Learn more about in-home care options for your loved ones

Given the choice, most of us want to stay in our homes. Sometimes, people need help to remain at home. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.

Personal Care Consultation

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TESTIMONIALS

“Carrie is amazing. Very knowledgeable about Senior living, lifestyle, and care. Super responsive and phenomenal follow up. An incredible resource for all things "Senior".”

Richard W.
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TESTIMONIALS

“My dad came home from the hospital, then to hospice care for 4 months, then passed at home. Carrie helped our family during multiple transitions of his care. She is professional and efficient, but also compassionate and empathic. She was a core contact for our family from in- and out-of town, and always responded quickly to calls, emails or txts. Dad's caregiver needs and schedules were ever-changing and Carrie was always able to adjust, helping us to coordinate needs from hospice and family. We are so thankful Dad was able to spend his last months at home. We continue to use Carrie’s services for our mom. The caregivers are trained well and often became friends to my folks. I highly recommend Carrie’s services.”

Vicky P.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Always Best Care was there for us after my wife's surgery. We had a caregiver come each day for two weeks to help bath, feed, walk, and tidy the house during working hours so that my wife was not alone. Our caregiver Naomi was a God sent and so delightful. I often overheard my wife and Naomi singing together. What a joy! Thank you Carrie and ABC Senior Services for making this service available to Beach Cities.”

Cedric T.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Carrie demonstrated a level of professionalism that stood out, and her service and follow through made our experience with Always Best Care Senior Services stress free. We had a unique situation that required a specific type of caregiver and Carrie was able to make a great match! Overall a great experience.”

Lauren D.
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TESTIMONIALS

“I would highly recommend Always Best Care Senior Servicesto help you navigate the care of your loved ones in their senior years of need. We called them when we found out my 92 year old mother in law was due to be released from the hospital but clearly not able to care for herself upon her release. It was a stressful situation but carrie knew exactly the right questions to ask and heard our needs and pointed us in the right direction with all that needed to be done. She set up a call with hospice who arranged for all necessary equipment to be delivered in less than a 24 hour period. She also set up 3 very competent experienced care givers to be at the home in that same 24 hour period. The speed and professionalism in which this all happened could not have handled any better in my opinion. Working with Carrie at Always Best Care Senior Services put our minds at ease and got everything set up for us to care for my mother in law. Carrie was hands on in meeting with us and introducing the care givers and involved with speaking to doctors and hospice and everyone involved with my mother in laws care. She made a highly stressful time much more manageable and guided us every step of the way. She also followed up and made sure all that was supposed to be done was being taken care of. You are in good hands when calling on them for your loved ones care. I am happy to speak to anyone directly if you would like to ask any questions I give my permission for Always Best Care to give my personal phone number out to speak to anyone who is considering using their services.”

Randi E.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Carrie is very caring, worked with us to get the best caregiver match for my parents, was able to schedule someone when we needed a caregiver on short notice and she always made suggestions to us to help make things better and more comfortable for my parents.”

Lissen G.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Excellent service. Professional staff and wonderful caregivers.”

Elizabeth B.
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TESTIMONIALS

“We have had 24/7 care for my mother with ABC for over 2 years. The care and compassion they showed for her really touched my heart. I have had to ask for last minute help when another caregiver (not from ABC) could not show up for a shift, Carrie and staff always came through for me. She has always been available to work out problems and last minute requests, I can't say enough about how important that has been to me when I live out of state.I have really been able to rely on their judgement once they got to know my moms likes and needs, they always tried to match her with a caregiver that she would also feel comfortable with personally.The caregivers were long term, they did not come and go, mom really became attached and appreciated them. The caregivers speak highly about Carrie as their employer, they have mentioned to me they really feel like she cares and looks after them as well. Touches like Loli dropping by for a visit to chat with mom, or remembering her birthday with a bunch of flowers was so great. I would definitely recommend!”

Cindy P.
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TESTIMONIALS

“We are deeply grateful to Carrie and to two of the ABC caregivers in particular, María Flores and Soledad, for their professionalism, dedication and superb service over the course of nearly two years. They provided coverage on evening shifts on weekends and some weekdays —as well as on occasional overnight shifts— for my mother who was in the early-to-moderate stages of Alzheimer’s. (We recently moved her into an assisted living facility.) Because our need for ABC's services was sporadic and variable, Carrie and her staff often had to juggle quite a bit to accommodate us — for which we are grateful. Occasionally we’d be assigned a caregiver who wasn’t the best fit but Carrie was always responsive to our concerns and would work with us to find a different caregiver. We also appreciate the “added value” that Loli brought to the table — her overall expertise on elder care, knowledge about related resources, and guidance on how to make our home safer for my mother. We are pleased to highly recommend Carrie and ABC for your in-home eldercare needs.”

Chris C.
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TESTIMONIALS

“I needed to find an assisted living community for my dad in a hurry, and knew that I didn't have as much time as I'd like to do all of the research on my own. I was very relieved when I found Carrie to help us as a consultant for our search. She was very detail-oriented in acquiring the necessary info from us, and helped us to find a few places with availability that we could visit. I very much appreciated her knowledge of so many various communities, her professionalism, her efficiency, and the wide range of items that she suggested we consider, that we may not have thought of on our own. I would highly recommend her placement services.”

Anna H.
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TESTIMONIALS

“reliable with excellent oversight”

John W.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Always Best Care was an excellent caregiving service for the short time they tended to my ailing mother, a late-stage pancreatic cancer patient. She passed away shortly after we began the caregiving service. In the short time that Always Best Care tended to my mother, the caregiver Maria demonstrated excellent experience. She tended well to my mother and assisted in any other way that she could. Thank you Maria and Always Best Care for your service. I wish you all the kindness and wellness in the world. Colin”

Colin P.
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TESTIMONIALS

“This was a wonderful experience. The care giver did a fantastic job taking care of my mother. I would recommend them to anyone. The care giver was kind, helpful, and provided all the help we needed. Their service was instrumental in my mother being able to get her independence.”

Mary K.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Outstanding service. I would recommend Manhattan Beach Always Best Care to anyone who needs to have care for a family member. I've had personal experience with Carrie’s organization and was very impressed with her and her caretakers.”

Judy H.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Carrie and Best Care was the perfect fit to take care of Mom for the last 2 years. Carrie insured that we had the wonderful and attentive care givers. I never had to worry about Mom. I knew she had the best care and was able to stay in her home because of the care and support provided. I would recommend Carrie and Best Care to all her are looking for care for someone they love. Thanks for everything.”

Nancy J.
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TESTIMONIALS

“I needed to find someone for taking care of my mom without being worried. When I talked to Carrie I got the feeling she understood and she went through A to Z on everything with me. Care and quality care is truly what she delivers.”

Ara A.
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TESTIMONIALS

“I can't say enough good things about Always Best Care! Carrie is so professional. She was able to find a great caregiver for my Grandmother on very short notice. The communication has been outstanding as well. When it comes to family, you want to know that they are being taken care of by someone that you can trust. We are so happy to have found Always Best Care.”

Shannon S.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Carrie did a great job finding just the right place and the best overall fit. Her perseverance made the coupling of client and home happen.”

David S.
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TESTIMONIALS

“I've had only the best experience with Always Best Care. Even on short notice, Carrie was able to provide professional caregivers who were thorough, thoughtful, and kind. Thank you, Carrie. Mike Mayo”

cardplayindude
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TESTIMONIALS

“Always Best Care and Carrie Bianco go above and beyond the call of duty to really find the perfect fit for your loved one at a price that is affordable. Their customer service and attention to detail is unparalleled.”

Alison J.
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TESTIMONIALS

“I can't say enough good things about Always Best Care! Carrie is so professional. She was able to find a great caregiver for my Grandmother on very short notice. The communication has been outstanding as well. When it comes to family, you want to know that they are being taken care of by someone that you can trust. We are so happy to have found Always Best Care.”

Shannon S.
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TESTIMONIALS

“What a pleasure to meet Carrie and be introduced to her at Always Best Care Senior Services. Rarely have a met someone that offered so much warmth, care, and genuine concern for the well-being and happiness of her clients. Carrie will be my first call when my family members need assistance.”

Lisa H.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Carrie truly cares about her clients and their families. She is compassionate professional”

Ed M.
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TESTIMONIALS

“When it comes to family, you want only the best, most loving, respectful and attentive care. When it comes to having caregivers in your home, you want to know that you have people who are honest and trustworthy. Carrie and her team of professional caregivers answered the call in every way for our family and exceeded our expectations for in-home care. Our requirement for in-home care for my father-in-law arose suddenly. Carrie personally worked with us to evaluate our situation and provide professional and supportive caregivers quickly. The caregivers were all warm, responsive to our unique needs and respectful. They had experience in elder care and helped our family through a difficult period. When, due to illness, we required “around the clock” care, Carrie was able to accommodate the same day with additional overnight care professionals. I will always be grateful to Always Best Care. Leslie Ball”

1bionicleking
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TESTIMONIALS

“Carrie You are the BEST!!!! I cannot began to tell you how much I/we appreciate your follow-though, your since of urgency and your hard work in searching for the best possible placement, price and location, for my Mom. Your constant updates/communications with me really adds to a piece of mind just knowing that someone, like you, is aggressively looking for a solution. What you do and how you do it is invaluable!!! You really cannot put a price on the type of passion and caring you exude. We could not have made it through this process without you! There needs to be more people like you in this word. Thank you so much for what you do!!! It’s been a real pleasure Deborah (Debbie) J. Augborne-Allen”

Adrian M.
 In-Home Care Lomita, CA

How does In-home Senior Care in Lomita, CA work?

Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it's especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.

The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.

At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one ages, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.

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 Senior Care Lomita, CA

Aging in Place: The Preferred Choice for Most Seniors

While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit.

In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a unfamiliar assisted living community, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.

Here are just a few of the reasons why older men and women prefer to age at home:

Comfort
Comfort

How much does a senior's home truly mean to them? A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old. With the help of elderly care in Lomita, CA, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.

Healthy Living
Healthy Living

Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors. Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.

Independence
Independence

For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like an assisted living community. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.

Cost and Convenience
Cost and Convenience

More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, can be less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.

With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care in Lomita, CA gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.

Empowers Seniors

Affordable Care Plans

In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.

Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.

At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.

In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:

Veteran's Benefits
Veteran's Benefits

Attendance and aid benefits through military service can cover a portion of the costs associated with in-home care for veterans and their spouses.

Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-Term Care Insurance

Many senior care services like in-home care are included in long-term care insurance options. Research different long-term care solutions to find a plan that provides coverage for senior care.

Private Insurance
Private Insurance

Home care can be included as part of a senior's private insurance plan. Read over your loved one's insurance policy carefully or speak with their insurance provider to determine if in-home care is covered.

Life Insurance
Life Insurance

Depending on the life insurance plan, you may be able to apply your policy toward long-term care. You may be able to use long-term-care coverage to help pay for in-home elderly care.


Respite Care Lomita, CA

During your Care Plan consultation with Always Best Care, your Care Coordinator will speak with you about in-home care costs and what options there may be to help meet your budget needs.

Compassionate Care. Trusted Caregivers

When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.

Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.

At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Lomita,CA understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.

Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.

Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.

 Caregivers Lomita, CA

Taking the First Step with Always Best Care

The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:

An assessment of your senior loved one

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An in-depth discussion of the needs of your senior loved one to remain in their own home

02

Reviewing a detailed Care Plan that will meet your senior loved one's needs

03

Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.

If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.

When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.

Latest News in Lomita, CA

South Bay History: Lomita Flight Strip in Torrance housed relocated Japanese Americans after World War II

I want to explore in greater detail what I mentioned in a post awhile back regarding the government’s use of Torrance Municipal Airport, then known as the Lomita Flight Strip, to house Japanese Americans returning from internment camps following World War II.During the war, the government owned the Lomita Flight Strip, and had been using it for training Army Air Corps pilots. Barracks for trainees had been built on its western end.The Army left at war’s end and the government gave the site to the city of Torrance, b...

I want to explore in greater detail what I mentioned in a post awhile back regarding the government’s use of Torrance Municipal Airport, then known as the Lomita Flight Strip, to house Japanese Americans returning from internment camps following World War II.

During the war, the government owned the Lomita Flight Strip, and had been using it for training Army Air Corps pilots. Barracks for trainees had been built on its western end.

The Army left at war’s end and the government gave the site to the city of Torrance, but retained control of the airstrip temporarily.

The return of the more than 110,000 relocated Japanese Americans from internment camps posed a variety of logistical problems for the U.S. government. Houses, land and possessions had been taken from many of them, and some of them were ill.

The agency in charge, the War Relocation Authority, had to find temporary quarters for the internees, more than half of whom were U.S. citizens, while they were attempting to re-assimilate back into society.

The WRA decided, in September 1945, to house about 125 Japanese American internees from about 78 families in the barracks at the flight strip. They were returning from Camp Granada in Colorado, the first internment camp to close. All the camps had been ordered closed by Oct. 15 because of government budget cuts.

The Lomita Flight Strip encampment was the first of 16 regional relocation centers in the greater Los Angeles area to be used for resettlement staging.

Leslie Lahr, commander of the Lomita post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, protested immediately. The VFW felt that all available temporary housing, including the flight strip, should be used for returning U.S. servicemen instead.

Regardless of the objection, the first families moved into the barracks on Oct. 8, 1945. Only families in good health were accepted; those who were ill, aged or indigent were referred to local welfare agencies.

Life in the barracks wasn’t all that different in some ways than life in the camps had been. The grounds were secured at all times by armed guards, for example. But this time, they really were there to protect the former internees from unauthorized visitors.

A San Pedro News Pilot article from Oct. 8, 1945, described the accommodations as follows:

“The flight strip barracks, set aside by the WRA, are essentially unchanged from army quarters. Carpenters have divided the empty barracks into partitioned cubicles. These have been furnished with army cots and mattresses. Cooking will be done army style, with the families eating in mess halls. Washing will be done in a community wash room equipped with hot water boilers and wash trays. It is expected that barracks will be heated with oil stoves.”

For this, the internees had to pay monthly rent, as well as pay for meals.

Over the next few months, families arrived from former internment camps all over the West, including the Colorado River camp near Poston, Arizona; the Tule Lake camp in California, near the Oregon border; and the Hart Mountain camp in Wyoming.

Additional trailers were brought in to handle the overflow at the temporary camp, which grew to more than 1,000 residents by early 1946. About one-third of the residents were children, who were placed in area schools.

Most went to Walteria Elementary at first before being moved to different schools to reduce crowding. Walteria had to hold classes in the auditorium and eventually build two additional classrooms to handle the initial rush of students.

The WRA brought an employment counselor on site to help the able-bodied find work. Some returned to agricultural jobs on South Bay and Palos Verdes Peninsula farms, while others found work as domestics or in local industries.

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Residents of the Lomita Flight Strip temporary camp head to the mess hall for a meal. The camp provided trailer and barracks-type quarters for returnees while they were locating jobs and permanent homes. Photo by Tom Parker, November 1945. (Credit: Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley via Online Archive of California

The numbers of those remaining at the camp began to dwindle during the spring of 1946. The WRA announced it would close the facility by July 1. Many families eventually were moved to the Winona Housing Project trailer camp, at Hollywood Way and Winona Avenue, in Burbank.

The last families left the flight strip barracks on June 28, with some going to on-site training centers at Cal-Sea Food Co. in Harbor City and the rest to flower grower Fred H. King’s farm in Torrance.

With the barracks now empty, James Caldwell, head of the Torrance Area Veterans Service Center, began his fight to allow returning war vets to use the barracks as temporary housing.

After initial resistance from the Torrance City Council, he succeeded. Veterans began moving into the barracks in August 1947, using them as temporary housing until they could find jobs and places to live.

After that, Torrance’s National Guard units occupied the barracks and additional ones trucked in from Fort MacArthur, while they were based at the airport temporarily from 1948 to 1950, before the permanent National Guard armory in Torrance was built.

The often-used buildings finally were removed in favor of new hangars after the city of Torrance took control of airport management on April 1, 1958.

Sources: “Correspondence on Resettlement Assistance,” Department of Social Welfare – War Services Bureau, California State Archives Exhibits; Daily Breeze files; San Pedro News Pilot files; Torrance Herald files; Wikipedia.

Clean, Locally Sourced Water Could Make a Comeback in Lomita by 2022

LOMITA, Calif. — For the last seven years, Lomita resident Brenda Stephens has been advocating for better, locally sourced tap water."It’s nice to be able to turn it on without having it smell really bad," Stephens said. "My plants like it."What You Need To Know According to Stephens, the smell and taste of the water has been off-putting for years."When I would turn on my kitchen faucet or I would run my washing machine, I had to open all the doors and windows...

LOMITA, Calif. — For the last seven years, Lomita resident Brenda Stephens has been advocating for better, locally sourced tap water.

"It’s nice to be able to turn it on without having it smell really bad," Stephens said. "My plants like it."

What You Need To Know

According to Stephens, the smell and taste of the water has been off-putting for years.

"When I would turn on my kitchen faucet or I would run my washing machine, I had to open all the doors and windows because it smelled like sewer. It smelled like some of the, like, the toilet had backed up and just sat there for months."

Following a long history of water quality issues, plus the detection of benzene in 2019, the city of Lomita’s Cypress Water Production Facility has remained offline. The city currently outsources its water supply. For Stephens, it’s been a break from water issues.

“It is really important to be able to go to my faucet and pull a glass of water that I feel confident and safe drinking,” she said.

In late 2019, Stephens and other Lomita residents took part in a CWPF tour that showcased how a new filtration system will alleviate the city’s locally-sourced water problems and bring the facility back online, safely. The city of Lomita received a $2 million grant from the Water Replenishment District’s Safe Drinking Water program.

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Crews are now beginning to install the long-awaited filtration system. If everything goes as planned, City Manager Ryan Smoot believes the CWPF could be back online by spring 2022.

"For a small community to be able to control its future with a regard to water is a really, really big thing," said Smoot. "And this project allows us to do that. It allows us to be drought-resilient. It allows us to not have to rely on imported connections and produce safe healthy drinking water for decades to come."

Now serving as a planning commissioner with the city, Stephens hopes this will be the answer to Lomita's water problems.

“I think it’s a great thing for this city if, in fact, this new system does what it’s supposed to do, and we can be assured that we have quality drinking water,” she said.

Until then, Stephens remains hopeful that she’ll finally be able to enjoy clean, locally sourced water — straight from the tap.

Lemonade stands making a comeback in South Bay city

LOMITA, Calif. — More than 37 lemonade stands featuring custom drink menus, props and even a chicken mascot named "Lemon" popped up all across Lomita on Aug. 7.The sweet business venture is part of a program to help youths in the area learn more about what’s needed to build their own business. One of the young entrepreneurs is Brianna Garcia who, with the help of neighbors, received both donated and freshly squeezed lemon juice to create her stand, ...

LOMITA, Calif. — More than 37 lemonade stands featuring custom drink menus, props and even a chicken mascot named "Lemon" popped up all across Lomita on Aug. 7.

The sweet business venture is part of a program to help youths in the area learn more about what’s needed to build their own business. One of the young entrepreneurs is Brianna Garcia who, with the help of neighbors, received both donated and freshly squeezed lemon juice to create her stand, Bri’s Frozen Lemonade. She might have also had the perfect selection for the hot summer day.

What You Need To Know

"I have frozen lemonade in four different flavors," Brianna said. "We have strawberry, mango, peach and original."

Each lemonade Brianna sold helped her learn what it takes to start up her own business. She also learned pretty quickly that it wasn’t as easy as she first thought.

“They need money to keep growing like every business, and that a lot of them might not have money,” she said. “But that changes when they grow into a bigger business.”

Brianna is one of about 50 young entrepreneurs who took part in the first annual Lemonade Day led by the Lomita Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the City of Lomita. The program taught her and other youths how to pitch for a micro loan, market their product and learn about business expenses.

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Many stands opted to donate some or most of their proceeds to specific causes. Heidi Butzine with the Chamber of Commerce was hopeful that this will be an inspiration for future small businesses in the city.

“They are learning these entrepreneurial and business principles that any business owner would need to know in order to start a business and keep it running,” Butzine said. “So I’m just excited that the Chamber can inspire this in our young people.”

That day, Brianna wasn’t sure how much she would sell. But her final total came out to more than $1,500 worth of lemonade.

“It feels pretty good because I get more money to donate to the Marine Mammal Care Center, and I absolutely just love animals,” she said.

After making up for business expenses and her hard work, Brianna donated over $700 to the center. While she might not be ready to open her own full-time small business just yet, the experience is helping her see the sweet side of one day being her own boss.

Lomita Residents Now Part of Torrance Contamination Zone

LOMITA, Calif. - Recently, some Lomita residents have been thinking twice about the water they drink and the air they breathe. Seth Brownlie is one of them.“I grew up in Michigan around Flint. So, it definitely gets me thinking of that. I don’t want Lomita to become the situation they are dealing with,” Brownlie said.That’s probably why he also sticks to bottled water.Brownlie’s home is near the source of a groundwater and...

LOMITA, Calif. - Recently, some Lomita residents have been thinking twice about the water they drink and the air they breathe. Seth Brownlie is one of them.

“I grew up in Michigan around Flint. So, it definitely gets me thinking of that. I don’t want Lomita to become the situation they are dealing with,” Brownlie said.

That’s probably why he also sticks to bottled water.

Brownlie’s home is near the source of a groundwater and soil vapor contamination site in Torrance that spread east to the City of Lomita. The groundwater that’s contaminated isn’t the same source that the city uses for drinking water. But the odorless soil vapors could impact the air residents breathe in the vicinity of 245th Street to 250th Street, extending to Pennsylvania Avenue.

This area is just a short drive from Brownlie’s home.

“You have to breathe air and if there’s problems with the ground contamination or the vapors and things like that, then it’s definitely concerning,” Brownlie said.“You have to breathe air and if there’s problems with the ground contamination or the vapors and things like that, then it’s definitely concerning,” Brownlie said.

The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board required the industrial Hi-Shear Corporation to collect more samples and data to understand how far these contaminants have spread.

Here’s what the water board knows so far.

The contamination stems from high levels of TCE and PCE — two compounds that were used by the Hi-Shear Corporation in the past to degrease metal. Stephen Van Der Hoven is a hydrogeologist consultant for Hi-Shear, he said the contaminants haven’t been used by the corporation in decades.

However, the compounds have contaminated the groundwater flowing toward the City of Lomita, but it’s not the same source as the city’s drinking water. Plus, the water is currently being imported from another area. Officials with the water board said the water is safe to drink.

Officials are also investigating six other industrial sites along Skypark Drive that might have used the same chemicals as a contributing factor. Renee Purdy is an executive officer on the water board. As she described a map of the contamination areas, she explained how there are many unknowns regarding how far the contaminants have spread.

“It’s fairly well known in the area of the site itself but what these dotted lines mean is that we don’t yet know the extent of the contamination laterally into the City of Lomita,” Purdy said.

Officials believe the source of the contamination is coming from the Hi-Shear site. Hoven said Hi-Shear has removed over 100,000 pounds of contamination from the Torrance site so far and they continue do so.

But the cleanup on-site and in the communities will be ongoing as they continue to negotiate a permit with the City of Lomita to install soil probes and groundwater well monitoring sites throughout the city to understand the depth and distance the contaminants have reached.

“We’re moving forward as quickly as we can. The investigative phase that we are just about to conduct will take about three to four months to complete and then from that, we will then take appropriate actions, in terms of, do we need to do additional investigation? Do we have enough information to now start cleaning up the site? But it’s going to be on the order of years,” Hoven said.

According to the Centers For Disease Control, moderate to large amounts of exposure from TCE could result in dizziness, headaches, coma, and more severely, death. Since these chemicals are travelling as a gas, water board officials said residents in these areas could ventilate their homes as they gather more information on the contamination and assess cleanup sites.

For residents like Brownlie, that could be another three to four months before samples are fully analyzed.

“I think we’ll wait and see how this plays out. I’ll definitely be following it closely. We’ll see what happens,” Brownlie said.

The Hi-Shear corporation and the L.A.Water Board are currently creating a mailing list and fact sheet which will detail the events of the contamination and known impacts to residents living within 500 ft. of the contamination area.

That fact sheet will be made available to residents within the next month.

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