Fact Check
The claims addressed on this page convey demonstrably false information about Paramount’s City government and services. These falsehoods regarding City programs, services, staff, events, etc., have either been forwarded by members of the public or encountered by municipal personnel. They are not simply expressions of opinion but are verifiably incorrect information. Likewise, the clarifications are not opinion, declarations of condemnation, or criticism. Each fact check is designed to promote full transparency and understanding, and is provided here for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact us.
CLAIM – There is an illegal hazardous waste facility operating in Paramount.
FACT – The City looked into this claim for the location. The City found that the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is the State agency with jurisdiction, and they determined that the referenced location met the conditions for an exempt transfer facility (see exemption document) (see Notice of Violation Rescission, dated October 8, 2024). The City required an Unclassified Use Permit be completed by the business, and the City Planning Commission approved this permit on April 2, 2025 with a number of conditions of approval to improve the conditions of the property and surrounding properties. The City review for the Unclassified Use Permit included an environmental assessment. This assessment concluded that the facility was in compliance with the requirements of an exempt transfer facility at that time.
CLAIM – The former City Attorney who was advising the city retired suddenly related to these claims.
FACT – The former City Attorney retirement was planned prior to any claims and not related to any case/work product.
CLAIM – The “illegal” facility has ceased operation due to pressure from the state.
FACT – On September 4, 2025, a Republic Services general manager informed City staff that Republic Services had ceased rail operations at the site on August 22, 2026. Between that date and April 17, 2026, Republic Services removed all storage from the site, including bins, containers, chassis, and a forklift. There is no longer a Republic Services presence within rail properties in Paramount.
Claim:
The non-profit organization Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has, through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, installed air monitors in the City of Paramount to track hexavalent chromium emissions. At a Paramount Unified School District Board of Education meeting on January 17, a statement was made that one of the monitors has measured levels at 40 times the average amounts.
Fact:
The monitor in question has, in fact, NOT been finding unusually high levels of hexavalent chromium, and certainly not at levels anywhere near 40 times the norm. This has been confirmed by both the resident who delivers the raw data to the lab for processing and a spokesperson for the Center for Environmental Health. This can be seen in the results posted on the CEH website.
CLAIM: Paramount has threatened to sue people who question its water quality … but at this meeting Paramount staff admitted that the water is contaminated and they couldn’t explain the testing numbers.
FACT: The City has, on very rare occasions, threatened to sue those who have spread baseless misinformation about the water supply system that could produce panic and fear in water customers.
CLAIM: A City staff member said that the aquifer where Paramount gets some of its water doesn’t respect city boundaries, that the cities of southeast LA. County get water from the same aquifer. In light of this, Paramount’s claim to have low PFAS in the water doesn’t make sense since surrounding cities like Downey have warned its residents about high PFAS contamination levels. If water in Downey is not safe, how can Paramount’s water be safe?
FACT: It is true that aquifers don’t respect city boundaries. How could they? But claiming that our testing numbers are inaccurate due to that fact is erroneous. Paramount’s PFAS numbers were detected at small concentration levels, and all of this testing is done by independent labs, who submit their findings to the State. Only after gaining approval from the State does the City receive and publish the results.
The City’s Consumer Confidence Report notes that the level of PFAS found in our water was two parts per trillion. This number represents a combined average from all three of Paramount’s active wells. That is how the State’s Drinking Water Division calculates overall numbers for a water system, using averages.
In reality, only one well in town contained PFAS – the other two had zero detection. The one well tested at 7.9 parts per trillion for PFAS, which is slightly above the 6.5 parts per trillion level that requires public notification. This is still a very low amount that does not necessitate any action. Regardless, out of an abundance of caution, the City shut down that well in 2020; it is still not operating.
CLAIM: Staff says they are not scientists, so they can’t answer why the testing numbers in Paramount’s water are much lower than the contaminated water in Downey. But if they are not scientists, how can they be so confident that the water is safe?
FACT: The City relies on scientists at the State Water Quality Control Board, Drinking Water Division for compliance of permit requirements, including water quality monitoring and lab analysis from independent labs approved by the State. Those labs, and the State of California, have consistently found that Paramount’s water meets all water quality standards and is safe for all uses.