Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019 Vol. 18 No. 24 HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH FEATURES EYE ON OUR SCHOOLS NEWS U.S. Army celebrates Seniors show Message from City redesigns its diversity their talents board president website SEE PAGES 2 SEE PAGE 8 SEE PAGE 14 SEE PAGE 4 Boosters Downey restaurant paid for grades Yoly’s Mexican Kitchen 9009 Gallatin Rd. Hawaii trip, Date Inspected: 9/17/19 Grade: A FridayWeekend82˚ Kaowok Chinese Kitchen at a DUSD says 12002 Lakewood Blvd. Glance Date Inspected: 9/16/19 Saturday 89˚⁰ DOWNEY - The Downey Friday 68 High football team’s recent trip Grade: A to Hawaii for a scrimmage game against Kapolei was entirely Jimmy John’s booster paid, said an official at 12018 Lakewood Blvd. Sunday 89˚70⁰ Downey Unified School District. Date Inspected: 9/16/19 Saturday According to Public Relations Grade: A Coordinator Ashley Greaney, the football program’s boosters Tacos El Grullo THINGS TO DO had two years to raise $130,000, 8446 Telegraph Rd. which covered expenses for the Date Inspected: 9/12/19 team, coaching staff, and all Grade: A other team personnel. Ben Dickow, left, and Assemblymember Cristina Garcia celebrate $5.8 million in funding recently Chris’s Best Anyone else who wished to approved for the Columbia Memorial Space Center. attend were required to pay their 9180 Telegraph Rd. own way, officials said. Date Inspected: 9/12/19 Grade: A According to Greaney, Superintendent Dr. John Garcia Jack in the Box Keep Downey Beautiful and school board member Donald Downey’s space center 8140 Telegraph Rd. Clean-Up La Plante attended the game, with Garcia paying for himself Date Inspected: 9/12/19 Saturday - Rio San Gabriel Park, 9 am and La Plante in the area for a Grade: A Spend one hour with other volunteers separate event. cleaning up the San Gabriel River. Meet Rancho Works Cafe and Gift in the park’s north parking lot. The scrimmage was part of an is poised for expansion Shop agreement with Kapolei, which 7601 Imperial Hwy. saw their team travel to Downey Date Inspected: 9/12/19 last year. Flush with $5 million in Grade: A Along with the game, the trip state funding, the science included educational excursions, Jim’s Burgers including a visit to Pearl Harbor museum is starting a 7322 Firestone Blvd. and the USS Arizona memorials. capital campaign to fund a Date Inspected: 9/11/19 Alex Dominguez, staff writer major expansion. Grade: A International Food & Music Puruvian Kitchen Festival By Eric Pierce 11408 Old River School Rd. Editor Saturday - Downtown Downey, Date Inspected: 9/11/19 4-10 pm DOWNEY - When Nader Grade: A Six live bands, food trucks, beer and Students Moghaddam first arrived in wine garden, festival attractions, face Downey in January 2005, he Los Cabos Mexican Seafood Grill painters, henna artists, caricature wasn’t initially impressed. and Cantina artists, and more fun. urged to 11402 Old River School Rd. He had just been hired as Date Inspected: 9/11/19 CEO of Financial Partners Credit Union and Imperial Highway, Grade: A with its six wide lanes and learn about PHOTO BY ALEX DOMINGUEZ zero landscaping, resembled a Carl’s Jr landing strip. There were few The Columbia Memorial Space Center is expected to draw nearly 9110 Imperial Hwy. good restaurant options. 100,000 visitors this year, a record for the 10-year-old facility. Date Inspected: 9/10/19 service Grade: A “My first day in Downey I had Of that money, $800,000 The board will spend the next lunch at Norm’s,” he recently is earmarked for programming 3-4 months evaluating their The Boys Burgers Montebello Art Fest recalled. “It was the only place and the purchase of a 3D printer fundraising options. Possibilities 9090 E Imperial Hwy. Saturday - Montebello Park, 12-6 pm academies that I recognized.” and audio/visual system. The include a mix of private donations Date Inspected: 9/10/19 remaining funds are allocated for and corporate sponsorships, 100-plus vendors, live music, live art A lot has changed in those demonstrations, car show, workshops, an expansion of the 20,000 sq. ft. grants, collaborations with Grade: A By Carol Kearns 14 years. Retail centers and food trucks, and celebrity guests. Contributor restaurants have opened at a space center facility. local aerospace companies, and an appeal to former aerospace Kaiser Cafe torrent pace over the past decade, Construction is not 12254 Bellflower Blvd. DOWNEY - High school and Downey invested millions workers. students interested in attending imminent, however. Officials Date Inspected: 9/9/19 of dollars in the construction of plan to use the $5 million as seed “If we can get the type of one of the five U.S. military the Columbia Memorial Space Grade: A service academies will have an money as part of a larger capital funding we think we can get, two Center. It’s a nod to Downey’s campaign. or three times what we got here, opportunity to ask questions cemented place in aerospace El Chilito Restaurant from Congresswoman Lucille then we can do something really history and serves as the nation’s “The biggest question is how spectacular,” Moghaddam said. 12812 Paramount Blvd. Roybal-Allard on Saturday, Sept. official memorial to the Space we leverage the $5 million to Date Inspected: 9/9/19 28, at City Hall, 9 –10:30 a.m. Shuttle Columbia, the orbiter ultimately a different number,” Ben Dickow, president of the Grade: A Harvest Festival Family members are lost in 2003, killing seven crew said Moghaddam, who chairs the space center, said the expansion All Weekend - OC Fair & Event Center encouraged to attend as well. members. space center’s board of directors. could house the full-size Captain Don’s Liquor “Because if you’re just doing a space shuttle mock-up in the Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. 12818 Paramount Blvd. Shop from hundreds of vendors selling The space center is $5 million improvement, it will city’s possession. The wooden No RSVP is required. Date Inspected: 9/9/19 handmade fine jewelry, food, blown celebrating its 10th birthday this be very limited. And as much structure was built by North glass, wood art, metalwork, and more. The application process is year and it just received a heck of as it would make the center American Rockwell in 1972 and Grade: A rigorous for students seeking to a present: $5.8 million, courtesy more expansive, it would not later gifted to Downey when attend the four-year academies of Assemblymember Cristina be an expansion that is awe- La Pupuseria Del Pepetoo of West Point, Annapolis, the Air Garcia, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and inspiring.” Continued on page 4 7939 E Imperial Hwy. Force, Merchant Marine, or the California taxpayers. Date Inspected: 9/9/19 Coast Guard. These academies are Grade: A ranked among the top colleges in the country and have highly Ralph’s Deli selective acceptance rates. 8626 Firestone Blvd. Roybal-Allard explains that Alpha Omega Con promotes harmony Date Inspected: 9/6/19 Latin Music Festival she hosts this annual workshop Grade: A for her constituents because Saturday - MainPlace Mall in Santa “I think this is really, really between Christian and non-Christian “geeks” Ralph’s Meat Dept. Ana, 1-6 pm important. It’s an incredible 8626 Firestone Blvd. A pop-up festival featuring live music, opportunity for young people Date Inspected: 9/6/19 ballet folklorico performances, food who want to go into the military.” vendors, a margarita truck, photo Alpha Omega Con takes place Alpha Omega Con provides a Grade: A booth, lawn games, and more. Admission to one of the Saturday at First Baptist Church pop culture experience with academies is the equivalent of of Downey. “We are Christians an intimate, family-friendly Southern California Gas Co. receiving a four-year college setting, complete with vendors, 9240 Firestone Blvd. who are just geeks.” scholarship that covers tuition, professional cosplay, and panels. Date Inspected: 9/5/19 TWEET OF THE WEEK room and board, and even Attendees will find many of Grade: A provides a small stipend. Roybal- By Alex Dominguez @CityofDowney: Don’t miss the heroes they know and love like Allard estimates the full value of your chance to meet author Staff Writer Thor, Spiderman, and Batman. Granny’s Donut this free education to be in the Gary Soto on Thursday, neighborhood of $200,000. While some religious themes do 8534 Paramount Blvd. DOWNEY - Alpha Omega run throughout the convention, Date Inspected: 9/4/19 September 26, 2019 from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm at the Columbia Cadets and midshipmen Con, the self-proclaimed first event organizer Ralph Miley says Grade: A graduate as commissioned and longest running Christian that the convention itself is more Memorial Space Center. officers with a Bachelor of comic book/pop culture about enjoying comic book and Gloria’s Country Butcher Science degree. convention in the United States, pop culture genre while sparking For more information please 12161 Paramount Blvd. will be held this Saturday at dialogue. call 562-904-7363. Date Inspected: 9/3/19 Downey’s First Baptist Church. Continued on page 7 Comic book writer Buzz Dixon Continued on page 4 Grade: A Follow us on Twitter at: Now in its sixth year, is scheduled to appear at Alpha Twitter.com/DowneyPatriot Omega Con this Saturday. 2 | The Downey Patriot Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019 Hispanic Americans: A history of serving our nation Hispanics have a long month celebration is because an American. Hispanics fought cover, only to September 15 is the day Costa on both sides in the Civil War.