P a r a m o u n t
pulse Beat
January 2015
Serving the Community Since 1990
www.paramountchamber.com
A Look Back at Last Year in Paramount Now that 2014 has left the building, and before 2015 starts whooshing by, let’s take a moment, and take a look, at some of the key events and issues that marked last year.
PEP Scholars
Smarts, Arts & Healthy Hearts
Education Month was moved from September to June and relaunched with the first “Smarts, Arts & Healthy Hearts” fair in Paramount Park, a celebration of the City’s academic achievers, local arts community, and focus on fitness. PUSD students with the highest GPAs in the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades were recognized by the City Council, School Board, and PUSD officials. There were musical and dance performers along with artists displaying their work in a variety of media. The fair also featured a 5K race and 1K fun run.
Statewide Drought Brings Water Conservation
In light of the ongoing drought conditions throughout California, Sacramento directed cities to implement mandatory water conservation measures. Paramount encouraged local consumers to save water in a variety of ways, mostly aimed at outdoor use. For example, lawns can only be watered using sprinklers on Monday and Thursday from November through March. To see more of the recommended water-saving tips, go to the City’s website at www.paramountcity.com.
The 2014 class of PEP Scholarship winners with the City Council and representatives from Paramount Unified and the PEP Foundation.
Crime Stats
Predicting Crime With Computers
Crime has been on the decline in Paramount for many years. Part of the reason is the use of cutting-edge law enforcement tools. This past year, for example, Paramount became the first city in Los Angeles County that contracts with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department to employ a new “predictive policing” technology called PredPol. It’s a software program that provides computer-based analysis focusing on property crimes. By constantly processing real-time crime data that includes date, time, and location of a theft, PredPol can make predictions about where crime might most likely occur over the following ten hours. Officers can use these predictions on a shift-by-shift basis and direct their free patrol time to the indicated areas.
The partnership between the City and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department has brought crime levels in Paramount to historic lows.
Fair
YouTube. Shows include public presentations at City Council meetings, the State of the City address, special community events, information about PEP scholarships, an oral history of the City, and more. They can be found at youtube.com/cityofparamount. The Paramount Education Partnership (PEP) – a collaboration between the City, the Paramount Unified School District, and the Paramount Chamber of Commerce – created its own Facebook page. You can “like” PEP at Facebook.com/ParamountPEP and find informational postings, photos, and various announcements.
Two-Decades of Crime Reduction
Speaking of property crimes … through October 2014 (the latest figures available at press time), every one of the four property crime categories had dropped compared to the previous year, according to statistics compiled by the City’s Public Safety Department and the Sheriff’s Department. Burglaries were down 14.9%, theft 12.2%, auto theft 25%, and arson 28.6%. Overall, Part I violent crimes fell 14.7% through October compared to the same period in 2013. This means that crime has continued to fall consistently for two decades in town. The numbers of crimes committed in Paramount are about the same as they were in the 1960s and 1970s.
New City Apps – Tracking the Christmas Train/Paramount Works
Smarts, Arts, and Healthy Hearts, held in June, featured a 5k run in Paramount Park.
The Santa Train – which has been running since 1969 – got all “techie” this past December to help residents get an idea of when it would be near their neighborhood. By downloading a free phone app called Glympse or going to the City’s homepage you could view a real-time map to pinpoint the train’s location as it traveled throughout town. On Monday, the first day of the journey, there were so many thousands of visits to the website that the map froze, such is the popularity of the train. (The website was quickly adjusted and the mapping app worked just fine the rest of the week.) Another free app is now letting residents use their smart
Paramount Chamber of Commerce
pulse beat
15357 Paramount Boulevard, Paramount, CA 90723
phones to help keep Paramount clean and tidy. Paramount Works is available for downloading from iTunes or Android. It’s an easy way to report maintenance issues so City staff can take care of them ASAP. For a detailed look at how it “works” turn to this issue’s CityScape on the back inside cover.
City on YouTube and PEP on Facebook
Paramount’s video productions – from the city, not the movie studio – were made available for viewing on the video-streaming website
Latest PEP Scholarships
One of PEP’s major undertakings is its college scholarship program. At the annual fundraiser last year, more than $100,000 was donated to help Paramount college students pay for school. In addition, 2014 saw over $70,000 in funds awarded for 24 scholarships, bringing the total to $600,000 given out over the last 11 years.
What’s inside Ask The Expert..........................10 Business Card Directory.............12 Business Corner.........................11 Cityscape..................................15
Help wanted............................. 9 Mayors Corner.......................... 3 Members Only...........................14 New Members...........................10
On Patrol...................................... 4 PEP.................................................6 Service Clubs..................................13