On Sunday, May 15, Sheriff Bill Ayub was recognized as the Community Service Advocate of the Year by the Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation at the 29th Annual Leo Tauber, MD & David Fainer, MD Community Health Care Awards.

This year’s award recognized Sheriff Ayub’s instrumental role in implementing and supporting programs that benefit mental health services and the well-being of the community. These programs include VCSO’s Veterans Outreach in Crisis Events (VOICE) program, support of the Youth Reinvestment Grant (YRG) – run in collaboration with local non-profits – to assist youth with support programs and services to stay out of the criminal justice system, and the establishment of VCSO’s Homeless Liaison Unit. As well, Sheriff Ayub was recognized for working in collaboration with Ventura County Behavioral Health, the Ventura County Public Works Agency, the Ventura County Executive Office, and other local area non-profits to find multifaceted solutions to the issue of homelessness in the communities across the county.

“I was honored to receive this recognition from the Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation, and I accepted it on behalf of the dedicated women and men of the Sheriff’s Office who consistently provide excellent service to keep our communities safe and on the forefront of innovative public safety practices.” – Sheriff Bill Ayub

The annual Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation’s Tauber/Fainer MD Awards recognize outstanding community contributions by those directly involved in the delivery of health care in Ventura County who, through professional, charitable, and public service activities, have demonstrated they exemplify the ideals of generosity, excellence, and integrity.

Written by Carina Monica Montoya

The Fillmore Women’s Service Club held a new officers installation event and dinner on May 19, 2022 at the Fillmore Historical Museum inside the old train depot. The event was well attended by members and guests. Former President Taurie Banks was honored for her exceptional and extended service. Next meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at 7:00 p.m., at Tracks, located at 327 Central Avenue, Fillmore. All women interested in membership are welcome to attend the meeting.

The Fillmore Women’s Service Club was established in 1964 for the purpose of raising funds to help the community of Fillmore. The Club assists families in need, graduating seniors, women returning to education, school activities, local museums, libraries, and many other community groups. Learn more about the Fillmore Women’s Service Club and see photos of the installation event on Facebook (The Fillmore Women’s Service Club), and at www.fillmorewomensserviceclub.com.

Dixie State University recently celebrated the achievements of the institution's largest-ever graduating class of 2,684 degree candidates at the university's 111th Commencement Ceremony.

During the ceremony, held on May 6 in Greater Zion Stadium on the DSU campus, the university honored the Class of 2022, with 60 percent receiving bachelor's degrees, 38 percent associate degrees and two percent master's degrees. Candidates ranged from 16 to 79 years of age and included students from 49 states and 15 countries. Of the graduates, 63 percent are female and 37 percent are male.

Kasey Crawford from Fillmore was among the graduates recognized at the event.

"What a tremendous honor it is to celebrate the achievements of our graduating Trailblazers," Dixie State University President Richard B. Williams said. "Thanks to the experience they have gained through our hands-on educational opportunities, the Class of 2022 is graduating career-ready and will continue to blaze their own trails and make a difference in the world for years to come."

The featured speaker at the event was Carly Fiorina, founder and chairman of Carly Fiorina Enterprises and former CEO of Hewlett Packard. From heading several philanthropic organizations, tackling global poverty and promoting female empowerment to leading Hewlett Packard to become the 11th largest company in the U.S. in the midst of the worst technology recession in 25 years and running for president in 2016, Fiorina is recognized as a passionate advocate for problem-solving, innovation and effective leadership.

Above are two loaded semi-automatic handguns police recovered when conducting their search. Photo courtesy Ventura County Sheriffs Department.

On May 6, 2022, Sheriff’s Gang Unit detectives conducted a parole search at a park in Ventura, which resulted in two subjects being arrested for parole violations and the recovery of two unregistered firearms.

On May 6, 2022, at approximately 1749 hours, SGU detectives were conducting directed enforcement in the Saticoy area and contacted three subjects at Huntsigner Park located at 1198 S. Saticoy Avenue in Ventura. Two of the subjects are documented gang members and are on active parole with search terms. Miguel Ortiz (24, Ventura) was on parole for a firearm offense conviction and Gabriel Cueva (26, Piru) was on parole for a felony assault conviction. Detectives searched a vehicle associated to Ortiz and located two loaded semi-automatic handguns. Ortiz is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms and ammunition due to his criminal history.

Detectives arrested Ortiz and Cueva for parole violations. They were booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Ventura. The firearms were determined to be unregistered and the investigation is on-going.

The Sheriff’s Gang Unit is comprised of eight detectives, who focus on protecting West County communities from criminal street gang terrorism and reducing violent crime by actively investigating illegal firearm activities.

The Sheriff’s Office has seen an increase of illegal firearm activities in Ventura County. If you have any information about unlawful firearm activities in the West County areas in the Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction, including in Fillmore, Saticoy, El Rio, and Ojai, please contact Detective Sergeant Beau Rodriguez at 805-767-0360.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank members of the public for their on-going support and due diligence in providing information to assist our agency in solving crimes. We are better at what we do because of our community partnerships.

Join us in the fight on crime by following us on Twitter @VENTURASHERIFF, Facebook, Instagram @ VCSHERIFF, and with Nixle by texting your zip code to 888777 to receive local law enforcement and public safety alerts and advisories.

Nature of Incident: Parole Search Results in Firearms Recovered and Parole Violation Arrests
Report Number: 22-59986
Location: 1198 S. Saticoy Avenue, Ventura
Date & Time: 5/6/2022 @ 17:49 PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Sheriff’s Gang Unit (SGU)
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S) Ortiz, Miguel, Ventura, 24
(S) Cueva, Gabriel , Piru, 26
Prepared by: Sergeant Beau Rodriguez
Approved by: Captain Victor Medina

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

Photo taken from Santa Clara Street behind Fillmore’s 7-Eleven.
Enlarge Photo

On Sunday, May 15th, 2022, beginning at 8:03pm to 11:50pm, a total Lunar Eclipse took place and was visible to many in Fillmore. The Eclipse lasted for three hours and 47 minutes. Pictured is the blood moon, taken at about 9:00pm. The phenomenon occurs when the entire moon passes through the darkest part of the Earth's shadow. The reason why the moon takes on a reddish color during totality is a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering. It is the same mechanism responsible for causing colorful sunrises and sunsets, and for the sky to look blue. The next Lunar eclipse is on October 25, 2022. For more info visit https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/@5348133

The First Responders for Mental Health (FRMH) initiative was a huge success, and we are excited to invite past and new supporters to come together to make an even bigger impact for mental health awareness in our county.

Last year the FRMH initiative brought together over 30 organizations across the county that raised approximately $68,000, hosted 15 events and participated in a county-wide PSA to raise awareness. The impact this initiative had on our community was tremendous. Fillmore City Councilmember shares, "I am super proud that the City of Fillmore participated in this initiative and have since moved forward with the first ever annual Mental Health Resource Fair."

Your support is vital. Port Hueneme Councilmember Misty Perez and co-founder of the initiative shares, "This initiative brought awareness to the issues our first responders have to deal with every day and showed the holes in the system and the need for more programs, partnerships and funding." Your support not only helps us provide services for over 5000 individuals annually it also allows us to advocate for such issues.

This is a countywide campaign to educate, fundraise, and raise awareness in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May. Port Hueneme Councilmember Misty Perez and Oxnard Assistant Chief of Police Denise Shadinger will be this year's FRMH Ambassadors and NAMI Ventura County Walk Honorary Chairs. We are excited to announce that this year the walk will return to an in person walk hosted by the City of Port Hueneme. The NAMI Ventura County Kick-off and 40-year anniversary will be held March 19 and the Walk will be held May 21. In addition to the walk there are many ways to help raise awareness across our county.

For more information & questions email Maya Zumaya at M.zumaya7@live.com or call 805-767-7569.