Happy 115th Birthday to Rotary International! Rotary Club of Fillmore and the Interact Club of Fillmore High School will be celebrating the event by doing some community service. Rotary’s motto is: Service Above Self. They will be joining Soroptimist International of Fillmore in cleaning up the bike path. The Soroprtimist will also be hosting the annual treasure hunt for the kids in the community. Both events will take place on Saturday, February 22nd from 9am-10am. We will be meeting in the parking lot of Taco Llama (corner of “A” Street and Old Telegraph Rd.) Please bring a bag for your treasure, wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, cap, gloves and sunscreen. We will provide the trash bags and picker uppers. This FREE event is open to the public. For more information on the Rotary Club of Fillmore and/or Soroptimist International of Fillmore please contact Ari Larson 805.794.7590 or email: petenari55@hotmail.com

Bob Crum

Phonetographers continue their ardent clamor: Photography is dead! Emails received reveal that many have plumbed the pages of a Merriam-Webster dictionary for words such as deceased, defunct, done and bitten the dust to justify their state of mind. But camera companies - Canon, Nikon, Fuji Film and Olympus - didn't get their memo telling them to go out of business.

Hark, phonetographers! Camera companies, obviously operating in a parallel universe, are continuing to produce new and exciting high-tech cameras and tantalizing lenses for "photographers" and photography enthusiasts! Phonetographers, look at what you're missing.

The most advanced Rebel to date, the exciting new Canon EOS Rebel T8i is equipped with a 24.1mp CMOS APS-C sensor, Digic 8 image processor and ISO range of 100-25600. Designed with intuitive recognition technology, this powerful camera also recognizes and remains locked on your subject with its 45-point all cross-type AF system, EOS iTR AF (Face Detection) during viewfinder shooting and Eye Detection AF during Live View shooting. For vloggers or social media aficionados, the EOS Rebel T8i offers 4K 24p video capability and vertical video support, along with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology, making it easy to share everything you capture.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a significant feature of the new EOS Rebel T8i: AF button. Those of you who follow this column regularly know that I use 'back button' focus, not the half-depress of the shutter release button to activate autofocus. The "AF" button on the T8i is a dedicated autofocus button, a huge benefit, IMO.

Nikon’s new long-awaited flagship DSLR has finally arrived. The Nikon D6 is equipped with a 20.8-megapixel sensor powered by a new Expeed 6 processor offering burst shooting up to 14 frames per second. Other features include: 105 cross-type autofocus points, ISO range extends from 100-102,400, expandable up to 3.2 million, 4K/30p video recording capabilities, now with focus peaking and MP4 recording and built-in WiFi. Bluetooth and GPS and 14 customizable buttons. (Y'all know how much I love camera buttons!)

Olympus announces OM-D E-M1 Mark III and a new pocket camera, the PEN E-PL10. The OM-D E-M1 Mark III is the third iteration of this model equipped with a Micro Four-Thirds 20-megapixel sensor that features a new image processing TruePic IX engine.

Forget worrying about shooting in the rain. Being weatherproof and dustproof is a significant benefit! Rain forest photography anyone?

This M1 Mark III handheld can produce a high-res shot by stitching together 16 photos to create a single 50mp image. Wow! Other features include 121 cross-type autofocus points, 5-axis in-body image stabilization, up to 60fps RAW + JPEG capture and Pro Capture mode records frames right before you fire the shutter. And UHD 4k/30p and DCI 24p video. Awesome!

Why are these dynamic camera companies continuing to produce new and exciting cameras if photography is kaput? Hmm. Perhaps new technology makes photography more exciting than ever? And everyone knows that a dedicated camera can create better photos than any cellphone, right?

Even though it's a micro 4/3 sensor camera, the specs of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III are impressive. If it weren't such a hassle, I'd sell all my Canon gear and buy the new OM-D E-M1 Mark III camera and a couple of lenses. It appears to be the perfect camera for my specialty: Mermaid boudoir photography. However, specs are not always translated to shooting in the field so I need first to try out the camera.

Photo of the week is the Rincon made looking west from Faria County park during the recent king tide. High tide indeed!

Send comments, questions or suggestions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

City Planning and Community Development Director Kevin McSweeney gave a brief oral report on the status of several on-going development projects including fast-food restaurants Sonic and Wendy’s.

The City of Fillmore is undergoing a great many housing projects, homes, condos, and apartments. Kevin McSweeney, City Planning and Community Development Director, gave a brief oral report on the status of each of the following development projects:

7.A Development Project Updates
The City of Fillmore is undergoing a great many housing projects, homes, condos, and apartments. Kevin McSweeney, City Planning and Community Development Director, gave a brief oral report on the status of each of the following development projects:
1. Sonic
2. KB Homes
3. Citrus Packing House, 341 A St.
4. People Self Help, 215 Palm
5. Many Mansions
6. Alex Glasscock, 461 Central Ave
7. Iron Horse, Rio Vista Park, Traffic Circles, Levee Bike Path
8. East Bridges (133 units)
9. Iron Horse Rollover I (76 units)
10. Iron Horse Rollover II (90 units)
11. Heritage Groves (160 units)
12. Old Sewer Plant Land Use Options prepared by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students
13. Measure I, Amendment to the North Fillmore Specific Plan

The old Burger King site is expected to be replace by Wendy's.

The City Council requested to have a discussion regarding the potential expansion of residential uses on properties within the Commercial Highway (CH) zone along Highway 126 between “A” Street and Mountain View Street.

The discussion was tabled until the 2021 Housing Element update is underway, as was done for the Many Mansion project site, Citrus Packing Project site, and Balden Towne Plaza Expansion site before the last housing element cycle.

Council was asked to consider authorizing a contract with Data Ticket, Inc. to provide administrative and parking citation processing and adjudication services. The term of the proposed agreement includes the remainder of Fiscal Year 2019/20 plus the next two Fiscal Years, 2020/21 and 2021/22, and an optional one-year extension. It was stated that greater efficiency, better customer service, and a higher ratio of cost recovery can be gained by outsourcing the processing of administrative and parking citations. Council will study the plan further to decide which of three vendors is best for the city. Council is expected to contract with Data Ticket to provide this service.

Enlarge Photo

Courtesy Manuel Minjares Facebook Page

While Fillmore’s homelessness issues are nowhere near the scale that we see in other communities in our county, we do indeed have many that can’t afford housing and have no choice but to live on the streets, under a bridge, in the river bed, or in a vehicle.

The point in time count is exactly what it sounds like, a count of the homeless individuals during one day out of the year. In addition to the importance of knowing the size of your community’s homeless population, the numbers from the count are also used to determine federal funding allocations to address homelessness.

A big thank you goes out to all those all those individuals that participated in the count throughout the county and to those that work everyday to help get our neighbors off the streets.

(left) Supervisor Kelly Long with her District Representative and Fillmore City Council Member Manuel Minjares.

Wednesday, February 5th the Ventura County Healthcare Agency hosted a Town Hall meeting at the Fillmore Active Adult Center. The meeting was well attended, and the Agency along with Santa Paula Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee and HCA officials shared information regarding healthcare services available in the Santa Clara Valley, performance data on the Santa Paula Hospital, and future considerations for the location of the Santa Paula Hospital. Those in attendance were separated into small groups and asked to answer questions regarding Healthcare service needs, then shared their answers for all to hear. The Agency will compile the information from the meeting and will share them at a future City Council meeting for both Fillmore and Santa Paula. The next town hall meeting will be February 18th, at 6pm at the Santa Paula Community Center. Courtesy Supervisor Kelly Long Facebook page.

Walt Gonzales

Walt’s Jewelry has been a fixture in Fillmore for 30 years. Generations of engagements, marriages, birthdays and anniversaries have been celebrated with jewelry gifts from Fillmore’s only jewelry store.

Walt opened for business in November 1989 in the old Vons Shopping Center before moving to his current location on Central Avenue, across from the post office.

“I saw families grow over the years, and enjoyed watching them leave happy with their jewelry and repairs,” said Walt.

“I want to thank all the customers and friends who supported my business for all these wonderful years of gratifying labor. I received a lot of satisfaction offering them my services, accomplishing a job well done.”

The Fillmore Gazette first reported on Walt’s Jewelry in its December 21, 1990 edition. Walt talked about how he started out in Fillmore after Howard’s Jewelers closed on Central Avenue, and how the Persian Gulf War, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, “put a damper” on business.

Walt’s phone number is (805) 990-5010 for any questions, advice or personal communications. Walt is offering a 30% discount on gold jewelry, and a 50% discount on silver. He will close business for good on February 29th, at 2 p.m.

Walt’s Jewelry will be missed!