Larry Caro, 46 of Piru, has died from injuries sustained in an accident last week.

Caro, a tow truck driver, had stopped his truck on the 3200 block of Hemlock Street, Oxnard at approximately 7:15am on Monday, September 22. He was standing at the back of the truck when he was hit by an SUV driven by a 23-year old Oxnard woman. The impact threw Caro under his truck.

He was transported to Ventura County Medical Center where he underwent emergency surgery. Caro succumbed to his injuries on September 27th.

The woman was treated at St. John’s Regional Medical Center for minor injuries and released.

The crash is still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Senior Officer Jamie Brown at 385-7749.

The Jeff Gorell for Congress campaign today launched its second television commercial, another positive 30-second ad titled, "Leadership."

The commercial begins with a Gorell family home video from March 17, 2011, the eve of Gorell's most recent one-year deployment to Afghanistan serving as a Navy intelligence officer. Testimonials by local veterans and those who served under his command in a war zone, the ad highlights Gorell as the candidate with experience and the leadership skills to best represent the people of California's 26th Congressional District.

"Leadership" will begin running today on cable channels throughout the district.

Commander Gorell, a Navy intelligence officer, was mobilized and embedded with the U.S. Marines in Helmand, Afghanistan from 2011-2012. He was the officer-in-charge of a targeting cell, tracking Taliban movements and other insurgents. He had previously been deployed to Afghanistan in 2002.

The spot reminds viewers that U.S. and coalition forces defeated the Taliban from control over most of Afghanistan. As a result of Operation Enduring Freedom, girls are now able to attend school and women are able to seek employment in Afghanistan - many for the first time in their lives - opportunities previously barred under Taliban rule. Highlights of the ad include medals earned by Commander Gorell, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

Assemblyman Jeff Gorell was elected to the California legislature in 2010 where he serves as Vice Chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee. From 1999 to 2006, Gorell served as a Ventura County District Attorney. In addition to his military service as Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, Jeff is also on the faculty of California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks where he been an adjunct professor of public policy since 2006.

Gorell's First Television Ad

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The Fillmore High Alumni Association is going to squeeze in one more Cruise Night before our cold, dark, WET, winter sets in (Positive Thinking) at their last Alumni “Flashback Friday” event this season, on FridayOct 10th from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Central Avenue will be closed between Main Street, and Sespe Avenue and it will be transformed into “OLD” Central Avenue, decorated with Classic Cars from years gone by. Come take a look at the beautiful cars that will be displayed. Many Alumni and non-Alumni love to bring their classic cars to Historic downtown Fillmore and show folks what they have,and what use to drive up and down Central Avenue back in the “old days”. Some of the localMerchants will also be openduring that timeto show you their old store buildings they useand merchandise in their store. The F.H.S. Alumni Association cannot stress enough, how lucky we are to have a “Historic Downtown” in our community. They will be camped out at Central Station with all their Flashes gear, Old Photo’s, and inside you’ll be able to see Old Flashes Football game film being played on the Big Flat screen T.V’s. This is a Community Event, so bring the whole family, and take a stroll to Downtown. The Fillmore High Alumni Association invites all the communities of Bardsdale, Fillmore, and Piru to come out and live in the Past at the last Alumni “Flashback Friday”event of the seasonin Beautiful Downtown Fillmore October 10th .Come plop your folding chairs right in the Middle of Central Avenue, and sit and visit with your friends and community, before our cold, dark, WET winter sets in. (Positive Thinking)

Congressional candidate Jeff Gorell will be visiting Fillmore again on Sunday, September 28, 2014 as a part of a continuing effort to reach out to voters in our community. Sunday’s main event will be a free, city-wide BBQ/Rally which will take place from noon to 2:00 p.m. in front of City Hall. The event is open to all Fillmore residents and their families. This will be a great opportunity to meet Jeff and enjoy great food and fellowship.

Jeff Gorell will begin the day with a coffee meeting for our agricultural/farming community at Wm L. Morris Café from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a. m. After the midday BBQ, he will visit the residents of the El Dorado Mobile Home Estates for an ice cream social from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and finish up the day speaking to residents at an invitation-only meet & greet at a Fillmore residence.

“We deserve a congressional representative who will focus on uniting the community by placing people above party,” said Jeff Gorell. “We need real leadership to fix the broken system in Washington. I have worked hard to build a reputation for being an independent leader capable of working with members in all political parties to achieve results on the issues Ventura County voters care about.”

Jeff Gorell was elected to the State Assembly in 2010 and currently represents the 44th Assembly District where he has earned a reputation as an effective leader and advocate for taxpayers, veterans, small business owners and working families. He is also a 3rd generation Naval Officer who currently serves as Commander and Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. During his military service, Jeff Gorell completed two year-long deployments to Afghanistan where he was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for Leadership in a combat zone. Additionally, he teaches Public Policy at Cal Lutheran University, formerly served Ventura County as Deputy District Attorney and owned his own small business. Jeff Gorell currently lives in Camarillo with his wife Laura and their three children.

The family of Adrian Moreno received a Proclamation from Mayor Manuel Minjares honoring their son. Adrian was killed in a shooting on Grand Avenue in January 2014. The homocide remains unsolved. Pictured are his parents Jorge and Elida.

Two proclamations were given out at Tuesday's Fillmore City Council Meeting. The first one went to Fillmore Search and Rescue, and the second to the Moreno family, who lost their son eight months ago to a shooting on Grand Avenue. The homicide remains unsolved.

Agenda items included an authorization to purchase bullet proof vests for the Fillmore Fire Department and other safety equipment, an agreement with the Boys and Girls Club to improve the community center, addressing abandoned shopping carts in town and change in zoning regarding synthetic grass.

The City of Fillmore presented a heartfelt Proclamation to the family of Adrian Moreno, in remembering them and the tragic loss of their son. Jorge Moreno, Adrian's father, told those in attendance he thanked the community for their support and the Council for increasing the reward for information on the crime. Adrian's mother Elida spoke of the difficulty of their loss and how much she appreciates all those that have helped. She ended with, "It's time......the person that killed my some is still out there." She went on to say that some improvements in dealing with such crimes have been made, but then stated that, "Someone out there knows something....someone needs to come forward....We are grateful." Mayor Manuel Minjares responded, "There are kids in our community that know what happened."

Fillmore also honored the Fillmore Search and Rescue with a Proclamation for their 65 years of service. The team of volunteers often search all night in rough terrain or swift water for those lost or injured. Receiving the Proclamation were Stu Long, Laurens Bil, Steve Cohen, Scott Tyrod, Ryan Nelson, Grant Taylor, Jerry Garcia, Kristin West, Dale Velador, Jason Couse and Scott Gillies.

Fillmore Fire Department will be receiving some valuable safety equipment. The Council agreed to the purchase of bullet proof vests by the Fillmore Fire Department to protect the firefighters should they find themselves in a dangerous situation. Fire Chief Rigo Landeros first addressed the Council stating, "How can we save more lives" then went on to explain how "Medical Care Under Fire" has become part of the Department’s response readiness in situations such as school shootings and public gathering shootings.

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The Humane Society of Ventura County is asking for the public’s help in order to care for and feed six neglected horses – four of which were brought into protective custody in the past two weeks.

On Wednesday, Humane Officers brought in a horse, a mare, from a ranch in Fillmore. Dr. MartaGranstedt, DVM,estimated the horse to be close to 400 pounds underweight.

“The condition of the horse is extremely poor. She is very weak and it will take several weeks of ongoing veterinary care before we know if she will survive,” said HSVC Shelter Director Jolene Hoffman. “Humane groups use the Henneke Scale of 1 to 9 to rate a horse’s condition and this horse is a 1, which is extremely emaciated.”

Hoffman said it can take up to nine months of long-term,ongoing care to get the horses back to full weight and that the Humane Society is in need of funds to cover the extreme cost of medical and general care.

“Just to feed them is going to be a great financial burden for us, with the rising cost of hay, due to the drought,” Hoffman said.

The Ojai-based nonprofit also is accepting gift cards to feed stores, alfalfa grade 1 & 2, fly masks of all sizes and fly repellent.

“One of the horses from a previous neglect case is at full weight and available for adoption,while the other five are in protective custody waiting for court proceedings to be finalized,” Hoffmann said.

Donations may be brought to the Humane Society shelter at 402 Bryant Street in Ojai or sent to PO Box 297, Ojai, CA. 93024. For more information, call (805) 656-5031, or visit www.hsvc.org.

The Humane Society of Ventura County is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1932. It does not receive federal, state or local tax dollars to operate and relies solely on private donations.

City of Fillmore

09/02/14
Burglary
300 Blk. Chambersburg Rd.
Theft
400 Blk. Clay St.
Search Warrant
700 Blk. Island View St.
Theft Vehicle
600 Blk. Ventura St.
09/03/14
Abandoned Vehicle
Howard St./King St.
Vandalism
400 Blk. Foothill Dr.
Fight
500 Blk. Central Ave.
Theft
400 Blk. Orchard St.
Disturbance Party
B St./Sespe Ave.
09/04/14
Elder Abuse
400 Blk. Mallard St.
Theft
700 Blk. Edison Ln.
Search Warrant CONTINUED »

Cal Fire

This morning over 8,100 firefighters continue to battle 5 major wildfires burning in California. Yesterday afternoon firefighters fully contained the Nelson Fire which burned 62 acres south of Ukiah in Mendocino County.

This week gusty winds are expected across much of Northern California. In fact a Red Flag Warning for high fire danger has been issued for parts of Siskiyou and Modoc County down the Sierra Nevada range from Shasta County to Tuolumne County.

CAL FIRE continues to urge Californians to be extra cautious and take steps to prevent sparking a wildfires as the anticipated winds will elevate the risk for wildfires Learn more way to be prepared at www.ReadyForWildfire.org.

Fires of Interest:

**CAL FIRE Incidents**

Nelson Fire, Mendocino County
off Nelson Ranch Rd, 9 miles south of Ukiah
* 62 acres – 100% contained

**Unified Incidents**

King Fire, El Dorado County
CAL FIRE / USFS – El Dorado National Forest
northeast of Pollock Pines
* 89,574 acres - 35% contained
* Evacuations in effect for about 2,800 people
* 21,000 structures threatened

**Federal Incidents**

Irene Fire, Alpine County
USFS - El Dorado National Forest
Mokelumne Wilderness area
* 94 acres – 91% contained

Meadow Fire, Mariposa County
Yosemite National Park
east of Half Dome in the Little Yosemite Valley
* 4,772 acres – 98% contained

Happy Camp Complex, Siskiyou County
USFS - Klamath National Forest
Near Happy Camp
* 131,996 acres – 85% contained

July Complex, Siskiyou County
USFS - Klamath National Forest
Several locations throughout Siskiyou County
* 50,042 acres – 98% contained

School Board candidate Sean Morris

The September 16, 2014 Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting lasted less than an hour and besides the District Staff and about 15 faculty along with several members of the community On the agenda was a presentation on the financial statements for 2013-2014 school year and two public hearing items; "Sufficiency of Textbooks and Instructional Materials for the 2014-2014 School Year” along with the "Adoption of Pupil Textbook and Instructional Material for Structured English Immersion Program for the 2014-2015 School Year."

Fillmore School District has struggled and failed for years to bring up its academic improvement, and there has been very little community involvement at Board Meetings. There are state requirement that promote parent and community involvement and one requirement is informing the public of time, place and agenda of each Board Meeting and Public Hearing. According to the California Department of Education a Public Hearings regarding sufficient quantity of textbooks, the hearing "must be on or before the eighth week of school and at least 10 days notice of the public hearing posted in at least three public places within the district that stated the time, place and purpose of the hearing, and encouraged participation by parents, teachers, members of the community, and bargaining unit leaders, (if the district of county office has a bargaining unit).

In order to be eligible to receive instructional materials funds, the governing board of each district and county office of education is required to hold an annual public hearing and adopt a resolution stating whether each pupil in the district has sufficient textbooks or instructional material in specified subjects that are aligned with the academic content standards and consistent with the content and cycles of the curriculum frameworks adopted by the state board."

A hearing is required before funds can be used to purchase the textbooks, which include Mathematics, Science, History-Social Science, English/language arts. Other books include foreign language or health classes. Insufficient quantities of the language and health books will not prevent funds being spent.

When asked where the District placed the information on the recent Public Hearing, the Gazette was told it had been posted at the front of the District building, and one in each school in the District. When questioned were the third posting was placed it was said to be in the Superintendents office (which is not a public place).

Sean Morris, who is running for a seat on the School Board, asked the Board why he had not heard of this Public Hearing stating, "...all kinds of notices are sent home with the kids, it would be nice to have it (notices of hearings) sent to the parents with the children."

Scott Beylik, who is also running for a seat on the School Board, stated last month he sent a formal request to the District to have the agenda email to him three days in advance of each meeting as the State requires Districts to do. Beylik then said he did not receive the September 2nd meeting agenda until the 3rd, a day after the meeting. He informed the Board he had not received any agenda information for the present meeting he was attending.

Superintendent Adrian E. Palazuelos, Ph.D. responded to the complaints stating, "We'll review the process and see about putting it in digital form."

Michele Reddy, Director of Budget and Accounting, gave a presentation on the past FUSD Budget. The General Funds in 2013-2014 school year were $31,962,811, but the expenditures were $32,088,853, leaving a deficit/deficiency of $126,042. Reddy informed the Board this deficit was covered by a reserve fund established by a previous administration three or four years ago, adding "...the reserve is now almost empty." Board Member Tony Prado asked if the deficit was due to the repair of the roof at Fillmore Middle School. Reddy responded, "No, that hasn't been paid for yet" informing everyone that the district borrowed the money for the roof.

Palazuelos introduced those in attendance to two newly hired FUSD employees: Stefan Cvijanovich, Director of Special Programs and Student Services; Gary Hobelman, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services.

Irma Torres, ASB President/Speaker of the House, announced it's currently Santa Paula vs. Fillmore Week and next week students start building the Homecoming Float. Also, Fillmore Cross Country raced at Fastback Shootout on the 6th winning over 18 medals. Other accomplishments included Fillmore Football winning their last two games beating Channel Island 21 to 3 and last Friday defeating Oak Park 53 to 8.