A group of concerned citizens visited the Pacific Coast Pipeline Superfund Site on Thursday, April 26th. From 1915 to 1950, a refinery operated on The site; Due to past practices the soil and groundwater are contaminated. EPA installed a system to remove and clean the groundwater, which operated from 1992 to 2002. This system made progress in removing benzene from the groundwater but was not able to clean it up to the drinking water standard of one part per billion. In summer 2011 EPA proposed a new cleanup option of the site, conducted a 30-day comment period and held a public meeting in Fillmore. A final cleanup remedy for both remaining contaminated groundwater and soil were considered. There will be a follow-up tour in May as well.

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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 in larcenies as we continue to have larcenies that include farm equipment and landscaping tools. Additionally, avocado thefts are creeping back into the picture as Det. Dominguez points out in his crime summary for this edition.

Agricultural Crimes Detective Ray Dominguez had the following update regarding county-wide agricultural investigations:

"Over the past month we have continued receiving reports of metal thefts that plague local farms and agriculture related businesses. The Sheriff’s Office recently joined forces with other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to form a task force to combat this problem. The group has held a couple of meetings and although the task force is in it’s infancy, once established it should prove to be a valuable resource in identifying and tracking suspects responsible for recycling stolen materials, and ensuring the recycling businesses responsible for accepting the stolen property are held accountable as well. The task force will only help strengthen the alliances we have already forged with business owners and operators that have been diligent in policing themselves and have provided invaluable investigative leads to law enforcement officers.

The formation of the metal theft task force is just one component of a plan to reduce metal thefts locally. We need your help, and ask that you take an active role in protecting your property by marking it with identifiable markings and/or numbers. This will aid investigators in identifying stolen materials and equipment found in the suspect’s possession or at recycling yards.

As always, we encourage farm owners and business operators to secure their property and keep it out of sight of would be thieves. If you stockpile it…they will come! If you have scrap metal items or old equipment lying around your farm or business you may consider selling or taking the items in yourself to be recycled before they draw unwanted attention.

We also ask that you report any suspicious persons or activity. If you see a suspicious vehicle displaying such tell-tale signs of transporting stolen scrap metal items that are seen hanging out of the truck bed or trailer and the vehicle is loaded down in such a manner that the rear bumper appears to be dragging on the ground, call us to report it. Make sure you jot down a description of the vehicle including the color, make, model, and license plate. Note the physical and clothing description of the driver and any occupants seen in the vehicle.

Farmers are often CONTINUED »

Livingston Hospice conducts several adult bereavement support groups to help those who have experienced a loss. Explore and express feeling, understand the grief process and receive emotional support. Open to the public, free of charge, all are welcome. The groups are held:

Weekly: Wednesday; 3:00 – 4:30 pm @ The First Presbyterian Church, 850 Ivywood Drive, Oxnard
Weekly: Wednesday; 6:30 – 8:00 pm @ Livingston Memorial VNA, 1996 Eastman Ave (#106), Ventura
Bi-Monthly: 2nd & 4th Tuesday; 3:00 – 4:00pm @ The Townhouse, 4900 Telegraph Rd, (7th floor), Ventura
Monthly: For the newly bereaved; 2nd Thursday; 6:00 – 7:30 pm @ Livingston Memorial VNA, 1996 Eastman Ave (#106), Ventura.

For more information call: 642-1608

Janet Foy, who sponsored and replanted three Central Avenue pots receives a certificate of appreciation from Civic Pride Committee.
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Vision 2020, Civic Pride Committee would like to invite members of the Fillmore community to join in with the Second and final round of our Central Avenue pot refurbishing project by becoming either a “hands on” sponsor or a “donating” sponsor. Our hope is to replant all the remaining planters along the downtown center by the end of May. We have all the large pots sponsored & planted and now have 16 more small pots awaiting sponsors. Sponsors will have a small plaque with their name attached to the pot & receive a certificate of appreciation with a photo in the newspaper. The remaining pots are $25 each which covers new potting soil, new sprinkler heads & fertilizer & plants.

Working together to make our downtown area more attractive for visitors & shoppers is a very worthwhile project. Many people have told Civic Pride members how much they have enjoyed walking by the lush, red, white & blue color themed plantings

Contact Linda Nunes at 524-3021 or Cindy Klittich at 524-4466 for more information.

In all our computer lives, let’s face it, there are problems “waiting to happen”. Such issues might be virus and/or spyware problems, a need to incorporate security to protect confidential information, setting up and/or verifying backups are performing properly to be sure our data is safe, setting up or enhancing a network so information and hardware is shared and secure, keeping redundant cost and time efforts minimized, and a slew of other issues.

Also, a big issue often overlooked, in my opinion, is lack of documentation. Documented information can be referred to whenever you like, eliminating extra effort in going and AGAIN looking as all system specifications, configurations, working notes, etc.

With that in mind, a good place to start is to create a ‘pro-active’ versus ‘re-active’ computer environment to ensure your operations are kept at efficient operating levels.

My suggestion is to start by implementing Maintenance Plans. You can do this for 1 computer or 100 computers. The details will of course vary, but the goal is the same; by implementing a structured, timely maintenance plan, you stay AHEAD of the failure curve. Maintenance plans can assist in keeping your systems and overall computer-related operations running more efficiently. They can also assist in saving costs. Such an example would be cleaning your current system in the most efficient manner and upgrading the memory. This would give you a solid working system by perhaps upgrading a system, still meeting your requirements, at a much lesser cost than a new system. Maintenance Plans also ensure routine tasks are performed (Defrag, etc.) that many users are unaware of or in reality, just tend to say “I’ll do that later”, and later never comes!

There’s no denying how important computers have become in our daily lives, whether using for the success of our business or home personal use, however, we can still maintain SOME form of control! Start by properly maintaining what you have and go from there…

I hope this bit of information helps you with your computer operations. Until next time, don’t forget your backups!

Harv Oliver is the owner/senior tech for HANDS-ON Consultations (HOC) Computer Support Services serving Fillmore, Ventura County & Beyond since 1998. For more information, visit the HOC web site at http://www.hocsupport.com or call (805) 524-5278. NOTE: Provided information is presented as a courtesy ONLY. Please check with an IT professional for assistance or perform suggestions at your own risk. Harv Oliver or HANDS-ON Consultations is not responsible for any activities users perform.

SANTA PAULA, CA. - Santa Clara Valley Bank (SCVBank;OTC BB: SCVE.OB) today announced its 2012 first quarter results.

SCVBank recorded a net profit of $181,000 for the first quarter of 2012 compared to a net profit of $131,000 for the first quarter of 2011. This improvement in earnings was largely due to the improvement in non interest income and the reduction of non interest expenses.

SCVBank continues to maintain a strong capital position with a Tier 1 Leverage Capital Ratio of 11.27%, up from 10.37% a year ago.

Liquidity continues to be very strong as cash and investments total $56,753,000, or 43% of total assets at quarter end.

Founded in 1998, SCVBank currently operates three branches in Santa Paula, Fillmore, and Valencia. Under its stock symbol of SCVE.OB, SCVBank’s stock is traded through McAdams Wright Ragen, Raymond James & Associates Inc., and Monroe Securities. The Bank’s web site is www.SCVBank.com.

Santa Clara Valley Bank Corporation Headquarters
901 East Main Street
Santa Paula, California 93060
805 525-1999

Statements concerning future performance, developments or events concerning expectations for growth and market forecasts, and any other guidance on future periods, constitute forward looking statements that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from stated expectations. Specific factors include, but are not limited to, the effect of interest rate changes, and the ability to control costs and expenses, the impact of consolidation in the banking industry, financial policies of the United States government, and general economic conditions.

Ventura, CA - Community Memorial Health System is offering free meditation classes the second Monday of every month to HealthAware participants and Community Memorial Hospital employees.

Reiki Master Diana Castellanos leads the classes that are held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at Community Memorial Hospital’s HealthAware office, located at 168 N. Brent Street, 3rd floor, CMH Outpatient Radiology.

Seating is limited and registration is required. To join HealthAware, take the online risk assessment at www.cmhshealth.org/healthaware. For more information, call 805/824-2614.

Community Memorial Hospital is a member of Community Memorial Health System, a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, and 11 family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.

Ventura, CA - Ventura Harley-Davidson and The Breast Center at Community Memorial Hospital are calling on all women motorcyclists to take part in the seventh annual “Heels & Wheels” benefit ride on Sunday, July 15.

Check-in begins at 9 a.m., with kick-stands up at 10 a.m. The 60-mile ride begins at Ventura Harley Davidson, located at 1326 Del Notre Road in Camarillo, and will end at about 3 p.m. at the Limoneira Ranch in Santa Paula. A pre-ride reception will be held Saturday, July 14, at 6 p.m. at the dealership.

Pre-registration by July 1 is $25, with $5 from each entry going to The Breast Center at CMH, which through its Healthy Women’s Program provides women with little or no health insurance with mammograms, ultrasounds, and biopsies for the early detection and prevention of breast cancer. Participants receive a pink “Heels & Wheels” T-shirt and lunch.

The event also includes a raffle for a 2012 Harley-Davidson Switchback motorcycle. Tickets are $20 each or six tickets for $100, with proceeds also going to The Breast Center.

“Heels & Wheels” raised $7,000 last year and Tracey Warriner, one of the motorcycle shop’s co-owners and organizer of the event, is aiming to top that figure.

“We had 162 riders last year and we’re hoping for more this year,” said Warriner, who lost a sister-in-law and two family friends to breast cancer. “The bigger it becomes the better.”

“It’s such a wonderful thing. There’s lots of energy and it’s a good time,” said Becky Trevino, director of The Breast Center. She said the program is the only one in Ventura County that offers free services to women under the age of 40.

“We’ve seen some women riders as patients, so that, I think, is a big reason why they have designated The Breast Center as their beneficiary,” Trevino said.

For further information about the event call Ventura Harley-Davidson at 981-9904. To find out if you qualify for the Healthy Women’s Program, call 805/651-2661 or go to www.cmhshealth.org/healthywomen.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital and 11 family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.

Chris Medrano of Fillmore winning honorable mention in the Junior Federal Duck Stamp contest.

Artwork from over 3,500 school-aged waterfowl artists throughout the state was judged during the 22nd Annual California Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest (Contest) in Chico, on Thursday, March 29th. In California, the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program is coordinated by Marilyn Gamette and facilitated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex (SNWRC).

A panel of 10 judges was tasked with selecting 100 winners. The artwork was judged in four age groups: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. From these groups, three 1st, three 2nd, three 3rd place, and 16 honorable mention winners were chosen. Winning designs receive ribbons and all entrants will receive a certificate of appreciation and awards.

One art design earned the distinguished title of California’s Best of Show, which is a pair of Hooded Mergansers, by 17 year old Hyun Wang from Torrance, CA and attends Green Art Studio. Her artwork will be submitted to Washington D.C. to compete with the other states’ Best of Show winners during the National Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, MD, on April 20, 2012. The national winner’s design will be made into the 2012-2013 Federal Junior Duck Stamp.

In addition, three conservation messages were selected from each age group to receive awards. These messages were submitted on the artwork entry form and judged for originality, understanding of wetland and waterfowl conservation, and inspiration. All 100 winning artwork entries and 12 winning conservation messages will be on display throughout the year at various California events.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

A workshop was recently led by Charlene Smith for the teenagers at One Step A La Vez on floral arrangements. Charlene Smith has led workshops the last two years to share her knowledge and creative talent in arranging flowers with the youth of Fillmore. I mentioned in my previously sent article on the 2012 flower show, that Civic
Pride Committee and volunteers like Charlene are trying to encourage another generation in the appreciation and
art of gardening and showcasing the floral products that result.

We lost "Bear", a young adult male GOLDEN RETRIEVER last weekend from the KOA exit 163. He ran after a rabbit, losing collar and leash along the way. He must have ran far, he had never encountered a rabbit before, no doubt a new experience that didn't end well.

He has a small white spot on his chest/otherwise turning blond/red coat. He is just getting his adult coat as he is almost 1 year old. He is friendly, has had all shots. Any information would be wonderful. We are heartbroken.

Please contact Sue at (941) 484-4477 or (209) 484-0029 or email Kayakgide10@aol.com

Do you want to do something significant with your time? If you can spare a couple of hours a week, you CAN make a life-changing difference for a court-dependent abused, abandoned or neglected child in your own community!

Court Appointed Special Advocates (C.A.S.A.) is a nation-wide non profit organization that trains volunteers to advocate for abused, neglected and abandoned kids in the foster care system. Currently in Ventura County, there are over 1,000 court-dependent children living in foster and group homes. Over 200 of these children who are the most "at risk" because they have few or no family supports, are appointed to our program.

We have a great need for more volunteers– especially men, and those who are bi-lingual in Spanish and English! An Informational Orientation is taking place Tuesday, May 29th, 2012 from 6 :30 - 8 pm at a location in Camarillo for people to learn more about how they can help. If you are interested in attending, please contact Bernadette at (805) 389-3120 or email bernadette@casaofventuracounty.org You’ll be glad you did and so will a child in need! (Tax deductible donations are also GREATYLY appreciated ! Please mail to CASA of Ventura County, POB 1135, Camarillo, CA 93011-1135)

Wednesday, May 2, 2012
4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

VENTURA, CA - May is Watershed Awareness Month and on Wednesday, May 2, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., the Santa Clara River Watershed Committee is inviting the community to celebrate the successful efforts in the Santa Clara River Watershed. Hosted by Hansen Agricultural Center (Faulkner Farm, 287 S. Briggs Rd. in Santa Paula), this is event is free to the public.

Speakers will educate, and motivate attendees by addressing the accomplishments, challenges and untapped opportunities for the future of the Santa Clara River Watershed. Posters and exhibits by local organizations will provide highlights of programs underway to protect and enhance the watershed.

Speakers include:

Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long

John Krist - Chief Executive Officer, Farm Bureau of Ventura County

Mike Solomon - General Manager, United Water Conservation District

Ron Bottorff - Founder and Chairman, Friends of the Santa Clara River

Rick Gould - Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, City of Santa Clarita

Also, on separate days, free tours will be held to help the public learn more about the successful efforts to restore the watershed and improve sustainability.

Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 9 a.m. -10 a.m. - Nature Walk and Talk tour of the Hanson property owned by The Nature Conservancy Property in Santa Paula, 11 a.m.- noon - docent led tour of the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula (926 Railroad Ave.) featuring farm implements used in the extensive agriculture industry in the county.

Saturday, May 19, 2012 - 9 a.m. -10 a.m. - the City of Santa Clarita will discuss its purchase of the last natural three-acre section of Bouquet Creek (27150 Bouquet Canyon Rd.) within city limits and look at the restored native plant palette after invasive plants were removed. From 11 a.m.– noon - tour of the recycled water system used at La Verne Nursery (3645 Camulos St.) in Piru that captures irrigation tailwater and storm water for reuse on fruit trees.

For maps, more information and how to RSVP visit: http://www.vcstormwater.org/scr or contact Lynn Rodriguez at lynn.rodriguez@ventura.org.

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The 2012, Fillmore Flower Show, “ Celebration of Flowers” sponsored by Vision2020/Civic Pride Committee has come & gone leaving memories of enthusiastic volunteers, fragrant & colorful flower specimens, bouquets and arrangements displaying creative talent in abundance, lovely floral artwork, and a community eager to continue this tradition that began before WWI.

The nationally certified judges, Barbara Schneider, Susan Diller & Una Lopez, again expressed their enjoyment in participating in our show & offered their support by purchasing roses by donation. They are pleased that we are offering training & encouragement to interest the youth of Fillmore & surrounding areas with flower show protocol and competitive design methods.

This year an arrangement workshop was led by Charlene Smith for the teenagers at One Step A La Vez. A “hands on” miniature flower arrangement session led by Janet Foy was combined with the Soroptimist/Friends of the Library reading program at the Fillmore Library for younger children and a “bay leaf” wreath- making event was included in Cindy Klittich’s 4-H meeting. The wreaths were made as a fundraiser for next year’s flower show. These training workshops helped produce a “Best of Show” winner from our Youth Division this year!

The youth are required to bring their flowers and decorations and ideas to the show and then put them all together there without help from others. The creativity demonstrated is wonderful and inspiring for all who attend.

Asher Smith has provided violin music for the last 4 years and played both Saturday and Sunday, making a nice tradition for the show.

It was decided that this year’s “Best of Show” award would be presented in honor of Sarah Hansen, an active member of our Civic Pride Committee for years.

2012 Flower Show winners by division were: Best of Show, Lauren Fairall, 12 years old, with her theme “cake” of flowers topped by candles.

Division I, (Rose: cut, single stem) Joanne King; Division II,(Iris: cut, single stem) Carolyn Lasky; Division III, (Other single stem, cut) Mark Ortega; Division IV, (Bouquets) Charlene Smith; Division V, (Arrangements) Charlene Smith; Division VI, (Miniature Bouquets & Arrangements) Susan Hopkins; Division VII (Potted Plants) Mark Ortega; Division VIII, (Dish Gardens) John Zermeno; Division IX, (Youth Arrangements) Lauren Fairall; Division X, (Youth Compositions) Lauren Fairall.

We, who work on the shows’ planning team, value the support of Fillmore city staff like Joe Zuniga and workers that put up our big banners over Central Avenue, Patrick Maynard for helping us with the brochures, and Annette Cardona for the use of the Senior Center location.

We know the show would not be possible without all the help. Cindy Klittich designed & printed the bookmarks for the youth entrants, Marci Thompson loaned tables, Otto and Sons Nursery provided roses for decoration and fundraising and many hard workers came in Friday to help with set up & remained Sunday for “take down”.

We appreciate our local merchants who support us each year by putting up posters, passing out brochures and providing door prizes. Please “shop locally” and check out their merchandise and services. Give them a big “thank you” for supporting the Flower Show!

Merchants providing doorprizes were Attractions Spa, Avenue Pet, Mimstar, Otto & Sons Nursery, Patterson Hardware, The Scented Path, and The Treasure Station.

Individuals providing door prizes were Carolyn Lasky with a rare Green Goddess calla lily from the Huntington Library gardens and her beautiful cymbidium orchids for fundraising and as door prizes and the King & King Ranch with 4 decorated baskets displaying their extensive collection of fruit grown.

And please, remember that you are all invited to participate in bringing the flower show and other worthy community projects like historical plaques, “Yard of the Month” awards and flower plantings in the downtown area to fruition. Come add your voice and effort to improve quality of life and esthetic appeal to our community. Civic Pride Committee meets the third Wednesday of each month at 1:30 PM in City Hall.