Bob Crum

Kaboom! Another July 4th has come and gone, but not without consternation. Rest assured it has nothing to do with patriotism. I'm as patriotic as any red, white and blue-blooded American. Even just as patriotic as when I wore a U.S. Air Force uniform.

Fond memories of the 4th take me back to yesteryear when as Parks & Rec director for a small Florida town, I produced the annual fireworks display lock, stock and boom! With a $2.5K budget, I selected the aerial explosions and choreographed the display ignited with the help of the volunteer fire department. I also included a ground display complete with rousing marching music. Ah, those were the days.

So why the consternation? There were no illegal fireworks fired off by residents back then like here in Fillmore. While I was setting up to photograph this year's fireworks display, illegal fireworks enveloped me. So many were fired off at any given moment that I was being overwhelmed by the resultant smoke. Being asthmatic, it was not pleasant! But I digress.

Most of my readers know that I've been photographing the Fillmore fireworks display for several years. From the years of practice, you'd think I have the procedure wired. Yes, I know the photographic routines, but I wasn't ready for what happened this year.

There are two basic methods for photographing fireworks with digital dSLR or mirrorless cameras. One way is to set ISO at 100, or 200 if that's the lowest setting. Put the lens on manual focus with focus set at 'infinity,' aperture at f/8 or f/11. The only remaining criterion is the shutter speed. A typical setting is between two and four seconds.

I prefer a more flexible option. For this, as well as the above method, a tripod is mandatory. I secure the camera on a tripod ball head and program it: ISO @100, aperture usually at f/8 but instead of selecting a shutter speed, I connect a remote shutter release to the camera and put the camera in "bulb" mode. Bulb mode allows me to make a photo for as long as the shutter is open. As the first couple of aerial bombs are fired, I make a test shot to check composition. Another test shot for relative exposure and adjust as needed. This procedure eliminates showtime guesswork and allows me to capture the whole duration of the aerial explosion. The bulb mode also enables me to make multiple exposures, two aerial explosions in one frame.

The conspiracy? After positioning the camera and locking it down on the ball head, I was surprised to see so many fireworks rise and veer off to the left, out of view of my lens! I don't recall this happening in years past. Note that as I hold the remote shutter release button, I can't see what the camera sees. If the aerial bomb veers off one direction or the other, I can't track it. I quickly learned that if I saw it begin to veer off to the left in time, I'd unlock the ball head to readjust the camera. But that's guesswork. It didn't work too well. C'est la vie.

Did you notice the photo of the week data? Ten-second exposure at an aperture of f/18 is correct. It's a multiple exposure incorporating three fireworks bursts in one frame. I had to stop down the lens quickly otherwise the 10-second duration would result in a severely overexposed image. It pays to be flexible, nimble, and very adventurous. Happy photoing.

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

This police booking mug from the Los Angeles Police department shows former Catholic priest Carlos Rene Rodriguez, 46, after he was arrested at his home in the City of Commerce, Calif., Wednesday Sept. 25, 2002. (AP Photo/Orange County Sheriffs Department)

A former Catholic priest removed from ministry and convicted of molestation was reportedly presiding at home Masses in Fillmore, according to a May 30 alert from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The notice from the archdiocese’s Vicar for Clergy Office to priests, deacons and parish life directors warns that Carlos Rene Rodriguez has no permission to act as a Roman Catholic priest. It said parishioners reported Rodriguez was celebrating Masses held at residences in Fillmore and surrounding areas.

Archdiocese officials said Rodriguez was removed from ministry in 1987 after being accused of abusing a teenager at St. Vincent Church in Los Angeles when he was part of the Vincentian religious order. After treatment and a return to limited ministry at a Santa Barbara retreat center, he left the religious order in 1993 ending his authority to serve as a priest in the archdiocese.

Archdiocese officials said he was laicized — removed from the priesthood — in 1998. The archdiocese includes Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and is the largest in the nation.

In 2004, he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of molestation from 1988 to 1993 — beginning after Rodriguez was sent to the retreat center — involving brothers from Santa Paula. He was incarcerated in 2004 and released in 2008, according to archdiocese officials in a written statement.

Archdiocese officials also said Rodriguez presented himself as a priest in 2016, using the name of Father Carlos Ramirez at a church not affiliated with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The May notice from the Vicar for Clergy Office said he was removed from ministering at the church.

Courtesy of California Catholic Daily, https://cal-catholic.com/la-archdiocese-warns-of-renegade-priest/

City of Fillmore

The City of Fillmore would like everybody to have a safe 4th of July. As a reminder Ordinance 18-893 was passed by Fillmore City Council on September 11, 2018 to amend Fillmore Municipal Code Chapter 15.39. The amendment to the fireworks ordinance makes a property owner, tenant, or other person responsible for real property strictly liable for the use of illegal fireworks on that property. As a result, this ordinance allows for the citing of the homeowner, tenant, or the person deemed to be in control of the property where a firework violation occur. The enforcement action could be triggered by a deputy’s observation or by information obtained from the public. This can result in a $1,000 penalty and/or jail time.

Two Oxnard residents were arrested for charges related to stealing a tractor from a construction site in the unincorporated area of Santa Paula.

The victim of the crime was completing a construction project in the area of Briggs Road and the 126 Highway. The development involved heavy machinery which included a “CAT” mini-dozer tractor. During the weekend of 06/14/19, the victim parked the construction equipment at the job site and returned on 06/17/19. When the victim returned, he discovered the tractor was gone. The tractor was equipped with a GPS device which indicated the unit was in Phoenix, Arizona.

Detectives worked in conjunction with authorities in Phoenix to track the equipment to a residence. Based on their investigation in Phoenix, detectives were able to identify Sam Reyes and Vanessa Lopez as the primary suspects in the case. Detectives learned that Reyes and Lopez stole the tractor from the job site in Santa Paula. The suspects created a post on the website “OfferUp” which is used to sell various products. A buyer answered the advertisement and met with the suspects near the location of the theft. The buyer provided the suspects cash for the tractor and then proceeded to Phoenix.

Investigators discovered that Reyes and Lopez lived in the Oxnard area. On 06/25/19, detectives went to their residence and located both suspects.

They were arrested and booked into the Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Ventura for the following charges:
Reyes: 487 (d)(1) PC- grand theft auto, 532 (a) PC- obtaining property under false pretenses, 182 (a)(1) PC- conspiracy, and 11364 (a) HS- possession of drug paraphernalia and an out of county warrant for theft.

Lopez: 487 (d)(1) PC- grand theft auto, 532 (a) PC- obtaining property under false pretenses, and 182 (a)(1) PC- conspiracy.

Detectives are seeking help from the public who may have made a purchase from Reyes and Lopez on “OfferUp” or by any other means. If so, please contact Detective Bill Meixner at the phone number listed below.

Nature of Incident: Construction Equipment Theft Suspects Arrested
Two Arrested for Tractor Theft, Drugs, Conspiracy
Report Number: 19-93675
Location: Briggs Road at the 126 Highway
Date & Time: 06/25/19 10:30 am
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Investigations Unit
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S) Sam Reyes 42, Oxnard
(S) Vanessa Lopez, 40, Oxnard
Prepared by: Sergeant Vince Alvarez
Approved by: Captain Shane Matthews

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).

Bob Crum

The grand Lady Kern is again roaring and producing several Class III & IV rapids. Lots of whitewater. Several times a day she carries four & six-person rafts full of giddy paddlers. Occasionally the Lady Kern utilizes her power to abruptly flip over a raft sending rafters plunging into the chilly water. C'est la vie!

I have an imponderable attraction to moving bodies of water like creeks and rivers, perhaps derived from fond boyhood memories relived in the present moment. Growing up on a farm with adjacent lakes and creeks, I was a water bug. After chores throughout the summer, it was ritualistic to go to the abandoned bridge over Mill Pond Creek, get naked and jump in for a refreshing dip. Yes, I knew some days a few girls were hiding in the bushes. Just never knew why they giggled.

Last Saturday I drove up to Kernville, my semi-annual visit to the North Fork of the Kern River. Snowmelt runoff at the headwaters of the 151 mile-long north fork Kern lies within Sequoia National Park. With a gradient of 30 feet per mile, the Kern is one of the steepest and wildest whitewater rivers in North America.

I've been photographing (documenting) the Kern River from Brush Creek at the north end down to the canyon exit of the lower Kern for 12 years. I've seen the grand lady roar, the raging water spilling over the banks from El Niño rains. And I've seen her drought-stricken flow so low there were places where I could walk across from bank to bank. But in every instance, she exhibits a unique personality, a distinguished character. Heraclitus of Ephesus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who is credited with the famous saying, "No man ever steps in the same river twice." To wit, I add: No man has ever photographed the same river twice. The constant changes are interesting!

The upper & lower Kern provide great opportunities to practice photography skills utilizing various shutter-speed & aperture options. Consider skill-set practice as a personal workshop. The creative possibilities are unlimited; this element of creativity too important to gloss over glibly. Like an artist uses a brush to apply paint to a canvas, a camera is a tool a photographer uses to apply light to a sensor to create an image. In this sense, a photographer uses light to paint. If you think that photography is a laborious endeavor with a complicated device called a camera, you are entirely missing the whole splendor of photography. Creativity is the essence and lure of photography!

More about creative photographic options another time. For now, a different thought. On last Saturday's visit, I pondered the possibility of photographing the Kern from the river instead of from the bank. Specifically, a float trip on the Kern in an inflatable kayak. Inflatable kayak because 1) they're much lighter than hard-shell kayaks, 2) no roof-top car racks necessary because they fit in any car trunk. Along the way, photograph and film the journey with a waterproof action cam to create a 'docujourney'. But not, of course, till Lady Kern settles down to class II & III rapids, about the end of July. As of last Saturday, upper Lady Kern's flow rate was 3289cfs (cubic feet per second) representing a medium-high flow with class III & IV whitewater rapids making it a bit too adventuresome for weekend kayakers. Class III rapids would provide plenty of excitement.

Anyone else interested in such an adventure? Send me an email! I'm going back up soon to explore the logistics further. Stay tuned. Photo of the week is of the lower Kern, the river constrained by granite walls crashing into a rock outcrop. Beautiful whitewater!

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

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

A dispute between roommates over food led to the arrest of three Fillmore residents Tuesday afternoon.

On June 18th, 2019, at 4:30 PM, Ventura County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a call from a resident at the location, Travis Collett, indicating that Jesurun Cyrus pointed a shotgun at Collett during a dispute at the home.

Deputies and detectives from the Fillmore Police Department responded quickly and set up a perimeter around the home. They made contact with two people from the home, Collett and Dawn Allen, and they safely removed both subjects from the home. Deputies contacted Cyrus by phone and convinced him to exit the home without the shotgun, and he was taken into custody without incident. Deputies conducted a search of the home and recovered a loaded 12-gauge shotgun from Cyrus’ bedroom.

During their investigation, deputies discovered that Collett, Allen and Cyrus all live at the residence. Their relationship as roommates has deteriorated to the point where just prior to the call to 911, Cyrus confronted Collett and accused him of eating the last of Cyrus’ food. In an attempt to make peace with Cyrus, Collett and Allen decided to make dinner for Cyrus.

Unfortunately, the attempt to make peace was not received well by Cyrus, and while pointing a shotgun at Collett, he demanded Collett and Allen leave the home.

At the conclusion of their investigation, deputies determined Cyrus did, in fact, brandish a shotgun at Collett. Cyrus was arrested for violating Penal Code Section 417(a)(1) / Brandishing, and he was booked at the Main Jail in Ventura. His bail was set at $10,000. Deputies also determined Collett and Allen were both under the influence of a controlled substance and both were arrested and booked at the Main Jail in Ventura.

Nature of Incident: Three Arrested in Brandishing Incident
Report Number: 19-94601
Location: 700 Block of Fourth Street, Fillmore
Date & Time: 06-18-19 / 4:30 PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Patrol
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S) Jesurun Cyrus, 65, Fillmore
(S) Travis Collett, 59, Fillmore
(S) Dawn Allen, 55, Fillmore
Prepared by: Detective Bill Meixner
Approved by: Captain Eric Tennessen

Publisher’s Opinion by Martin Farrell

The loss of wildlife in Ventura County’s forest areas has been attributed to toxic residue from illegal marijuana grows deep into the wilderness. “Sheep, foxes, bears found dead after marijuana raids in Los Padres, other state forests”. (Cheri Carlson, Ventura County Star). Criminal growers use many different pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers, etc, and leave containers behind after harvesting the crop. These chemicals pollute the streams, poison the wildlife, and remain toxic for years. It’s the job of the U.S. Forrest Service to discover the illegal grow sites, make arrests if possible, and do what they can to find and remove the toxic chemicals, irrigation debris, and camp trash. Access to these remote forest grow sites can usually be achieved by helicopter. This destruction of our forests is another result of America’s newly professed love affair with marijuana and the billions of dollars, and crime, it produces. We can be sure that many of the drug dealers flowing through our now open borders will have no trouble finding work in the virtually defenseless great American wilderness.