On Tuesday, November 12th, 2019, Fillmore and El Dorado Mobile Estates resident Charles Richardson address the City Council with his concerns over the water quality at the El Dorado, and a city rep’s comment back in 2004 about a coming water fix.

Following are Mr. Richardson’s opening remarks, which were emailed in August 2019 to City Manager Dave Rowlands: “Our discussion went back and forth but in October the City Manager ceased communications with me. David Smallwood wanted to meet with me at my house but that did not happen either. That is why I’m here tonight under Oral Communications.”

“I met with Bert Rapp about the dirty water at El Dorado. I installed a whole house water filter in November 2004. We moved to El Dorado on November 14, 2004.

“First filter, best I could buy. He (Rapp) reimbursed my $30, I think. Suggested using a corrugated type filter. Stated that when new houses around El Dorado are built, there will be a hook-up to our “closed system”. Stated that a hookup to El Dorado’s water system would create an open loop system thus cleaning up our dirty water.”

Mr. Richardson then showed several dirty water filters from his home. Sixty-one filters replaced every three months at a total cost of $20 per filter, and total to date cost of $1,220.

His solution request? New water line in stalled on east side of Pole Creek, tied into that line with El Dorado at Coronado, a cul-de-sac street just next to the newly installed water line.

Jump to 2019, and a lot of dirty water under the bridge.

“I expected Mr. Rapp’s solution to be applied to El Dorado when the new water system was installed about one month ago, but that did not happen.

“I’ll be back every two weeks if necessary until El Dorado’s dirty water is rectified. Please expedite the new hookup with the newly installed water line at Pole Creek.

“Thank you for your attention and dealing with this major issue.”

The Gazette will keep you up to date on Mr. Richardson’s quest.

Board meeting highlights for the Fillmore Unified School District

First Interim Report
The Governing Board received a presentation on the First Interim Report. Presentation was delivered by Assistant Superintendent, Andrea McNeill and Director of Fiscal Services, Martha Corona

Fillmore USD Discipline Plan
The Governing Board received a presentation on the Fillmore USD Discipline Plan. Presentation was delivered by Assistant Superintendent, Stefan Cvijanovich

Approve Date and Time of Annual Organizational Meeting The Governing Board approved that the Annual Organizational Meeting will be held on December 17, 2019.

Approve Tentative Agreement between the California School Employees Association (CSEA) Chapter 421 and the Fillmore Unified School District The Governing Board approved the Tentative Agreement reached during the last negotiations session.

Approve CSEA/Management /Confidential Schedules The Governing Board approved the CSEA/Management/Confidential salary schedules.

Personnel Recommendations
The Board approved all personnel recommendations including new hires, promotions, resignations, and leaves.

Diego Angel Aguilar, 14, passed away on November 17th in the early morning hours. Angel was asleep in a travel trailer about 30-feet from the main house on Willard Canyon when it caught fire. Several drivers who saw the fire from SR 126, and Angel’s family, tried to rescue him but were defeated by the fire. Angel attended Piru Elementary and Fillmore Middle and High Schools. There are two fundraisers for the Aguilar family: this Friday, November 22nd (see notice above), and on Sunday, November 24th, there will be a sale of tacos, drinks and sweets. All funds will go towards the Aguilar family. The Friday fundraiser will start at 2:00pm at 849 1/2 4th St., in the City of Fillmore.

FHS Girls Cross Country competed this past weekend, finishing 15th out 22 teams which competed. However, senior Vanessa Avila finished in 15th place this past weekend with a time of 19:59.9, which was enough to qualify her for the Finals as an individual.

Written By Epi Torres

On Saturday, bright and early, the Boys and Girls Varsity Cross Country teams traveled to Riverside to compete in the CIF Division 4 Southern Section Cross Country Prelims. The meet was held at the old abandoned golf course, a relatively flat, hot, windy, dusty course, with a few added rises to test ones strength and endurance.

The first race of the day featured 22 teams and eight individual qualifiers. The Fillmore girls found themselves in a tough battle finishing in 15th place among some very good competition. Vanessa Avila was the top finisher for the Flashes running to a 15th place finish in a personal best time of 19:59.9 for her on this course. This was well enough for Vanessa to advance to CIF Final as an individual. Vanessa was followed by Angelica Herrera 87th in 22:53.7, Alianna Tapia 94th in 23:10.8, Jasmine Vega 97th in 23:16.3, Lorena Perez 104th in 23:30.8, Giselle Perez 143rd in 26:43.7, and Natalie Cobian 144th in 26:53.8.

The boys’ team followed in a very competitive race that included the number one ranked team in CIF Div. 4 SS, Foothill Technology. Nineteen teams and five individuals toed the start line in this race. Fabian Del Villar led all Fillmore competitors finishing in 11th place in a time of 16:33.1. He was followed by Erick Gutierrez 15th in 16:45.4, Davis Flores 19th in 16:51.6, Alex Manzo 22nd in 16:58.9, Rey Laureano 32nd in 17:16.5, Juan Carlos Laureano 34th in 17:16.6, and Jesse Martinez 46th in 17:35.2. In the team competition, the boys finished 2nd in their heat, thereby qualifying for CIF Finals next Saturday.

Next Saturday, the boys’ team currently ranked 3rd in CIF Southern Section Division 4, and ranked 6th in the California State rankings will return to the same venue in Riverside with the goal of finishing among the top seven teams and qualifying for the CIF State Finals at Woodward Park in Fresno on November 30th. Along with them, the lone Senior member of the girl’s team, Vanessa Avila will also try to qualify for the State Meet as an individual.

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Submitted By Coach Sean Miller
The Fillmore Flashes' football season ended last Friday night in the second round of CIF playoffs with an 18-7 loss to the Esperanza Aztecs. Senior Quarterback Jared Schieferle threw for 200 yards and a touchdown to junior half-back Justice Rodriguez. Rodriguez finished the game with 3 catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. On defense, sophomore safety Phillip Cervantez led the way with 6 tackles. Senior linebackers David Julian and Bryce Nunez also played well, with Bryce adding 2 tackles for loss along with his 3 tackles and David adding 1 tackle for loss along with his 4 tackles.

The Flashes season is over, and Coach Miller would like to thank everyone who has supported the football team this season. This includes, but isn't limited to, the Fillmore Alumni Association, Fillmore Fire Department, Central Station, The Fillmore Gazette, Fillmore High School faculty and administration, and all community members who have contributed to the football program's success this year. Thank you.

The Fillmore Fire Department in conjunction with the Fillmore Fire Foundation is kicking off the annual Holiday Toy Drive this week. Collection drop off boxes for new toys are available at the Fillmore Police and Fire Stations. As part of the Toy Drive, on Sunday December 8th, the Fire Department will be holding the annual Chicken Dinner Fundraiser to collect new toys and/or generate funds that are used to purchase hundreds of toys for children in the Fillmore/Piru area. A complete chicken dinner meal is prepared for anyone wanting to donate an unwrapped toy or who wishes to donate monetarily to the fundraiser. The dinner will be held at the Fillmore City Fire Station, 711 Landeros Lane. Dinner will be served from 5-7 PM. Meals may be eaten at the Fire Station or take out orders will be available. The hundreds of toys received from this event will be combined with those that are donated by the Community and then distributed the following week on Saturday December 14, in a huge Community Holiday Giveaway event.

This year’s annual Fillmore Community Holiday Giveaway will be held Saturday December 14th from 9 AM – 12 PM at the Fillmore City Fire Station, 711 Landeros Lane. This is the annual event where holiday commodities are given to the children who reside within the Fillmore Unified School District boundaries. Each child will have a picture taken with Santa Claus. They will also receive a new toy and reading book, a new coat and socks, holiday bags of groceries will also be available as well as a limited number of Christmas trees. Cotton candy, popcorn and candy canes will be distributed. The children and their families will be able to visit with First Responders and learn safety tips.

Annual sponsors of the event include our local Fillmore Police and Fire Departments, Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid, The Latshaw Foundation, One Step A La Vez, Soroptimist International of Fillmore, Saint Francis of Assisi Church, Fillmore Future Farmers of America, Sespe 4-H, Rotary International of Fillmore, Fillmore Lions Club, Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, the Sheriff’s Mounted Posse, Fillmore Citizen’s Patrol, Fillmore Search and Rescue, The Fillmore Fire Foundation and numerous other generous personal and business donors.

If you would like to help donate to the Fillmore Community Holiday Giveaway, you may give new toys, coats, books, socks or canned food; drop boxes are located at the Fillmore Police Station and at the Fillmore City Fire Station. Cash donations are gladly accepted, checks may be made out to “The Fillmore Fire Foundation” with a notation of “Holiday Giveaway”. Donations may be mailed to Fillmore Fire Foundation” PO Box 331, Fillmore , CA 93016 or for drop off, please contact Scott Beylik (805) 732-1101 or Keith Gurrola (805) 558-0932.

Bob Crum

What could go wrong? (You'll see!) I have a Tripp Lite step transformer plugged into the 120-volt outlet because the voltage dips to 115 volts when I turned on the A/C or microwave. Bad condition for sensitive computer electronics. The transformer takes the reduced voltage and boosts it to 120 volts. I also have a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) plugged into the step-up transformer. The UPS provides run-time to power down the computer properly when electricity is abruptly stopped. Especially important when shooting mermaid boudoir photography. But I digress.

Along came the Santa Ana breeze, the wind sufficiently strong to blow over a D9 bulldozer. To prevent the ferocious winds from possibly downing power lines and igniting a wildfire, SoCal Edison switched off power to many customers. I was one of them. As I sat without electricity for eternity (34 hours), I mentally envisioned going back in time, way back to 1889. Journey back with me.

It was 3:30 p.m., and I had just left a bar in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I quenched a bit of dusty trail thirst with a couple swigs of white lightning. Upon my trusty horse, Brandy, I rode back out to where I parked the horse-drawn ATTW (All Terrain Trail Wagon). Because the bar was out of beef jerky, I needed to hunt for supper out in this hinterland. With my 30-30 carbine, I began the hunt. Elk steak would be nice. I'd better be lucky because I had only one round of ammo until I get to Sedona, AZ. About 100 yards off, a rabbit darted out from under the brush. My aim was good. Back at the wagon, I prepared a campfire. While the rabbit was roasting, I fed and watered Brandy.

The late afternoon sun was painting the sky with gorgeous hues of lavender and crimson. I grabbed my faithful Eastman Interchangeable View (EIV) camera that I bought in 1888 at Miss Daisy's mercantile in Dallas, TX.

I bought the pricey 5 X 8 model EIV camera. Without a lens and shutter, the smallest model costs $26. The largest one had a price tag of $100, without lens and shutter. My 5x8 model cost: Camera, case and one holder, $34, a Beck Autograph Rectilinear lens $35, Laverne between the lens shutter $30, 2 extra plate holders $3.20, tripod $3.50, black cloth $1, and a $3.25 roll of film. Complete deluxe outfit cost $109.95 paid for with poker winnings back in Kansas City.

Back to the present day, imagine living back in that period. Having lived entirely off the land for a week in Florida's Big Cypress preserve, perhaps I could go back to that time and ably survive. But I wouldn't go back without my Canon 7D MKII camera. I could handle beef jerky for breakfast and roasted rabbit for supper, but I'm done with the Eastman Interchangeable View camera! Especially the painfully slow 100 exposure roll of ASA 10 film. Snails crawl faster!

Electricity finally restored but not without problems. The equipment survived, but for unknown reasons, several of the computer programs got discombobulated. And I was in the middle of a huge editing project. I had to download and reinstall photo editing programs. That was routine. Downloading and reinstalling the plugins was painful. It was a frustrating couple of weeks getting everything working properly. To date, getting the computer 100% remains a work in progress and I'm running out of Tequila.

Warning: Black Friday is coming. Save $ on the camera of your dreams! Here's a resource link: http://tinyurl.com/slgpz37.
Send comments, suggestions or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

The giant old Packing House building sits quietly in the center of Fillmore, across from the fire station. Traffic hustles on A Street and Landeros Lane, going to school and work. Now and then, fire engines race off to save somebody. Students walk by on the sidewalk. Nobody even looks at the old building, it's just part of the background. It's there, and has been there, for more than 100 years.

But underneath the building is a giant basement, extending the entire length and width of the building, with a giant hallway that runs down the middle, big enough that trucks can drive in and out for loading and unloading. From outside, it all looks quiet. But down below, surrounded by thick concrete, things are happening. Machines are running. Craftsmen are hunched over their benches. Things are being made. It's another working day in the Secret Underground Laboratory.

Today, with special permission, I'm inside, in the basement. It's cool and dark, and I'm venturing deep down the long hallway, rows of compartments and rooms on both sides. Some are being used for storage, some are empty, and some are walled off into private workshops. I find a wooden wall with the sound of a table saw behind it. Built into the wall is an odd Dutch-style door. Odder yet, the Dutch-style door has a pair of miniature doors built into it with a string hanging down. I imagined pulling the string would trigger some kind of puppet play. I learned pulling the string rings a bell that signals a guest has arrived.

I'm visiting the shop of John Galbraith, Master Carpenter and Furniture Maker. John is a tall, strong man with silver hair and weathered hands. He builds custom wood projects of many kinds – special display furniture for commercial stores, complex home office shelving units, parts for boats – and he's always booked with clients. His shop is crowded, full of tools and workbenches, and parts of jobs in progress – teak boards, walnut panels, hand carved trim pieces – the smell of fine sawdust fills the air.

John is full of stories, speaking in many voices with a quick wit. A real character. John has studied acting in the past and still occasionally does small parts for fun. He was born in Ireland, lived in England, and then spent most of his adult years in Toronto, working as a contractor and carpenter. In 1968, John drummed in a blues band with Geddy Lee, who went on to become the front man for the rock band Rush. John moved to the Los Angeles area in 2012 and worked as a contractor out of his garage.

In Los Angeles, John met David Storrs, and did a few contracting jobs for him. David had just bought the Fillmore Packing House building and invited John to ride up and see it, and explained how he wanted to turn the building into a center for small craftsman shops. David suggested John set up a workshop here, and become one of the early tenants. At that time, the only tenant was Steve Butcher, upstairs, restoring Airstream trailers. John put together a quick shop in the basement, and started working from there. As other Craftsman tenants moved in, he moved down the hall to his current spot, and built it up nicely. He's been in his current shop for six years.

John lives in Los Angeles and serves clients all around the city; but his workshop is here in Fillmore. This is where he builds his projects and does the real work, quietly, underground. He's an example of how Craftsman businesses can operate in a small city like Fillmore. He's one of the Secret Underground Craftsmen.

Unfortunately, in August of this year, the City of Fillmore red-tagged the building and locked everyone out of their shops for 5 days. Since then, The City has kept the building yellow-tagged and limited everyone’s access to their shops. The hour and day restrictions have made getting work done difficult for everyone, and people are leaving, including John.

Although John is leaving Fillmore, he is available for hire and hopes to have many excuses to come back to visit the many friends he’s made here in town. You can contact John via his website at www.johnbgalbraith.com