Patricia Vasquez-Cabrera '15 receives her Continuing Education Grant. Patricia is a Sophomore at University of California San Diego. She is Majoring in Urban Studies and Planning. She is on schedule to Graduate in 2019. Congrats Patricia!
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Emilio Hernandez, Class of 2015 receives his continuing education grant from Vice President of the Fillmore High Alumni Association, Corinna "Chandler" Mozley. '71. Emilio is attending Chico State University and majoring in Economics. He is on schedule to Graduate in 2019. Congrats Emilio!
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Back in June, the Fillmore High Alumni Association awarded $31,000 in scholarships to the class of 2016. This August, we awarded an additional $20,000 in Continuation Grants to Fillmore High Alumni pursuing higher education at trade schools, colleges, and universities.

The Fillmore High Alumni Association is over 100 years old. The Association's ability to award scholarships is the result of generations of Fillmore High graduates, local businesses and community members who believe in the importance of higher education and have made donations to the Scholarship Fund by becoming members.

About The Fillmore High Alumni Association
Since 1913, The Fillmore High Alumni Association has been bringing people together to support education, students and the community of Fillmore. Our mission is to provide scholarships to Fillmore High seniors and any Fillmore High graduate seeking to continue their education. We invite any Fillmore High graduate, local business, non-profit organization or individual in the community interested in supporting the association's Scholarship Fund to become a member or renew your membership today by visiting http://www.fillmorehighalumni.com/membership/

To see a complete list of this year's awardees, please click here. Thank you for supporting the Fillmore High Alumni Association!

Photo submitted to The Gazette by Kathy Long entitled "Response to Editor -Kathy Long Attachment Photo Sespe Creek (1)"
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Photo submitted to The Gazette by Kathy Long entitled "Response to Editor -Kathy Long Attachment Photo Sespe Creek (2)"
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[Below is Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long's response to The Gazette's Grand Avenue Fence Editorial.]

August 29, 2016

ATTACHMENT: Two photos of trash along Sespe Creek dated September 2015, prior to the installation of the pipe and cable fence.

[Below is The Gazette's Editorial Response to Kathy Long's Response]

An answer to response letter received from Supervisor Kathy Long's office, concerning Sespe Creek article of August 18, 2016.

By Martin Farrell

Thank you Supervisor Long for your explanatory response to my article. I also thank you for your many years of distinguished service to Ventura County, especially to the City of Fillmore. I can personally attest to your dependable assistance during my 30-years in the city, and I thank you for that as well.
(Here comes the "however")

I have hiked the Sespe often during my stay in Fillmore. As you affirm, Sespe Creek "is a gateway to the Los Padres National Forest, and is valued for its access to wilderness and wildlife."

Here is a Wikipedia description: ”Sespe Creek is a small stream in Ventura County, California in the United States. The creek starts at Portero Seco, and is formed by more than thirty tributary streams before it empties into the Santa Clara River in Fillmore. 31miles of Sespe Creek is designated as a national Scenic Waterway, and is untouched by dams and concrete channels."

I have to smile at the irony expressed in the description of the Sespe as "a small stream." After our 5-year drought the Sespe, at least at the south end, is completely dry. But those of us who have, in the past 20 years seen that "stream" develope into a roaring torrent, know how quickly it can flex its muscles. I believe only a couple of successful kayak expeditions down the Sespe have been recorded due to the danger. I happened to be hiking up the Sespe one day several years ago (check rain gage) when two kayakers approached. They had spent a couple of days coming down the Sespe. We had a short conversation. They told me this was the greatest trip they had taken in any wilderness area.

Very few people have been able to make it down the entire length of the Sespe. Too much water and you are dead, too little and it's impossible. If you're lucky and time it perfectly, as a couple have done, it's possible, but it's still an extreme trip.

But the trip up the Sespe is what is at issue here, not down. For more than a hundred years this hike has been popular with many folks out for a little exercise and adventure.

Here are some comments about the Sespe: "Sespe Creek is indisputably the finest wilderness run south of the Sierra Nevada." "Class 1V and 1V+ rapids become commonplace, and a couple of challenging portages await all but the most bazen of boaters. This is a multiday adventure."

Sespe Creek is deemed a "navigable" waterway. "obstruction of fire truck passage, or use of a navigable waterway, is also deemed a criminal offense. Victims of obstruction can contact the local sheriff or police department, make a report, and request that criminal charges be filed for violation of the two following State laws: (Penal Code Section 370). Harbors and navigation Code Section 131. "Every person who unlawfully obstructs the navigation of any navigable waters, is guilty of a misdemeanor." Several cases show examples of "Public Nuisance" as a civil offense. (Civil Code section 3479). The fence is an obstruction of access - also unlawful. (Note: I am not a lawyer. References provided by American Whitewater, et al).

I don't want to clog this response with legal statutes and findings. But it is clear that Sespe Creek is deemed "navigable" in law and, therefore, access cannot be obstructed by anyone. The law is based upon the California Constitution and several statutes.

That said, I have to question the wisdom of placing the steel cable fence, which blocks all traditional parking space at the northernmost end of Grand Avenue. Just about every remote road in Ventura County is subject to illegal dumping, including Grand Avenue. It is the remoteness of the area that attracts dumpers. The fence will do little or nothing to discourage this practice. The short time it has been in place proves nothing - the trash barrels have been full to overflowing for many weeks, and a newly dumped tire is there since I took my first photos.

The fence has corralled-off all traditional parking space forcing all vehicles to park onto the roadway, only in a parallel position. Ironically, the area is posted "No Parking", and the landowner claims entry would constitute a trespass violation. The landowner has a steel fence descending from his yard area down into the federally protected Sespe Creek entryway. I note that brush around this fence has been cleared away since my first trip to the area - the trespass sign and fence remain, both are illegal.

To shorten this response, the County fence obstructs public access to Sespe Creek, which is both a violation of State and Federal law. The main obstruction concerns parking, which significantly impedes foot traffic and creates a hazard to those wishing to recreate in that area.

The fence can do nothing to prevent dumping of trash - but cameras and strict fines can do the job - and would also discourage criminal activity.

For these reasons, I would ask, that the County of Ventura remove this fence and return the peaceful use of this important recreational area to the public. At the very least, the fence poses an extreme inconvenience to public access.

As an afterthought, seeing that hiking the Sespe has been important as long as there have been hikers, and significant harassment from the property owner to halt ingress to the Creek has been ongoing for decades, how does the property owner treat those coming down stream? Does he demand that they halt in their tracks to avoid alleged trespassing? Does he demand that they return north with their kayaks? That would be a problematic portage.

So I would argue that a better solution to halting trash-dumping at the gateway to the Los Padres National Forest would be several high-def cameras and strict fines.

Two final notes: The headline for my article ended with a question mark, which was omitted in the response. The other is the description of the fence as being "unobtrusive". I think someone attempting to park a camper in preparation for two-day hike into the wilderness might disagree.

Thank you for listening and I look forward to a reasonable resolution of this vexing issue.
Sincerely,
Martin Farrell
Publisher

The class in 1976 in the classroom
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Tony Cervantez in 1976
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Maria Barigan, Nancy Levyn, and Tony Cervantez
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Nancy Levyn and Maria Elana Garcia
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As a lasting tribute to the American Bicentennial in 1976, the students in Nancy Levyn’s 5th grade class studied American history, designed panels and created a very special quilt to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of our country. It depicted 28 events which tell the chronological history of the United States. With guidance from first time teacher, Nancy Levyn, the 28 students each chose a subject, contributed material and designed each fabric square. Finally the students sewed their own designs to the squares. Carolyn Thomas formerly of Fillmore and a mother of one of the students attached the finished squares to the backing.

Forty years after the quilt was constructed, Nancy has generously donated it to the Fillmore Historical Museum. Former student Tony Cervantez found several of his 5th grade classmates, Maria Barigan and Maria Elena Garcia who also attended the event. Together he, his classmates, Nancy and the museum docents celebrated the donation with a reception at the museum held last Saturday, August 27th.

Within the next few weeks the quilt will be mounted and displayed in the school room located in the two story bunkhouse building where it can be admired by all.

Nova Storage Fillmore held a gala grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony on August 25th. Owner Larry Layne did the honors with a giant pair of scissors.

Mayor Diane McCall, members of the Fillmore Chamber of Commerce and City Council, along with many residents and tenants were in attendance.

The Fillmore High School Boys Varsity CIF Soccer Champions also came by to participate in the festivities. Upbeat music was provided by Octopus Dreamland, a group of young local musicians.

Located behind the Fillmore Fire Department and accessed off Sespe Place, Nova Storage has added 41 new storage units to accommodate the town's growing needs for self-storage. In addition, the upper level RV parking has been resurfaced and Nova is installing a new security access gate to the property and individual unit alarms for each tenant.

Future plans include the construction of a new three-story self-storage building with 40,000 square feet of storage and entrances from both the present driveway and off First Street.

Operational changes for tenant convenience include the acceptance of credit cards for rent payments as well as signing up for automatic billing or making online payments at www.NovaStorage.com. Every effort is being made to make doing business here as convenient and pleasant as possible.

The management team at Nova Storage Fillmore consists of property manager Bob Crum and assistant manager Cynthia Juarez. Nova prefers to use local service providers, so please drop by and introduce yourself to Bob and let us know how we can work together!

A hearty thank you to all who stopped in and participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony, and to Body Image Gym and the Hair Gallery for the door prizes and Vallarta for the tasty food.

With over 40 new units now available, Nova Storage Fillmore invites anyone with storage needs to come by and have a look. Regular business hours are 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., daily – closed major holidays.

California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith urges recreational water users to avoid close contact with water bodies containing blue-green algae. Since June of this year, blue-green algae blooms have been identified in more than two dozen freshwater reservoirs, lakes and streams statewide.

A list of current algal blooms is available online. The state recommends that people and pets avoid contact with affected bodies of water.

“Boaters and swimmers across the state should be aware of posted signs that indicate the presence of blue-green algae,” said Dr. Smith. “These blooms can produce toxins that pose a health risk if the affected water is touched or swallowed. Signs of blue-green algae poisoning include eye irritation, skin rashes, mouth ulcers, vomiting, diarrhea and cold and flu-like symptoms.”

Blue-green algae poisoning is most common and symptoms, including death, can be more severe in pets and livestock because they tend to drink the water from affected lakes and reservoirs. Children and adults can experience serious injury to the liver, kidney and nervous system if affected water is swallowed. Medical treatment should be sought immediately if a person, pet or livestock is suspected to have blue-green algae poisoning.

Blue-green algae, also called cyanobacteria, are microscopic bacteria that have been found in freshwater lakes, rivers and streams across the state this summer. The algal blooms can appear as blue-green, white or brown foam, scum or mats that typically float on the water’s surface and collect along shorelines and boat ramp areas. Blooms are caused by slow-moving warm water and high levels of nutrients in the water. They can move, grow or shrink depending on conditions.

Common water purification techniques, including camping filters, tablets and boiling, do not remove toxins from affected water.

The state recommends guidance for people who recreate at affected water bodies:

• Take care that pets and livestock do not drink the water, swim through algae, scums or mats, or lick their fur after going in the water. Rinse pets in clean water to remove algae from fur.
• Avoid wading, swimming, or jet or water skiing in water containing algae blooms, scums or mats.
• Do not drink, cook or wash dishes with untreated surface water from these areas under any circumstances. Common water purification techniques, such as camping filters, tablets and boiling, do not remove toxins.
• People should not eat mussels or other bivalves collected from these areas. Limit or avoid eating fish from these areas. If fish are consumed, remove the guts and liver, and rinse filets in clean drinking water.
• Get medical treatment immediately if you think that you, your children, your pet or livestock might have been poisoned by blue-green algae toxins. Be sure to alert the medical professional to the possible contact with blue-green algae. Also, make sure to contact the local county public health department.

www.cdph.ca.gov

In July of 2015 the City of Fillmore evicted the nonprofit senior center organization from its building on Santa Clara Street. The city proceeded to greatly expand the facility's programs under the name Fillmore Active Adult and Community Center. The entire building was renovated and a new library and internet room was added.

The nonprofit moved to a new location on Central Avenue. It (Fillmore Senior Center) filed suit against the city for untimely termination of the lease. Others thought the suit was frivolous, but Senior Center doggedly pursued the action. The Senior Center lawyer warned the city council that it faced substantial loss of revenue if the suit went forward. The city chose to defend against the suit, and won.

The Senior Center's lease with the city provides that the loser must pay legal fees to the winner in any lawsuit between the parties. Patty Walker, President of the board of Fillmore Senior Center Inc. has stated "We don't have the money." Walker has told the press that she will consult her attorney for further advise. Fillmore's city attorney stated that the issue will be decided in closed session at Tuesday's council meeting.

(l-r) Councilmember Rick Neal and Councilmember Douglas Tucker will not seek reelection.

Council members Douglas Tucker and Rick Neal will not seek reelection in November.

Speculation continues about their reasons for leaving the Fillmore City Council. Many believe their decision not to run for a second term is based on their connection to a bullying atmosphere which contributed to the suicide of much loved former Fillmore Fire Chief, Rigo Landeros.

At a City Council open goals-setting meeting held two days before Landeros' death, Rick Neal implied some financial wrongdoing by Landeros concerning the fireman's foundation fund. His attack was halted by two council members because the issue was not on the agenda. Former councilman-mayor, Roger Campbell is quoted as saying "I quit talking with them [Tucker and Neal] after the incident with Rigo, and I suspect that's what happened throughout the town of Fillmore."

Both Tucker and Neal deny harassing or bullying Landeros. In February following Landeros' death, the Council passed a new code of conduct regarding council behavior.

Councilman Manuel Minjares is running for reelection and is joined by Tim Holmgren and Mark Austin.