P A R A M O U N T
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‘Paramount Today’ – Officials Offer Update on Latest City News
T
he Paramount City Council presented “Paramount Today: A Report to the Community” on April 24 at Progress Park Plaza. The talk and slide show, given by City Manager Linda Benedetti-Leal after welcoming remarks by Mayor Gene Daniels, was a review of past and current accomplishments as well as plans for the future in town. A look at the events of 2007 included the year-long celebration of Paramount’s 50th anniversary of incorporation and the City’s financial health. “The economy moved around on us a bit in 2007, but I’m happy to report that we came through okay,” Benedetti-Leal stated. “Paramount has a long history of being financially conservative and keeping a sound budget, and we ended the year with a surplus.” She explained that the largest outlay in the City’s budget is dedicated to Public Safety and resources that make the community safer. “Our police station is unique, compared to the other cities served by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in this region,” she said. “Over the years we’ve supplemented our Sheriff’s contract with all sorts of
May 2008 Business Card Directory .........12-13 Business Corner ..................... 7 Cityscape ............................. 15 Help wanted .......................... 8 Mayors Corner ....................... 3 Members Only...................... 14 On Patrol ............................... 4 New Members ................10 -11 Service Clubs........................ 13
Mayor Gene Danies
City Manager Linda Benedetti-Leal
other services.” Among those she listed were a probation officer, parole officer, Section 8 inspector, fingerprint specialist, deputy district attorney, gang specialist, neighborhood preservationist and two-man, no-call patrol cars. All of these tools increase productivity, she added, especially with serious crimes; in total, the City has seen a 43% drop in crime over the last decade. Plus, Paramount deputies continue to have the fastest response times in the area. The City Manager next pointed out the latest improvements made involving traffic issues. “We had strong concern from parents about school crossings at Somerset and San Antonio and Orange and Jackson, and in response we put in new signal lights,” she said. Also addressed were safety concerns at Downey and Madison (a new light and a traffic island to slow down speeding drivers) and a protected left-turn light at Downey and Flower Street, which had been the scene of many vehicle accidents. All of the traffic light upgrades were paid for with grant funding, she said. Another priority of the City Council, Benedetti-Leal related, is local youth and education. The latest effort in this area she detailed was the STAR (Success Through Academics and Recreation) Program, which
provides both academic tutoring and physical fitness activities to 1st through 5th graders at every campus in the Paramount Unified School District. “We service approximately 1,600 students, and it’s completely funded through a grant from the State Department of Education. We look at this as one of the most important investments we can make for the future of our community.” A recently passed ordinance that erases blight along City boulevards was highlighted. The unsightliness had been caused by an increase over the years in news-rack clutter. Now newspaper distributors must use an
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attractive, uniform style of dispenser, and the number of the racks at intersections has been limited. Racks containing materials inappropriate for children have been banned. Regarding developments in the near future, Benedetti-Leal mentioned the Fresh and Easy market coming to the recently remodeled shopping center at Alondra and Downey, the state-of-the-art distribution center for Kroger Company (Ralph’s and Food 4 Less) to be built on Garfield that will produce hundreds of new jobs, and the effort to bring a nationally recognized chain restaurant to the northeast corner of Alondra and Downey, which the Paramount Redevelopment Agency has purchased and cleared. In addition, the re-making of Dills Park along the Los Angeles River will be completed this year, Benedetti-Leal said. It will become a nature park, with a beautiful walking trail, native shrubs and plants, and new connections to the river’s bike path. “We’re looking forward to turning it into a peaceful garden space for anyone who wants to take a nice walk,” the City Manager concluded.
Ambassador of the Quarter
Paramount Chamber Ambassador Laura Warth receives a certificate of recognition from Ambassador Chair John Colville and Chamber President Leonard Crespo. Laura was awarded Ambassador of the Quarter for her outstanding performance as an Ambassador during the first quarter of 2008. BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 4 PARAMOUNT, CA 90723