The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 365

J2 THURSDAY. MARCH 1. 1990 SE I ANGIXI'S Community Digest SCOPE Artesia for Some Families Is a Trip to Classroom Quality Time By TINA GRIEGO TIMES STAFF WRITER Larry Nix had not been back to school in 14 years, and he never expected that the day he finally returned he would find himself sitting in a circle singing the children's song, "Cheesecake, gobble gobble, cheesecake gobble gobble." But there he was, with wife Andrea, his two daughters Shante and Tiffany, and 15 other children he had never laid eyes on, watching a banjo-playing teacher who called himself Michael Jackson and referred to the rest of the class as the Jackson family. "This is fantastic," Nix said. "It makes you feel like a kid all over again." Nix, a 31 -year-old janitor, went to Washington Elementary School in Bellflower on a recent Saturday with his family to relearn some of the basic academic skills he had forgotten since graduating from Centennial High School in Compton.

What he got was his first computer lesson, a few sing-alongs with teacher Jim Lanners, a.k.a. Michael Jackson, a lecture on personal safety from the "Stranger Danger Lady" who warned the children against talking to strangers, and his first homework assignment since 1976: instructions for the family to create whatever they wanted from a bag of marshmallows, a box of Jell-0 and some toothpicks. The Nix family is among the first participants in a Bellflower Unified School District program for parents who do not have the money to go back to school and who are looking for a way to spend more time with their children, project coordinator Linda Bobkowski said. Every Saturday for half a day, parents and their children meet at Washington Elementary School, where they play together for one hour until parents separate to attend classes that hone their reading, writing and mathematics skills on a computer. Bobkowski calls the 14-week program Parent Partners and said it is the only program in Los Angeles County and perhaps Southern California designed to gel low-income families involved in school life.

Bobkowski said children are taught hygiene, self-esteem, good nutrition and personal safety, and their mothers and fathers learn basic parenting and academic skills. "How can the parents help their kids if they don't have the skills?" Bobkowski asked parents recently. "A lot of parents don't want to help their kids with schoolwork, because they don't know how to do it. It doesn't mean you are stupid or uneducated. It just means you need help in basic skills." HICK CORRALES Los Angeles Times Larry Nix is pleased that new Parent Partners program allows him to spend more time Eleven families have joined already, and Smith said that because the program is well under way no more families will be allowed to join.

On the first Saturday of the program, nine families with about 20 children gave up a sunny weekend morning to go to school, and no one seemed to mind. They came for different reasons; some to learn how to work with their children, some to show their children that they are interested in what they do at school, and some to brush up on academic skills. "It seems to help everybody all the way around," said Donna Rodgers, 53, who attended the classes with her daughter and 6-year-old grandson, Brian. "I've always wanted to learn the computer. If I had one at home, I could find something to do to supplement my income.

Anything would help." Third-grader Cheri Ballard, who was busy covering the classroom's frantic Council Asked to Speed Up Search for New Manager Interim City Manager Jerry Shuster has asked officials to speed up their search for a permanent chief administrator because he is ready to leave Artesia after four months in the position. Shuster, who is a retired finance director of Arcadia, has been interim city manager of Artesia since October. He replaced Lois O'Sulli-van, who resigned. Shuster, 59, said he took the job with the understanding he would not be there long. "I did not retire to go back to work full time," Shuster said.

He said he told the City Council two Jerry Shuster weeks ago to start a more vigorous search because he was leaving in 30 days. But Mayor Dennis Fellows said Shuster was persuaded to remain at least another 60 days, until someone is hired. Fellows said the council has received one applicant for the job. He said the council expects to start advertising in newspapers and government publications. Shuster is paid $40 an hour, but the salary for a permanent administrator is negotiable and depends on the person's experience.

Norwalk 'Secrets' Play About AIDS Presented at High School Most of the 1,900 students at John Glenn High School in Norwalk and some of their parents this week attended a presentation of "Secrets." a 40-minute play aimed at educating teen-agers about the dangers of AIDS. There were six performances by actors from Kaiser Permanente's health theater program. The actors are paid by Kaiser, while all performances are free. The program is based on true stories and gives information about transmission and prevention of the disease. After the play.

Kaiser medical personnel and the five actors answered questions from the audience. Because teen-agers are showing the same high-risk pattern of sexual and drug activities that caused the disease to spread among gay males in the early 1980s, new ways must be found to educate them, said Lydia Becerra, public affairs director for Kaiser. Johnna Moore, administrator for secondary education for the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District, praised the play. "It was really excellent." she said. "It covered in 40 minutes through music and dance information what would take a regular class a school quarter." Kaiser will be presenting the play on high school campuses throughout Southern California.

School districts desiring to see the play can get information at (818) 405-5517. Long Beach Cited Dog Owner Fails to Appear for Court Hearing A hearing over whether a woman must pay the city of Long Beach $7,000 for the care of more than 20 dogs seized from her home last summer has been postponed indefinitely and a bench warrant issued after the woman and her attorney failed to appear. The case of Joan Morcom and her dogs has been complicated by the fact that the city recently destroyed four of the animals, prompting Morcom to countercharge the city with illegal conduct. The animals were seized last August after city officials bulldozed Morcom's home in Alamitos Heights on the grounds that it was structurally unsound. During a recent hearing, Morcom pleaded no contest to charges that she had maintained the dogs in a hazardous and unhealthy manner.

In exchange, animal control officers assured her that the dogs would be held for adoption for at least 30 days. But four were destroyed before the 30 days were up because diseases or behavioral problems made it unlikely they would ever be placed in new homes, said Wayne Besenty, the city's senior animal control officer. Only 11 of the original dogs survived various diseases from which they were suffering when seized. Five of those have been placed in homes and two more remain in the city's animal shelter, awaiting adoption. Most Senior Member of Superior Court Will Retire Long Beach Superior Court Judge El-sworth M.

Beam, the most senior member of the Los Angeles Superior Court bench, has announced he will retire later this month, ending a 20-year judicial career that has seen murder cases become commonplace and caseloads swell with drug crimes. Born and reared in Long Beach, Beam practiced law in the city for 20 years until he was named to the Municipal Court bench March 20, 1970, by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. Two years later he was elevated to the Superior Court bench and is the only full-time judge hearing civil cases in the Long Beach courthouse. "I thought as judges we would have more with daughters Tiffany, left, and Shante.

gerbil with raw white rice, did not know much about her mother's being able to take classes, but said she was glad her mother was coming to school. "We never gel to see her that much," Cheri said. Cheri's mother, Sharon, said: "I wasn't sure what this program was going to be about," Ballard said. "I just knew I needed more communication and time with my daughters. This will give us a chance to have time together, I hope." For Mireya and Sebastian Cerda, Parent Partners is much more than being able to spend time with their 3-year-old daughter, Angela, or sitting down in front of a computer for the first time.

It is an indoctrination into American society, Mireya Cerda said. The couple moved to Bellflower from Chile about 1 years ago. "We come from another culture," she said. "We are learning two things. We are learning about the society and we are learning to be parents." South Gate Officer Honored for Work in Recovering Stolen Cars Officer Michael Flanagan of the South Gate Police Department has received the California Highway Patrol's distinguished "10851" award, which recognizes officers for recovering stolen automobiles and arresting suspects.

Flanagan recovered at least 12 stolen vehicles and arrested three suspected car thieves during 1989. Flanagan was recently presented a "10851" pin and a plaque by the Automobile Club of Southern California, a program sponsor. Police officers arrest suspects for stealing vehicles under the California Vehicle Code 10851. Flanagan, 34, has Flanagan been with the 91 -officer South Gate department for 12 years, working as a patrolman, traffic officer and investigator of stolen autos. Like many areas in the state, South Gate has a big problem with auto thefts, Capt.

George B. Troxcil said. A department goal is to reduce the number of such thefts in the city this year, Troxcil said. In 1989, there were 1,356 vehicles stolen, or 17.12 thefts per 1,000 residents, according to the South Gate police. During the first meeting of Parent Partners in a classroom with crooked Valentine hearts pasted on the windows and wooden dinosaur toys scattered about.

Nix grabbed the chance to relearn what he said he did not learn well in the first place math, reading and writing. "This is a chance for me to make up for it," he said. Bobkowski said the program is modeled after a federal program known as Even Start. It is Bobkowski's hope that Parent Partners will eventually be funded by a federal grant. The $4,000 project was coordinated by Bobkowski, Merwyn Smith, director of adult education programs, and Maryann Suggs, director of child development programs.

It is supported by federal funds for poverty level families. "We want to make sure that when parents are learning, kids are learning, too." Suggs said. Compton Retired Police Chief Called Back for Interim Duty James Carrington. who retired as chief of police in Compton in 1985, is putting on his uniform again. City Manager Howard Caldwell announced Wednesday that he has named Carrington to serve as interim chief until a new chief is selected to replace Ivory Webb, who is retiring this week.

Carrington was chief from 1980 to 1985, when Webb was promoted. Carrington began his law enforcement career with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in 1960 and switched to Compton in 1962. Carrington's interim appointment is for 60 days. The city, according to a statement from Caldwell, is expected to name a new chief by May 1. It is recruiting nationwide for candidates.

Cudahy 1,001 Sign Petition for Councilman Fregeau Recall Organizers of a recall campaign against Cudahy Councilman Joseph Fregeau have gathered more than enough signatures to force a special election if the petition is approved by the city. Acting City Manager Jack Joseph said the Committee for Good Government on Monday turned in a petition with 1.001 signatures supporting a recall election. RICK CORRALES Los Angeles Times Parents and children sit In a circle on classroom floor at Washington Elementary School in Bellflower as group's teacher, Linda Bobkowski, recites a story. Sharon Ballard's two daughters, Cheri, left, and Shannon, watch as Jay Miller, right, is smothered with loving hugs from her children, Charles and Joanna. Joseph said 809 valid signatures are needed for the petition to qualify.

The city has 30 days to verify the signatures, he said. The committee last September launched a recall campaign against Fregeau and Councilman John Robertson after they voted to switch the city's law enforcement service from the Bell Police Department to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The recall against Robertson was dropped recently. Committee member Georgia Scrivner called the day the petition was turned in the "greatest day of my life." Downey Council Calls for Halt to Aerial Malathion Spraying The Downey City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved a resolution calling for a halt to aerial malathion spraying to combat the crop-destroying Mediterranean fruit fly. About 25 sign-carrying residents demonstrated outside City Hall before the council meeting.

The organizer of a new group called Downey Citizens Against Malathion praised the council but urged stronger action. Eight cities in the Southeast area have passed similar advisory resolutions. "We'll be back to ask them to file a lawsuit," organizer Catherine Neumann said. time for reflection. We don't.

It's just one case after another," Beam, 67. said in a recent interview in his chambers. When he began practicing law at the age of 27, murder cases were considered rare and glamorous. In recent years, however, there have been times when murder was the subject of every case in trial in the Long Beach Superior Court, he said. Despite a crack cocaine epidemic that has burdened the judicial system to the breaking point and civil cases that wait in line five years for an open courtroom, Beam concludes that "the system works.

We are pretty flexible as a people. We seem to come up with some kind of solution. I expect the use of rock cocaine will drop off. I don't know what else will take its place. I keep my fingers crossed on that." Bell 5 Police Officers Honored for Recovering Stolen Cars Five Bell police officers have been honored by the Automobile Club of Southern California for recovering 158 stolen cars last year.

Officer Mike Stark received the club's highest award for making 16 arrests of suspects who were driving stolen vehicles and recovering 89 stolen cars in five months last year. Said Bell Police Chief Manuel Ortega: "Stark has got this work down to a science." Sgt. Brad. Hooper and Officers Dave Reed, Ray Saez and Andy Probst also received awards..