I am sorry to report long time business Paul’s TV has closed it’s doors and is going out of business following a liquidation sale.
The store at 500 N. Harbor Blvd. has been listed for sale by Voit Real Estate Services. I’m certain that every reader knows that Paul’s TV, which was opened by late La Habra icon Paul Goldenberg in 1960, has long provided electronics and household appliances.
The city’s Community Development Department staff have received inquiries regarding the property’s zoning designation; prospective uses that have been mentioned by potential buyers include auto parts sales and retail paint sales. The property, which is zoned C-2 Commercial, permits a variety of retail and office uses.
Staff will be working with Voit Real Estate to market the site to preferred tenants. For more information, contact the Community Development Department at 562-383-4100.
BLACK BEAR DINER COMING TO LA HABRA
I am pleased to announce that Black Bear Diner, a popular chain of restaurants with more than 70 locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington that specializes in down-home comfort food, will soon open a new franchise at the former Ranch House Restaurant (1000 S. Beach Blvd.). According to Black Bear, the restaurant is scheduled to open sometime next summer. Please join me in welcoming Black Bear Diner to the La Habra community!
“GREAT SHAKEOUT” OFFERS CALIFORNIA AN EXERCISE IN PREPAREDNESS
Did you feel the ground shake on Oct. 15? No, it wasn’t an earthquake, but rather the collective movement of more than 10 million Californians who participated in the “Great Shakeout,” an exercise that simulates a large tremor and provides everyone an opportunity to practice what to do in the event of a major earthquake.
Staff in all city facilities “dropped and covered” during the hypothetical earthquake, then exited their respective facilities to assemble outside. All of our staff successfully completed the evacuation and remained at their predesignated meeting locations until the drill concluded.
To learn more about the Great Shakeout, or access valuable information on how you can better prepare yourself for the next earthquake, visit shakeout.org.
POLICE DEPARTMENT AND COMMUNITY ENJOY ‘PIZZA WITH A PUP’
On Oct. 10, the La Habra Police Department, in partnership with Pizza Rev at the La Habra Marketplace, hosted “Pizza with a Pup,” a community event that allowed children to enjoy an afternoon of pizza while interacting with department’s finest “four-legged” officers.
Police K-9 Bobby, a dog who specializes in narcotics detection, and his handler Officer Rob Sims conducted several demonstrations to exhibit Bobby’s unique talents. Emerson, another of our police service dogs, was also at Pizza Rev with his handler LHPD Chaplain Mike Murphy to greet the kids.
Police Explorers helped to distribute LHPD sticker badges to the kids and share material with helpful tips about various animal control techniques.
LHPD CELEBRATES COMMUNITY THROUGH ITS ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE
Hundreds of La Habrans visited the Police Department’s headquarters on Oct. 15 for its annual open house. Police staff provided tours of the police facility to the public and K9 service dogs wowed the crowd with demonstrations of their abilities.
Officers from the Traffic Bureau showed off their skills by maneuvering their motorcycles through a challenging set of coned patterns along Euclid Street. Several retired police employees joined us for the open house, spending time reacquainting themselves with the community, their fellow retirees and our current officers.
The open house was a great event and we have already begun to plan for next year. For more information, call LHPD at 562-383-4300.
FIRE DEPARTMENT’S THIRD QUARTER INCIDENT STATS
The city contracts with the Los Angeles County Fire Department for fire and emergency services. We’ve enjoyed an excellent working relationship with LACFD since 2005 and our community has received fire service that is second to none.
During the third quarter (July 1 to Sept. 30), LACFD responded to 1,085 incidents in La Habra, of which 890 (82 percent) were rescue and emergency medical calls. Twenty incidents (1.8 percent) were fire calls.
The average response time for all incidents was 4 minutes, 29 seconds.
All La Habrans thank LACFD for its continuing “job well done.”
COUNCIL RECEIVES PRESENTATION ON COYOTES IN LA HABRA
During its Oct. 19 meeting, the City Council received a presentation from the Police Department and representatives from the California Fish and Wildlife Department regarding coyotes in La Habra and north Orange County. Several residents offered their testimony on interactions between coyotes and household pets.
The council directed staff to continue to educate the public about how to protect pets from coyotes, to continue to work with representatives from Fish and Wildlife and reach out to a licensed trapper to identify zones of potential heavy coyote activity in La Habra, develop a prospective plan for how the city could respond to those potential areas, and then report back to the council at a later date for further direction.
Staff is tentatively planning to deliver that report back to the council during its Nov. 16 meeting. For more information, contact the Police Department at 562-383-4300.
James Gomez is a councilman and former La Habra mayor. Reach him at 714-738-5926.