P A R A M O U N T
PULSE BEAT Serving the Community Since 1990
Paramount Chamber Hosts “State of the City Address”
Chamber President Leonard Crespo
M
Pastor Larry Jameson Lifegate Foursquare Church
ore than 160 community leaders and members of the Paramount business community attended the Chamber’s annual State of the City Address sponsored by Paramount Petroleum. The afternoon began with lunch catered by Café Camellia followed by a report on the Chamber’s activities by President Leonard Crespo. Mr. Crespo outlined several success stories for the Chamber including the addition of 62 new members and a successful Job Fair which attracted more than 300 job seekers. He went on to say that the Chamber continues to provide free business counseling services through the Long Beach Community College SBDC and various business workshops at the Chamber’s Business Resource Center. The next speaker was Pastor
March 2008 Business Card Directory .........12-13 Business Corner ..................... 7 Cityscape ............................. 15 Closer Look ............................ 6 Help wanted .......................... 8 Mayors Corner ....................... 3 Members Only...................... 14 On Patrol ............................... 4 New Members ................10 -11 Service Clubs........................ 13
Larry Jameson who gave an update on the activities of various Paramount churches. Jameson reported that several churches are providing help for the homeless, food banks, and tutoring programs for Paramount students. “Our business is people, we are here to help meet their needs today so that they do not become a problem for the community tomorrow.” said Pastor Jameson. Following Pastor Jameson was Paramount Unified Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Verdugo. Dr. Verdugo had some exciting news to share about construction projects that are underway following the passage of a $100 million dollar bond referendum. He said construction has already begun on the new stadium at Paramount High and soon they will begin the new gymnasium, sports center, and library. In addition to the physical improvements he reported Paramount Unified ranked in the top three districts in all of Los Angeles County’s 47 districts, in terms of highest Academic Performance Index points gained. Next Mayor Peggy Lemons spoke briefly about the City’s 50th Anniversary celebration and a year
Mayor Peggy Lemons
end budget surplus. Lemons went into depth about the success of the Paramount Education Partnership (PEP) a cooperative effort between the City, Paramount Unified, Chamber of Commerce and the Gateway Cities Partnership. She said the program began four years ago and since that time hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised to help increase the educational attainment level of Paramount residents. More than 5,000 after school tutoring programs have been held in addition to computer training classes and focused help through the PLATO system. Hundreds of children are participating in the MESA program and 49 students have received $3,000 scholarships. “PEP is way we can all contribute, a way to tell our children that they matter, that we will help them achieve their goals and we will be there to applaud them when they succeed,” said Lemons. Closing out the afternoon was City Manager Linda Benedetti-Leal who reported the City will end the year with a $1.3 million dollar surplus. She said the bulk of the City’s general fund goes for Public Safety
PUSD Superintendent Dr. David Verdugo
programs and that the coming year will see significant investments in the City’s water department. The City Council approved drilling of a new water well to keep up with the growing demand for water and to prepare for the shortages that are predicted for the near future. A slide show previewed drawings for a $207 million dollar investment by the Kroger Company for their new supermarket distribution center at the old Cerro Metals site on Garfield, and the newly remolded shopping center at Downey and Alondra, which will feature a Fresh and Easy market. Benedetti-Leal went on to say the City has purchased property at the corner of Downey and Alondra with hopes of attracting a quality restaurant to the site. The City also revamped their Commercial and Residential Rebate programs to increase the project funding amounts and gave Paramount SASSFA a new home at the old firehouse on Colorado. In closing she mentioned the recent passing of former Mayor Charles Weldon, she said the City owed a debt of gratitude to Mr. Weldon for were it is today.
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Paramount Chamber of Commerce
PULSE BEAT
City Manager Linda Benedetti-Leal
15357 Paramount Boulevard, Paramount, CA 90723
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210, Santa Fe Springs. Call today and make a real differenc in someone’s life! To learn more, or to volunteer clerical skills to the organization, a task that does not require training, call Deanna, Coordinator of volunteers (562) 944-2711 or email Deanna@companionhospice. com. Fore more information visit: www.companionhospice.com BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 4 PARAMOUNT, CA 90723