

The workshop is expected to take place at Progress Park Plaza. All of the workshops are designed to supply members in the community with the tools they need to make educated decisions for themselves and their children. Please stay tuned for the scheduled date on the website at www.gatewaycities.org or call Suleyma Rosales at (562) 817-0821.

• REMODELACIONES

• CARPINTERIA

• TECHOS

• PLOMERIA

• BARDAS DE BLOCK

• ESTACO

• EMPLASTE

• PISOS

• ELECTRICIDAD

• CABINETES DE COSINA

How to Prevent Customer Loss

You’ll lose customers and possibly even your business if many customers think badly of your firm. Particularly in service firms, there is a considerable chance to make the customer unhappy. The two underlying principles of customer relations are honesty and fairness. Provide a reasonable and simple guarantee of your services. You’re in the best position to know the benefits of your service and your ability to deliver, so you should easily be able to state them. You should also be aware, however, of your limitations, so that you can state the boundaries of the warranty. Keep the warranty and its terms simple.

If your bill is going to exceed your initial estimate, call the customer before going ahead with the work. It’s poor business simply to proceed and then submit a bill that the customer will surely ﬁnd shocking. Since quality service work is important to most customers, a reasonable explanation of why the costs are going to be higher can be a real “plus” for your ﬁrm.

If yours is a repair service, always explain the nature of the repair. Along the same line, if a part has been replaced, return the old part to the customer. That in itself is an explanation of the service you provided and give the customer and assurance that you’re honest in your work.

Treat your customers with common courtesy. People like to be treated properly. That can mean even a small thing such as taking customers in sequence. It means providing prompt service, whether that service takes place immediately or occurs after the customer has left the premises.

Use follow-up letters and questionnaires to thank your customers

and to determine whether your service was unsatisfactory. Use the information you get back to correct problems. Most important, be sure that all your employees follow these same policies for good customer service.

Resolve complaints quickly and fairly. Always give the customer the beneﬁt of the doubt and don’t let complaints go unsettled for a long time. Even a fair decision long delayed is likely to be unsatisfactory to the customer.

To review your customer service policies with a SBDC counselor, contact the Paramount Chamber of Commerce Business Resource Center to schedule an appointment, call 562.634.3980.

A Winning Strategy

Wirtz Principal Kelly Williams, Ms. Orzco, PUSD Board President Linda

with Ms. Orzco’s second grade class.

12912 Paramount Blvd. Downey, CA 90242 (562) 869-5001

We offer Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Creative Movement, Hip-Hop, Lyrical, and Salsa for ages 3 to Adult Cheer Clinics and Pageant Training Available Recital Time is Right Around the Corner, So Come and Join Our Dance Family

Also, Visit our website @ www.onstagedance.com

Bring this flyer and receive $10.00 off your registration fee

AUTO MECHANIC WITH TOOL EXPERIENCE. Trouble-shooting. TOP DOLLAR for TOP MECHANIC. Apply at Herald’s Garage, 8124 E. Alondra Blvd, Paramount. 562-633-2136, Ask for Joe.

SECURITY OFFICERS - Immediate Full Time & Part Time Positions. Must have valid guard and or gun permits. Call Central Patrol Service (562) 621-1500

Charles G. Hardy, Inc., Distributor of Building Material DRIVERS AND WAREHOUSEMEN wanted.15723 Vermont Ave., Paramount, Ask for Mark (562) 634-6560

SECURITY and PATROL OFFICERS NEEDED - Vernon Security currently has openings for Unarmed Guards and Patrol Ofﬁcers to work all shifts in Paramount and surrounding cities. Must have a current guard card and a clean DMV for Patrol. Call Charles at 562-790-8993 Ext.102 or apply in person at 15317 Paramount Blvd Suite 201, Paramount, CA. Must bring your guard card when applying.

International Freight Forwarding Co. Hiring OPERATIONS, ACCOUNTING, CUSTOMER SERVICE & SALES REPS for its Paramount Ca. Houston Tx., & NYC ofﬁces. Experience not required. Proﬁciency in Chinese a plus. H/Ins. 401K provided. EM to laofc@zencon.com or fax 562-663-6899

SALES PEOPLE: We encourage all experienced sales people to apply for the best schedule you’ve ever seen! Great pay-pay & beneﬁts. Relaxed work environment. Must have valid Sales License. Must speak Spanish & English. Apply at the ofﬁce or online at: http://www.soppchevrolet.com/Employment

Precious LIfe Shelter

Precious LIfe Shelter’s board member Greg Martin, accepts 35 turkeys from Mark Korth, Cheif Executive Ofﬁcer of Lakewood Regional Medical Center. To commemorate the hospital’s 35 year anniversary, LRMC launched a year long campaign of thanking the community by asking organization for items on their wish list then donating in lots of 35.

Precious Life Shelter is a three phase residential supportive services program for the homeless pregnant adult woman. A private 5013 California non-proﬁt, located in Los Alamitos, California. Precious Life provides a safe, loving environment for the woman who has no place to have her child and chooses to work toward self-reliance for herself and her child whether she parents or places her child for adoption.

During our 35th year of service to the community, Lakewood Regional Medical Center would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have supported and helped us grow throughout the years, said Korth. While we will always remain a community hospital with a family atmosphere, we will continue to expand and improve our facilities to assure that our hospital is the one of choice for the communities we serve.