Officer John Villasenor, 26, of the Bell...

Officer John Villasenor, 26, of the Bell Gardens Police Department has received recognition from the city and the California Peace Officers’ Assn. for his role in preventing a local youth from committing suicide. In responding to a call at a residence, Villasenor found the youth trying to stab himself in the throat with a large knife. Assisted by another officer, Villasenor was able to disarm the youth and persuaded him to seek help at a mental health facility.

Norm Swaton Jr., 20, of Downey and Dan Buchanan, 43, owner of Divers’ Corner in Downey, recently saved a man from drowning by administering mouth-to-mouth and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Swaton, a USC student who was working as a lifeguard at the Divers’ Corner pool, was on duty when Billy J. Shubin, 39, of Downey apparently dove into the shallow end of the pool and hit his head, losing consciousness. Shubin is paralyzed in the lower extremities and listed in critical condition at Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital in Los Angeles.

Timothy Robinett, 18, the son of Clyde and Jeanne Robinett of Lakewood, was named an Eagle Scout last week, joining four older brothers and two older sisters who have also achieved either that rank or its equivalent in Girl Scouts.

The Robinett children are Gary, 32, a teacher-coach in Fullerton and chief water polo referee at the 1984 Summer Olympics; Michael, 30, owner of a paint business in Huntington Beach; James, 28, owner of a McDonald’s franchise in Long Beach; Pamara, 26, a housewife with two children; Christopher, 25, a plumber at his father’s company in Long Beach; Colleen, 23, a singer and soloist at her UCLA graduation last week, and Tim, a recent graduate and standout athlete at Lakewood High School.

“We’ve just been interested in everything they’re done their whole lives,” said Jeanne Robinett. “You give up some things but it’s worth it when you see this happen.”

James Sutalo of Bell Gardens this month became the first person to receive the city’s $250 anti-graffiti reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons defacing public property. In August, Sutalo placed a young woman under citizen’s arrest for spraying a block wall on Cecilia Street and then summoned police.

James P. Kossler has been named vice president of administrative services and Richard D. Carroll has been named associate dean of academic programs in the Long Beach Community College District.

Kossler is responsible for the business services of the district. Carroll is in charge of its divisions of language arts, creative arts and learning resources.