At Tuesday night’s school board meeting, Sespe School Cafeteria Manager “Grandma” Lou Hoover was presented the “Be the Change” award.

Board Member Liz Wilde chaired the open session of the Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board meeting November 18, 2008, at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room at the District Office. The Board heard updates from the Sespe Elementary School and Piru Elementary School Principals, and honored Lou Hoover. The Board approved field trips, math textbooks, and a Use of Facilities Agreement with Ventura College.

The Board honored Sespe Elementary School’s Cafeteria Manager, Lou Hoover, for exemplifying the District’s motto: “Be the Change”. Principal Geri Lunde introduced the honoree, and said that she provided not only great food, but also great care of the cafeteria, staff, and students. The students call her “Grandma Lou”.

Sespe Principal Geri Lunde and Piru Principal Richard Durborow provided updates on plans to improve student academic achievement and parent outreach.

Lunde emphasized her successful attempts to increase parent involvement. The school has reached out to English Learners' parents by holding English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) meetings monthly at 8 a.m. The meetings include information on how parents can help their children learn. At past meetings, parents have received handouts on how to read aloud to their children and how to help children be responsible. Recent meetings have had a turnout of approximately twenty parents. The next ELAC meeting at Sespe will be in January. School Site Council meetings have also provided education for parents.

Sespe teachers have been trained in using ADEPT to test English Learners, so that they can acquire current information about their students’ English proficiency and meet students' needs now rather than waiting a year for CELDT test results.

Durborow presented three strategies that Piru Elementary School is using to improve student learning: data teams, rubrics and exemplars, and identifying academic terms in math. Durborow noted that his third strategy is intended to improve scores on standardized math tests. He said that students who lack math vocabulary often have difficulty understanding and answering math questions even if they know how to solve the problems.

Piru teachers are collaborating in data teams. They use the allocated time to discuss student achievement data, review best practices, share ideas, and develop new strategies.

Durborow explained Piru's use of rubrics and exemplars. Rubrics are systematic lists that correlate score levels with detailed descriptions of (or standards for) work at each level. Rubrics provide a standard scoring method that allows for comparison of student progress. In the example Durborow gave, a Score of 2.5 is associated with the description, "There are no major errors or omissions regarding the simpler details and processes, and partial knowledge of the more complex ideas and processes." Rubrics are sometimes used to provide objectivity when grading essays, short answers, classroom participation, etc. Piru teachers are collaborating to develop their own rubrics. Exemplars are samples of student work that help people to understand the descriptions in a rubric. Rubrics with exemplars clarify expectations, and promote good communication between teachers and students. Durborow explained, "Examples of student work are placed in the classroom and act as guides to facilitate independent work habits and the successful completion of assignments at higher levels of proficiency." Durborow said that self-assessment is a powerful way to improve student learning. Teachers at all grade levels at Piru are using rubrics and exemplars, and Durborow expects all Piru teachers to be using them soon.

Durborow mentioned that school safety is much improved from when he started working at Piru years ago. He also mentioned that a Piru teacher wants to teach English to English Learners' parents; the administration is setting up a night class. CONTINUED »

The Fillmore Middle School Basketball Program was in need of funds for referees so the program could get underway. Boys Basketball coach, Joe Alcantar asked the Piru Petroleum Club if they could help with this and the Club funded the referees for the season. Youth activities and high school scholarships are a large part of the Club's donations to the community.

Piru Petroleum Club has a membership of about 80 people from various areas of the County. Membership is open to anyone and the dues are $40 per year. Lunches are the 2nd & 4th Fridays of each month and Family Night Dinners are the 3rd Thursday of each month. There are no meetings in December. The New Year will begin with lunch the 2nd Friday of January.

A New Year's Eve Dinner-Dance will be held at the Club with a steak dinner, drinks, and dance to the music ofDJ Paul Vaiz. Tickets are available from Board members @ $45 per person. Board members are: President, Gil Escoto, Vice-President, Pat Casas, Secretary-Treasurer, Lynda Edmonds, Richard Arias, Greg Taylor, Rob Frost, Jerry Edmonds, George Real, Tim Lovelace, Vie Piche, Don Downey, Jim Rogers and Bill George.

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Santa Paula Hospital, the “Hospital on the Hill” has many friends and supporters, but none more dedicated than the Santa Paula Hospital Auxiliary Sewing Committee. Three dedicated women, Carolyn Laskey, Jane Duchacek and Marilyn Marson, all of Fillmore, meet every Monday morning for three hours in the conference room of the hospital’s James Knight Administration Building, to create wonderful gift items for SPH patients and their families.

Laskey, began volunteering twenty-five years ago when the hospital was known as Santa Paula Memorial Hospital. She currently volunteers at the front desk on Thursdays. Marson volunteers at the front desk on Friday mornings while Duchacek works in the gift shop. The ambitious core group, brought together by Marson in May 2008 produce soft, stuffed creatures including teddy bears, fish, kittens, ducks and other endearing creatures for child patients, as well as knitted caps and flannel blankets with whimsical patterns for newborns. With help from Friends of the Auxiliary, they completed 93 cuddly animals, 36 blankets, 4 afghans, 21 pillows, 25 NICU pillows, 72 caps, 7 Christmas stockings, and a wonderful fundraiser quilt.

During Christmas week, newborns will receive an extra special gift, hand made “stocking type boots”. The ladies are also working on white, stretchy, loomed beanie caps with green and red tassels to be given to the newborn babes throughout December.

Laskey, Duchacek and Marson also take projects home in order to keep up with the demand. The work keeps growing as SPH, a satellite campus of Ventura County Medical Center expands its service, and they are looking for additional volunteers for this worthwhile endeavor.

To help raise funds for materials and supplies, the industrious trio held an opportunity drawing for a beautiful bunny quilt. Supportive hospital staff and employees helped raise $275 through ticket donations, earmarked for a new batch of precious creations. The drawing was held on November 12. Marivel Avila, Fillmore resident and an employee at VCMC’s main campus, was the lucky winner.

You do not need to know how to sew if you would like to volunteer your time. Stuffers and pattern cutters are welcomed. Donations of fabrics, thread, baby yarn and other related items are always appreciated as well. Join the Santa Paula Hospital Auxiliary Sewing Committee and you will find that their motto is true, “A Stitch in Time Saves the Mind”. As a bonus, your efforts will make others feel good too.

For information, to donate or to volunteer, please call:
Debbie Hill, Director of Volunteer Services, (805)652-6695

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Anna Maldonado, 15, has a big heart—and a lot of hair. On Tuesday, Nov. 18th, Anna took her grandmother and grandfather, Esther and Juan Jacinto, her teacher A Cut Above Stacia Helmer and her Fillmore High School Special Education class to Terri’s Beauty Salon to watch her get her hair cut for Locks of Love, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. Salonist Debra Burhoe, a cancer survivor, cut Anna’s hair while everyone watched. “That was very special,” stated Burhoe, who is now cancer-free, after being treated for the disease in 2004-05. “I am free as we speak.” Terri’s Salon & Boutique is owned
by Terri Hastings and Patricia Padilla. The hair is prepared by being bound with a rubber-band and bagged immediately after being cut. The Gazette thanks Anna for her generous act!

Gilbert Zavala
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I have received frequent emails from United States Army Staff Sergeant Gilbert Zavala since he deployed to Afghanistan and I recently asked him to write an update on his experiences there to include some recent pictures that he could share with the people of the communities of Fillmore and Piru. Below is what he sent me for publishing in the Fillmore Gazette. We all here back at home wish United States Army Staff Sergeant Gilbert Zavala safe travel while in Afghanistan and on his return trip home and thank him and his family for their sacrifices they have made during his service. Staff Sergeant Gilbert Zavala is truly an American Hero!-Dick Diaz

By United States Army Staff Sergeant Gilbert Zavala in Afghanistan:
After High School many people often wonder what they want to do when they graduate. As for me I wanted to be a soldier like my father, grandfather, uncles and other relatives had been. After 14 yrs in the Army I sometimes feel like a kid again, getting to do things that few of my friends or family have done or seen. When I was a boy I played Army like many other kids and had fun doing it with all my friends, pretending I was shooting a gun and blowing things up, thinking how cool it was. One never realizes at that time and place how what you pretend to do or want to do is so far from the truth.

After just passing six months on my 4th deployment, I find myself in the Helmand Province which is the most hostile place in all of Afghanistan. So for our small operational force, we often have several missions where we have to live out of a rucksack, sleep next to our trucks in hostile areas for several days with limited food, water, ammunition and few basic amenities that we are able to carry with us. Camping and hunting with my father and brother in the Sierras comes close, but then again there wasn’t Taliban hunting us. Since we arrived 6 months ago, my team and I have been in at least 12 major engagements all of which have been in the past 4 months. Several days ago our small element came under an attack from fighters in the area next to the Helmand River. The Taliban had fired first but we soon gained the upper hand with our constant air support. The Taliban had gathered several fighters with rocket propelled grenades and Russian PKM machine guns in an open area. Almost immediately after, a small force of fighters attacked from the right side and for the next 45 minutes in one of the most intense firefights, which at one time was roughly no more than 30 yards away as we fought through the hail of bullets. With all the fighting that ensued, no American or our Afghan soldiers that were with us received any injuries. CONTINUED »

Measure H and Measure I both passed on November 4, 2008. City employees believe that Fillmore could be sued as a result. Land owners' opinions are extremely varied.

For development to occur, sometimes the land owner submits a building proposal to the City. More usually a developer purchases an option to buy from the landowner, submits a building proposal to the City, and waits until the City has approved the proposal before buying the property. The City has to review the proposal to ensure that it meets City and State codes, including environmental regulations. Changes can be made and the proposal resubmitted as necessary. Community Development Director Kevin McSweeney stated that only one development in North Fillmore had been approved before the election: the Reider development. That development approval was rescinded by Measure H. The Reider development had been under review for more than five years before the City was satisfied.

Measure I modifies the North Fillmore Specific Plan (NFSP) to set a maximum of 350 housing units in North Fillmore instead of a maximum of 700. It also reduces the potential density of development. Measure I modifies the Land Use Element of Fillmore's General Plan. The State requires those two plans to comply with Fillmore's Housing Element. The Housing Element must be and has been approved by State agencies. The State requires Fillmore to have plans allowing for 985 new housing units by 2014. The Fillmore Redevelopment Agency requires that 15% of the new homes built within its domain be affordable. The City's Housing Element is updated every five years. The current update is under development, and a public workshop is scheduled for November 18th. The latest draft of the Housing Element is available on the City's website at http://www.fillmoreca.com/planning_download.htm#he

City and State plans relied upon the ability of North Fillmore to contain 700 housing units, including an appropriate number of affordable housing units. McSweeney said that the housing units which would qualify to be built in the North Fillmore area under Measure I are less likely to be affordable to moderate or low income households. The density level described in Measure I goes beyond what Fillmore usually designates as "Residential Low Density". As the Housing Element reads, "This designation provides for low-density neighborhoods with detached single-family dwellings with private yards at a density of up to 7 units per acre." Measure I sets the maximum density level at 5 units per acre. The City will have to find an alternate plan for constructing 52 affordable units previously allocated to North Fillmore. McSweeney mentioned that rezoning other areas in Fillmore is a possibility. According to Fillmore's Housing Element: "On January 17, 2002, the City Council adopted an ordinance establishing a City Urban Restriction Boundary (CURB). The purpose of this ordinance is to establish an urban boundary for the City of Fillmore that accommodates a reasonable amount of future growth for the City of Fillmore, but limits additional urbanization outside of the CURB line without a vote of the citizens of Fillmore." Jamey Brooks, a proponent of Measure I, said that building outside the CURB line would have been a better idea than allocating so many units to North Fillmore, but, as McSweeney noted, a vote is required for that to happen. CONTINUED »

City of Fillmore

Fillmore, though not yet an organized town, was already a very productive area in the early 1870s. Sheep and cattle roamed the fields and hillsides, and in a few years’ time, the lucrative business of agriculture would rule the glorious valley. As young families settled into the area, the demand for formal education was realized in 1875, with the opening of the first schoolhouse, a wooden structure measuring 20 X 30 feet. Eventually relocated in town on Central Avenue, the building served students in grades one through eight. As the town expanded, Mountain View School, with a principle and eight classrooms replaced it. Sespe School opened in 1922 with eight classrooms, an office and storage space, basement, kitchen, auditorium, and the first kindergarten in the area. Many parents living outside the school district sent their young children to Fillmore’s renowned kindergarten until non-residential attendance was prohibited three years later.

The first Fillmore High School, built in 1911, celebrated the first four graduates that year. That building, destroyed by fire in 1937, became the first junior high school in 1924, when the city erected a larger high school on Second Street and Central Avenue. The standard of excellence in schooling, attained in part by parental involvement and control, student pride and minimal distractions, continued throughout the 1950s. A new high school swimming pool and upgrades at all schools were achieved during that period.

Today, in addition to two private schools, Fillmore’s youth attend one high, one junior high, and three elementary public schools, where many make the most of contemporary teaching techniques, testing and dedicated staff, and perform to the highest of standards. Encouraging our youths to excel, several physical elements in all public schools have been refurbished or replaced. A much needed all-weather track and field complex, new swimming pool, and a modern science building are some of the recent additions at the high school. Nevertheless, inadequate funding, distractions such as cell phones and internet etc., language difficulties due to changing demographics and immigration, behavioral and drug issues necessitating the need for school resource officers, and relaxed societal mores are amongst the myriad of problems plaguing the school scene today.

School resource officers were not necessary in the early 1900’s. Nevertheless, with growth, resident night watchmen and city marshals, all under Ventura County’s jurisdiction, maintained law enforcement needs. The first City Marshall took his post in June 1914 and the Fillmore Police Department, a one-man force formed in 1925. Later on in FY (June 30) 1957-58, the Department made 17 felony and 206 misdemeanor arrests, and ticketed 297 traffic violations. An auxiliary police group of citizens was ready to respond to disasters, rescue and special events.

The city contracted with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement services in June 1987, closing the book on local law enforcement. Currently, twenty-seven officers serve in various capacities including, one K-9, two gang, three detectives, plus two traffic cadets, an office manager/dispatcher, and the Chief, all committed to protecting Fillmore’s citizens. Arrests include gang and tagging activities, drug production and use, domestic violence, homicide, burglary, theft, extortion, robbery, rape, assault, driving under the influence and traffic violations. It appears that crime everywhere is increasingly violent in nature. Arrests from March 2007 through March 2008 include 221 felony arrests, 1,269 misdemeanor arrests and 2,046 traffic citations, encompassing a population three times the size of a half century ago. In the last thirty years, changes in commerce transportation from rail to trucking, expanded work related commuting distances, and two or three cars per household have all contributed to heavy traffic activity. The Department’s effectiveness and ability for rapid response lets Fillmore remain one of the safest cities in the county and the state overall.

Fillmore’s first Fire Chief, appointed in 1916, led the Fillmore Volunteer Fire Department consisting of a handful of men. Through the decades, improvements in equipment, continual training and selfless human beings have created the finely tuned machine it is today, one of the best in the state. Its responsibilities include not only responding to fires of all types, including brush, home, automobile and industrial, but medical and disaster emergencies as well, 24/7. The Department’s activities are overseen by its Chief and coordinated by three Captains, all paid positions. The three-truck department retains sixty-eight total volunteers, including eighteen paramedics and twenty-six volunteers who reside in town. Firefighters today must undergo strenuous psychological and physical preparation, in addition to continual training in ever-changing firefighting, medical and a myriad of disaster response techniques.

The Fillmore Herald reported the comings and goings in Fillmore from 1907 for nearly one hundred years. The Sun reported from 1916 -1919, and the Fillmore American, published from 1925-1932. News articles of the mid-1950s relayed some national news, but primarily reported on the vibrant local, business and governmental activities of the town, school news and scholastic achievements of the young, social clubs and personal happenings, armed service updates and a healthy dose of advertising. Except in times of great disaster and depictions of heroic efforts and neighborly kindnesses, the news was mostly upbeat, reflecting splendid times in our magnificent small town.

The only remaining local newspaper in print today is this weekly publication, The Fillmore Gazette, releasing its first edition on September 15, 1989. The front-page headlines of recent years often announce crimes or arrests, or the failings of schools etc. Generous amounts of dissension fill the “Letters to the Editor” section. Still, we also often get glimpses of our youths’ successes, kind deeds, patriotism, history, and the aspirations and debates of our town’s leaders as they try to guide us through the 21st century. Spreading the word on line, a relatively new approach in our town are The Sespe Sun and The Fillmore Gazette. Nevertheless, is it not true that wherever you read or hear the news, it is in sharp contrast to what it once was?

“Fortune Favored Fillmore” coined by Fillmore Judge Merton Barnes, was the winning entry in a 1924 town slogan contest. There have been times in Fillmore’s history that the slogan seemed less than accurate. Freezes resulted in loss of millions of dollars, fires threatened homes and businesses and heavy rainfalls caused floods. Major floods, resulting in extensive damage and loss have been recorded in 1914, 1938, 1969 and 1978, but with the exception of the failure of the St. Francis Dam on March 23, 1928, the ’69 flood is considered the worst on record due to weather, with nearly 20 inches of rain falling during the month of January. Other disasters greatly affecting Fillmore included the Spanish influenza epidemic in 1917-1918; the stock market crash in 1929 followed by the Great Depression; loss of life from wars; brush, refinery, school and business fires, and major damage from earthquakes in 1952 and 1971. At 4:31 a.m. on January 17, 1994, Fillmore’s citizens awakened to the 6.7 magnitude Northridge quake and enormous destruction, including the Fillmore Historical Museum, where much of our town’s heritage is lovingly stored in safekeeping. Nevertheless, mirroring every past disaster, and years of rebuilding, Fillmore survived. Even today, the spirit of Fillmore lives on as her citizens battle the present economic crisis.

As you have read over the past two episodes and now this one, change touched Fillmore through its one hundred and twenty years of history in many forms, some inevitable, some unavoidable and some self-inflicted. Change is progress, or is it? Perhaps progress is change. You decide. Yet, one cannot deny, Fillmore is a work in progress.

*Research materials gathered from The Fillmore Historical Museum, the Fillmore Centennial Book, The Fillmore Herald and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. Thank you to those individuals who generously contributed valuable information and lore of our town, Fillmore.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

The flood control channel adjacent to Hwy 126 East of Wells Rd has been a source of illegal graffiti activity for some time. The gang and tagging crew graffiti is highly visible from the highway and has recently been the source of complaints from citizens.

On 11-6-08 at approximately 3:15 am, deputies from the Headquarters Patrol Station responded to the area for a call of possible criminal activity occurring in the area. Deputies responded to the location and detained three suspects while two others fled on foot. One of the subjects Aaron Pacheco, 23, of Fillmore, who fled as the deputies arrived was arrested a short time later and the investigation is continuing on the identification of the 5th suspect.

The three suspects, Andrew Dominic Gonzales II, 24, Rosa Linda Johnson, 23, and Kristina Elena Rosales, 20 all from Santa Paula, who were initially detained were later determined not to be involved in the actual vandalism and were cited and released for trespassing. The fourth suspect who fled on foot, Aaron Pacheco, was arrested for Felony Vandalism, resisting arrest, possession of graffiti tools, conspiracy to commit a crime and under the influence of a controlled substance. Pacheco was subsequently booked into the Ventura County Jail.