On behalf of the Chamber, we would like to thank everyone that participated in the 100th May Festival Parade! Special thanks go out to Hal Provo and his crew from Santa Paula Pilots Association for the awesome flyover to start the parade; Sonshine Pre-School for providing electricity and space for our judges; Eddie and Brenda Ortiz of Super Seal and Stripe for providing the flat bed for our judges stand; to the Explorers and the Sheriff’s department for help with closing down the streets and traffic control as well as the Mounted Posse for leading off with the Colors!; to the Miss Fillmore and Miss Teen Fillmore courts for their participation and assistance with the awards ceremony; Special thanks also to Tom & Nikki Scott, Harold Cronin, Sarah Scott, Jacqui Guerra, Amber Holms, Darlene Holmes, Darrin and Debbie Galarza, Hans, and Tyler Stump for your assistance with check in, line up and traffic control. Without your help, the parade would not have been possible! Thank you to Orange Blossom Villa for your generous use of the gem car and to all of the residents of Fillmore for your patience with the closure of streets and traffic in the parade staging area!

The following is a list of winners by category, from the 2012 May Festival Parade:
Equestrian:1st Place – Ventura Sheriffs Mounted Posse
2nd Place – Charro De Paloma Patino
Youth Walking Groups: 1st Place – Sonshine Pre-School
2nd Place – Ballet Folklorico
3rd Place – Boys and Girls Club
Adult Walking Group: 1st Place – Fillmore / Piru Relay for Life
Novelty Groups: 1st Place – Camille Mia Perales
2nd Place – Bella Calderon
3rd Place – Azaria Rose Aguilar
Youth Floats: 1st Place – Andrew, Maribella & Aaliyah Morales
2nd Place – Perces Kenpo Karate
3rd Place – Alexandra Nuno
Adult Floats: 1st Place – Heritage Valley Red Hatters
2nd Place – Ventura County Search and Rescue
Car Groups: 1st Place – Model A Car Club
2nd Place – Fillmore Historical Museum
3rd Place – Fillmore Citizens Patrol
Other: 1st Place – A Street & First, Inc.
2nd Place – Ventura County Swat Team
3rd Place – Ventura County Sheriff’s Dept.
If you have won an award, it may be picked up at the Chamber Office during regular business hours.
RJ & Joni Stump

The yard of the month for June 2012 goes to Dr. Bundy and his lovely wife Xixi. Birch trees add shade to the small but very serene front yard. Dr. Bundy gives credit to his wife Xixi for enhancing on what the previous owner had started with. Shrubs, pretty green floor covering, roses, lilies, a Chinese Maple Tree and strategically placed statues gives the yard a calming effect. The address is 59 Anza Lane in El Dorado. They have received a $25 gift certificate from Otto & Sons Nursery. Fillmore Civic Pride-Vision 2020 meets on the 3rd Wed. of the month at 1:30pm in Fillmore City Hall (2nd floor). For more information please contact president Linda Nunes 805.302.7527

Come join your fellow Alumni from our Alma Mater, Fillmore High School, for a great Bar B Q meal this Saturday evening at the Memorial Building. Happy hour starts at 4:00pm, Dinner at 6:00pm, short presentation at 7:00. The memorial building will stay open until 11:00pm for folks to visit and look at the 99 years of Class Photos that will be hung up around the Memorial Building. This really is a sight to see as each class has their pictures beautifully framed. The cost of the dinner is $30.00 per person if your a "Flashbacks" subscriber, $35.00 is your not, and $40.00 at the door. Gary Laird '76 (Lairds Butcher Shop in Santa Paula) will do the honors and cook his very famous "Fillmore Bar B Q" of Tri-tip, Chicken, and all the sides.Questions? call 805-524-0416. F.H.S. Alumni - Onward, and upword!

Original Art Work by Wana Klasen is being exhibited in The Second Annual Artists Guild of Fillmore Group Show at Blanchard Community Library 119 No. Eighth Street Santa Paula, Ca. now through July 28, 2012

Library hours are:
M,Tue.,Th. 12-8,W.10-6, Sat 10-2. Fri. Closed

Please join us for an "EVENING WITH THE ARTISTS"
Thursday, June 21, 2012 5-8pm

The Fillmore Women's Service Club is pleased to announce the recipients of the FWSC Educational Scholarships. At a luncheon for the students and parents held at El Pescador on May 22nd, the students were presented with a certificate notifying them of their award from Mimi Burns, President of the Club.

Neira Hernandez, Jayness Lopez and Viviana Magnana each received $1,300. Oscar Alferez, Westley Fairall, Gonzalo Guitierrez and Larissa Villaneuva received $650 each. Anachristina Morino, Katherine Stewart and Sabian Howard a student at The High School at Moorpark College received $500. Congratulations and our best wishes for a bright and productive future to all the students.

The annual Heritage Valley 5k-10K Race, Fitness Walk, Fun Run and Health Fair was a tremendous success. The number of entrants doubled in size from last year to just over 200 entrants. The race is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Fillmore Sun Risers with partners Up for Education and the Soroptimist Club. Runners & walkers of all ages enjoyed great weather. Runners from out of town enjoyed our beautiful scenery and discovered there is more to Fillmore than Hwy 126. After the race the participants, family members and friends enjoyed the sunshine on the lawn of FUSD administration waiting for final results. Many visited the vendors of the health fair. Donated prizes were raffled off to participants.

Overall female winner of the 5K was Tefany Gonzalez in 20:42 and overall male winner was Adrian Mejia in 16:30. Overall female winner of the 10K was Maria Villalobos in 47:37 and overall male winner was Kevin McSweeney in 38:33.

Eight teams participated for the opportunity to win funds for their favorite charity. The first place team was the Ninja Mentors. A $150 donation will be made to Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Ventura County. They also won an additional $50 for Big Brothers & Big Sisters because they had the most team members. The second place team was TeamX. A $100 donation will be made on their behalf to Full Circle Learning Center in Piru.

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Livingston Visiting Nurse Association will hold Diabetes Classes to introduce basic information regarding diet, medication, exercise, blood sugar monitoring, new developments and common problems. Open to the public and free of charge, the classes are held the first Tuesday of the month, 1:00 – 2:30 pm @Livingston VNA, 1996 Eastman Ave, #101, Ventura. No registration is necessary; for information call Linda Hampson, RN, MSN @ 805-642-0239,ext 723.

Come celebrate the Solstice with us on Wednesday, June 20 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Fillmore's Health and Wellness Center, 448 Santa Clara Street, Fillmore.

Bring a light potluck item, musical instruments and your willingness to usher in the beautiful Summer season with us. The belly dancing class will be performing their latest dance and we will practice some soft sun salutation variations. Plus other surprises may ensue. We hope to see you and your friends there!

Call me with any questions,
Janine
524-4856

SUMMARY
The 2011-2012 Ventura County Grand Jury (Grand Jury) learned in August 2011 that the County of Ventura (County) contracted with the Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) to lease the newly-constructed training academy in the city of Camarillo for a period of fifteen years at a total cost exceeding $2.6 million.
The lease was executed in 2010, eight years after the passage of Measure S: Ventura, Moorpark and Oxnard Community College Repair and Safety Ventura County Community College District (Bond) authorizing funds for the building of the Sheriff’s Academy (Academy), the Fire Academy, and the repair or replacement of other educational facilities. The lease was not authorized by the Bond and failed to appear as an estimated cost on the ballot.

Before the lease, the Ventura County Sheriff (Sheriff) was to provide the instructors and furniture for the Academy and pay rent of $1 per year. The partnership agreement, Affiliation/Institutional Services Agreement, between VCCCD and the Sheriff failed. That failure necessitated a lease agreement before the Sheriff could occupy the Academy.

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SUMMARY
In order to ensure the safety and security of citizens in confinement facilities, the 2011-2012 Ventura County Grand Jury (Grand Jury) in its role as the civil watchdog for Ventura County (County) must annually inspect all places of incarceration in the County, which includes all temporary holding facilities and jails.
Penal Code section 919(b) states that, “The grand jury shall inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county.” Penal Code section 921 states that, “The grand jury is entitled to free access, at all reasonable times, to the public prisons, and to the examination, without charge, of all public records within the county.”

The Grand Jury observed the physical cells, gathered information from officers, and read Policies and Procedures (P&Ps) of the fourteen places of incarceration in the County. The Police Departments (PD) in the Cities of Camarillo (Camarillo), Fillmore (Fillmore), Moorpark (Moorpark), Ojai (Ojai), Oxnard (Oxnard), Port Hueneme (Port Hueneme), Santa Paula (Santa Paula), Simi Valley (Simi Valley), and San Buenaventura (Ventura) are responsible for the holding cells in their respective jurisdictions. The Ventura County Sheriff (Sheriff) is responsible for the operation of the East Valley Sheriff’s Station (East Valley), the Main Jail, and the Todd Road Jail (Todd Road). The Ventura County Probation Department (Probation) is responsible for the Juvenile Justice Complex (JJC) and the Work Furlough/Work Release facility (Work Furlough).

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Chronic Kidney Disease, which affects 31 million American adults, is the focus of a free seminar Community Memorial Health System is holding on Tuesday, June 19.

Aron Swerdlin, M.D., board-certified in nephrology and internal medicine, will lead the seminar that will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the eighth-floor Nichols Auditorium at CMH, located at 147 N. Brent St. in Ventura.

Chronic Kidney Disease is the progressive loss of kidney function over a period of months or years. Dr. Swerdlin will discuss the causes and diagnosis of CKD, those who are at greatest risk, complications associated with the disorder and forms of therapy available to reverse or slow its progression.

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Scott K. Rushing

SANTA PAULA, CA. – Santa Clara Valley Bank (SCVBank;OTCBB: SCVE.OB) today announced that Mr. Scott K. Rushing has been elected Chairman of the Board. Mr. Rushing replaces Mr. Ralph Rueda De Leon who has served as Chairman for the past three years. Mr. De Leon will continue to serve as a Director of the Bank. Additionally, Mr. Elias F. Valdes has been elected as Vice Chairman. In the spirit and tradition of community based organizations, the SCVBank Board has customarily rotated the leadership of the Board.

President and CEO Cheryl K. Knight commented, “Scott Rushing is well suited to lead SCVBank into the future.” Mr. Rushing was raised in Santa Paula. He attended local public schools and graduated from Santa Paula Union High School in 1971. In 1975 he graduated from the University of LaVerne with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. He owns Rushing Real Estate & Investment Company and has been a state licensed Broker since 1979 and a member of the Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors. He is a Past President of the Santa Paula/Fillmore Board of Realtors and a long time member of the Santa Paula Rotary Club and is a Past-President. Additionally, Mr. Rushing is a founding director of Santa Clara Valley Bank.

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Coinciding with the 20th Anniversary of National Trails Day, Los Padres ForestWatch today released a report documenting the gradual loss of public access to several hiking trails leading into the Los Padres National Forest.

The report – titled Ten Lost Trails of the Los Padres – highlights ten trails across the Los Padres National Forest where historic public access has been restricted. Over time, as the forest’s neighboring land ownership changes, trailheads have been blocked off by gates and “no trespassing” signs, restricting the public’s access to public lands and funneling an increasing number of forest users onto a dwindling trail system.

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F.H.S. Alumni President, Mark Ortega '79, and Vice-President, Corinna Chandler Mozley '71, along with Gary Laird '76 (Lairds Butchers Shop) invite you to the 99th Alumni Dinner held Saturday, June 9th at the Memorial Building. Gary will serve up his F.H.S. Alumni Special of Bar B Q Tri-Tip, Chicken, and all the side dishes along with his famous sausages. Being the great alumnus he is, (for the month of June, 2012 only) he is offering a Fillmore Flashes special at his Butcher Shop in Santa Paula. If anyone goes into the shop and says "Fillmore Flashes!", they get 10% off a $50.00 or more purchase from his store. Thank You Gary! The cost for the Alumni dinner is as follows. $30.00 if your a Flashbacks subscriber (Alumni Newsletter), $35.00 if your not, and $40.00 at the Door. You may print out a reservation form by going to www.fillmorehighalumni.com, and click on "Applications and forms". The Alumni Office will be open Monday thru Friday, from 8:00am to 12:00 noon if you want to drop off your reservation form. This year the Alumni Association will honor the classes ending in 2, and 7, but all classes are invited to the dinner. Lately alot of classes are having their reunion in conjunction with the dinner, and why not? The association sets up and tears down. The classes have their own tables, and the building stays open until 11:00pm for reunion revelors to enjoy. The day starts out at 4:00pm, with Happy hour, and at 6:00 dinner is ready. at 7:00pm there is a short presentation as we introduce the 2012 Scholarship winners, and give away some goodies. The classes have the rest of the evening to reminese about the good ol days attending the Fillmore Schools. Alot of things change around Fillmore from year to year, but the Alumni Association can honestly say that for 99 years, they have put this meal on to welcome the new class, and present the Scholarship winners. We are already looking forward to the 100th, next year in June, 2013. F.H.S. ALUMNI Onword, and Upword!

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WELCOME FARM WATCH READERS!

The overall crime rate for this period vs. the same time period last year shows an increase, however, given the raw data, the increase is truly minimal. There were some outstanding arrests made as well as some on-going investigations with solid leads, so we are making definite headway. We always appreciate the assistance of our extensive agricultural community especially when we receive tips/leads that have turned out to be quite valuable over the recent years.

Agricultural Crimes Detective Ray Dominguez had the following update from his activities and investigations around Ventura County:

"In this edition of Farm Watch I’m very pleased to report that we can chalk one up for the good guys! Deputies from the Moorpark Patrol Station in cooperation with detectives from the Ventura Police Department apprehended a suspect connected to multiple fuel thefts throughout the county. The suspect arrested was David Matthew Martinez, a resident of Fillmore.

During the course of the investigation, Ventura Police detectives determined that Martinez made multiple illegal diesel fuel purchases from various commercial fueling stations using the victim’s stolen credit card. The credit card was stolen during a commercial burglary at the victim’s business, but it was not clear how Martinez came into possession of the card. Ventura Police detectives were able to secure video surveillance from the fueling stations that captured Martinez completing the illegal transactions and tied a white 2003 Ford F350 Pickup truck owned by Martinez to the crimes. Following a surveillance operation, Moorpark deputies assisted Ventura Police detectives with the arrest of Martinez. Martinez was later questioned and confessed to using the stolen credit card to make multiple illegal diesel fuel purchases totaling over 600 gallons. An inspection of Martinez’ truck revealed that he had two large auxiliary plastic storage containers he secured in the bed of the truck that he filled with the stolen fuel. Great job by all involved!

Another hot topic has been the rise in reported thefts of landscape equipment. Over the past couple of months, we have seen a sharp increase in the number of thefts reported involving professional landscape businesses being targeted in the county. Areas that have been hit recently include the Highway 118 corridor running between Somis and Moorpark. The suspects have been using cutting instruments including bolt cutters to force entry into conex storage containers. The suspects have been stealing mowers, trimmers, and the like.

Detectives from the various area stations are working together to identify possible suspect(s). In one of the cases, a vigilant neighbor provided some very promising information regarding a suspicious vehicle seen in the area around the time of the reported burglary. He provided a vehicle description including the license plate! Detectives are following up on this lead so I’m withholding the vehicle license plate information at this time, but the vehicle was described as an all-white “U-haul” style truck with a roll-up rear cargo door.

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Ventura County entrepreneurs have a host of free workshops they can attend hosted by the Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County’s Small Business Development Center of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. All workshops are held at EDC-VC, 1601 Carmen Dr., Ste. 215, Camarillo.

Introduction to International Importing and Exporting is presented by SBDC director Ray Bowman and is a practical introduction to the business basics of importing and exporting. The next workshop will be 3-5 p.m., June 20 and will be offered the third Wednesday of each month.

Consultant Support Group* is presented by SBDC advisor Joe Huggins and is an ongoing group for established consultants and those who are interested in entering the field. The next workshop will be 8:30-9:30 a.m., June 15 and meets the third Friday of each month. *Pre-approval required for participation.

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Bennett's Honey Farm, an agricultural icon in the Heritage Valley for over 30 years and Fillmore & Western Railway, home of "The Movie Trains", are co-producing the 1st annual California Honey Harvest Festival on Saturday and Sunday, June 9th and 10th, 2012 in Fillmore's downtown Central Park.

Activities in the park include arts/craft vendors, food vendors, educational speakers on beekeeping and the importance of bees in maintaining balance and production of many of our agriculture trees and plants. Also scheduled on stage are musical entertainers such as The Old Time Fiddlers on Saturday from 9am to 11am. An MC/DJ will keep the action and music flowing throughout both days, announcing events, speakers and the train rides. There will be children's activities and local non-profit groups providing information about their organizations. The Frontier Gunfighters will "build" their backdrop of a western town and perform shows throughout the event.

On Sunday, the musical group "Border Radio" from the Topanga area of the San Fernando Valley will be performing from 12noon until 3pm. Since the branding of Bennett's Honey Farm honey is widely known as Topanga Quality, thus the band "Border Radio" is also quite well known in that area. Marie Cheatham, a veteran actress who appeared for many years as "Marie" on the still running soap opera, "Days of Our Lives" will be one of the speakers providing testimony on the benefits and high quality of Bennett's Honey Farm products. She also appears currently on the new night time TV drama, GCB and has been in countless television shows and feature films.

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