Tuesday, November 23rd is PICK-UP DAY for Grad Nite Live's Thanksgiving Pies at the Memorial Building between 12 noon and 4PM. If we are delivering your pies be sure to be home to receive them between 11 and 4. Thank you so much for your participation in the years Marie Callender's Pie fund raiser.

City of Fillmore

Included in the 2009-2010 budget the currently underway Class and Compensation study for the City of Fillmore began in spring of this year and is being conducted by Bryce Consulting of Sacramento. There appears to be no clear answer to where the idea of conducting the study came from. Mayor Pro-Tempore Gayle Washburn recalls that the Interim City Manager at the time, Larry Pennell suggested the study but Councilmember Steve Conaway commented “it seems illogical to me that a temporary city manager would put a line item in the budget without being guided to do so.” Mayor Patti Walker indicated this is the first time such a study has been done in Fillmore. Generally the idea behind such studies is to provide a clear picture of staffing needs so that employees have clearly defined roles, are paid equitably for the work they do, and that the City is able to hire and retain skilled employees.

Walker recalled that in the past the Council has “heard that Fillmore [employees] are paid less”. This seems to concur with a statement made by Conaway that in the past the Council understood that “Fillmore employees consistently are shown to be underpaid when reviewed properly.” Walker stated that one of the reasons for the study is “to make sure that [City] employees are compensated in a comparable way [to similar cities]”. She continued that the study will help ensure that Fillmore is able to hire and retain skilled employees as needed. Washburn explained that she feels the study “[will be] a useful tool to demonstrate [whether there is] a shortage of staff.” She went on to state that “historically [the city] has had a lot of department heads and workers but there seemed to be a gap in mid-level analyst and technical positions.” Washburn suggested that the study might reveal places where new positions can be created for “current and future employees” with the intention to use more “in house” staff instead of hiring consultants.

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Fillmore Unified School District

All School Board members were present for the regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, November 16th. No action was taken from the closed section, which was reported to include discussion on two expulsion cases. No one was nominated from the Board to the CSBA (California School Board Association) Delegate Assembly.

During standing reports, Board Clerk Liz Wilde reported on the recent meeting with the City of Fillmore regarding the status and process of opening the track up for community use. Wilde commented, “We’re getting closer to getting a solution regarding use of the track… now the issue goes to the City Parks and Rec.” During his report, Board President Tony Prado commented on his attendance at the meeting with the City regarding the Track as well,“[The meeting] was well attended… it was well represented by the community.” Prado commented on the report given by Assistant Superintendent Mike Bush regarding the current situation with the track and football field “he emphasized that it’s important for people to realize that it’s not the old situation we used to have… it’s different now… but we’re doing everything we can to… make sure they (the community) have access, of course that’s been my number one concern that the community have access.” Issues being looked at now are how to monitor and control people going in and out to use the track. Prado commented that it is the intention that not only the “competitive” runners have access but also the “recreational” users. “It’s important that [the City] Parks and Rec take the lead in this area”.

Regarding watching the 100th game between Fillmore and Santa Paula, Board Member Mike Saviers showed a small smile when he said, “I sat in the middle… I was sad but not real sad.” Saviers has ties to Santa Paula but lives in Fillmore as Board Member Virginia De La Piedra good-naturedly reminded him of where his loyalties should lie, “Remember where you live” She instructed. All Board members shared the sentiment of expressing thanks to all involved in the 100th game planning, set up and presentation. Board Member John Garnica shared that sentiment and added the Fillmore Boosters to those deserving recognition for their contribution to the event. Jane Munoz a parent and staff member at Piru Elementary School who is also a member of Band Boosters was in attendance, and reminded the Board about the great performance of the Band at the 100th game. Prado agreed that the Band should be commended. Band Leader Greg Godfrey and show choreographer Colleen Anderson were recognized for their efforts with the band performance. Newly elected and soon to be sworn in Board Member Elect Lucy Rangel was in attendance, and commented on the induction of 82 players into the Football Hall of Fame. “It took four hours to get through all 82 players… it was really wonderful to hear about all of their accomplishments.” Rangel went on to thank Fillmore High School Principal John Wilbur, and staff members Lynn Cole and Debora Curnett for organizing the event.

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District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Maria Gonzalez-Santos (DOB 9/23/72), of Simi Valley, was arrested and booked in the Ventura County jail for forgery and fraudulent claims to a health care program. In addition, Sorayda Basbas (DOB 7/31/51), of Oxnard; Enriquita Garnica (DOB 2/04/43), of Fillmore; and Martha Hernandez (DOB 1/18/57), of Port Hueneme, were cited and released on charges of fraudulent claims to a health care program. Investigators from the District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation, Ventura County Sheriffs Department, and the California State Department of Health Care Services conducted the operation in the mid-morning hours. Investigators anticipate that additional arrests will result from the In Home Support Services (IHSS) criminal investigation in the coming weeks.
IHSS is a government program supported by the State of California and administered by the Ventura County Human Services Agency. The program is intended to assist individuals with physical or medical limitations, allowing them to stay in their own home as opposed to being placed into a care facility. The program matches individuals with physical or medical limitations with care providers to assist them with tasks ranging from shopping and meal preparation to skilled medical care. IHSS awards benefits by hours to hire a care provider.
The District Attorney and the Human Services Agency have combined resources to establish monitoring systems in the IHSS program, to detect fraud and conduct timely investigations. Elderly and medically limited clients can be victimized by unscrupulous care providers. A strong fraud detection program is essential to protect the client and the integrity of the IHSS program. The District Attorney and the Human Services Agency are dedicated to helping qualified IHSS clients live safely in their homes.

Since Election Day many voters throughout Ventura County share the same question “Why is it taking so long to finish counting the ballots?” I too had this question and decided to visit the Elections office to see the process for myself. Many might envision a process where ballots are simply put in a machine, quickly counted and results reported. In reality it’s just not that simple. As of the print deadline the counting continues. In Ventura County there are 423,994 registered voters, with 124,423 voters actually going to the polls, and no final count on total ballots cast.

Any member of the public can get a visitors badge and take a tour to observe the process of counting ballots. The Elections Division is part of the office of Mark Lunn, County Clerk and Recorder, located in the lower level of the Government Center on Victoria Avenue in Ventura. There are a few rules, no cell phones, no talking with any elections workers, no cameras and no food or drink around the ballots or machines, and there are three areas that the public is not allowed to enter but that can be viewed through windows. In my opinion it’s a very visible process and I encourage anyone who is interested to check it out. Visitors are also likely to gain an appreciation for those carrying out the tedious but important task of processing the ballots. Many are working long hours (8:00am to 7:00pm) and coming in on Saturdays to get the counting done.

The Journey of a Ballot: First let’s look at ballots filled out on election day at the correct polling place by a voter who does not receive a Vote By Mail (VBM) ballot. These voters are verified and confirmed at the polling place, the completed ballot is put in a secure box, and a cartridge from the polling place keeps track of who has voted in person to ensure they do not submit more than one ballot. Polling place ballots get picked up from the polls on Election Day, and are delivered to the receiving area at the government center. Delivery usually occurs before 9:00pm. First these ballots are hand inspected for any damage, stains or for “incorrect” marks, which if found means the ballot will be counted by hand. The data held in the cartridges from the polling stations is transferred into the system to record that voter’s ballot as received. The system is designed to “catch” a voter who has submitted more than one ballot and keeps track of the method in which someone votes. An undamaged and correctly marked ballot goes directly to the ballot counter, a machine called the “400C”. Four of these machines are in a room off limits to the public but easily seen through two walls of windows. The 400C looks similar to a copy machine with a stack of ballots inserted into a tray on one side pulled through the machine one at a time, and being spit out the other side. There is a computer attached to each machine that records the count. Ballots submitted at the polls get counted first and fastest.

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Greetings Farm Watch.
Happy Veterans Day. Everyone of us at Farm Watch give thanks to you, our Veterans, who one way or another, gave up a today for our tomorrow.

In addition, we would like to welcome our 23 new Farm Watch members.

It is amazing, we have just grown to over 600 Ventura County Farms, Nurseries, Ranchers, Packing - Supply Houses and Oil Operations.

Lets get started. First the good news.

BOOK A CROOK:

Sheriff Detective Ray Dominguez and his partner Sergeant Steve Rhods have been the Sheriff's lead agents in our Rural Crime Task Force. For the last 10 months, their mission and passion has been to catch these connex-shed thugs. I mention "passion," because these two detectives were and are "motivated and driven," 24 hours a day, to stop this organized crime ring. Time and time again those bandits have been using the cover of darkness to break into your storage sheds on rural properties. They have plundered over $100,000 in loot.

Ray and Steve were not alone and have been supported by their Captain, Rick Barrios and an army of crime analysts, crime scene scientists, technical surveillance units and 12 detectives from Major Crimes, Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai, El Rio and Moorpark.

In addition, their task force worked regularly with Santa Barbara, Monterey, Riverside and Los Angeles Sheriff detectives.

It has been hard during the last 3 months to not brag to you about their hours and hours of surveillance work. The tide changed and on November 8, 2010, Ray and Steve were deep into Los Angeles and Riverside working yet another surveillance on our primary theft suspects.

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The official poster for the 100th meet between Fillmore and Santa Paula, drawn by Santa Paula 2010 graduate Alex Adams.
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Fillmore Athletic Booster club President Andy Aguirre presented a poster drawn by 2010 Santa Paula graduate Alex Adams. (l-r) Santa Paula Mayor Jim Tovias, Fillmore Mayor Patty Walker, Santa Paula Principal Paul Marietti, County Superintendent of schools Stanley Mantooth, FUSD Superintendent Jeff Sweeney, and Fillmore principal John Wilber.
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Coach Matt Dollar spoke to the audience about the history of the game in his family. To his left is Santa Paula Head Coach Teohua Sanchez and Santa Paula Principal Paul Marietti.
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Fillmore DUCKS! Green and white school colors! Say it ain't so Joe! The “DUCKS” is rumored to be the name of the of the original school mascot for Fillmore High School, but that was in the 1920's! That is, according to the Master of Ceremonies Steve Conaway for the Fillmore High School Booster Club Banquet, held on Sunday, November 7th. Steve was quick, however, to attribute that historical fact to Fillmore High School Coach Joe Woods who was not present to defend himself. Steve then went on to relate the “myth” of how the Fillmore High School Football Team received their current mascot name, the Flashes: “In the early 1920's the Fillmore Ducks were playing a football game when late in the second quarter the sky opened up and lightening and thunder rocked the Fillmore area. When Fillmore came out after half time Fillmore came out and played with the power and speed of a lightning bolt striking the earth. Fillmore won the game and the very next week Fillmore was known as the flashes!” Seems like a good story Steve!

The Fillmore High School Athletic Boosters kicked off a week-long of activities by hosting a dinner at the Fillmore-Piru Memorial Building for both teams and coaches from Santa Paula and Fillmore. The dinner was prepared by Fillmore Fire Chief Rigo Landeros and his merry band of cooks; Laura Landeros, Don Palmer, Scott Beylick and Joe Ricards. The meal menu was Fillmore's favorite of Tri-Tip, chicken, baked potatoes, salad and finished beautifully by an orange sherbert ice cream presented in a half orange shell from a local citrus grower. The meal was served by nicely dressed cheerleaders and pep squad members from each school.

Welcoming both teams, their coaches, dignitaries and others in attendance was Fillmore Mayor Patti Walker with follow up comments also given by both school superintendents; Fillmore Superintendent Jeff Sweeney and Santa Paula Superintendent David Gomez. Master of Ceremonies and sitting Fillmore City Councilmember Steve Conaway gave a short history of this long-standing rivalry which is said to be the longest standing rivalry, based on games played, in Ventura County and possibly in the State of California.

There were many proclamations presented to the teams by local government representatives including Ventura County Board of Supervisors District-3 and Board Chair Supervisor Kathy Long. Supervisor Long told the football players, “You will always remember this game. Enjoy! Have fun!” She then in a true politician's fashion said as she left the podium, “Go Flashes! Go Cardinals!” United States Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressman for California District 24 Elton Gallegly, although not present, provided proclamations to each team. Congressman Gallegly also presented a United States Flag to fly during the game on November 12th. The flag had been flown over the White House prior to being presented for the game. Proclamations were also received from California State Senator George Runner and California Assemblywoman Audra Strickland.

Other dignitaries at the event were; Fillmore City Councilmember Laurie Hernandez, Fillmore School District Board Trustee Liz Wilde, Fillmore Assistant Superintendent Dr. Mike Bush, Fillmore High School Principal John Wilber and Assistant Principal Ellen Green, Athletic Director Ernie Quiroz, Fillmore Police Chief Captain Tim Hagel, County Superintendent of Schools Stanley Mantooth, Santa Paula Principal Paul Marietti, Santa Paula School Board Trustees Diana Ponce-Gomez, Christopher Wilson, Assistant Principals Robin Gillette, Elizabeth Garcia, Director of Educational Services Tony Gaitan, City of Santa Paula City Manager Jamie Fontes, Santa Paula Mayor JimTovias, Santa Paula City Councilmembers Fred Robinson, Ralph Fernandez and Bob Gonzales.

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Raelene Chaney spoke to the city council Tuesday night in regards to the storage area used by Grad Nite Live. Chaney asked that it be put on the agenda for discussion at the next city council meeting.

The November 9th Fillmore City Council/Redevelopment Agency Meeting main focus was adopting resolutions, authorization to advertise for bids and approving the 2011 City Council Meeting Calendar. The Meeting seemed interrupted though, with the Council vacillating between open and closed sessions.

Most pressing on agenda was an item on the Redevelopment Agency agenda was a huge money item that left the City of Fillmore with a great deal less money in its coffers. The Redevelopment Agency Board was asked to convert an Agency loan to a Grant due to present economic downturn. In 2007, the Agency conveyed the land to the Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation (Developer) for the purpose of construction 8 units for sale to extremely low and very low income families (Affordable Units), and made a loan to Developer in the amount of $1,318,348 (Agency Loan). The Agency also agreed to assist homebuyers with additional loans of $50,000 per unit (Homebuyers Loans). Since 2007 the estimated fair market value of the unites has dropped by approximately 50%, and like many similar projects started at the height of the real estate market, the project can no longer be sold for what it cost to build. The Developer has requested that the Agency convert its Agency Loan and some of the Homebuyers Loans to non-repayable grants.

The Developer has made similar requests to the other governmental lenders to the project, and the County of Ventura has agreed. The Developer has agreed to cover any cash shortfall up to $5,000 per unit from the sale of the Affordable Units and to reduce its Developer Fee of $150,000 to $30,000.

The Developer has not identified buyers for 4 of the units, 2 of which are currently to be sold to households earning no more than 45% of Area Median Income (AMI). The Developer has requested that if such households cannot be located by December 31, 2010 it be permitted to sell those two units to households earning up to 50% of AMI which would broaden the number of potential buyers.

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