December 2003 Chamber Newletter

IN AND AROUND EAGLE ROCK

 NOVEMBER MIXER                           

Our November Mixer hosted by Sossy Semerdjian Bank of America Manager and her staff was well attended and filled with holiday spirit.  For some reason a lot of banking information, along with real estate questions and answers, appeared to be the main topic of conversation, Mmmmmm, wonder why?  Thanks to all who brought a door prize and purchased raffle tickets. Your continued support is always appreciated. Thank-you Sossy,  Anne, Hilda and the rest of our gracious hosts for your continued support in our community.

 DECEMBER MIXER                                    

The Christmas Mixer sponsored by Sir Michael’s Party Rentals and the ERCC was held at our LAFD Station 42 making it a great holiday evening for all.  Members and guests arrived with door prizes, toys, and canned food. In the holiday spirit, the toys will be distributed by the LAFD to families in need. The canned food will be put into holiday baskets by the Twentieth Century Women Club members and distributed in the community, making Christmas a little happier for some.  Raffle and auction monies will go into the Station restoration fund and be earmarked for improvements to the station. 

A few major contributors for the evening were Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa, who paid $200 to place his name on the ERCC/LAFD contribution plaque.  Next  Dilbeck Manager Kim Villalabos who had a bidding war with Alan Yap, bid $160.00 and won a beautiful, green onyx Statue of Liberty in a lovely lined case which was graciously donated by long time ERCC members Shirley and Wayne Minser. Linda Nogueira [Michael’s Mother] out bid Roe Muzingo and won a New York City Fire Department  T-shirt for $80.00.  This memorabilia T-shirt  was donated by ERCC member Mary Bloom.

 Our thanks to Michael Nogueira, Jr. for his continued support of the Chamber’s many endeavors.  Much thanks to Battalion Chief Butler, Captain Jones and his crew and all of the Firefighters at Station 42 for opening their doors to the community and always being ready to assist us when in need.                                                                                                  

COLORADO TERRACE SENIOR LIVING COMPLEX 

During the November Chamber Board meeting the Directors learned from developer Kurken Alyanakian that the long awaited SenIor housing complex, which will be located at 2245 Colorado Boulevard, is slated for a ground breaking January 15, 2004.  The facility will have 70 rooms within 9,000 square feet.  Street level has been designated for commercial use. There will be ample parking for residents and visitors and all power lines into the facility will be placed underground. When finished, the landscaped property and attractive building design will introduce a welcome addition to our community.  

2003 NEW BUSINESS MEMBERS 

Colorado Terrace

Coffee Table

Dr. Music

Glendale Adventist Medical Center,                       

Isla Buffet and Grill, 

La Penca Inc.

Juice Exchange

Fatty’s

Paradise Home Inspections

 Washington Mutual.

2003 New Resident Members   

 Rich Monk,  Milton & Virginia Paulson, Brandon De Porto.                                                           

The Chamber welcomes you to the Chamber's membership family and wishes you a happy and prosperous holiday season and New Year. 

NORTHEAST CHRISTMAS PARADE                                                                                                  

Lucy Spurgeon represented the Chamber this year as our Community Grand Marshall at the 59^th Annual Northeast Christmas Parade “Holiday Fantasies & Dreams”.  Lucy has been an active member in the Chamber and has supported community endeavors for many years.  Lucy and her husband Dean enjoyed the parade, a little rain wasn’t going to dampen their Christmas spirit.  It certainly did not dampen the crowds either, for all were waiting with warm smiling faces along the parade route. The day was filled with Christmas joy and a unity of community spirit  which Lucy truly enjoyed. Thanks Lucy for representing our community in this annual event. Thanks too to Lucy’s husband Dean who once again rode at the end of the parade as Santa Claus.

CHILDREN’S OLDE FASHION CHRISTMAS     

Our 32^nd annual lighting of the trees and Children’s Olde Fashioned Christmas  celebration Friday, December 5^th was a wonderful success especially when looking at all the happy faces in attendance - over 600 children.  Former Councilman Nick Pacheco did the honors of the countdown for the tree lighting, Councilman  Antonio Villaraigosa arrived from another event prior to the arrival of Santa and was able to say a few words and wish everyone happy holidays.  A very special thank you to the wonderful Patsy Metzger dancers, as always their performance was delightful and their costumes lively.  The Eagle Rock High School Concert Choir under the direction of Rachel Lee performed beautifully, it is always a pleasure listening to them. 

Santa (Dean Spurgeon) arrived on the big red fire truck from Station 42 - under the direction of Captain Villanueva.  Our great volunteers purchased supplies, helped with the set-up, decorated the stage, served hot chocolate and cookies, helped Santa on stage, assisted with the break down and clean-up.  All this done with a holiday spirit of giving.  A big thank you to Jim Beckham, La Dell Stapp, Lori Loretta, Randy Gonzales, Linda Herbert, Roe Muzingo, Lois Lowrey, Anne & Roger Wolf, Lani Stapp, Mary Tritch, Armando and Council Field Deputy Michael Cathay.  A special thank you to Norma Heaton, Director of Solheim Lutheran Home, for donating their kitchen and urns for the hot chocolate.  Dietary Director Terry always does a great job in coordinating the chocolate preparation.                     

 A very special thanks to the Northeast LAPD Explorer Scouts and their Lieutenant  Coronel, who volunteer under the direction of Officers Caraveo and Mobasser, for traffic control and children patrol.  These fine young men and women always do such a great job representing the Police Department and their community.  What would we do without the “Big Red Fire Truck?”  Once again thank you to the crew of LAFD Station #42 for transporting Santa to the venue, Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa and staff and to Event Chair Kaye Beckham for making it happen.

 FYI

 Walgreens

 As you may have noticed the Walgreens site has been graded and plans are moving along for further grading and soil distribution.  It won’t be long before we see the start of construction, permits have been pulled.  The Councilmans focus group will meet after the first of the year to review the facade and landscaping improvements, we know you will be pleased.  We believe this new welcomed business development will be a major asset to our community. 

New Address                                                                                   

Robins Beauty Studio has relocated to 5054 ½ Eagle Rock Boulevard.

Congratulations                                                                                                                         

 Best wishes to Mary Bloom on the arrival of her granddaughter Katlyn.                                               

NORTHEAST CRIME STATS

Northeast Community Crime Report for the period of November 2 through November 29, 2003             

Total crime against person 107, compared to 139 last reporting period which is a substantial decrease. Property crimes total 350 from last reporting period of 382, and 421 the period before that. This is also a substantial decrease.  Please remember that these crime stats are for al of the Northeast area, and that Eagle Rock totals remain very low. Our Officers continue to work under staffed and still manage to do an excellent job in keeping crime down in our communities.  As you can see from the above numbers, overall crime  has decreased and where there is an increase it is slight.   

At our November C-Pab meeting Captain Jackson let us know that it is extremely hard to keep the numbers down, yes, the gang injunctions have been working, however, we will not be getting the badly needed new Officers in the City of Los Angeles due to the major lack of funds in the city budget. The proposed plan at present is to replace officers that are retiring trying to keep our numbers stable.  The Captain said when you see crime stats this low, they usually start going up.  Please continue to help keep your community safe by being aware of what  is going on around you, anything unusual or slightly suspicious report it immediately.  Remember better safe then sorry!

 Which brings me to business owners, if you haven’t already , think of our community children and become a  “Safe House ” for them please call the community Relations Office at Northeast 213 - 485 -2548. Quite  a few of our local businesses already display the placard in their window, however, the more we have the safer our children are and we become a community united and committed to our childrens safety.  A “safe House” [when you display the placard lets our children know they have a place to run to if accosted or harassed in any way. 

 Please remember to call the front desk at Northeast  213 - 485- 2563  or 911 if you see anything. Don’t forget our City access number for all non-emergencies 3-1-1, you can have your questions answered 24/7 by a “City Ambassador.”                                                         

BUSINESS NOTES   

HOW TO MANAGE EMPLOYEE THEFT

 If you’re like most small business owners, your employees are part of your family. You know where they live. You know their children’s name. You know they would never steal from you. But sadly, you could be wrong.    

 According to a recent study by Fraud Examiners, small businesses are the most vulnerable to internal theft and losses reaching $12,000 per incident.  

 You may feel safe because all of your employees have been with you for a long time. But the same study found that only 7% of the culprits were known to have prior convictions for fraud related offenses.  Don’t wait until your most trusted employee empties your bank account or cash register. Establish a system that protects your business. Here are a few suggestions:                             

Open Your Mail: No matter how busy you are, make sure you receive an unopened bank statement every month. Look over canceled checks and make sure you know the purpose of each. Would-be thieves will think twice if they know you’re doing this regularly.

Don’t Check Out: So you’re better at making widgets than reading balance sheets! Never turn over 100% of the financial duties to a single employee. If someone else handles a lot of major transactions, consider hiring a auditor to check your books every two or three months.

Divide Financial  Duties: Don’t let all the passwords, account numbers and your signature stamp rest with one person. If you’re to small to have more than one person help with your books, make sure you handle all final financial duties.

Get Real: You may remember a time when no one locked there front doors, but don’t bet your business that you live in Mayberry. You can run your business with a trusting, open attitude without being ignorant. Treat everyone the same --- don’t let false accusations get in the way and make sure those are squelched immediately.

Notice Behavior: Watch for sudden behavioral or life style changes among employees who have access to your finances. Often a guilty employee may say that the new car or expensive jewelry was a result of an inheritance. Trust your inner-self --- your gut feeling to make the right decision. Always be sure that you have sufficient and correct evidence before you make any accusations --- don’t be accused of falsely singling people out but if it does occur bring your staff together and share the reasons why the employee was released. By so doing, you will gain employee support and understanding and bring a stronger sense of unity among your office staff.