Pulse Beat December 2012 by City of Paramount

PULSE BEAT PULSE BEAT

December 2012

Annual Thanksgiving Celebration Salutes Local Seniors

The City of Paramount recently held its Annual Seniors Thanksgiving Dinner to honor elders community.

The event featured great food served up by an assembly line of Paramount Rotary Club members, Banco Popular employees and City staff, and was delivered by the enthusiastic kids of the Paramount High School Corsairs service club.

The lively entertainment included the jazzy sounds of the Little Big Band and Bill Pellegrino of the Rotary Club leading the room in a nostalgic sing-a-long.

There were plenty of prizes handed out too, in the festively decorated Paramount Park gym. Donations that made the party, and the giveaways, possible were provided by the following:

Donations

$500+

Ace Clearwater; Communication Workers of America Local 8400; Gamberg Metals Co., Inc; Paramount Petroleum.

Up to $300

Aramark; Cal Met Services; Clinica Medical Hispana; FENICO Precision Casting; Knights of Columbus; Standard Catering.

Under $200

Demaria Electric Motor Services; Front Page Communications; Taqueria 2 Amigos; The Water Store; Vicky Professional

Rosanna Messer, 90

Born in Salina, Kansas, raised in Joplin, Missouri, she has lived in Paramount for over 40 years. A housewife, Mrs. Messer also worked for many years at a ﬁve and ten store in Bellﬂower.

“Keep walking if you can,” she offered as a tip about living a long life. “I still walk almost a mile a day. Try to take care of yourself.”

Services; Walmart.

Gift Certiﬁcates

Administrative Services Cooperative/Fiesta Taxi; Banco Popular; Big Bens Car Wash; Cafe Corleone; Casa Gamino; Enrique’s Mexican Restaurant; Gus’s Deli; Rosewood Restaurant; Subway.

Each year at the celebration, those in the crowd age 90 and above are acknowledged and given ﬂowers or a plant. A few of them this year talked with the Pulse Beat to share some comments.

Bartolo Reynoso, 92

Born in Jalisco, Guadalajara, established U.S. residency at 21 and has lived in Paramount for 20 years. He had a career working for the railroads.

“Eat healthy food and get plenty of exercise,” was his mantra for a lengthy existence. “I’m still exercising.”

“I have God in my life,” she related as a key to her longevity.

Peggy Chandler, 97

Born in Wales, immigrated to America 50 years ago, she was a housewife whose husband was an electrician for Disney and helped build “It’s A Small World.”

“I have two daughters, one in Santa Clara, one in England. Having good children helps build a good, long life.”

Mike Boersma, 91

Born in The Netherlands, came to Paramount in 1951 from Michigan. He opened a public accounting ofﬁce in town and worked it for 40 years. Mr. Boersma ran for City Council in 1957, the year of Paramount’s incorporation, and has volunteered at the Senior Thanksgiving Dinner with the Rotary Club since the event began.

“I raised a family of eight children. My ﬁrst wife passed away in 1985, and I was very fortunate to meet a nice lady from our church and we’ve been married 23 years now. Eat good, drink moderately, be nice to people, enjoy life and be thankful for all your blessings.”

Emelia Defour, 98

Born in Trinidad, Tobago, West Indies, Emelia arrived in California “at four o’clock on a Friday morning in 1974.”

“I enjoy California, and have led a happy life. I have 14 kids, no problems, all of them happy, with no ﬁghting, no quarreling. Work hard and feel good and proud. If anything happens to me now, I’ve been happy and full of love.”

Clarence Lester, 93

Born in Missouri, he moved to this area when it was still known as HynesClearwater, and worked at Firestone for 38 years.

“I remember when Paramount Park was the Jerseymaid Dairy. The City’s made a lot of improvements over the years. But it was nice years ago, too. I had an acre and a half and during the war, when you couldn’t get meat, I’d butcher a pig, or whatever I wanted. But it’s better now than it was then, even though I liked it then. Advice for living a long, good life? No, I’m still working on it myself.”

Paulina Ortiz, 92 Born in Carson.

Christmas Train Begins Its Run On December 3

For more than 40 years, The Santa Express Christmas Train has brought the holiday spirit to the kids of Paramount. This year’s edition will run from December 3rd through 6th beginning each day at 3:00 p.m.

An average of 25,000 kids and parents line the streets to see and talk with the man in red over the four days and nights. It’s a great experience that has delighted generations of Paramount children.

You can ﬁnd a full schedule of train stops in the back of this Pulse Beat on the CityScape page, or by visiting the City’s website at www.paramountcity. com. For any other information, call (562) 220-2121.

Breakfast With Santa and Snow Day

Paramount Park will once again become a winter wonderland as Santa Claus returns to town on Saturday, December 8th from 8 a.m. till noon.

Breakfast with Santa will feature a

pancake and scrambled egg meal, pictures with ’Ol St. Nick, holiday craft-making, giveaways and entertainment. There will also be tons of snow for sled rides.

You can take your own photos with Santa, and a professional photographer will also have packages available for purchase.

The event itself is free, but you need to buy a ticket for the meal. If you did not buy tickets during the pre-sale period, the price is $5 per person at the door. Breakfast will not be served after 11:00 a.m. so get there early.

For more information, please call (562) 220-2121.

Recycle Your Christmas Trees

This holiday season, residents of Paramount who have Christmas trees can place them out for pickup by CalMet, the City’s refuse hauler. The trees will then be recycled into mulch. CalMet will pick up trees at no charge after Christmas from 12/26/12 through 1/11/13 for single-family residential accounts. Be sure to remove the stand and all the decorations, lights and tinsel, and do not wrap the tree or enclose it in a plastic bag. If the tree is four-feet-tall or less, you can put it in your green waste recycling barrel. For anything larger, set it curbside on your normal garbage collection day by 6:00 a.m. (Flocked trees will also be picked up.)

After 1/11/13, your tree can still be taken away by scheduling a bulky item pickup.

For apartments or condominiums, if the trees are on the curb by 6:00 a.m. they will be taken away for free on regularly scheduled pickup days. If it’s nec-

Best Advice I Ever Got!

“The best thing to do for your teeth is floss them before going to sleep!” This is the answer I give in response to questions on what patients can do to take better care of their teeth. Most of us were told since childhood to brush our teeth in the morning. This is a great practice, but brushing alone will not clean in-between the teeth where we often get cavities. While modern dentistry can easily fill a minor cavity with little or no discomfort, itʼs still best to prevent those cavities in the first place. Research has also shown that the plaque on teeth is related to many other conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Many people donʼt floss because they do not know its importance or that itʼs too difficult. I address both of these concerns with patient education for easy brushing and flossing techniques and the consequences to not flossing. So the next time you see your hygienist or dentist, just ask for oral hygiene instructions. The nightly flossing is not only good for your teeth, but may be best for your health.

DR. DANG, – Villa Dental 562.602.1200

essary to drive onto the property there will be a $5.00 charge per tree. In these latter cases, the service must be ordered 24 hours before regular pickup day by the manager or owner who must have the account number for veriﬁcation.

Also, commercial customers must call CalMet before placing a tree out for collection so a greenwaste truck will visit their location.

If you have any questions, please call (562) 259-1239.

Holiday Trash Pickup Schedule

Christmas and New Year’s Day will slightly alter garbage collection schedules this year.

CalMet Services will have no trash pickup on those holidays. So if your collection day falls on Christmas Tuesday (Dec. 25) and New Year’s Day Tuesday (Jan. 1, 2013), service will be one business day later through the rest of each week.

If you have any questions, please call CalMet Services at (562) 634-5420.

In addition, there will be no street sweeping on Monday, December 24th and Tuesday, December 25th, and no makeup. Likewise, there will be no street sweeping on Tuesday, January 1st, and no makeup.

During the Holidays, Purchase It . . . In Paramount

The holidays are upon us, and all the special meals, festive parties and delightful gift-giving opportunities that go along with this happy time

of year.

Keep in mind that the commercial and retail businesses of Paramount provide convenient and friendly venues to meet your every holiday need.

And when you shop locally, part of your sales tax stays in town to help pay for vital services like law enforcement, parks, street maintenance and more.

Why Buy in Paramount?

• You’ll support the people who live and work here.

• You’ll save time

• You’ll save gas (and money).

• You’ll help create local jobs.

• Paramount businesses know what you want.

• Paramount businesses help maintain our stable and thriving community.

There are nearly 900 commercial/retail businesses in Paramount that feature every consumer product imaginable.

Local businesses are investing in our city’s future. They support our churches, our schools, our organizations and our quality of life.

Purchase It ... In Paramount. Do your holiday shopping and dining in town. Spend your money at home and make it count. Pump up our economy and support the services that make Paramount a great place to live.

If you are searching for a certain type of business or service in Paramount, or looking for a speciﬁc product, feel free to contact the Chamber of Commerce at (562) 634-3980.

Mayor, Peggy Lemons

The holidays are often ﬁlled with friendly parties and get-togethers. As we all know, though, parties can sometimes get out of hand and bother neighbors.

Paramount has a patrol to respond to complaints about loud parties. If a call for disturbing the peace comes into the Sheriff’s Station, there will be a visit to the location and a first-warning notice will be issued. If a return visit is made, the property owner will be liable for fines. For instance, a second visit within 30 days will produce a fine of $250. The third, fourth and fifth visits within 30 days of the first call will entail fines of $500, $750 and $1,000, respectively. In addition, the cost of extra resources involved (multiple deputies, helicopter, and so on) can be passed on. These fines, if not paid, can go to a collections agency.

If such disturbances come from the same location over an extended period of time, deputies will focus on solving the problem with those who are causing it.

If you’re planning a party, be sure to take your neighbors into consideration and refrain from playing loud music and making other intrusive noises into the early morning hours.

Keep in mind, also, that deputies do not divulge the identity of any residents making complaint calls.

For more information, call the Paramount Sheriff’s Station at (562) 2202002.

Vacation Home Checks

Here’s another reminder that if you are a Paramount resident and have plans to be out of town during any part of the holidays, you can contact the Sheriff’s Station for a vacation home check. The City’s Public Safety Ofﬁcers 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.

Crime States Decline Once Again

The City of Paramount has made great strides against crime over the last two decades. The partnership between the City’s Public Safety, the Sheriff’s Department and our residents/businesses has been remarkably productive and pro-active in creating a stable community atmosphere.

Here’s a snapshot of the latest major crime trends in town, comparing the ﬁrst nine months of 2012 to the same period in 2011.

Part 1 crimes are continuing their overall downward motion. Violent crimes (homicide, rape, aggravated assaults, and robbery) declined 6% from last year, following a substantial 26% drop for 2011 as a whole. There have been current decreases in aggravated assaults and robberies. Property crimes have also gone down by 4% overall, with drops in thefts and auto thefts.

(By the way, property crimes and violent crimes are at their lowest numbers since the mid-1970s and the late-1960s, respectively.)

JOSE DONLUCAS

Mahi Beauty Care Grand Opening

Being An Employer

Paramount Chamber Ambassador Chair Tim Hickok presents Mahi Beauty Care owners Kalpesh and Payal Modi with a certiﬁcate of congratulations at their grand opening.

Mahi Beauty Care owners Kalpesh and Payal Modi are joined by elected ofﬁcials, chamber members, friends and family to cut the ribbon for their grand opening. Mahi Beauty Care can be found at 15512 Paramount Blvd., for more information call (562) 790-8477.

Mayor Peggy Lemons presents a welcome certiﬁcate from the City of Paramount to Mahi Beauty Care owners Kalpesh and Payal Modi.

College Scholarships Applications Available January 2 Grants Awarded to Local Students of

$1,000 and $3,000

The Paramount Education Partnership (PEP) Scholarship Program awards scholarships each year with the goal of making education beyond high school ﬁnancially accessible.

The latest applications will be available as of January 2, 2013. Hard copies can be picked up at Paramount City Hall, the Paramount City Yard and locations throughout the School District. Copies can also be downloaded on the City of Paramount website at www.paramountcity.com and on the Paramount Uniﬁed School District website at www. paramount.k12.ca.us/.

Scholarships of $1,000 are awarded to students attending a community college and $3,000 to students attending an accredited four-year institution within the U.S, including vocational/ trade/ technical schools. Scholarship monies may only be used to pay tuition, fees, books and supplies for the 2013-2014 school year.

Applicants will be reviewed based on their completed application, academic record, ﬁnancial need, extracurricular activities, work or volunteer experience and future goals. Plagiarism or false information will permanently disqualify an applicant. Please be aware that ﬁrst-time applicants will receive priority over past recipients.

The following are the mandatory requirements:

- You must be a City of Paramount resident or Paramount Uniﬁed School District student.

- Have a high school diploma or GED.

- Be enrolled in an accredited program to obtain an Associates of Arts or Bachelor’s degree and/or vocational certiﬁcation. (Students must be able to provide proof of enrollment in an institution to be eligible.)

- Provide one letter of recommendation from a teacher or counselor (who cannot be a relative).

- Possess a cumulative high school GPA of 2.0 or better.

- Submit forms that demonstrate ﬁnancial need as determined by FAFSA (and include a copy of Student Aid Report).

The application must be submitted in person or by mail by March 30, 2013, at: Attention: Scholarship Committee Paramount Education Partnership, Inc., 16400 Colorado Avenue, Paramount, CA 90723

For information regarding the PEP Scholarship Program, please contact Suleyma Rosales at (562) 220-2132. PEP is a collaborative effort between the City of Paramount, Paramount Uniﬁed School District, and the Paramount Chamber of Commerce.

STATER BROS. SUPER RX PHARMACIES TO OFFER FREE ANTIBIOTICS

Stater Bros. is the Only Southern California Supermarket Chain To Offer Free Antibiotics based on a 14-Day

Eligible Quantity

Stater Bros. Supermarkets realizes that cost savings is more important than ever. The current economic climate in addition to rising health care costs has made access to crucial medication difﬁcult for many valued customers. Beginning November 1st, all 27 conveniently located Stater Bros. Super Rx Pharmacies throughout Southern California will offer free antibiotics based on a 14-day eligible quantity. This includes reﬁlls, to anyone with or without health insurance coverage who presents a prescription.

Five different classes of antibiotics are available, which include:

• Amoxicillin (Generic for AMOXIL)

• Ampicillin

• Ciproﬂoxacin (Generic fro CIPRO)

• Penicillin

• Trimeth/Sulfa (Generic for SEPTRA or BACTRIM)

Stater Bros. believes in doing the right thing for the right reason,” stated Jack H. Brown, Stater Bros. Chairman and CEO. “As the only Supermarket Chain in Southern California to offer this program free of charge, Stater Bros. is doing all that we can to ensure accessible and affordable health care to each and every one of our valued customers.”

In 2010, Stater Bros. Super Rx Pharmacy introduced its Free Diabetic Medication Program which offers some of the most popular Type II Diabetes medications to customers with a valid prescription from their doctor. In addition, Stater Bros. Super Rx Pharmacy is pleased to continue its $4 Generic Prescription Program. Over 300 commonly prescribed medications are $4 for a 30-day supply or $10 for a 90-day supply.

The Paramount High School Bible Club reached out to local churches for help in promoting their fall activity; a drama entitled, “The Last Appeal” Men on Death Row presented by The Eastern Sky Theatre Company. The play is the story of Titus Freeman, who ﬁnds himself sentenced to death row after a fatal altercation with a local store owner.

Several students along with their high school teacher/sponsor, Mrs. Esperanza Lopez came to Lifegate Foursquare

Church asking for financial help in presenting the drama to the high school and community. The club received a donation of 200 t-shirts to be sold as a fund-raiser for the event. Several local churches purchased t-shirts including members of the Lifegate congregation, who also made up the difference needed to put on the play. Thirty members of Lifegate also attended the event and helped usher and pray with people at the end of the drama.

HELP WANTED

INSURANCE SALES – Growing company seeking dynamic selfstarters, hardworking, energetic, bilingual (Spanish/English), and sales oriented individuals with a strong interest in educating the community about Insurance and Financial Products. A positive attitude and commitment to providing exceptional customer service are required. Insurance experience is a bonus but not a necessity. More importantly, we are looking for ambitious quick learners who are excited about determining their own salary and want to be an integral part of a growing company. Email resume to maria@galliagency.com or fax resume to 562-817-5621.

Now hiring, AUTO MECHANIC, BODY AND PAINT TECH., AND OUTSIDE SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER. Email Heraldsgarage@gmail.com or visit Herald’s Garage 8124 E. Alondra Blvd., Paramount.

Seven Strategies For Saving

By Maria F. Galli State Farm Insurance 562-817-5620

Are you doing your best to save for your future? It can be very challenging to begin a savings program. After necessities such as food, clothing and housing, there can be little left to put aside for future goals.

Unfortunately, failing to save could mean the difference between enjoying a comfortable retirement and giving up some basic needs. Often it is a matter of making the decision to begin saving now in order to buy a new home or car later. Making changes to prepare for those goals can make a difference.

For that reason, let’s look at various ways to get a person’s savings plan on track and come up with seven strategies that you can use today.

1. Don’t splurge with your tax refund. Instead of spending your refund, use it wisely by paying down debt, funding an individual retirement account, or saving it for future ﬁnancial goals.

2. Take full advantage of your employer’s retirement contributions. Your employer may match a percentage of the contributions you make to your retirement savings plan.

3. Start small and stay steady. The ﬁrst word is the most important – start. You should begin as early as possible to get the most out of your savings plan.

4. Pay yourself ﬁrst. Think of your savings or investments as a bill you must pay on a regular basis, much the same as a car or mortgage payment. Be disciplined and make the payments according to a set schedule.

5. Create separate pots of savings for upcoming life stages. Retirement may be an important goal for which to begin saving, but other goals or events need as much or more preparation.

6. If you have children, ﬁnd the right education plan. You have a number of choices when it comes to saving for a child’s education. Finding the one that makes sense for your situation takes planning and information.

7. Work with someone you know and trust. Everyone’s needs and goals are unique. Just as you go through many changes during your lifetime, your ﬁnancial goals may change.

8. In the end, it all boils down to making a plan, getting started and staying the course. When you make the decision to ﬁnally start, contact your local insurance and ﬁnancial professional who knows you and understands your needs.

Paramount Chamber of Commerce

10 Tips for Tracking and Managing Small Business Expenses

BY RIEVA LESONSKY

Are you properly tracking and managing your small business’s expenses (the costs associated with operating your business)? Recording and regularly reviewing your business expenses helps you pinpoint unnecessary expenditures, cut costs and be better prepared come tax time.

To improve the way you track and manage your business expenses, try these 10 tips.

1. Get automated. Accounting software such as Quickbooks greatly simplifies tracking and managing expenses. Be sure to choose the same program your accountant uses or one that is compatible; this makes it easy for you or your accountant to import information directly to your tax return at tax time. Microsoft Ofﬁce also offers spreadsheet templates you can use to track business expenses.

2. Prepare for tax time. Be especially sure to accurately record expenses you plan to deduct on your business taxes, such as travel and entertainment, business use of vehicles, ofﬁce equip-

ment and supplies, association fees and charitable contributions. Visit the IRS website for details on deductible business expenses.

3. Never mingle business and personal funds. Avoid using personal cash, checking accounts or credit cards for business expenses. Even if you reimburse yourself or employees for these expenditures, commingling funds adds unnecessary complexity and can expose your business to IRS scrutiny.

4. Watch your cash. Petty cash expenditures can create problems if not adequately tracked. Limit the use of petty cash to times when it’s absolutely necessary. Create a cash account in your ﬁnancial software to track cash expenditures.

5. Save receipts. You’ll need receipts to document tax-deductible expenses in case you’re ever audited. Jot down the purpose of the expense on each receipt. Save storage space and hassles by using a scanner or your smartphone to create PDFs or photos of receipts and ﬁle them digitally.

6. Be timely. Record expenses as

soon as possible after they occur so you don’t end up with piles of receipts. Regularly documenting data saves you time in the long run and ensures your ﬁnancial records are always up to date.

7. Give yourself credit. Using business credit cards streamlines expense recording, since business credit card statements typically break down your monthly, quarterly and annual spending into categories. And with most retailers now accepting credit cards for amounts as small as $5, there’s little need to carry cash.

8. Harness technology. There are mobile apps (applications) and cloudbased solutions that enable you to track expenses wherever you are and categorize them to the appropriate project or client. Look for products that integrate easily with your existing accounting software.

9. Monitor results. Using your accounting software, create weekly and monthly reports to examine your expenses and revenues. Develop a monthly, quarterly and annual budget based on past expenditures. Regularly

monitor your expenses to see if they’re in line with your budget.

10. Trim the fat. Are your expenses escalating beyond your budget, or do you need to improve your proﬁt margins? Look at each expense to ﬁgure out where you can cut back, starting with those that don’t directly contribute to the bottom line.

Rieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a content and consulting company that helps entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Before launching her business, she was Editorial Director of Entrepreneur Magazine. Rieva Lesonsky also works with the Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center Network. The SBDC is a group of successful small business owners helping fellow entrepreneurs start, sustain, and grow their business through low-cost workshops and free one-on-one consulting in business planning, ﬁnance, marketing, and various other specialty areas (Spanish speaking consultants available). To make an appointment call: (562) 9385100, or email: sbdcinfo@lbcc.edu.