District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Jaime Serna (DOB 1/29/1972), formerly of Fillmore, was placed on formal probation for a period of 36 months after pleading guilty to a felony violation of Insurance Code section 1871.4(a), making a fraudulent statement of a material fact for the purpose of obtaining workers’ compensation benefits. Serna must make restitution to the victim, American Claims Management, in the amount of $27,955 and serve 180 days in the Ventura County jail as a condition of his probation.

Serna was employed by Agromin in Santa Paula as a truck driver and injured his right shoulder on May 12, 2010. He was placed off work on temporary total disability and had shoulder surgery on September 10, 2010. He remained off work and continued to collect temporary total disability benefits of two-thirds of his salary, tax free. On February 12, 2012, Agromin received a tip that Serna was working on cars and engaging in physical activities that contradicted his claimed physical limitations. Agromin notified its workers’ compensation insurance administrator, who retained private investigators to conduct surveillance of Serna.

Investigators obtained seven and a half hours of surveillance video of Serna working on cars at his residence. He was seen removing a radiator from the engine compartment, and removing and replacing batteries and the wheels and tires off the vehicle. He was also observed picking up a 36-lb. floor jack and carrying it into his garage. In July 2012, Serna gave a deposition and lied under oath about his injuries.

Workers’ compensation insurance fraud is not a victimless crime. It impacts honest business owners who provide insurance coverage to their employees. In the United States, fraudulent claims cost insured employers $2 billion annually, with much of these costs passed onto the public. Our office will vigorously prosecute unscrupulous employees who attempt to victimize employers.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 280 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims.

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A donation to the Heilman “F” fund helps keep our beloved chalked “F” on the hill above Fillmore lit-up at night. The Fillmore High Alumni Association is proud keep this fund to provide ongoing financial support for buying new lights, replacing batteries, parts, etc., as needed. Frank Poncho Morales and friends carved the “F” out on the hill in the 1930’s, and John Heilman, Fillmore High graduate Class of 1953, and friends, illuminated it with solar lights in 2018. Thank you Frank, John, and friends! You can make a donation at http://www.fillmorehighalumni.com/donate/ Let’s keep the “F” glowing!!

Flick & Float is coming on Friday, July 26th at 9 p.m. at the Fillmore Aquatic Center; they will be showing “Moana”, $3 for everyone 3 years+. Bring your own floatie, blankets, or lawn chairs (limited bleacher seating available). Remember there is no swimming while the movie is playing, you may only be in the pool on your floatie. Food/Treat trucks will be present!!! Come join us for a movie night in Fillmore! Courtesy City of Fillmore Instagram page.

Bob Crum

Last week's car show photos roused the readership in a big way: 37 emails! Most were technical, specifically about the star-shaped sunbursts, like starbursts.

Alec R. asked: "How do I get that effect with my iPhone?" Alec, ALEC! You are such an incorrigible phonetographer. To capture the star-shaped sunbursts, you have to close down the iPhone camera's aperture to f/22 or smaller. Oh, wait, you can't do that on your iPhone. So sorry! Well, guess you'll just have to buy a real camera!

Tom B. wrote to say: "Many of the car show photos show people. I just want to see photos of the cars." Tom, I understand. The event was so well attended I felt like I had to climb over a herd of octopuses having a committee meeting on Central Ave to get a car photo. See you there next year?

The sunstars on the black Chevy photo of the week prompted Alice M. to ask: "Did you add them in Photoshop?" Alice, how could you? No, not added in PS! They were all captured in the camera. It was possible because 1, plentiful chrome on the grille, 2, the position of the car relative to the sun (car parked facing west) and the sun's position in the sky making the reflective light possible. Those elements combined resulted in a bonanza of sunstars.

Since most of the questions are about the sunstars, let's again review the process. Please note, the technique is done with a camera, hardly ever possible with a cell phone. If all you have is a cellphone, see my suggestion for Alec above.

Sunstars can occur while aiming the camera at the sun or from a reflected surface. If it's the sun directly, it has to be a time of day when the sun is beginning to get lower in the sky because the effect occurs when it meets a physical object. As the sun gets lower in the sky, line up an object with the sun in your camera's viewfinder. It can be a tree limb, building roof corner or a carnival ride. Stop down your camera's lens aperture to f/22 or smaller. Adjust ISO and shutter speed to maintain correct exposure. Remain mobile, i.e., constantly move back and forth until the sun barely touches the object it's next to. You'll see the sunburst rays change as you move to and fro. Make the photo at exactly the right instant. Don't stop with one photo. Shoot several as you move about changing the effect of the rays where the sun meets the object. In post-processing, you'll see that one that you made will be the best. Celebrate your achievement with your favorite beverage.

Regarding reflective sunburst rays, like on the black Chevrolet's chrome, remember the two important elements: Time of day and camera position relative to the car. I needed to wait for the overcast to clear. No sunlight, no sunbursts! It's all about timing and the sun.

It's great to find lost stuff. At the last place I looked, I found my long ago lost Tamron 1.4 teleconverter. A teleconverter (TC) is like a lens magnifying glass. Mounting my Tamron 16-300mm lens on the TC increases the reach to 420mm. Sweet! To test the combo, I went outside where in the dark of night, I shot two workers on cherry pickers preparing to move high-voltage wires to a new pole. But why that photo for the photo of the week? Ulterior motive? Of course! Who believes that a cell phone could have made that photo? Anyone? Point made? Happy photoing. See the car show slideshow video here: https://youtu.be/W9l2o-36j1I

Send comments, suggestions or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

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Target practice on private property has been determined to be the cause of a 131-acre fire on Sunday, July 14th, between Fillmore and Santa Paula. The fire was reported at 11:40 p.m. in the 21600 block of South Mountain Road, spreading to light to medium brush. It was contained south of South Mountain Road, east of Balcom Canyon, north of the ridge line and west of Bardsdale Cemetery. Three firefighters were sent to the hospital; one with an ankle injury, and two due to dehydration. More than 300 personnel and equipment were assigned to the fire. Tankers 76 and 78 were called in from Porterville and Air Attack 07 from Santa Maria. LA County Copter 16 also responded. At least a dozen dozers were called to the scene. Handcrews and type-3 engines designed to work on narrow dirt roads and rugged terrain were called in. At approximately 2:50 p.m. a drone was spotted over the fire; law enforcement was requested. Per the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 43 CFR 9212.1(f), it is illegal to resist or interfere with the efforts of firefighters to extinguish a fire. Doing so can result in a significant fine and/or a mandatory court appearance. Even a small drone can cause a serious or fatal accident if it collides with firefighting aircraft. In most situations, if drones are spotted near a wildfire, firefighting aircraft must land due to safety concerns. This prolongs firefighting operations; in many cases, wildfires become larger when aircraft are not able to drop fire retardant, water, monitor wildfires from above, or provide tactical information to firefighters. Homes and other values at risk could burn needlessly, firefighters or others could be injured, or worst of all, a fatal accident could occur. No evacuations and no structures were involved. No information released if the shooter will be held financially liable for the fire. Photos courtesy Ventura County Fire Department.

First 5 Ventura County (F5VC) is pleased to join Interface Children & Family Services (ICFS) in announcing 13 Neighborhoods for Learning (NfL) locations scheduled to open in late August. Services will be provided across the county with locations in Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura. The sites will help provide essential learning opportunities and services for Ventura County’s nearly 60,000 children prenatal – 5 and their families.

This announcement marks another milestone achieved as part of F5VC’s newly redesigned NfL model. First 5 Ventura County will be investing $2.9 million annually in the First 5 Neighborhoods for Learning, powered by Interface, with classes beginning in late August and early September
2019.

“We are committed to continue delivering Parent and Child Together (PACT) Classes and family support services throughout the county and in neighborhoods where our most vulnerable families and young children reside,” said First 5 Ventura County Executive Director Petra Puls. “Together with ICFS, we have thoroughly reviewed and selected 13 easily accessible locations to serve as neighborhood hubs for early learning and family support services. Many of the sites are in familiar locations, like schools.”

The centrally located NfL locations will offer programs including Parent and Child Together (PACT) classes to help parents and caregivers enhance their knowledge of child development and positive parenting practices to support their children’s learning and development. Parent education classes provide a venue for parents to connect with peers and benefit from social support. Families will also have access to developmental screenings, assistance with care coordination and referral to services such as housing, dental, and Cal Fresh programs.

"We're excited to partner with F5VC in establishing these prime NfL locations,” said Interface Executive Director Erik Sternad. “The carefully selected NfL sites will allow us to work collaboratively to ensure our Ventura County children and families are served in the best and most cost-effective manner possible.”

The award winning First 5 Neighborhoods for Learning were founded nearly 20 years ago with the understanding that parents and caregivers are the foundation of children's well-being and healthy development. Years of research confirms that a child’s brain develops faster from birth to age three than at any other later period in life, building the foundation for a child's future learning, behavior, and health. “A child’s experiences in the first three years are the bricks and mortar of brain development, which is why we’ve updated the NfL model and placed an even greater emphasis on PACT classes” remarked Elizabeth Majestic, Pritzker Fellow and First 5 Director of Neighborhoods for Learning.

“To help us best serve the families with young children, F5VC and ICFS will be hosting a series of local open house events in early August offering opportunities for parents to enroll in classes and engage with the community,” said Puls. “We hope our neighbors will come out and explore all we have to offer and meet our NfL staff.”

The first of these events will be on Tuesday, August 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Justin Early Learner Academy in Simi Valley and Sespe Elementary in Fillmore. All those interested in joining the F5VC and ICFS family to learn more about classes and programs are encouraged to drop by.

Additional locations will be announced in the next few weeks. To view a current list of locations and open house opportunities, please visit www.First5Ventura.org

About First 5 Ventura County
Research shows that a child’s brain develops most dramatically in the first five years and what parents and caregivers do during these years to support their child’s growth will have a significant impact throughout life. Based on this research, First 5 Ventura County was created by voters in 1998 to invest Ventura County’s allocation of funds from California’s voter-approved Proposition 10 tax 50 cents-per-pack tax on tobacco. F5VC invests these revenues in programs and services for children prenatal - 5 that support children’s health, early learning, and strong families, including our nationally recognized Neighborhoods for Learning (NfLs).

First 5 Ventura County knows that improving the life trajectory of our youngest children will not be the product of Prop 10 funds alone, which now average $160 per child under the age of 5 in each county. Changing systems and policies to prioritize children at the earliest moments in their lives is what’s required to help all children have the best start possible in life.

About Interface Children & Family Services
Interface is Ventura County’s leading nonprofit social services agency, providing free, proven, and responsive services to address the complex physical and emotional needs of 59,000 local clients every year. Its 30 programs utilize 10 evidence-based practices to serve children, teens, adults and families who are typically low-income and struggling with poverty, domestic violence, human trafficking, homelessness, incarceration, child abuse, neglect and abandonment. Interface also connects 150,000 clients per year to a vast network of health and human services in 19 counties through its 2-1-1 Information and Referral program.

Interface’s core program areas are Mental Health and Trauma Treatment, Domestic Violence Intervention and Child Abuse Prevention, Youth Crisis and Homeless Services, Human Trafficking Intervention, Reentry Services, Early Childhood Family Development, and 2-1-1 information and referral. The agency has pioneered several programs including launching California’s first 2-1-1 call center, initiated Ventura County’s Pay for Success Program, and was one of the first agencies in the state to open a domestic violence shelter. Recently, Interface opened the only human trafficking shelter for adults, and is the only provider of child abuse treatment in the region. The agency operates out of five main locations including Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, Santa Paula and Thousand Oaks, and soon, will be providing early education and parent support at an additional thirteen First 5 Neighborhoods for Learning Powered by Interface sites. For more information, please contact Catherine L. Kort at ckort@icfs.org or (805) 206-8663.