The Proposition 64, permitting recreational use of marijuana in California, has passed and the City of Fillmore's Measure I approving the taxing of the sale of marijuana at a rate of up to 15 percent has also passed. Measure H, that would tax commercial cultivation operations at up to $30 a square foot for the first 3,000 square feet and up to $15 a square foot beyond that.

State law requires voters to approve the maximum level of any new city taxes. The Council can set the rate lower at a later time if it chooses.

The new legislation would allow people 21 or older to possess, transport and use up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational purposes and would allow them to grow as many as six plants.

This new revenue would be used to cover costs for expenses related to public safety, code compliance, drug education and mental health programs, according to city authorities.

Growing marijuana in the city will be regulated by an emergency ordinance passed by the City Council in October. The ordinance bans the cultivation of more than six plants in any one household. Outdoor growth operations are banned and indoor operations must be inspected by city officials and requires a permit. Growing without a permit will be a misdemeanor.

The SOAR proposal to extend the SOAR measure A to 2050 appears to be winning.

Measure G, placed by the City Council to extend the deadline to 2030 seems to be winning.

The three open City Council seats will be filled by the only three candidates running for office. Councilman Manuel Minjares, seeking re-election, had a majority of votes at 38 percent (1,957). Mark Austin, City Planning Commissioner, came in second, with 1,640 votes, and Tim Holmgren, also City Planning Commissioner, finished with 1,405 votes. There were 93 write-in votes.

Olivia Carrera-Lopez, running unopposed, has won City Clerk's position, and Shannon Godfrey running unopposed, has won 97 percent of the vote. Three percent of the vote went to a write-in candidate.

Thanks to the dogged efforts of Raymond S Brown Sr., Fillmore will soon have a traffic light on Highway 126 and Mountain View.

On Monday of this week the construction of the new light will begin with a survey team plotting the location. The Gazette will follow this story until construction is completed because it is an urgently needed safety feature. Many children cross fast-moving streams of traffic to and from school each day near Mountain View.

Mr. Brown is the true hero of this story. In a determined, single-handed effort, begun March of 2012, Brown has preached and prodded city and state organizations to take action. He worked closely with Caltrans and spoke-out at several city council meetings prompting action on the project, for four years and eight months.

The city owes a debt of gratitude to Mr. Brown for his support for this life-saving project.

A 33-year-old Camarillo man was found by Ventura County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team following a 26-hour hike into Los Padres National Forest. The man set off from Dough Flat and planned to bike east to Piru. The experienced set off on a mountain bike thinking that the trail would be more open than it was. He had few supplies except for water and a “space blanket”. When he recognized that his trip would take longer than he anticipated, he hunkered-down through the night. Helicopter attempts to find him after 8 p.m., resumed early the next day with a search-and-rescue volunteers. Rescue crews flew the route that night, using night-vision goggles and, later, infrared technology. Because he was located in a steep canyon there was no heat signature to see. At 2:00 p.m., 26 hours after leaving Dough Flat, above Fillmore, his tire tracks were which led to his rescue.

American Red Cross of Ventura County

The American Red Cross of Ventura County is hosting the Second Annual Operation: Ride for the Red cycling event on November 12, 2016, at the Red Cross office located at 836 Calle Plano, Camarillo, CA 93012. The event, which will benefit the local Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) Program, begins with the first riders leaving at 6:30 a.m.

This event has received a proclamation from the Ventura County Board of Supervisors in support of the ride and its cause. Support has also poured in from local companies who have joined the ride as sponsors including California Resources Corporation, Wells Fargo and Aviara Real Estate in Thousand Oaks among others.

There are four ride routes to choose from which vary in length between 5, 30, 50 and 100 miles, traversing Port Hueneme, Naval Air Station Point Mugu, and Channel Islands Air National Guard Station. All routes will start and end at the Red Cross office. Registration fees start at $50. Participants are asked to fundraise additional money for the cause and will receive a free t-shirt for participating. Anyone who does not wish to ride but would like to donate to the program, can do so online through the event’s Crowdrise page.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Red Cross SAF program which aims to provide humanitarian support to military members, veterans and their families around the clock and around the globe, under a trusted symbol. These support services include 24/7 global emergency communication services and support to military and veteran health care facilities across the country and overseas. The Red Cross helps families cope with deployments and support returning combat veterans as they reintegrate into the community.

Last year the Red Cross provided nearly 36,000 emergency communication services to more than 115,000 military members and their families, distributed more than 136,000 care, comfort and therapy items at military hospitals and medical facilities, and served nearly 23,000 individuals through rehabilitation and morale programs.

The SAF goal for the Central California region is to continue providing exceptional support to our military members and their families while expanding our direct support services to veterans. With increased support from this event, the Red Cross would be able to provide increased comfort and morale items and events, reintegration training and education, as well as improved support and partnership with other Veteran Service Organizations.

Learn more by visiting RedCross.org/OperationRide.

About the American Red Cross Central California Region
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. The American Red Cross Central California Region provides services to the ten counties across Central California that is home to more than 4 million people. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org.

The Share-iff’s Toy Drive has been a tradition in Ventura County for 31 years. Many families do not have the resources to provide their children with a traditional Christmas celebration. Each year, thousands of children experience a Christmas morning with no gifts to open.

Members of the Sheriff’s Office respond to calls throughout the county and encounter families without the means to exchange gifts during the holiday season. Fortunately, some of these families will be the recipients of gifts this holiday season, thanks to volunteers who participate in the Share-iff’s Toy Drive.

The Sheriff’s Office will be collecting new, unwrapped toys for children ages 13 and younger. All of the toys will be distributed to children within the cities of Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Fillmore, Ojai, and the unincorporated areas served by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

All of our patrol stations will have boxes where staff members and the public can leave their unwrapped toys Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm between November 01th and December 15th.

On December 17th, members of the Sheriff’s Office will open Santa’s workshop and provide some Christmas magic to those who need it most.

Toy drop off locations:

Camarillo Police Department 3701 Las Posas Road, Camarillo (805) 388-5100

Thousand Oaks Police Department 2101 E. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks (805) 494-8200

Moorpark Police Department - 610 Spring Road, Moorpark (805) 532-2700

Fillmore Police Department - 524 Sespe Avenue, Fillmore (805) 524-2233

Ojai Police Department - 402 S. Ventura Street, Ojai (805) 646-1414

Sheriff's Headquarters - 800 S. Victoria Avenue, Ventura (805) 654-2304

For more information about how you can help, please contact:

Corina Lozano at corina.lozano@ventura.org
Victor Flores at victor.flores@ventura.org
Tim Lohman at tim.lohman@ventura.org
Jennifer Sezzi at jennifer.sezzi@ventura.org