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By Anonymous — Tuesday, December 19th, 2017
 County of Ventura, California The County of Ventura will open an information center in Santa Paula tomorrow to assist the residents of the Santa Paula/Santa Clara River Valley and the surrounding area who have been affected by the Thomas fire. The center will be in a trailer parked in Steckel Park on Highway 150 north of Santa Paula. The center will open Wednesday, December 20th, and operate through Friday, December 22nd. It will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The center will provide: • Debris removal and permitting information from the Resource Management Agency. If demand warrants, the center may re-open after the holidays. |
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By Anonymous — Monday, December 18th, 2017
 American Red Cross of Ventura County The outpouring of support from the community has been incredibly generous and the American Red Cross is eternally thankful. In order to provide the best service for those affected by the Thomas Fire, the Red Cross is partnering with our community partners for the distribution of collected items. All donations of goods will be accepted by our community partners.. Individuals affected by the fire may receive donated goods by visiting any one of the community partners listed below. All items collected at the donation center have been processed and distributed to local community partners who are active in aiding Ventura County Residents 365 days a year. Those affected by the Thomas Fire can contact the following agencies for recovery assistance. FOOD SHARE SALVATION ARMY ARC THRIFT STORE HELP OF OJAI RESCUE MISSION ALLIANCE FOR ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS CONTACT THE INCIDENT INFORMATION HOTLINE 805-465-6650 How to Help The Red Cross is accepting new volunteers who are interested in supporting wildfire relief efforts. Visit tinyurl.com/ThomasFire to begin an application. Once submitted, Red Cross representatives will contact the applicants regarding orientation and volunteer opportunities. Stay Connected Download the Red Cross Emergency App for preparedness information and shelter locations at your fingertips. Look for it in your app store, or text GETEMERGENCY to 90999. Follow the local Red Cross on Twitter and Facebook for additional updates. About the American Red Cross: |
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By Anonymous — Thursday, December 14th, 2017
 City of Fillmore This is an important message regarding the Thomas brush fire north of Fillmore. This is an advisory notice due to the potential threat of fire in your area. You are not under any evacuation order at this time. Please prepare your personal belongings including valuables and pets and be ready to leave in a moment’s notice. For additional information please call the incident hotline at 805-465-6650 or visit www.readyventuracounty.org. Advisory Area – A Perimeter 2nd Street North on Island View Street, West on 4th Street to Central Avenue North, West on Stonehedge Drive, North to Country Court West to A Street, North to Goodenough Road, North to the Levy. For the latest updates visit http://www.readyventuracounty.org/ Aviso de Fuego Tomas Este es un mensaje importante con respecto al evento de Fuego Tomas al Norte de Fillmore. Este aviso es por la posibilidad de peligro del fuego en su area. No estan bajo orden de evacuacion a este momento. Pero por favor prepare sus efectos personales, incluso objetos de valor o importantes y animales domesticos. Esten listos para evacuar al momento que sea necesario. El perimetro de la area de aviso es: La Calle Segunda, Norte de la calle Island View |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 13th, 2017
 The Pine grove at the top of the Sespe Mountain ranged was saved this week from the Thomas Fire by repeated Phos-Chek Fire Retardant Class A Foam & Gel drops. Phos-Chek fire retardants are manufactured as dry powders or as concentrated liquids and diluted with water prior to use. The retardant is applied ahead of wildfires to homes and vegetation by ground crews and aerial firefighting units, either fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft. The Pines spring from the Bear Haven area on the north side of the mountain range. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 13th, 2017
 (above) Thomas Fire near Fillmore on Thursday, December 7, 12:52pm. On Monday, December 4th at approximately 6:28pm the Thomas Fire began north of Santa Paula, Highway 150 and Highway 126. As of December 13th 2017, 12:20pm the Thomas Fire has threatened 18000 structures, 921 structures destroyed and 200 structures damaged. 237,500 acres have burned and the fire is 25% contained. Agencies currently assisting in the Thomas Fire: CAL FIRE, Ventura County Fire, Ventura County Sheriff, Santa Barbara County Fire, Santa Barbara County Sheriff, City of Ventura Fire Department, City of Ventura Police Department, USFS/Los Padres National Forest, CAL OES, Red Cross, Southern California Edison, CHP, California Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation, SoCaGas, Crimson Pipeline, Wildfire Defense Systems, CA Resources Group, Santa Paula Police, Santa Paula Fire, Fillmore Fire, Ventura County OES, and Santa Barbara OEM. There are over 7,956 fire personnel battling the Thomas Fire, 983 engines, 152 fire crews, 27 helicopters, 67 dozers, and 52 Water Tankers. Enlarge Photo  Firefighters began staging a portable fire retardant base in North Fillmore on Goodenough Road over the past weekend. The base is being used by helicopters to load Phos-Chek Retardant to fight the Thomas Fire north of Fillmore in the Los Padres National Forest. Enlarge Photo |
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By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Wednesday, December 13th, 2017
 Erasmo Hurtado, 28 of Fillmore At about 6 AM Monday, December 11th, an employee at the Fillmore Middle School (543 A St., Fillmore) saw a man walking away from a classroom and called the police. The man left the campus before police arrived to discover the classroom had been broken into and property had been taken. Deputies checked the area and found a bag of stolen property at a nearby labor camp. Patrol deputies and detectives, working with physical evidence left at the scene and the description of the suspect, found (S-1) Erasmo Hurtado in the 900 block of Blaine Ave. and were able to determine he was responsible for the burglary. Hurtado, who was under the influence of a controlled substance and possessed a lock pick, was arrested for Penal Code Section 459 – Burglary (felony), Penal Code Section 466 – Possession of burglar’s tools (misdemeanor), and Health and Safety Code Section 11550(a) – Under the influence of a controlled substance. He was booked into the Pre-Trial Detention Facility, where he remains in custody with a bail of $40,000. Prepared by: Detective Danielle Delpit |
 At last night’s city council Manuel Minjares was appointed Fillmore City Mayor, replacing former Mayor Carrie Broggie (left). Diane McCall (right) was named Mayor Pro-Tem. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 13th, 2017
Former Mayor Pro-Tem Manuel Minjares was selected new Fillmore City Mayor at last night's City Council meeting, and Council Member Diane McCall was elevated to the position of Mayor Pro-Tem. Former Mayor Carrie Broggie received warm recognition for the excellent job she did during her term as she returned to her seat on the City Council. MEDICAL CANNABIS WAREHOUSING AND DELIVERY Opposition to this proposal by a half-dozen concerned residents was forcefully expressed to the Council. At issue is a decision to be taken between the possibility of multi-million dollar revenue streams and a perceived threat to community health and moral values. No action was taken by the Council. "The City of Fillmore currently bans all cannabis businesses from operating within the City. However, in response to the request from several residents at its regular meeting on November 14,2017, the City Council requested that staff bring back the discussion of an ordinance to allow medical cannabis delivery within the City. Staff reviewed the City of Ojai’s ordinance pertaining to medical cannabis delivery as the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office provides police service to both Fillmore and Ojai." A LICENSE AND SITE ACCESS for Hearthstone to construct entryway improvements during a two-year period was unanimously approved. Proposed extension #6 to Tentative Tract map 5422, NLA COMMUNITY, LLC. NORTH FILLMORE SPECIFIC PLAN AREA was denied. The Plan has received 11 extensions to date. An amendment to the City's Employment Agreement with David W. Rowlands was unanimously approved the Council. Due to disruption caused by recent fires, City Council Reports, Recommendations, and Comments were deferred. City resident Marie Wren asked Council if something could be done to increase public information during emergency situations, such as the recent Thomas Fire. Police Chief David Wareham explained the various methods used today, Channel 10, Twitter, etc., and that during periods of no change in the threat, statements to that effect should be sufficient. However, the matter will be taken under consideration. Wareham praised the extraordinary, effective cooperation between all public services (fire, police) in fighting this devastating wildfire. Special thanks to Cal-Fire and helicopter forces were acknowledged. Fire Chief Keith Gurolla was singled out by Wareham as indispensable to fire defense due to his exceptional knowledge of local terrain. Cal-Fire Captain Dave Russell noted that 94,000 evacuations were undertaken, 504 homes destroyed, 33 helicopters, plus 2 night helicopters were deployed, and 8 air tankers were used to fight this Thomas Fire. These figures combined several local fire statistics. Fillmore was fortunate in suffering no loss of life, injuries, or structures. Resident Art Sanford asked for assistance in restoring his father's house which burned to the ground 8 months ago. A resident for 40 years, he has met with substantial difficulty in being permitted to rebuild the house due to zoning. He is forbidden to rebuild without obtaining a code amendment costing $10,207. |
 On Friday night, December 8th a Lexus driven by Mariela De Santiago, 31 of Fillmore, side-swiped three cars and struck a parked car before crashing into the corner of a resident garage in the 800 block of River Street. On scene the driver refused to seek medical treatment and was taken by Ventura County Sheriffs for further questioning. She was arrested for Hit and Run Resulting in Property Damage, DUI Alcohol/Drugs, DUI Alcohol W/BAC above .08. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 13th, 2017
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, December 13th, 2017
 On Monday, December 11th at 4:16pm rescue crews responded to a traffic collision involving a pedestrian. The accident occurred near the corner of Sespe Avenue and A Street. The pedestrian seemed to have no injuries at the scene but was taken to the hospital for further observation. Enlarge Photo |
 Photo of the week "Firestorm on hillside west of Fillmore 10:30 pm. 12/l1/17" by Bob Crum. Photo data: Bulb mode, Tamron 16-300mm @300mm, f/18 @3.7 seconds. Enlarge Photo By Bob Crum — Wednesday, December 13th, 2017
The Coveted List!
 Bob Crum I spent a whole year helping y'all wean from silly phonetography to real photography. Resistance is futile you know. It's true, with each new generation of cell phones there is a semi-legitimate argument for not needing a “real camera”. Cell phones are lightweight and fit in your pockets, uncomplicated and easy to use and share images immediately online. But so many limitations! Advantages of a “real camera” are: Interchangeable lenses from macro to zoom for greater options, superior image quality overall, the ability to take artistic control over the exposure, larger image file-size capacity, higher resolution images and more detailed photos, better dynamic range & color accuracy, the ability to create high depth-of-field, adjustable shutter speeds for shooting action or sports to name a few. Of course you've heard me extol those attributes all year. Just imagine becoming a “real” photographer! 'Tis the season you know so I expect that many of you have your photography list done for Santa. If not, the following are some ideas starting with point-and-shoot (P&S) cameras. Buying an easy-to-use P&S digital camera but have a limited budget? here are a few great cameras for starters. First, a Canon Powershot SX610 HS. The SX610 HS features an 18x optical zoom lens, a 20-megapixel sensor and an improved grip plus built in Wi-Fi and NFC. Another worthy P&S is the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX220, a 10x optical zoom, 18.2MP Exmor R CMOS sensor, NFC, and Wi-Fi built-in. For the Nikon enthusiasts, the Nikon COOLPIX S5300 features a 16Mp CMOS sensor, 8x optical zoom and up to 16x Dynamic Fine Zoom & built in Wi-Fi. The Panasonic Lumix SZ10 has a tilting selfie screen, 12x optical zoom lens and built-in image stabilisation & built-in Wi-Fi. Another cool compact camera is the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500 which has a wide focal range, flip-up LCD, Wi-Fi and image stabilization. For a rugged-and-waterproof camera, consider the Olympus Tough TG-5 which has lots of options for above and underwater photography. If you think you need more than a P&S, dSLRs deliver a big step up in image quality from a compact camera or smartphone, offering far more manual control and the ability to change lenses to tackle a huge variety of projects. The following are a few entry-level dSLRs to consider: Nikon D3400 or D3300 or Canon EOS Rebel T7i or T6i. The Sony Alpha 6800 is another fine dSLR entry-level camera. The Rebel is awesome! You may also want to consider a mirrorless camera as an alternative. Panasonic, Sony, and Olympus have excellent mirrorless cameras. For any camera considered, check the manufacturer's website for full specifications. A few caveats…Excepting P&S cameras, consider a dSLR camera a “system”. When you buy a dSLR camera: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic or Pentax, think “system”. A vital component of a dDLR system is the “lens”. Look at the lens selection for a given camera brand. Also, 3rd party lens manufacturers like Sigma and Tamron, build lenses with Canon, Nikon and in some cases Sony mounts. Thus, I use a Canon 7D MKII. The lens selection by Canon, Tamron and Sigma is huge. Also consider the kit lens with the purchase of your first dSLR which are a great value! Lastly, to insure warranty service, buy from an authorized dealer. A gray market item may be cheaper but manufacturers don't have to honor products bought from unauthorized dealers. Photo of the week is the wildfire on the hillside west of Fillmore Monday evening about 10:30 pm. Happy photoing. As always, send your comments, suggestions and questions to bob@fillmoregazette.com |