 Photo of the Week by Bob Crum. Beautiful white roses displayed at the Fillmore Flower Show. Photo data: ISO 400, 48mm on 16-300mm lens, f/5.0, 1/250 sec. Enlarge Photo By Bob Crum — Wednesday, April 12th, 2017
'Twas a valiant attempt!
 Bob Crum Occasionally I come up with a great idea. Besides photographs of the awards presentations, record video also. The idea sizzled... the execution fizzled. C'est la vie. Broadcast quality video (would I dare shoot anything less) requires a tripod to steady the camera. I had the tripod on hand. However, to use the tripod with the attached 'smoother than butter' fluid video head required a particular mounting plate attached to my camera. I couldn't find it so couldn't use the tripod. Fret not! Fortunately, I also had my monopod with me. The mounting plate already fastened on the camera works with the monopod. Hallelujah... let the video recording begin. No, you are not going to see the video. I know... I'm disappointed too but there's ample justification for withholding it. For just a moment, visualize a drunk videographer on a ship being mercilessly tossed around on rough seas attempting to video record a vivacious mermaid frolicking on an iceberg. Obviously you'd love to see the beautiful mermaid but watching the video would have you quickly reaching for Dramamine. If you've never experienced motion sickness, you certainly would from watching my video shot on the monopod. It's awful. I'd be mercilessly cruel to put you through such an ordeal. Wait, there's more. A second catastrophe. If it wasn't for bad luck, I would have had no luck at all! For unknown reasons to date, the camera did not record the audio with the external microphone attached. Good grief, I recorded silent movies! Unless I'm mistaken, the age of silent movies ended over 50 years ago! Maybe time to bring them back? I can do that!!! By now it should be obvious that shooting video is my new and present danger... er... challenge. To that end, I'm now graciously accepting donations for the purchase of a camcorder... with which to properly record video for your viewing pleasure. Kidding of course! Back to photography and a little tech talk. Photographing flowers indoors at the flower show is challenging. Fluorescent light mixed with outdoor ambient light often confuses the camera's white balance. Technically speaking, white balance (WB) is the process of removing unrealistic color casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in the photo. Our eyes are quite good at judging what is white under different light sources, but cameras often struggle getting white balance correct. When it guesses wrong, it often results in an unsightly blue, green or orange color cast. Obviously, a white calla lily would look horrible with an orange color cast. What to do? Well, I could have used my Expodisc to execute a custom WB. But I would have had to do it everywhere the light was different. Too big a hassle. Instead, I took a chance and set white balance on automatic (AWB) and crossed my toes. Most of the time my camera does OK recording colors fairly accurately. If it flubs, like making a pink rose chartreuse, I could simple claim that I took artistic license. (I take artistic license a lot which explains away a multitude of flubs.) Actually, if the color is only slightly off, it's almost always correctable during post processing. The really uncorrectable ugly stuff goes into the trash can, which for me, is a large dumpster! BTW, the Best of Show dish garden was extremely difficult to photograph because of the pastel colors. I shot many photos at various exposures. In the Photo of the Week, please notice that the green grasshopper is not purple! Until next time, happy photoing! Email comments, suggestions or questions to bob@fillmoregazette.com |
 Highway 23 from near the top of Grimes Canyon, four cars begin to stack-up behind a double belly-dump truck exiting the sand quarry. The cities of Malibu and Moorpark are trying to add 400 more trucks per day to Malibu through Fillmore for 10-years. Enlarge Photo By Martin Farrell — Wednesday, April 5th, 2017
I spent about a half-hour near the top of Grimes Canyon Monday. While, like everyone who drives that crooked two-way road, I have been aware of the sand quarry for decades. Until you park your vehicle, stand on top of the berm, and look down towards the heart of the quarry you won't understand the magnitude of the operation. It's huge. The City of Malibu is seeking to reestablish its devastated beach area with sand from the Grimes Canyon quarry. Storms have washed away the beach and dunes which were once a favorite place for public recreation. Malibu has established a $31 million fund to push an estimated 43,000 truck trips, during the first stage of the project, or 420 trips per day. This train of double-belly-dump trucks would travel down highway 23 from the Grimes Canyon quarry, through Fillmore on Highway 126 and Santa Paula, Ventura, Oxnard, on down to Highway 101 and Malibu. All this to assure some Malibuian gets her suntan. Having spent the first 19-years of my life on a local ranch, and three years on the Alaskan pipeline, I know and love heavy equipment. It's not the quarry or its operation that bothers me. In fact I'm happy to note what appears to be a phenomenally successful business. But there can be too much of a good thing, and this plan is that. The scope of this idea is just overwhelming. The city of Moorpark and the organization that has contracted with it (Broad Beach Geologic Hazard Abatement District) without consulting with the City of Fillmore, agreed to save Moorpark from the proposed massive traffic and dump it all on Fillmore. Talk about sneaky neighbors! Common sense alone should alert the powers that be to the absurdity of this plan. I have not seen the contract, but reliable reports say "The 10-year plan, approved by the California Coastal Commission earlier this month, will allow residents to import 300,000 cubic yards of sand every five years to rebuild sand dunes lost over the years due to pounding storms and high tides." We are supposed to believe that a sneaky contract backed by $31 million will avoid future "pounding storms and high tides"? Fillmore has for years sought to limit truck traffic from the quarry to a reasonable number. This new proposed agreement would make any such future negotiations impossible. Adding these hundreds of new daily truckloads would make life miserable for the residents of Fillmore. As someone who has traveled the Grimes Canyon road since the days of the green bridges, I can certify that car traffic would be snarled endlessly. Rush hours would be made miserably slow. Impatient drivers seeking to pass slower trucks would cause more accidents. Noise and dust in town would increase exponentially. Where is that Environmental Protection Agency when we need it? It's always there when we don't. If there were ever a time for the citizens of Fillmore to raise their voices, and call their Representatives, it is now. Fillmore only learned of the Moorpark contract with Malibu at the last minute. That contract and the approval of the California Coastal Commission, are being appealed by the County of Ventura and the City of Fillmore. Should we lose the appeal, the issue should go to the Circuit court. 420 MORE trips per day! That's just nuts. |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, April 5th, 2017
 Virginia de la Piedra received a plaque from the Fillmore-Piru School District Board recognizing her 20 years as a Director. Enlarge Photo Board Recognition Technology: Student Device Deployment Adoption of Fillmore Unified School District’s Initial Bargaining Proposal to the California School Employees Association (CSEA), Chapter 421, for a Successor Contract Commencing July 1, 2017 Adoption of Fillmore Unified School District’s Initial Bargaining Proposal to the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association (FUTA) for a Successor Contract Commencing July 1, 2016 Award Bid for Concrete Improvements at San Cayetano School, 514 Mountain View Street, Fillmore, CA 93015 Personnel Recommendations April 18th Board Meeting |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, April 5th, 2017
Shortly after 5:50 AM on Friday, March 31, 2017, the California Highway Patrol's (CHP) Ventura Communications Center (VCC) began receiving 9-1-1 calls reporting an injury traffic collision on State Route (SR) 126 (East Telegraph Avenue), at Cavin Road, east of Fillmore. Personnel from the CHP Moorpark Area office, Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) and AMR ambulance were dispatched. As emergency personnel were responding VCC received additional information from 9-1-1 callers indicating an involved motorcyclist was trapped under the other involved vehicles. Personnel from the VCFD and AMR ambulance arrived, were able to remove the motorcyclist from under one of the vehicles and determined he was deceased. CHP investigators have determined the first collision involved a Ford, Explorer, driven my Mr. Abelardo Mejia, and the Suzuki motorcycle ridden by Mr. Cannon. Mr. Cannon had been riding his motorcycle eastbound SR-126, in the # 1 lane (left lane) at an undetermined speed. Mr. Mejia was driving his Ford, Explorer westbound SR-126 and turning left in order to travel southbound on Cavin Road. Mr. Mejia did not see Mr. Cannon's motorcycle approaching the intersection. The motorcycle struck the right rear of the Ford, Explorer. This collision ejected Mr. Cannon from his motorcycle and into the #2 lane (right lane). Mr. Cannon and/or his motorcycle were subsequently struck by at least two additional vehicles driven by Mr. Daniel Weslow and Ms. Lilia Ayala. Mr. Mejia complained of pain following the collision and wished to seek his own aid. There is no indication at this time that alcohol and/or drugs were a factor in this collision. A Senior Deputy Investigator from the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office responded to the scene, investigated the specific cause of Mr. Cannon's death and supervised the removal of Mr. Cannon's remains. The CHP impounded all four vehicles as evidence pending further investigation. SR-126 eastbound was completely closed for almost two hours before personnel from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) arrived and used traffic cones to create one eastbound lane, routing traffic around evidence that still needed to be collected. Eastbound traffic was restricted to this one eastbound lane until all lanes were opened at 9:35 AM. Mr. Cannon's wife learned of the collision through on-line sources, recognized her husband would have been in the area of collision based on the time he left for work in Los Angeles, and she responded to the collision scene. Anyone with additional information regarding this collision is asked to contact the CHP Moorpark Area office, (805) 553-0800. Submitted by R.D. Cohan, Lieutenant, Commander, Moorpark Area. |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, April 5th, 2017
 Rotarian Bob Hammond presented Tim Hagel with a “Donut Police Patch,” he found during his travels. Tim presented a program, to Rotary, on Safe Passage. This is a program designed by Law Enforcement to lead children toward a successful education and activities instead of potential gang affiliations. Submitted By Martha Richardson Enlarge Photo |
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By Bob Crum — Wednesday, April 5th, 2017
Battle of Antietam, Part 1
Bob Crum Sage advice says have a game plan. I didn't have one. I didn't know how to prepare one because I didn't know what to expect. Logical, right? Last weekend I attended the Blue and Gray Civil War Reenactment presented by the Rotary Club of Moorpark. My first adventure as a Civil War correspondent. Though both sides hurled canon balls at me, my nifty foot work frustrated their efforts. I escaped unscathed to write this account. But I digress. The Moorpark Blue and Gray Civil War Reenactment is touted to be the largest west of the Mississippi. Hundreds of Reenactors come from all over the nation to participate. Indeed quite an extraordinary pageant. This year the event featured the 9/17/1862 battle of Antietam. That battle engaged a total of 131,000 soldiers; the Union soldiers outnumbering the Confederates by almost 2 to 1. Total one-day casualties estimated at 23,000. For my challenge, visualize this scene: The venue larger than a football field. Hills to my right and left. From behind the crowd-control rope and not far to my right sat several Union canons. Perched on the left hilltop a battery of Confederate canons. I'm nervous! KABOOM! Countless Union soldiers marched down the hill from the right as the canons fired. To the left a battalion of Confederates soldiers waited. Dozens of soldiers scattered here and there prevented photographing them all at one time. Besides the numbers, they were all a considerable distance away! More than one disaster at hand. What to do? How do I convey the impact of battle in this situation? Zoom in and grab some closeups? Will they portray the intensity of the battle? Naturally, impact could be enhanced by capturing photos of rifles firing or the flash of a canon firing but timing was hit and miss... so to speak. While I focused attention on one group of soldiers, or a canon, action was happening at several other places. My dream of a long career as a Civil War correspondent was dissipating like gunpowder smoke. Forget photos, time for recording some "action" video. But anticipating a large crowd, forget tripod. But shooting video on a monopod is troublesome. Challenges loomed large! Action occurring simultaneously everywhere. Canons firing! Union troops fighting valiantly on my right. Confederates advancing on the left. Then, oh oh, here come the cavalry charging down the middle. Pyrotechnics fired here and there! Well, while attempting to record EVERYTHING, I'd often forget to pan the camera S___L___O___W___L___Y! As a result, many pans would not only turn a turtle upside down, they even make me dizzy! Also best not to ask me how many times, in the heat of excitement, I turned the camera switch to video but forgot to press the “record” button. Good grief! I also had to consider composition & exposure. My camera's video quality is exceptional but zooming is not push button and focusing is a pain. Though I had a wind screen on the external microphone, wind noise nevertheless recorded. In total, like scrambled eggs slathered with gear grease topped with pickled seaweed, I got an unholy mess! I need to practice more? NO! I need to win Mega Millions and buy a camcorder! Somehow I managed to capture some usable video and a few photos. But photos can't do justice to the intensity of the exciting battles. I was impressed and encourage you to attend next year and enjoy this spectacular event in person. You will be delightfully entertained... and amazed. Don't forget ear plugs! Those canons!!! BTW, a little Rotary bird named Scott told me that the Fillmore Rotary Club sponsored the Moorpark Rotary Club. Kudos Fillmore Rotary! Happy photoing. Email comments, suggestions or questions to bob@fillmoregazette.com For reference: http://www.moorparkrotary.com/Stories/2017-blue-gray-civil-war-reenactme... |
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By Bob Crum — Wednesday, April 5th, 2017
Battle of Antietam, Part 2
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, March 29th, 2017
 Work Day, at Rancho Camulos, included Rotary members, family, 4-H and Interact students. The group cut dead branches out of trees, raked all area under the trees, hoed weeds, hauled rocks away. Andy Klittich brought a tractor and was able to move extra Adobe bricks, spread pile of sand level much of the small orchard. The small Adobe will be opened to the public on May 7. Enlarge Photo |
 “U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Funds to Provide Full-Time Seasonal Staff at Lake Piru to Focus on Outbound Vessel Inspections and Decontamination Efforts.” Photo of Lake Piru taken March 2017. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, March 29th, 2017
U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Funds to Provide Full-Time Seasonal Staff at Lake Piru to Focus on Outbound Vessel Inspections and Decontamination Efforts
United Water Conservation District (UWCD), the special district tasked with managing, protecting, conserving and enhancing the water resources of the Santa Clara River Valley and Oxnard Plain, has been awarded a grant in the amount of $130,019 from the United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service for additional vessel inspection and decontamination staff at its Lake Piru Recreation area in an effort to prevent the spread of the invasive Quagga Mussels, first detected at Lake Piru in December 2013. UWCD owns and oversees the Santa Felicia Dam and Lake Piru reservoir. During winter months, the reservoir captures storm water and in the spring, collects runoff from the nearby Los Padres National Forest in northeastern Ventura County, and the Angeles National Forest in northwestern Los Angeles County. Then in the fall, UWCD releases the water into lower Piru Creek to recharge downstream groundwater aquifers in the Santa Clara River Watershed. The Santa Clara River, nearly 100 miles in length, is the largest non-channelized river in southern California, and is home to several endangered and threatened species. “UWCD’s Lake Piru recreation area is used by boaters from several surrounding counties within coastal California, boaters who typically visit many other lakes in southern and central California, including several that feed natural streams and others that are part of the State Water Project, such as Castaic and Pyramid Lakes,” explained General Manager Mauricio E. Guardado, Jr.. “With the recent announcement that quagga mussels were found at Pyramid and Castaic, the challenges in battling the spread of the highly invasive quagga mussels have grown both in terms of expense and effectiveness. These challenges are compounded further by government regulations which require United to maintain continuous water releases to protect endangered species as well as provide boating, fishing, swimming, camping, and hiking activities in the Lake Piru recreation area. The QZAP grant will allow us to hire additional staff to focus on vessel inspections and provide decontamination when necessary.” UWCD has been working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on implementing its Lake Piru Quagga Mussel Monitoring and Control Plan. Due to the complex regulatory requirements associated with the lake, the District is also working with a Quagga Mussel Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to assist with the development of the monitoring and control options. The primary goals of the plan are to: 1) contain and minimize the spread of quagga mussels to other water bodies; 2) control the quagga population within Lake Piru to minimize, to the extent feasible, environmental and operational effects; 3) collect monitoring data to further characterize and better understand the extent and effects of the infestation within Lake Piru and downstream areas; and 4) use the information obtained from the monitoring and control efforts to adaptively manage the quagga infestation. UWCD’s Lake Piru Quagga Mussel Monitoring and Control Plan project focuses on minimizing the spread of quagga mussels to other water bodies (Goal #1) via private boats and other equipment. Due to the small size of UWCD (some 50 total staff with an approximate $24 million per year overall operating budget), boat inspections and boater education is an area that needs to be strengthened in order to achieve the Containment Project’s goals. The QZAP grant funding awarded by the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Services will provide for several full-time seasonal staff members who will focus their efforts on outbound vessel inspections and decontamination activities while also assisting in overall public education efforts. About U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s QZAP Grant About United Water Conservation District (UWCD) Committed to managing the area’s water supplies through groundwater replenishment and through the construction and operation of efficient water supply and delivery systems, today the District serves as the conservator of groundwater resources that are utilized by the cities of Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura, Santa Paula, and Fillmore, as well as several mutual water districts and numerous farms and individual pumpers. It also provides surface water for agricultural irrigation and provides treated drinking water to the cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme. For more information, visit http://www.unitedwater.org |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, March 29th, 2017
 The City entered into a contract with Villegas Public Affairs to develop a business outreach and marketing plan for Fillmore. (Above) Ernie Villegas. Tuesday's Council meeting was short (one hour) and productive. April was proclaimed Fair Housing Month. Three persons spoke concerning the challenges facing the production of fair housing and the unlawful schemes which inflict fraud and various scams in the system. A short video sponsored by the Ventura County District Attorney's office was shown about these issues. A number of fraudulent housing attempts were explained. When those seeking to purchase a home are unfamiliar with terms and conditions involved in such purchases and related loans they are strongly advised to seek the assistance of an attorney. **** The Council adopted Ordinance No. 17-876 to update the Fillmore Municipal Code Section 1.08.040, to include the unpermitted use of alcohol within a city facility as a misdemeanor. **** PARKING ISSUE: Notwithstanding subdivision (e) of Section 22500, a local authority may, by ordinance, authorize the owner or lessee of property to park a vehicle in front of the owner's or lessee's private driveway when the vehicle displays a permit issued pursuant to the ordinance authorizing such parking. The local authority may charge a nonrefundable fee to defray the costs of issuing and administering the permits. If the City Council were to adopt an ordinance authorizing permit parking across the driveways of single-family residences, the Police Department believes the City would alleviate some of the parking congestion on neighborhood streets. If the City Council directs staff to prepare such an ordinance, staff will also return with a resolution to add the cost of these permits to the City’s Schedule of Fees and Charges for City Services. Permits will be available for purchase at City Hall, where a database will be maintained to record each permit purchased. To avoid fraud, proof of residency and occupancy of the home for which the permit is issued will be required (e.g., California driver license or identification card, utility bill, etc.). The permit will show the street address, specific to the resident; the calendar year the permit is valid; a permit number; and be hung from the rearview mirror or otherwise be clearly visible through the front windshield. The permit may be moved from car to car, and a resident may buy ultiple permits for his or her address, as the permits are address-specific, not vehicle-specific. Anyone misusing or failing to properly display a permit will be subject to issuance of a parking citation for CVC 22500(e). An appeal by the vehicle’s owner or operator on the grounds that she or he was in possession of, but failed to display, a permit at the time of violation will not be reason for dismissal of the citation. Upon Council’s approval, a new city ordinance will be drafted. FISCAL IMPACT CITY COUNCIL GOAL A request to enter a contract with Villegas Public Affairs to develop a downtown strategic plan, conduct a business outreach and marketing plan was unanimously approved by the Council. Details of this contract will follow. **** An announcement from the floor, not on the Council agenda, alleged that Ventura County is studying the issue of permitting commercial marijuana in unincorporated areas of the County. No further details were available. |
