Civic Pride Volunteers have selected the yard at 836 Central, belonging to Octavio and Denise Barrios, as the 2026 Fall Harvest-Halloween “Yard of the Month.”
Octavio shared that he and Denise moved to Fillmore from Santa Paula in 2015. The couple enjoys decorating their yard together, creating a festive display that adds seasonal charm to their neighborhood.
Octavio was pleased to receive a gift card from Otto & Sons Nursery in recognition of their efforts.
Civic Pride Volunteers extend their sincere appreciation to Otto & Sons Nursery for generously supporting the “Yard of the Month” project for many years. This ongoing partnership helps recognize residents who take pride in their homes and contributes to the beauty and appearance of the Fillmore community.

Above are some of the Fillmore Chapter Officers with Anne Cabalas, the regional vice president representing the Ventura section from Fillmore FFA at the Chapter Officer Leadership Conference (COLC). Photo credit Myla Puebla, Fillmore FFA’s Chapter Reporter.
Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

By Myla Puebla, Fillmore FFA’s Chapter Reporter
Behind the blue jackets, beyond the titles. We’re a team dedicated to leading serving and growing together.
This past weekend 5 of our chapter officers attended the Chapter Officer Leadership Conference (COLC) in Hollister California for an opportunity to grow as leaders, connect with fellow members and gain new experiences.
Through this conference our members learned valuable leadership skills, the importance of teamwork and communication, and how to step out of their comfort zones. They will take everything they learned and bring it back to our chapter to help inspire others and continue growing as leaders!
Along with our officers we had our very own student Anne Cabalas attend as the regional vice president representing the Ventura County section. We are so proud of Anne for stepping into this role and representing Fillmore FFA with dedication, passion, and hard work. We know she will continue to make an amazing impact in our section and those around her.
To make this experience one to remember Fillmore FFA got Chapter of the year for the Ventura section. Fillmore FFA is PROUD to bring home the trophy for the second year in a ROW!!! This achievement represents the hard work and dedication of our members. We are so proud of them for continuing to grow as leaders, represent our chapter, and show what Fillmore FFA is all about!!

The Fillmore Rotary Club’s speaker was one of its newest members, Cinda Francis, principal of Fillmore High School. Francis gave a “Kraft Talk,” an opportunity for members to learn more about one another and their professional and personal journeys.
Francis began her career in education as an eighth-grade teacher in the San Gabriel Valley. After marrying, she and her husband moved to Ventura, where she began working for the Fillmore Unified School District. Throughout her career, she has served as a social studies teacher and administrator at both Fillmore Middle School and Fillmore High School before becoming FHS principal.
Francis and her husband have three grown children. When they were young, she enjoyed being involved in their activities, including Scouts and sports.
Enthusiastic about education and community service, Francis enjoys supporting teachers, helping students, serving others, and giving back to the community. When asked about her biggest challenge, she humorously replied that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day!

Posted https://www.facebook.com/cityoffillmore
Due to Blue & White Night, Homecoming Parade taking place on Thursday, October 15, Central Avenue will be closed from Main Street to Fist Street between the hours of 2:00pm and 10:00pm Kensington and Sespe will also be closed.
Alleys and other surrounding streets will remain open to traffic.
Citizen’s Patrol and Explores will assist with the roadblocks and traffic control. Please use caution and follow their directions.

A Fillmore Fire Department crew was running training drills last week on top of the abandoned Wm. L Morris building off the corner of Highway 126 and Central Avenue, Fillmore. Photo credit Gazette staff.

Fillmore Rotary Club President John Garnica, pictured above, presents a Rotary mug to last week’s guest speaker, Isaac Huang, Assistant Superintendent of the Fillmore Unified School District. Photo credit Martha Richardson.

The Fillmore Rotary program, entitled FUSD Civic Engagement Partnership, was presented by Assistant Superintendent Isaac Huang.
Thanks to funding made possible through Proposition 28, the Fillmore Unified School District has been able to launch a Visual Arts Program designed to bring art and music opportunities to students throughout the district. Parents and students were asked what types of programs they would like to see, and those ideas are now becoming a reality.
Students in kindergarten through fifth grade receive a 90-minute block every other week dedicated to arts-related activities. Among the opportunities are Meet the Masters, where students learn about renowned artists and their work, as well as hands-on activities involving Legos and other creative projects. Third-grade students are also learning music through recorder instruction.
The opportunities continue as students move into middle and high school. Middle school students have the chance to learn video production, while high school students can participate in choir, guitar lessons, string instruments and piano. A local business has also donated funds to purchase keyboards, further expanding the music program.
The district’s growing arts program is giving students opportunities to explore their creativity, develop new skills and become well-rounded learners—opportunities that some students may never have had before.
It is a program that is developing and growing, and one that reflects an important belief in the community: Fillmore kids deserve the opportunity to experience and learn through the arts.

September 29, 2026, Santa Paula, Calif. – A full freeway closure will impact travelers using Highway 126 in Santa Paula beginning Friday, October 2nd due to a freeway construction project. The closure will be in both directions from 10th St. to Hallock Dr. The closure begins on Friday at 8:00 p.m. and continues into Saturday, October 3rd, until 9:00 a.m. Motorists will be detoured on to surface streets in the City of Santa Paula during the freeway closure. Travelers are urged to avoid all unnecessary travel on Highway 126 and traffic delays are expected during the full freeway closure.
Traffic will be diverted on to Harvard Blvd./Telegraph Rd. Eastbound Highway 126 traffic will exit at 10th and continue east on Harvard Blvd./Telegraph Rd. before re-entering the freeway at Hallock Dr. Westbound traffic will exit at Hallock Dr. and continue west on Telegraph Rd./Harvard Blvd and re-enter on Palm Ave. The westbound onramp at 10th St. will not be accessible to westbound detour traffic. Motorists are requested to postpone or delay travel through the area, plan alternate driving routes, and allow for extra travel time to make it through the detour.
Traffic signals at Harvard Blvd./10th St., Hallock Dr./Telegraph Rd. and Hallock Dr./Highway 126 will be on red flash. Any intersection with red flash signals are to be treated as a four way stop. Additional patrol resources from the Santa Paula Police Department will be deployed to monitor traffic along the detour and conduct traffic enforcement.
The Santa Paula Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and Caltrans advise motorists traveling through the detour period to use caution and obey all traffic detour signs and warnings.
Press Release Prepared by: Don Aguilar, Chief of Police

Fillmore Civic Pride Volunteers will be selecting a Fall/Halloween best decorated yard, from all over the community, so get your creative “juices” flowing & get those decorations put up, so you have a chance to be an award winner. The yard will be selected October 10th or 11th. The Winner & “Honorable “mentions will be written up in the Fillmore Gazette & “What’s Happening…” site, so people can take the family out for a tour. Pictured right is last year’s winner’s Vieyra family yard at the 200 block of Rhodes Court. Photo credit Linda Nunes.

The City of Fillmore has a contract with a private operator who sweeps city streets once every two weeks in the residential areas. Central Avenue Business District and the State Highway are swept every Monday before 7:00 a.m. Above is the regular schedule graph for sweeping if the sweeper is not down for repairs. Citizens are asked to keep vehicles off the street on the day their street is scheduled to be swept.

Posted on September 23, 2026, courtesy https://fillmoreca.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/292
Enlarge Photo

Be Ready Before an Emergency
Disasters can happen with little warning. A few simple steps today can help you and your household prepare.
Build an emergency kit. Keep water, nonperishable food, a flashlight, a first aid kit, medications, and other essential supplies at home. Include what children, older adults, and pets may need.
Pack a go bag. Prepare a bag you can grab quickly if you need to leave. Include medications, copies of important documents, a phone charger, clothing, and other essentials for each household member.
Make a plan. Talk with your household about how you will stay in contact and where you will go if you need to evacuate.
Sign up for alerts. Register for VC Alert so you can receive emergency notifications that affect your area.
To sign up for alerts and find more information, visit the links below:
Ready Ventura County: https://ready.venturacounty.gov/
VC Alert Registration: https://ready.venturacounty.gov/vc-alert/
Ready California: https://www.listoscalifornia.org/disaster-readiness/
Cal Alerts: N/A
Earthquake Warning App: https://www.earthquake.ca.gov/

Crews were spotted Friday, September 18, working at Fillmore’s 7-Eleven at the corner of B and Ventura Streets. The store remains open during construction. Photo credit Gazette staff.

FRIENDS OF THE BLANCHARD COMMUNITY LIBRARY
BACK STACKS Used Book Sale
119 N. 8th Street, Santa Paula, CA
Every suspect has a motive. Every page has a twist. Uncover the alibis, untangle the lies, and crack the case by buying a book at our massive Mystery Book Sale in October. For a limited time, get award-winning whodunits, gripping psychological thrillers, and cozy crime paperbacks starting at 50% off.
The FOL bookstore has hardbacks, paperbacks and even mass market mystery books from all your favorite authors. Or find a new favorite! When you shop at the Back Stacks, the plot may thicken—but your wallet stays full.
BIG SATURDAY SALE October 3, 2026
10AM TO 2PM
50% OFF ALL MYSTERIES
In addition to mysteries, the Back Stacks also has a large collection of books in all genres. Fiction, science fiction, fantasy, classic literature, children’s books and all kinds of non-fiction books as well. Bring your credit card and buy more.
If you miss the Saturday sale, the weekday hours are outlined below.
Wednesdays from 12 pm to 4 PM; Thursdays from 12pm to 2pm
Fridays from 12 pm to 2pm
We accept cash, checks and credit cards.
We have a large inventory of Fiction and Non-fiction, as well as children’s books. Our collection features 1,000’s of used books from 50 cents to $2, as well as collectible books from $4 and up. 100% of book sale proceeds goes to support the Blanchard Community Library. PLEASE NOTE: We love receiving donations, and accept everything EXCEPT VHS, magazines or cassette tapes. Also, we accept donations ONLY on days when the Library is open for business to ensure that your generous donation is not damaged or stolen.
Located at the Blanchard Community Library, 119 North 8th Street, Santa Paula,
LOOK FOR our BOOK SALE SIGNS on 8th Street

UNITED WATER HAS PLACED A $350 MILLION BOND ISSUE ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT - INCLUDING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE INEFFECTIVE FISH LADDER AT THEIR FREEMAN DIVERSION DAM ON THE SANTA CLARA RIVER NEAR SATICOY
This November, a UWCD-sponsored bond measure will go to the voters in those areas of Ventura County that receive waters from UWCD - from Piru, Fillmore and Santa Paula to the coast, including east Ventura, and Oxnard, Port Hueneme, southwest Camarillo, and the county’s two military bases.
This district is home to a population of about 400,000.
The bond issue will require a two-thirds vote to be implemented.
There are three main capital improvement projects that the $350 million bond intends to fund with public monies:
- seismic retrofits and spillway improvements at Santa Felicia dam on lower Piru Creek,
- improvements to the Vern Freeman diversion dam’s fish passage facilities on the Santa Clara River near Saticoy, and
_ a treatment plant for turning brackish water into drinking and agricultural water, on the coast.
UWCD’s promotional brochure for the bond measure claims that the U.S. Federal District Court’s 2018 ruling in the Wishtoyo v. UWCD case, “requires the District to construct an improved fish passage facility” at the Vern Freeman diversion dam. (p. 8) UWCD’s bond-funded proposal is to improve the current but ineffective denil fish ladder at the Freeman Diversion Dam. (See photo above.)
UWCD’s bond measure identifies fish passage at the Vern Freeman Diversion as its second most important capital improvement, totaling $104 million. However, the proposed modification of the denil fish ladder cannot be completed without permits from both the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The existing denil fish ladder design (dating from the mid-1990s) that UWCD proposes to rehabilitate with the bond funding, has been found to be inadequate for steelhead passage by both NMFS and CDFW, even if modified.
Judge David O. Carter of the U.S. Federal District Court in Los Angeles, has ruled that the preferred fish passage structure at the Freeman Diversion dam is the rock ramp, to be built in the middle of the diversion dam, which will construct a series of rock pools to allow upstream migrating steelhead to jump up one pool at a time to pass over the top of the dam. The rock ramp option has the support of both NMFS and the CDFW - both of the agencies that must approve any new fish passage proposal at the Freeman Diversion dam.
***
NMFS letter to UWCD denies the application for modification of the denil fish passage facilities.
The following excerpts from Judge David O. Carter’s court ruling on Sept 10, 2025, requires UWCD
to construct the hardened rock ramp fish passage structure at their Freeman Diversion dam.
This excerpt reaffirms NMFS’ opposition to UWCD’s proposed modification of their denil fish ladder at the Freeman Diversion dam.
***
This letter rejects UWCD’s application for the modified denil fish passage facilities at the Vern Freeman Diversion Dam as incomplete.

September 16, 2026
VENTURA, California – The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging’s (VCAAA) Advisory Council has an opening for a veterans’ representative. The Advisory Council is a volunteer-based body of advocates who share a mission to create and sustain programs that positively impact the lives of older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers in Ventura County.
Applications for the veterans’ representative must be received by November 1. There are additional openings for city representatives. Each city in Ventura County appoints two individuals to the Advisory Council. The following cities currently have vacancies: Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai and Oxnard.
For more information about the Advisory Council and to access instructions for applying, visit VCAAA.VenturaCounty.gov/ACvacancy.

Santa Clara Valley Disposal will maintain its regular trash, recycling and yard/organics waste collection schedule in the city of Fillmore for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The holiday falls on Monday, Oct. 12, this year and is celebrated annually on the second Monday of October.
Remember that Santa Clara Valley Disposal residential customers can place all three carts curbside every week, as Santa Clara Valley Disposal collects all waste weekly – including food waste, which is recyclable. All food waste should be placed in closed paper or plastic bags and the bags should be tossed in the organics waste cart. This prevents food waste contamination because food waste and yard waste are processed separately. Even if you only have food waste bags and no yard waste, you can still put the food waste bags in your organics waste cart and take it to the curb every week for pickup.
Harrison Industries serves the cities and surrounding unincorporated areas of Ventura, Ojai and Camarillo as well as the unincorporated areas of La Conchita, Lake Sherwood, Lynn Ranch, Newbury Park, Ojai Valley (Ventura River Valley), Oxnard Plain, Piru, Point Mugu, Rancho Matilija, Rincon, Santa Paula, Santa Rosa Valley, Somis, Upper Ojai, Yerba Buena and the Channel Islands Beach Community Services District, as well as California State University Channel Islands and the city of Carpinteria, as E.J. Harrison & Sons; and the city of Fillmore as Santa Clara Valley Disposal.
For more information, visit www.ejharrison.com.

The week’s Fillmore Rotary speaker was Jacqui Irwin, California State Assembly Representative. She assumed office on December 1, 2014, and over the years has presented several bills to improve her represented areas. She is married and lives in Thousand Oaks with their three sons. Photo credit Martha Richardson.

Riders on seven public transit systems can easily pay fares using mobile devices and contactless debit and credit cards – no bus pass or cash required
Tap2Ride, a contactless system that allows riders to pay fares with mobile devices and contactless debit and credit cards, is now available on seven public transit systems across Ventura County.
Camarillo Area Transit, Gold Coast Transit District, Moorpark City Transit, Simi Valley Transit, Thousand Oaks Transit, Valley Express and VCTC Intercity fixed-route buses now offer the Tap2Ride fare payment option, making bus travel easier and faster. There’s no need to carry exact change or purchase a bus pass before riding. Passengers can simply tap their contactless debit or credit card, mobile wallet or smart watch on the yellow payment reader as they board.
Tap2Ride offers additional advantages, including:
• A regionwide “fare capping” discount for riders who use two or more systems. When paying through Tap2Ride, the Tap2Ride system “caps” the amount a passenger pays when riding during a set period. The cap mirrors the same discount as a 31-day pass without the upfront cost of purchasing a pass.
• Regional transfers. Passengers can transfer to any bus for free within two hours when using Tap2Ride. The transfer is automatically applied to the card used to pay the fare on the first bus. No need to request a transfer slip from the bus driver.
• Reduced fare benefits. Medicare card holders, people age 65 and older, and U.S. military veterans can register a debit or credit card to receive reduced fares on any bus in the county. Registration is available at the California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP) website, benefits.calitp.org.
Riders without access to a bank-provided contactless card or access to a bank account are encouraged to seek assistance through the Bank On national platform, which is led by the nonprofit Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund). Bank On has partnered with more than 100 bank branches across Ventura County.
More information about Bank On and a full list of Ventura County partner banks can be found on the Tap2Ride page on VCTC’s website at goventura.org/affordable-banking-options.
The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), the regional transportation planning agency for Ventura County, introduced Tap2Ride on the VCTC Intercity service in June 2025 and has been collaborating with transit operators and Cal-ITP to bring the system to buses countywide.
Funding for the Tap2Ride expansion was provided by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) through the Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) 2.0 program.
“As the agency responsible for coordinating transportation across Ventura County, VCTC is proud to help our transit agency partners implement the Tap2Ride system,” said VCTC Executive Director Martin Erickson. “Tap2Ride provides passengers a way to pay fares that is simple and consistent, regardless of which bus they are riding. For new and infrequent riders, Tap2Ride is an easy way to try their local public transit systems.”
“We’re excited to make riding the bus even easier and faster. With Tap2Ride, riders can simply tap their card and go, just like paying for a cup of coffee,” said Vanessa Rauschenberger, General Manager at Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD).
“This regional launch is a huge achievement for VCTC and a major milestone for Cal-ITP,” said Gillian Gillett, Chief of Data & Digital Services and California Integrated Mobility Program Manager at Caltrans. “Ventura County transit operators have worked together to leverage the State of California’s master service agreements and Cal-ITP’s technology offerings to deliver a more cohesive experience for their customers. This work demonstrates Cal-ITP’s vision for the future of transit in California – a simpler, more connected transit network that makes it easier for transit operators to provide high quality, affordable service for their customers.”
***
About Cal-ITP and Cal-ITP Benefits
The California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP) partners with state transportation agencies and transit providers to make it easier to use public transportation Though Cal-ITP Benefits, transit riders can quickly and securely verify their eligibility online for discounted fares and link that discount benefit to a contactless debit or credit card to automatically receive reduced fares whenever they tap to pay with the card. Ventura County is the largest regional deployment of open-loop payments and transit benefit enrollment through Cal-ITP Benefits to date.

At last week’s meeting, Fillmore Rotary welcomed two new members to the club. Pictured (l-r) are President John Garnica, Rotary member Barbara Filkins and Dale Filkins, their newest member. Photo credit Martha Richardson.