Presentation - Green Business presentation. A presentation by the County of Ventura’s Green Business organization was given at Tuesday’s Council meeting. Managing this environmental outreach was Javier Saucedo. Mr. Saucedo explained the multi-faceted ability of Green Business to assist business owners with setting up ways to keep the environment clean and green.

9-C Council discussion of the Community Conversation Program and its Future. Extended discussion continues. 9-D Adoption Resolution No 21-3840 to impose lien to recover costs of replacing tree unlawfully removed by property owner. Fine paid and schedule agreed to for covering all additional costs to be paid in full within one year. 9-E one city council meeting a month until January 11, 2022. Agreed to unanimously. 9-F Allowing AYSO to rent fields at rate. Agreed, unanimously. 9-G Current license Agreement for COVID-19 testing kiosk on city property with 360 Clinic, Inc. Unanimously agreed.

Jacquie Day, Fillmore High School Principal.

Dear Fillmore High School Families,
It is with great pride and excitement that I write this letter of introduction to you as the new principal of Fillmore High School. I am honored to have the opportunity to lead a school with such rich traditions of academic excellence. I have been dedicated to the field of secondary education for the past seventeen years, the last seven of which have been as an Assistant Principal of Instruction at Burbank High School. I am excited and eager to bring my skills as an educational leader to Fillmore High School and work with you as a partner in education to ensure your child’s success.

Along with the teachers and staff, I will work hard to continue the legacy of success established at FHS by building strong relationships with parents, students and community partners. Returning to full time in-person learning will be both exciting and challenging for our community of learners. After three semesters of distance learning, we will all have some readjusting to being on campus. Because of this, we will be extending our orientation program to both freshman and sophomores to aid in the transition back to in-person learning. Orientation information will be sent in a letter along with our registration materials. All faculty and staff will be present on August 19th, the first day of class, and look forward to creating a welcoming environment for your student. Please check our website for community health related updates prior to the start of school.

Over the past year, FHS has added several new programs and facility changes to support our students. The FHS Wellness Center has been opened and will provide a comfortable, safe space for students to take a break from everyday stressors, access resources and get connected to different services for mental health and overall wellbeing. We also have two new CTE buildings that will be completed this fall. These spaces will support our established programs as well as provide the opportunity to add new programs. There has also been a refresh on campus of student areas such as the library, classrooms and some of our outside spaces. Students, upon their return, will be pleasantly surprised in the welcoming environment on campus.

I look forward to meeting and getting to know each and every one of you in the fall. Go Flashes!

Sincerely,
Jacquie Day, Fillmore High School Principal

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

A 28-year-old Carpinteria woman was arrested for stealing mail, burglary, forgery, and cashing the victim’s stolen checks.

On July 6, 2021, deputies responded to an identity theft call in the 2000 Block of Grimes Canyon Road. The victim reported to have had been alerted by his financial institution with regards to three personal checks that had been cashed by an unknown payee named Briana Gutierrez. The victim further reported to have placed these checks in his mailbox and he did not know anyone by the name of Briana Gutierrez, nor were the checks originally written out to Gutierrez. Three checks totaling $1,701.89 had been stolen, forged, and cashed.

The Fillmore Detective Bureau quickly followed up with this case and conducted their investigation. They were able to positively identify the suspect as Briana Gutierrez, a resident of Carpinteria who has a history of criminal theft crimes.

On August 4, 2021, Fillmore Detectives contacted and arrested Gutierrez in the city of Carpinteria. Gutierrez was taken into custody for several felonies. She was subsequently booked into custody at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility for Identity Theft, Possession of Stolen Property, Forgery, and Burglary. Gutierrez’s bail was set at $70,000. She posted bail with a pending court date.

Anyone with information pertaining to crimes of this nature involving Gutierrez is urged to contact Detective Pewsey at the below listed number. Gutierrez may be implicated in additional check fraud crimes with other victims. The reporting party may remain anonymous.

The Fillmore Police Department encourages citizens to immediately report suspicious people and vehicles, and to promptly report any crime they come across by calling 911. 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.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would also like to remind citizens to be aware of loose mail placed in unlocked mailboxes and theft of mail left in unlocked mailboxes for extended time periods. Please remember that Postal Inspectors across the country work hard to protect your mail. But with deliveries to more than 100 million addresses, the Postal Inspection Service can't do the job alone. You can protect your mail from thieves by remembering to pick up your mail promptly after delivery. Don’t leave it in your mailbox overnight. If you're expecting checks, credit cards, or other negotiable items, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your mail. This diligence will assist in the prevention of becoming a victim of identity theft.

If you see or suspect a mail thief at work, or if you believe your mail was stolen, call police immediately 9-1-1, then call Postal Inspectors at 877-876-2455 and (press 3) or visit the below link.

https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/investigations/mailfraud/fraudschemes...

Nature of Incident: Suspect arrested for Identity Theft, Forgery, Possession of Stolen Mail, and Burglary
Report Number: 21-52078
Location: 2000 Block of Grimes Canyon Road, Unincorporated area of Fillmore/Ventura County, CA
Date & Time: August 4, 2021 3:00 PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Detective Bureau/Fillmore Police Department Patrol Services
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(A) Briana Gutierrez, Carpinteria, 28
Prepared by: Detective Sergeant Hollowell

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).

Temescal School in 1900.
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The Piru Mansion was built by David C. Cook in 1888, he also built the Piru City Hotel, later known as the Round Rock Hotel. He also purchased 14,000 acres of the Piru Canyon from Señora Del Valle, of Rancho Camulos.
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Piru Creek looking upstream before the dam.
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The dam, Santa Felicia Dam, on Piru Creek has been owned and operated by the United Water Conservation District since it was constructed in 1955, pictured above is that Reservoir area.
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View of the construction back in 1956.
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Lake Piru filled to the brim in 2005.
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Lake Piru spilling debris in 2005.
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Lake Piru recreation area newly opened in 1956.
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Sign at vista point.
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The Round Rock Hotel in 2021.
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The Piru Mansion as of today.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

What do we know of Piru Canyon and Lake Piru? Check the Piru Lake website for photos of water skiing, fishing, camping and more at Lake Piru Recreation Area. But what of its history?

The dam and lake sit within the Los Padres National Forest in the Topatopa Mountains of Ventura County. The dam, Santa Felicia Dam, on Piru Creek has been owned and operated by the United Water Conservation District since it was constructed in 1955. But what came before?

The canyon where the dam and lake are located was primarily connected in the early history of the 20thCentury with Juan Fustero and his family. He was descended from the Shoshones and by extension to the Hopi and Aztec people. His people migrated seasonally and often connected with the coastal Chumash and tended to adopt their customs. This is how the family came to Piru Canyon. The name Piru is a shortened form of the original Pi’idhuku, the name of a reed used to make baskets.

Juan and his family lived far up the canyon in Temescal Canyon. He had come by his last name during a court legal action. When the presiding judge asked for his last name he replied that he had no last name. The judge then asked what his family did for a living. They had been makers of the wood framework for saddles or “saddle trees” called fustos in Spanish. So the judge gave him the last name of Fustero “he who makes saddle trees.”

In 1880, an early elementary school was built in the canyon about where the dam is today. Juan’s five daughters and three sons most likely were educated there. Three of the five daughters ultimately died of measles and were buried somewhere on the Fustero Ranch. Juan’s father and Juan himself were also buried in the same area of the ranch, an area which is now underwater. We have been told that there is a plaque up canyon honoring their burial place but have no photo of it.

Piru Canyon at one time was destined to be “Another Eden,” at least in the mind of David C. Cook who purchased 14,000 acres of the canyon in 1886 from Señora Del Valle, of Rancho Camulos. Cook, a devout Christian, had made a fortune publishing religious tracts in Elgin, Illinois. His health was failing and he had determined to come west to a milder climate. His second “Garden of Eden” would include 400 acres of oranges, 300 of apricots, 200 of English Walnuts, as well as figs, grapes, chestnuts, almonds, pomegranates, persimmons and olive trees. When the Southern Pacific railroad tracks were laid through the valley in 1887 Cook built his own depot. Once he was well established, his wife and two sons were brought to Piru. He built the Piru City Hotel, known later as the Round Rock hotel from the huge round rock located in the front yard, and the Piru Mansion In 1888.With his plantings producing well, he platted out the city of Piru and donated land for the building of a Methodist Episcopal Church. Cook saw to it that eight miles or roads and 12 miles of irrigation ditches were built, intending to turn the canyon into a self-sufficient farm. As his health improved he began to make trips back to Illinois. An astute businessman, he watched the development of the local oil industry. On his next trip to Illinois in 1899, with his health returned, he made arrangements to sell his property for oil development to the Piru Oil and Land Company. He had made a profit of $433,000 on a 13 year land investment.

Cook moved back to Illinois after selling his property in Piru, dying in 1927. His mansion remains, having been restored many years ago after a disastrous fire, and is today in use as a wedding venue. The Round Rock Hotel is still there but no longer receives guests. All that remains of “Another Eden” are a few olive trees on the way to the dam.

Santa Felicia Dam was constructed in 1955 in Piru Canyon and has become a popular recreational location drawing people from our local valley as well as surrounding counties.

Today, because of the drought, the lake is as low as it has been in decades. The 3” of rain we received locally in 2020-21 was not enough to keep the lake filled. It was built to hold winter rainfall from the surrounding mountains and then release the water in summer to refill naturally occurring underground basins beneath the Santa Clara River. Local farmers and local cities retrieve the water with deep water wells to supply the people in town and farmers’ orchards and row crops. You may not see the water in the river unless it has been raining, but it is there, underground.

Many local residents remember the extremely wet year of 2005. Piru Lake was filled to the brim and spilling over the spillway. The effects on the residents of Piru, Fillmore, and Bardsdale were dramatic. Water filled the Santa Clara River from bank to bank, surrounded the equestrian center and threatened to wash away the south approach of the Bardsdale Bridge. Land was washed away on the south and north side of the river greatly impacting agricultural operations.

Rain years begin each year on October 1 and end on September 30. This doesn’t mean that rain will show up on October 1 but we hope that this year will provide the rain we need. In the meantime we use our water carefully and look forward with hope for a wet winter.

Christine Schieferle, Superintendent, Fillmore Unified School District

Dear Families,

Welcome to the 2021-22 school year. I am honored to serve as the Superintendent for the Fillmore Unified School District and look forward to meeting with staff, students, families and the community to acknowledge and listen to what you love most about our school district and to identify areas of growth and improvement.

I am excited to share that we are preparing for a full in-person return to school on August 19, 2021. Our goal is to return our schools to as close as pre-COVID normal as possible. This includes scheduling Back-to-School Nights, parent trainings, in-person meetings, and bringing back the after-school Bridges program for students in grades K-8. In addition, students will participate in before and after school activities, athletics, clubs, and extracurricular activities on our campuses. In order to do this, the District is required to follow COVID guidelines from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Ventura County Public Health (VCPH). Our district nurses and administrative staff are in frequent contact with both agencies and the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE). We will adjust our protocols accordingly as guidance changes. Updated information will be shared with students, staff, families, and the community through our district communication system, district and school websites, and social media. We will always prioritize the safety of our staff and students and are working diligently to ensure all schools are ready for the first day of school.

Below are some of the changes for the upcoming school year:

• Per CDPH guidelines, masks are required to be worn indoors by employees and students at all school sites, with exceptions per the CDPH face mask guidance.
• Outdoors, employees and students are not required to wear masks.
• Students and staff will self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before coming to school.
• Students who test positive for COVID-19, exhibit COVID-19 symptoms, or have been in contact with a positive COVID-19 case should stay home and contact their child’s school. School staff will work with District nurses and with the family to identify the level of contact, quarantine timelines, if necessary, and any additional return-to-school requirements and support the family may need.
• Physical distancing is no longer necessary indoors or outdoors unless the District determines there is a hazard for a particular person or during a major outbreak.
• Disposable face coverings will be provided to employees and students, if needed.
• Classrooms, restrooms, playground equipment, buses, and common areas will be cleaned and disinfected by custodians daily with an emphasis on high-touch surfaces.
• Handwashing stations will be available at all school sites, and students will be encouraged to wash their hands regularly and practice good hygiene behaviors.
• Water fountains will remain closed and water bottles will be provided to students. Students may also bring their own filled water bottle from home.
• Students may bring their own backpacks to school.
• Non-essential visitors and volunteers will not be allowed on school campuses during the school day. All essential visitors (contractors, parents/guardians invited for parent meetings) must wear masks and sign-in.
o Parents and families will not be permitted to walk their students to class, except for the first two days of school, August 19-20 for elementary students only. Masks will be required outdoors for these two days.
• We encourage all who can receive the COVID-19 vaccinations to do so, but vaccinations are not mandatory for employees or students.
• An Independent Study program is an option for students who do not wish to attend school in person. Please contact the Educational Services Department at (805) 524-6036.

For more information, please see the FUSD 2021-2022 COVID-19 Return to School Protocols document located on our district website.

We know the last 16 months of school closures and distance learning programs have been challenging for our students and their families. We look forward to providing additional academic and social and emotional supports to make this return to school experience as smooth as possible and will take measures to respond to the needs of our students. To begin, all schools will have full-time counselors and additional tutoring and credit recovery opportunities for students. Additional teachers have been hired at all elementary schools to provide intervention support and to address learning gaps. A new Wellness Center at Fillmore High School will provide counseling support for students and serve as a resource for families. Family workshops will be provided in English and Spanish to share strategies to support students at home. We look forward to hearing from all our families on how we can best meet your child’s needs and work together as partners in learning.

I realize there are still many uncertainties and questions as we return to school. However, we do celebrate bringing students back into our schools and classrooms. We are confident that, working together, we can make this school year a safe and positive experience for our students. This is what we do best in Fillmore: we take care of our kids!

Proud to be a part of FUSD,
Christine Schieferle
Superintendent

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Three men robbed a Camarillo AT&T store at gunpoint Thursday evening before fleeing with cash and merchandise. The suspects left in a stolen vehicle at a high rate of speed. AT&T staff was able to track the stolen phones and provide responding deputies with a location and direction of travel. The suspects drove from the northbound US 101 to eastbound S/R 126 toward the city of Fillmore. Deputies in Fillmore spotted the vehicle and initiated a pursuit of the suspects.

The vehicle eventually traveled on city streets until it struck a parked car in a residential neighborhood. All three suspects fled on foot, but two were quickly apprehended. Deputies located the third suspect in the backyard of a nearby house with the assistance of sheriff K-9 units and a helicopter. Cash, stolen phones, and a handgun were recovered in the stolen vehicle. The three men were booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Ventura on charges of armed robbery, kidnapping, and conspiracy.

Community: Camarillo - Armed Robbery of AT&T Store
Nature of Incident: Armed robbery of AT&T store
Report Number: 21-100228
Location: AT&T Store 1955 E. Daily Drive #103, Camarillo, Ca.
Date & Time: July 29, 2021 @ 7:14 pm
Unit(s) Responsible: Camarillo and Fillmore Patrol Units, Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence / Age
(S) Damian Barron, Bakersfield, 22
(S) Dequon Dillard, Bakersfield, 21
(S) Marquishon Hughey, Bakersfield, 22
Prepared by: Captain Eric Buschow
Approved by: Captain Shane Matthews

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

A 15-year-old Fillmore resident was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle.

On 07/25/21, a Piru resident reported his vehicle stolen. The vehicle was left unlocked with the keys inside. The stolen vehicle was recovered at the Pacific View Mall in Ventura and Detectives obtained video surveillance of the suspect. The Fillmore Detective Bureau worked collaboratively with the Ventura County Auto Theft Task Force on this case due to a recent rise in the number of vehicle thefts in the area.

Detectives identified the suspect in this case as a juvenile resident of the city of Fillmore.

On 07/26/2021, Fillmore Detectives located the suspect and arrested him for felony possession of a stolen vehicle. The juvenile was lodged at the Juvenile Justice Center in Oxnard for the violation.

The Fillmore Police Department has seen a significant increase in vehicles being stolen from the city of Fillmore and surrounding area. In several of these cases, the vehicles have been left unlocked with the keys inside.

The Sheriff’s Office is asking residents to be aware of these crimes and is encouraging vehicle owners to park in well-lit areas or inside their garage, to lock their vehicles, and to retain possession of their vehicle keys when the vehicle is parked or unattended.

The Fillmore Police Department encourages residents to immediately report suspicious or criminal activity by calling 911. 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 in the solving crimes. We are better at what we do because of our community partnerships.

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

Community: Suspect Arrested for Possession of a Stolen Vehicle
Nature of Incident: Suspect Arrested for Possession of a Stolen Vehicle
Report Number: RB# 21-98053
Location: City of Fillmore
Date & Time: 07/26/2021
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Patrol Services, Fillmore Detectives, and Ventura County Auto Theft Task Force
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence / Age
(S) Juvenile Fillmore 15
Prepared by: Detective Lopez #4397
Approved by: Captain Garo Kuredjian

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).

A Chumash house built at the Ventura County Fair, 1923. Harrington Papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

In 1769 Gaspar de Portolá and his expedition were the first Europeans to visit this valley which they named the Santa Clara River Valley. They found small bands of indigenous people living in settlements along the river. These were the Piru, Sespe and Mupu bands of the Chumash people.The inhabitants lived in caves along the Sespe River, Piru Creek and on the banks of the Santa Clara River. They were self-sufficient, gathering acorns from the oaks, hunting local game, and eating the edible berries and nuts found in great abundance. And there was always water available in the Sespe, the Santa Clara River, and Piru Creek. In addition, a lively trading tradition with other Chumash bands on the coast as well as other tribes in the area.

At the time of actual physical contact with Europeans (1769) their numbers are estimated to have been somewhere between 15,000 and 25,000 people. With the arrival of the Missions, most of the Chumash were forced to live near the Missions and become laborers for the Fathers. A few were able to retain their independence in the far reaches of the valley.

One of the last Chumash (or part Chumash) residents of our area was Candalaria Valenzuela (at the time of her death she was married to Jose Valenzuela). A member of the Sespe Tribe of Chumash Indians, she was born in about 1840 on Lord’s Creek, 5 miles west of Fillmore on what was to eventually be known as Rancho Sespe. She was raised by “Captain” Luis Francisco, a Chumash Shaman, who was also a “Mayordomo” at Mission San Buenaventura.

In the early 1900s she was interviewed by George Henley (see https://www.fillmorehistoricalmuseum.org/stories-2/george-henley-and-ses...)and a representative of the Smithsonian Institution who was studying Chumash culture and language. Henley explained that, “As the old Indian could only talk her dialect and poor Spanish, I got her interpretation in Spanish and afterwards turned into English.”

Candalaria described the time of Mission rule as slavery. The priests dominated the entire area. The indigenous people were required move near to the Mission, to attend Sunday mass and to convert to what was to them an alien religion. They were made to work in agriculture which was not how they had lived previously.Despite or perhaps because of the strictness of the regime, there was no revolt in Ventura County as there was in Santa Barbara County area in 1824.

According to Henley’s account, Candalaria said the Chumash initially saw the Americans as liberators. As the American forces approached the Mission, the priests told the Chumash that the Americans would kill everyone if Ventura fell into their hands. The Spanish and those of mixed descent were under arms, but broke and fled at the sight of the Americans. This is what George Henley reported as Candalariatelling him and one or the other of them mayconfused it with Battle at Cuhuenga.

Less questionable is Henley’s report on Candalaria’s description of how the Chumash lived within her memory. She was interviewed her about her language, legends, songs and customs. She, along with her friends, Petra Pico and Maria Marta, were master basket makers . She told Henley that she had taught several young American girls the art of Ventureño basket making. Candalaria’s baskets are on display in many museums.

Here are a few of the things Candalaria shared about Chumash life with Henley:

The Sespe river was a source of trout for the band. As soon as the water became clear they would go to the area above Devil’s Gate and camp. Numerous grinding holes in the rocks can be seen where they would have camped. Fish were dried in the sun without smoking.

Another food staple was acorns. They were left in the sun to partly dry and crack at which time the shell would be picked off. The acorns were then ried completely in the sun, ground into flour and put in an olla (large pot) and covered with water. This would stand for 10 hours, be drained, and then soaked again. The soaking would remove the bitter taste from the acorns. The acorn mash was then cooked with wild game.

Material for arrowheads and spearheads was obtained at “Grimes Pass”. Henley refers to this as obsidian but in fact it was probably fused shale.

On Thursday afternoon, 18 March 1915,Candalaria died of burns when the oil stove she attempted to start with kerosene exploded and caught her clothes on fire and burned her so badly she never recovered. She had been working on the Peirano Ranch on the Santa Ana Creek, now under Casitas Lake, and died at the home of Henry Leyva. She was considered the last Chumash basket maker.