Ventura, CA - The Heritage Valley’s new local transit system is kicking off its new service on March 2 by offering free rides all day.

All fixed-route rides on the locally based Valley Express bus service will be free on Monday, March 2. The new fixed-route service and supporting Dial-A-Ride service comprise the Heritage Valley’s own local transit program, replacing the long-time VISTA Dial-A-Ride service sponsored by VCTC.

The service name was selected from the more than 30 entries submitted as part of a Name the Bus contest open to residents of Fillmore, Piru, and Santa Paula. The winning entry was submitted by Sara M., a student at Santa Paula High School.

The new service will operate from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Two routes will operate in Santa Paula, one in Fillmore, and one in Piru. Buses will run every 30-40 minutes throughout the service day, with Dial-A-Ride service available during all service hours. VCTC will continue to provide its popular Highway 126 service connecting the Heritage Valley with nearby Ventura.

The Valley Express’ fixed-route Adult fare is $1.00 and the Youth/Senior/Disabled fare is just $0.50. For the Valley Express General Public Dial-a-ride service, Adult/Youth fare is $1.75 and the Senior/Disabled fare is $0.85. In addition, ADA paratransit fare is $2.00 and rides can be scheduled up to seven days in advance. Unlimited-ride day passes (valid on both Valley Express fixed-route and Dial-A-Ride) are $3.75. Free transfers are offered between VCTC Highway 126 and Valley Express fixed-route service. Transfers to Dial-A-Ride require a $0.50 fee. Monthly passes for Valley Express will be available for purchase following the start of the service at the Valley Express sales office (810 Railroad Ave in Santa Paula) and at Santa Paula and Fillmore city halls. For pre-order sales and bulk purchases, please contact VCTC’s administrative offices.

“The launch of the Valley Express represents a new era in mobility for residents of Fillmore, Piru, and Santa Paula,” noted Santa Paula Councilmember Ginger Gherardi. “The new fixed-route circulators will make it much easier to access school, work, and everyday activities throughout Fillmore, Piru, and Santa Paula.”

The cities of Fillmore and Santa Paula, along with the County of Ventura and VCTC, will be marking the launch of the new service with a public dedication at 11:30 a.m. on March 2, 2015. The event will take place opposite Santa Paula City Hall, located at 970 East Ventura Street. The event is open to the public and all Heritage Valley residents are invited to attend.

Valley Express operates fixed-route, eligibility-based paratransit, and general public Dial-A-Ride service throughout the Heritage Valley. Valley Express service is provided through a cooperative agreement between the cities of Fillmore and Santa Paula, the County of Ventura, and the Ventura County Transportation Commission. It is administered by the Ventura County Transportation Commission. For route and service information call (800) 438-1112 or visit www.valleyexpressbus.org.

Jeff Paul

Jeff Paul, a longtime Venturan with over 30 years of experience in the local banking field, has been named the new Chairman of the Board forCommunity Memorial Health System.

Paul, who served previously as treasurer on the CMHS board, succeeds Dr. Martin Pops, who has served as board chairman since 2009. Longtime trustee Gary Wolfe, a former board chairman, will replace Paul as Treasurer.

Paul is the Director of Retail and Commercial Banking at Montecito Bank & Trust, the oldest and largest independently owned community bank in Santa Barbara and Ventura County. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Chico State University in political science and graduated from the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.

Also joining CMHS’s Board of Trustees are Lamar Bushnell, M.D., Chief of Staff of Community Memorial Hospital; Elizabeth Patterson, M.D., Chief of Staff of Ojai Valley Community Hospital; Lydia Hopps, President of the Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation; and Sandy Frandsen, CMHS Auxiliary President.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, and 12 family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.

Learn to how to read just like your youth are learning to read. Learn Zoo Phonics so you’ll learn how kindergarteners are taught and be able to help them.
Learn about how people learn language: Watch TV in English and learn vocabulary, cook in English, learn thematically such as words you need in the dentist office, doctor’s office, school and shopping. Take a trip to the market and then cook afterwards. Learn about other cultures and their food and customs.
This will be a “hands on” interactive learning class. Have fun and learn at the same time.
Class will be every Wednesday at 7:00p.m. starting on March 4th. through May 6th!
Child care will be provided.
Fee is $3.00 each class or $25 for the 10 weeks, a savings of $5.
Taught by FUSD teacher Chris Villegas.
Call 625-7067 to sign up. Maximum class size 25. Sign up to reserve your space!

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Aprendiendo Ingles en el OSC

Aprende a leer así como tus jóvenes están aprendiendo a leer. Aprende la fonética del zoológico, para que puedas aprender como a los del kínder se les enseña y aprende con ellos.
Aprenda como las personas aprenden un lenguaje: Mire televisión en ingles y aprenda vocabulario, cocine en ingles, aprenda temáticamente como palabras que usted necesita en la oficina del dentista, la oficina del doctor, la escuela y en las compras. Haga una visita a la marqueta y luego cocine después. Aprenda sobre otras culturas y sus comidas y costumbres.
Esta será una clase de aprendizaje interactivo. Diviértase y aprenda al mismo tiempo.
La clase será cada miércoles a las 7:00 p.m. empezando el 4 de Marzo hasta el 6 de Mayo, excepto durante las vacaciones de la escuela. Termina el 6 de mayo.

Se proveerá cuidado de niños.
El costo es $3.00 por clase o $25 por las 10 semanas, un ahorro de $5.
Enseñadapor la maestra delFUSD, Chris Villegas.
Llame al 625-7067 para registrarse.Regístrese para reservar su lugar!
Tamaño máximo de la clase es 25.

Michelle Smith shows Piru Principal Diana Vides the checks for the teachers.
Enlarge Photo

The Fillmore Women’s Service club, as a part of their ongoing service to education in Fillmore, struck again! Each year the club honors one of the schools in the Fillmore Unified School District, and this year it was Piru Elementary School’s turn. On February 5, 2015, at the monthly faculty meeting, Michelle Smith, F.W.S.C.’s Vice –President, accompanied by Teresa Rees, Membership Chairperson and Marcia Heerema, Corresponding Secretary, presented one hundred dollar checks to all the surprised teachers. These checks were in appreciation for all the money teachers spend out of their own pocket to assist the children in their classrooms.

They gave checks to Claudia Eichstaedt, Luanne Schaper, Amanda Gori, Tara Manly, Otmara Lofton, Marisela Gomez, Raymond Barrera, John Schaper, Debra Louth, Kristina Silbey, Delia Silva, Janey Brunton-Munoz, Mary Schroepper, and Juliette Resor.

The Fillmore Women’s Service Club meets at the Senior Center on the second Wednesday of the month at 7pm. They have been in existence for the past fifty years, and are still going strong with their commitment to community of Fillmore. They are always happy to have newcomers who would be interested in working for the benefit of Fillmore. Primarily the club does two fund raisers: theApril garage sale, and the July fireworks booth. The money that they raise then goes for scholarships for residents of Fillmore and Piru, for the on-going teacher appreciation activity, and for projects for other civic organizations. It is a great way to get involved in making Fillmore an even better place to live, so the club would welcome any enthusiastic new members!

Recently a new Mayflower Colony has been established in the area. The formal name of the group is The Rancho Conejo Valley of the Mayflower Society. The membership is not restricted to the Conejo Valley as there are members from Ventura, Camarillo and Santa Paula as well. The group is gathering for a luncheon meeting where a program about Pilgrim Stephen Hopkins, who was the only settler in Jamestown who was also a passenger on the Mayflower, will be presented. The gathering will be at the Wood Ranch Country Club in Simi Valley, at 12:00 noon. The address for the meeting location is 301 Wood Ranch Pkwy., Simi Valley, but while reservations close on Feb. 14, further interest in the group information can be had by calling Colony Governor Robert Dempster 805-504-5140. Requirements to become a member are a relationship to a passenger of the Mayflower when it arrived at Plymouth in 1620. Governor Dempster will be willing to answer any questions about the society and possible membership.

Ojai, CA - Joint pain and arthritis will be focus of a free seminar Community Memorial Health System is holding on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Jason Hofer, M.D., and Kentaro Suzuki, M.D., local orthopedic surgeons, will lead the seminar that will run from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the Soule Park Golf Course’s banquet room, 1033 East Ojai Ave., Ojai.

In addition to discussing the causes and diagnosis of joint pain, Drs. Hofer and Suzuki will cover procedures and lifestyle modifications that can help prevent joint pain,surgical treatment options and rehabilitation available to patients, and pain management techniques.

Dr. Hofer, who specializes hip and knee replacement surgery, received his medical degree from the University of Southern California School of Medicine and completed an orthopedic surgery residency at the University of California, Irvine. He is a member of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons and the California Orthopaedic Association.

Dr. Suzuki specializes in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. He earned his medical degree and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Suzuki is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Arthroscopy Association of North America and American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.

Both doctors are active members of the Community Memorial Hospital medical staff.

Registration is free but reservations are required. Call 1-800/838-3006 or visit www.cmhshealth.org/rsvp.

Future scheduled educational seminars include: Cosmetic Surgery on March 10; Neurological Diseases of Aging on April 21 in Oxnard, Update on Management of Brain Tumors on May 12; and Skin Cancer on June 16.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, and 12 family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.

The Ventura County (Civil) Grand Jury invites prospective jurors and interested members of the public to an open house on Wednesday, March 18, from 3 to 6 p.m., at 646 County Square Drive (third floor), Ventura (across Victoria Avenue from the government center). This is an excellent chance to learn about grand jury service, view the chambers, meet current jurors and enjoy refreshments.

The civil grand jury is an all-volunteer watchdog group that investigates public complaints, researches and writes reports, and makes recommendations about all aspects of local and county government. The civil grand jury does not pursue criminal cases.

To qualify for service you must be a citizen 18 years of age or older, reside in Ventura County for at least a year immediately before serving, have ordinary intelligence and good character and know sufficient English. Residents from all cultural groups and parts of the county are encouraged to apply.

For details about the grand jury’s mission and to view previous years’ reports, please visit www.ventura.org/grand-jury. Applications may be filled out online at that site, downloaded and mailed in or requested by telephone at (805) 477-1600. They will be accepted until April 15.

On Thursday, January 29th, Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance (VCREA) honored its partners for strides in energy savings at the 2nd Annual VCREA Leadership Reception. The event brought together partners and stakeholders to meet, acknowledge the program’s 2014 community impact, and assess goals for the upcoming year. Three new awards were introduced and presented at the event.

Douglas Tucker, the Mayor of Fillmore, accepted The Emerging EnergyLeaderAward on behalf of the City of Fillmore. The Emerging EnergyLeader Award recognizesleadership of significant energy savings in a VCREA partner’s own facilities, programs and community outreach. Since 2006, the City of Fillmore has achieved more than 10 percent energy savings through the implementation of energy efficiency programs. In 2014 alone, the City also completed an Energy Action Plan to help identify objectives and strategies to help the city realize its long-term energy efficiency goals and achieved “Gold Tier” denomination in Southern California Edison’s Energy Leader Partnership Program, moving from “Valued Partner” and skipping over “Silver Tier” status.

“It is encouraging to see the efforts of all our partners making such a noticeable impact on energy usage throughout the County,” said Sue Hughes, Deputy Executive Officer, VCREA. “Together we are carrying out the mission of being energy stewards for our communities. We look forward to continued collaboration and success in the years to come.”

Ventura County was honored with the Energy Saving Impact Award for having the largest total number of Kilowatt hour savings from projects completed in 2014, with over 1.5 million kWH, and the City of Thousand Oaks was honored with Green Community Leadership Awardforthe city’sextraordinary community outreach and efforts engaging with the residential and business community.

VCREA is a Joint Powers Agency composed of different public agencies working to develop and implement energy initiatives that support sensible growth, a healthy environment, and the economy. Last year, 13 organizations were involved with the agency, including Members: the cities of Fillmore, Oxnard, Santa Paula, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura; the County of Ventura; Ventura County Community College District; Ventura Regional Sanitation District and VenturaUnifiedSchool District; plus other participating cities: the cities of Camarillo, Moorpark, Ojai, and Port Hueneme. Utility partners are Southern California Gas Company and Southern California Edison. VCREA strives to increase energy efficiency awareness and advance the use of clean, efficient and renewable local resources.

Since 2006, VCREA has attained over $3 million dollars in incentives and 22.5 million Kilowatt hours in savings for its partners.

About VCREA
VCREA is a Joint Powers Agency composed of public agencies working in collaboration to address good energy stewardship through integrated demand side management practices in the VenturaCounty region. More information about VCREA can be found at www.vcenergy.org.

Applications for the Miss Fillmore/Miss Teen Fillmore Pageant are available. The Mother/Daughter Tea will take place at the Memorial Building on Thursday, February 19th beginning at 6:30PM. Questions and answers will also be addressed at that time. Miss Contestants must be a Junior or Senior girl in good standing. Teen Contestants must be a girl between the ages of 13 (by January 1st) and 17 in good standing, but not a Junior or Senior. All contestants must reside within the Fillmore Unified School District boundaries. Flyers will be available at Fillmore High School and Fillmore Middle School or by contacting Pageant Director Lori McLain at #524-4432.

As the County’s only non-for-profit Home Health and Hospice provider, we support the total well-being of our community. As part of our services, we host free monthly education classes throughout the county which include the following:

Special Classes/Events

• Ojai: Peace Beyond Losses on Wednesday, February 18th 1-2:30pm at Ojai’s Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association office at 202-A Cañada Street, Ojai. Brock Travis, PhD, teaches guidance and support through life changes. Call (805) 272-8593 for more information.

• Moorpark: Brain Health on Thursday, February 19th at 1:00 pm, Moorpark Active Adult Center, 799 Moorpark Avenue, Moorpark. The brain is the most important and most complex part of the body and plays a critical role in almost everything you do…...thinking, feeling, remembering, working, playing, and even sleeping. The good news is there are steps you can take to help keep your brain healthier as you age. This presentation will provide you with up-to-date information about brain health so you can make brain-healthy life style choices. Please RSVP to Moorpark Active Adult Center (805) 517-6260.

• Heart Health on Friday, February 20th 1-2pm at Ojai’s Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association office at 202-A Cañada Street, Ojai. Discussion of topics include: causes of heart disease, symptoms of a heart attack, treatment of heart disease, preventive measures of heart disease, understanding the risk factors of coronary artery disease, understanding the lifestyle factors that impact management and the overall health of the person with coronary artery disease. To register call (805) 272-8593.

Social Services/Bereavement Groups

• Ojai: Caregiver Support Group Monday, February 16th from 10:00am – 11:30am at Continuous Care Center, Fireside Room, 1306 Maricopa Hwy, Ojai (behind Ojai Valley Community Hospital). Find encouragement and hope during your time as a caregiver. Share, listen and explore thoughts and feelings about the struggles, losses and successes of caring for your loved one. For more information call (805) 633-9056.

Social CONTINUED »

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County (BBSVC) is looking for teams and individuals to participate in the annual BOWL FOR KIDS’ SAKE fundraising event. Bowl a strike or bowl a gutter ball...the kids still win! The event brings awareness to the youth mentoring programs offered by BBSVC; and in 2014, BOWL FOR KIDS’ SAKE raised over $75,000 to directly benefit BBSVC’s programs in Ventura County.

Bowling participants fundraise by registering online at BFKS.bbsvc.org, and may then raise donations from family, friends, coworkers, and their social networks. Local businesses can also support the event through sponsorships, prize donations, and by supporting a company team to bowl on the day of the event.

The bowling events will take place at Harley’s Camarillo Bowl on Saturday, March 14, and Harley’s Simi Valley Bowl on Sunday, March 15. Multiple bowling times are available at each location to celebrate the fundraising efforts of the participating teams and individuals.

Exciting grand prizes will be available for the Top Fundraisers, in both individual and team categories. There will also be a special grand prize for the “Big” (mentor) and “Little” (mentee) who raise the most funds: two tickets to Disneyland!

To register for BOWL FOR KIDS’ SAKE 2015, participants can sign up for free at BFKS.bbsvc.org, where they can make their personal fundraising page and begin collecting donations. Businesses and organizations interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities are encouraged to call Miriam Zacuto at 805.484.2282 ext 118.

For more information about BOWL FOR KIDS’ SAKE 2015 or to learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County, please contact Danica Selvaggio at dselvaggio@bbsvc.org or 805.484.2282.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County
Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBSVC) has been helping youth in Ventura County and neighboring communities realize their potential for over 44 years. Facilitating more than 1,500 one-to-one
mentoring relationships annually between adult or school-based volunteers and youth ages 6-21, BBSVC is committed to bringing their life- changing program to every child who needs and wants it. BBSVC is an independent 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that depends on private donors for 75% of its funding. To donate, become a mentor, or learn more about BBSVC, please call (805) 484-2282 or visit www.bbsvc.org.

On Saturday January 31 at noon experience noted Ramona author Helen Hunt Jackson's January 1882 visit to Rancho Camulos that forever changed the history of the Santa Clara River Valley Reservations for the historical reenactment are encouraged but not required. The suggested $5 donation also includes a docent-led tour. Tours will also be conducted at 2 and 3 PM. Rancho Camulos Museum and National Historic Landmark is located on Hwy. 126 , 10 miles west of the I-5 Newhall Ranch Road exit. Visitwww.ranchocamulos.org for more information about Rancho Camulos. Contact info@ranchocamulos.org or call (805) 521-1501.

"The Hotsy-Totsy 1920's!
Fillmore Community please join Fillmore Chamber of Commerce Annual Community Awards Dinner!
Date: Friday, March 6, 2015
Time: Social Hour: 5:30pm-6:30pm, Dinner/Ceremony: 6:30pm
Location: Veteran's Memorial Buiilding (511 Second St.) Fillmore, Ca. 93015
Attire: Vintage (optional)
Tickets: $35/per Adult and $20 under 17 years
$250 Table Reservations Available (Seats 8) get your reservations early for prime seating.
Sales End Friday February 27, 2015.
Promote your business by purchasing a Table Top and/or Advertisement in our Pamphlet also Available for $35 each.
For ticket sales call the chamber office 805.524.0351 or email: fillmorechamberc@gmail.com
President Irma Magana 805.794.2353 email: Notaryirma@hotmail.com or First VicePresident Ari Larson 805.794.7590 email: petenari55@hotmail.com
Questions regarding nomination requirements and submissions please contact: Renae Stovesand 805.746.1923 or email: rstovesand@att.net.