Over the next nine (9) weeks the Gazette will be printing one question a week, which has been given to each Fillmore School Board candidate. They have been asked to provide one answer, 250 words or less.

Question #1: How will you make this a better school board? What personal, business or government experiences qualify you to be on the school board?

Mark Austin: I would make the board better by providing a fresh perspective to the District. For example, my belief is that the District should be concentrating more on the vision and goals of the District. That is to focus on making the school system better. I believe this is missing with the existing board and the status quo is the mode of operation.

My local government experience has provided me with decision making skills needed to be a board member. While serving on the Fillmore Planning Commission for the past eleven years, I have been placed in the position of making difficult decisions that affect the community. I have made decisions that required independent judgment and the ability to listen carefully to the public, to ask clear questions, and to decide issues fairly. These decisions have required that I consider the pros and cons of each decision and do what I believe to be in the best interest of the community. This experience will enable me to act in the best interest of the parents and children.

My business experience has provided me with leadership skills needed to be a board member. I handle the daily operations of my firm. This includes assisting the company management team to ensure that goals are met and with long-term strategic planning. This is the role of a board member in a nutshell — to attend to the daily details while carrying out the vision of the District: that of providing a quality education.

Tony Prado: I have a commitment to public education, and I want to contribute to this community. I bring experience in public education and an awareness of the long-range issues of education in our country, state, and in Fillmore. Being a board member is not dealing with a single issue but looking at the whole picture, understanding what students, teachers, classified, and administrators need to make the district successful. Most of all, I consider myself to be a good team player and team leader.

My history and experience in Fillmore makes me the most qualified candidate for the School Board. I have a B.A. in History from California State University, Northridge, an M.S. in Education from the University of Southern California and I am a retired teacher/coach from Moorpark High School. In the 1980's and 1990's, I was chairman of the San Cayetano, Sespe, and Fillmore High School site councils and chairman of the District Advisory Committee. Also, I served 4 years on the Parks and Recreation commission ( 2 years as chairman ) and served as President of Fillmore Little League for 3 years. From 1995-2003, I had the privilege to be elected to the Fillmore Unified School District Board of Trustsee's. I was again fortunate to be elected to the Board in 2006.

All children in the Fillmore/Piru community have an opportunity to receive a good education. My goal is to continue this opportunity, to adjust, adapt and be flexible, to be accessible, open and compassionate to all people.

Lucy Rangel: I will make this a better school board by stressing the importance of “teamwork.” If we are to achieve our goals, and face more budget cuts, we must unite together in a professional, respectful manner. If we are to move forward in a positive way, we must have input from all groups concerned in the education of our children. Our district has great students, a hard-working dedicated staff, and parents who want the best for their children. We need our leaders to step up and direct everyone in a positive, motivating manner, and understand that we are all here for one thing—to give our youth the best education possible.

I feel I am qualified to be on the school board because I have personally seen our district through the eyes of a student, parent, teacher, and a school leader. As a student, I attended and am a proud graduate of Fillmore High. As a parent, my late husband, Jim, and I raised five children, Kristen, Eric, Jason, Amy and Maria. All of them received an excellent education here in Fillmore. Now I have two grandchildren in our school system. As a teacher of 37 years, I am familiar with our programs and curriculum both at the elementary and secondary levels. Finally, as a leader in our schools, I have coached, been an ASB advisor, a GATE and Mentor teacher, a Sixth Grade chairperson, a member of numerous committees, and I also had some experience as an assistant principal.

Kimberly Rivers: I was inspired to run after watching several months of the School Board showing a general lack of respect to parents, teachers and those community members who came before the Board with questions, information and concerns. I was shocked to hear the Board defend the current state of the schools as “excellent”. It is clear to me that our School Board needs to take the leadership role that the law mandates in guiding the District in a new direction.

When elected I will compel the Board to work with parents, community members, teachers, staff, County and State experts to find solutions that work. In making decisions I will ask, and demand that my fellow Board members ask, “Is this in the best interests of all our students?” We must keep our resources in the classroom.

I feel that both my professional and personal history provide me with the tools, as well as the inquisitive, independent and open mind needed to work in and turn around the culture of our District. As a parent, non-profit Board president and someone who professionally supports families I feel comfortable and confident in listening and getting to the heart of the issue in order to find an idea that works. I know the importance of being in touch with what is happening in education statewide in order to bring cutting edge programs and opportunity to ALL of our students. Parents should feel confident that their children have every possible opportunity at academic success. www.votekimrivers.com.

Dave Wilde: Schools are all about providing the best instruction for our students. We must make every effort to do what you can to support that goal. To support that goal we must insure that we do all we can to provide teachers with the materials and knowledge to help them become successful educating their students. Support staff must be in place to assist both students and teachers at all times. Facilities, both indoors and outdoors, must be in top shape to provide the right learning environment for our students. That includes the school site, classrooms and co-curricular locations.

I have 37 years of classroom experience, mostly in the area of high school science. In addition to being a classroom instructor I have served in many other roles. I have been in charge of several extracurricular programs. I have been the student government adviser, head softball coach, head football coach, head golf coach, and athletic director. I was one of two PAR teachers for four years. That program was in place to assist first year teachers to Fillmore and to provide data which a panel used to retain or let teachers go. That program was in place to insure we did what we could to provide the best instructors for our children. I have also been part of the Ventura County Office of Education's BTSA program which assists new teacher in completing steps to secure their California Clear Teaching Credential. I am currently in my seventh year in that position.

School Resource Officer Leo Vazquez

Due to a cost sharing agreement Fillmore Unified School District will continue to have a School Resource Office (SRO) on campus during the school day. Officer Leo Vasquez will serve as the SRO. His salary and costs associated with having an SRO on campus will be split up between the District, the City of Fillmore and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. FUSD and the City each will be contributing $75,000 toward the annual costs and salary for the SRO. Captain Tim Hagel confirmed that the Sheriff’s office would be contributing $39,100 plus over $6,000 annually towards the cost of maintaining the police car. Hagel pointed out that the total cost associated with the SRO includes costs over and above the officer’s salary “such as liability insurance, workman comp etc. His salary is far-less than that and no where in the ballpark of the total costs.”

When asked about where Vasquez will be based, District Superintendent Jeff Sweeney responded that he expects him to use the office on the high school campus as previous SRO’s have, but that he will go to any campus when needed. Sweeney went on to comment “The SRO responds to the needs of FUSD. That is his assignment. I know he is planning on being a presence at every campus, visiting every campus every week.”

When asked about the petition presented to the School Board in May 2010 which was signed by 181 parents supporting the position that the money spent on the SRO would be better spent on educational needs Sweeney responded “There were several conversations about the SRO and his value to the District over the past two years. The Board decided that it was in the District's best interest to maintain the safety of our students and staff, therefore the continued funding of the position.”

Hagel provided information stating that there were 269 arrests on school campuses in FUSD in 2009. Hagel commented that this is the “highest arrest rate county wide” for SRO positions. And Hagel went on to state “These statistics represent that the SRO makes more arrests per year on campus than any other police officer makes in neighborhoods in town.” In the City of Fillmore “gang membership hovers at about 150” with many school age members, and some still attending Fillmore Middle School, Fillmore High School and Sierra High School, reported Hagel. The SRO’s specifice duties range from tracking all gang members who attend school and conducting home visits of truant students and bring them back to school to supervising dances, and other school events along with administering breath tests for marijuana use and other controlled substances. In addition Hagel believes the SRO is a clear deterrent to fighting.

Officer Vasquez is surely comfortable working with and around young people as he also serves as the youth advisor for the Boys and Girls Youth Explorers and is sure to be a vital part of maintaining the safest possible environment at Fillmore area schools.

“This is an intractable conflict, there is no solution. War is coming. Roni Shaked, Commander (Ret.) of Shin Bet (Israel’s Internal Security Services)

In 1400 years there has been no inter-Arab peace, Sunni and Shiite Muslims have been at war with each other. If they cannot achieve peace with each other, what makes the world believe they can negotiate and achieve peace with others.

On June 6th, 2010, the leadership of the terrorist group Hamas publicly declared, “It is time to launch (Suicide) bombers into Israel.” In 1993 Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin entered into the Oslo Accords. Rabin formally recognized the PLO as “the representative of the Palestinian people,” Arafat officially recognized “the right of the State of Israel to exist in peace and security” and renounced “the use of terrorism and other acts of violence.” The Oslo Accords led to the formation of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas leaders opposed the peace agreement; their reasons included the risk that a peace accord might actually take hold in the region. A peaceful coexistence would mean the end of Hamas. From Hamas’ point of view, their organization could not thrive in a peaceful atmosphere; they had a stake in the continuation of conflict. So the attacks on Israel continued. Ultimately Hamas refused to participate in the peace process. At this point Hamas grew into a full-blown terrorist organization. In present day Gaza, Hamas leadership was voted in to control the area, and the attacks continue.

In June of this year I had the honor of meeting the most courageous and dedicated man I have known. To this day his life and the lives of his family are in danger from Muslim extremists. This is his story.

Aashif (not his real name) is a Palestinian Muslim. He was born in Hebron in the early 1950’s. As a young man he witnessed a fellow Muslim throw a hand grenade into a Muslim holy site in Hebron. Aashif said, as he witnessed this attack he thought to himself that the hand grenade tossed by a fellow Muslim could have killed his mother, brother, other family members and friends who were visiting the holy site. That day Aashif made the decision to become a Collaborator.

A Collaborator is an undercover Palestinian Agent, who works with Shin Bet (Israeli Internal Security Services) to infiltrate the Palestinian terrorist cells. Aashif stated his decision came from the heart, and not for any other reason. The dedication he displayed over the next 25 years proved he was a man of his word. He helped stop numerous terrorist attacks that would have killed innocent Israeli’s and Muslims alike.

Much like Confidential Informants assists law enforcement in infiltrating drug dealing and organized crime operations, Aashif went into Gaza, slowly introduced himself to terrorist leadership, and eventually became trusted as a fellow terrorist by the terrorist leadership.

But this did not come without a very deep cost. When Hamas found out Aashif was a Collaborator, they placed a bomb outside of his home in Hebron, and attempted to kidnap his 7 year old son. Palestinian terrorist kidnapped Aashif’s brother, tortured him, and then cut out his internal organs and threw his mutilated body into the street as a warning to other Collaborators.

Aashif’s courage and dedication stopped so many attacks and disrupted the Palestinian terrorists operations to such a high degree, that in 1997 PLO terrorist leader Yasser Arafat sent Aashif a hand written letter asking Aashif to work with the terrorist group PLO.

Aashif became so trusted and respected throughout his career as a Collaborator, that the Israeli government granted he and his family Israeli citizenship, and gave Aashif the same pension as a Shin Bet agent. Aashif and his Shin Bet handler have created such a trusted relationship over a 25 year career that Aashif named one of his sons after his Shin Bet handler, and Aashif celebrates holidays at the home of his Shin Bet handler’s family.
Aashif told me that despite all the hardships his work as a Collaborator has caused he and his family, he would not hesitate to do the same thing again, and his wife and children feel the same way.

Aashif said he is proud to be a Muslim, and proud to be a Muslim who fights against fanatical Muslim terrorists. He stated to me, “any Muslim can interpret the Quran in his own way, and this will result in a never ending group of Radical Muslims who are determined to see a world dominated by Islam and Sharia Law.”

Mark Trimble is a retired Law Enforcement Operations/Special Operations Commander. He has spent 10 years researching and studying Radical Islam and Terrorism. He has worked as an Independent Security Contractor during which time he has trained with and interviewed members of the United States Army Special Operations Forces who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Trimble also spent time in the following locations: The West Bank; Gaza; Ofer Military Base- For the observation of the murder trial of two Hamas terrorists; Kalkilia- The Arab town which is one of the main terrorists infiltration routes into Israel; Israeli Forward Military Base at the Lebanese Border (area of the terrorist group Hezbollah’s headquarters); IDF tank unit on the Syrian border; Sderot, Israel. A city on the edge of Gaza, which is under constant mortar attacks by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza.

Beware; a home was burglarized on the 1100 Block of Riverside Ave., Bardsdale, on Tuesday, August 31st, between 11AM and noon. Apparently, a door was kicked in and items taken included a television, computer, cash, jewelry, camera, etc. Landscaping equipment was also stolen. The thieves broke into a garaged truck and stole a stereo also. Any information regarding the burglary can be called into the Fillmore Police Station, 524-2233.

Sergeant Paul Higgason and Sergeant Frank Underlin at the race start.
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I learned a lot about myself and my country while running the great Siberian marathon in Russia.

Cops Running For Charity is our local grass roots non profit organization that uses Marathons, Ultra Marathons and continental races to raise money for such needy organizations as Juvenile Diabetes Research, ALS, Make A Wish and Ventura County Hospice. We have raised nearly $150,000 in the past 6 years and this year we raised almost $40,000.

The six of us give 100% of raised money to the people who need it right here in Ventura County.

Simply put, we are a charity of 6 Sheriff's Deputies that gives to local charities that must benefit children right here in the community we serve. Our Leader and Chief Fundraiser is prior Fillmore Police Chief Randy Pentis. Randy is our driving force and insist that we have no costly office staff, public relation firms, heck we don't even have a website. We keep it that way and grassroots so we can give every penny we collect back to the children.

What about the Siberian race?

For starters, let’s look at the country. Democracy is alive and well in Russia, but it is being tainted by high levels of crime, corruption and thugs. However, signs of increased "Joe the Plummer" kind of freedom is everywhere, Any young 20-Something Russian can log on to M T.V, Facebook, Google and even our online versions of our Fillmore papers. They can walk into a McDonalds and drive in their Ford Fusion. The problem is it is still a land without a middle class, the have and have nots. Russians tend to want to immigrate to America but they are economically challenged by an annual income rarely exceeding $8,000 a year.

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Ventura County Sheriff's Department

At approximately 7:18 a.m., 8-19-10, deputies with the Fillmore Police Department responded to a call of a vehicle-vs.-pedestrian collision in front of the bus stop in the 500 block of Santa Clara St., Fillmore. The accident investigation determined a sixteen-year-old pedestrian was walking north across Santa Clara St. and failed to yield to a black1997 Honda Civic, which had the right-of-way as it traveled eastbound on Santa Clara St. The pedestrian had complaints of pain to her leg, wrist, and neck and was transported to Santa Paula Hospital, but suffered no major injuries. The driver was uninjured and his car sustained minor damage.

The pedestrian was using a cell phone and may have been distracted at the time of the collision. The driver’s windshield was dirty and, as he was driving into the early-morning sunlight at the time of the collision, may have had impaired visibility. Neither party was cited.

The Fillmore Police Department reminds both drivers and pedestrians to avoid distractions while on the street and for drivers to maintain clean windows for everyone’s safety.

Deputy Gabriel Gonzales
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Pre-Departure
For the most part my wardrobe is decided by comfort, but the ride-along form expressly categorizes jeans and T-shirts as What Not to Wear, which means I now need to give it some thought. We’re supposed to look … authoritative. I’ve killer three-inch heeled boots that might do it, but what if, say, there’s a foot chase or else I have to deliver a roundhouse kick to a bad guy? I settle for black sneakers. And charcoal trousers. And a hot pink (1) polo shirt. There’s no sun to justify a pair of aviators, oh well. I’m ready.

The Deputy
At the Police station I’m escorted through the building into the back parking lot where I’m introduced to Deputy Gabriel Gonzales. He opens the side door for me and I sit while he gets the car ready, checking lights and checking equipment. Loading the car with the engine running somehow feels a bit like saddling a horse. I check out the computer screen, which features an Open Patrol Log and a curious list of “Equipment/Qualifications” including: cell phone, evidence bags, rip hobble, crime scene tape, care bear … care bear?

Gonzales gets into the drivers seat and promptly offers an explanation for his haircut (2). “Sorry about my hair—it’s still growing back from when I got it shaved for the Explorers. It’s usually neat and everything.” There isn’t enough for it not to be neat, but judging by the way he gestured at “neat,” I imagine he misses his former coif. He calls his current ‘do “Chia Pet hair,” but until recently, his shaved head was part of the look for directing (and yelling at) the Explorers in their Academy. “The kids really like getting into it,” he says.
Gonzales is from Ventura, worked in the jail for four and a half years, and has been in Fillmore for a year now. And he likes it out here. “I think it’s the best job ever. Every since I can remember I’ve wanted to be a cop,” he enthuses. I ask him about the care bear, and he explains that it’s an actual stuffed animal for young victims or traumatized children. Can I see it? He hops out to fish for it in the trunk. Check the body bag, I suggest. It’s not without considerable difficulty that he pulls out a small, extremely worn plastic package from under a load of equipment. “You can open it,” he says. I extricate a small, new teddy bear wearing an indecently short T-shirt featuring an insurance advertisement. Although his outfit is a uniform infraction in my book, I invite him into the patrol car. Gonzales is also a bit mystified by this fellow. “They’re usually neon blue. And different material—nylon—so it’s easy to clean.” Maybe the bear faded for lack of love and attention in the depths of the trunk.

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City Council candidate Adrian Grimaldo addresses the city's high water and sewer rates.

The City Council meeting on August 24th mainly focused on the increases in fees for the residents of Fillmore of which there were many. The proposed increase in water and sewer fees took front and center, along with an added fee for street cleaning. But also discussed were the increased fees for general service, Police and Fire Department services, filming fees, sports programs, Building and Safety, Public Works along with a proposed increase in Vista transportation.

The meeting was the first reading of the Water Ordinance 10-821, a proposed water rate increase and in preparation for a public hearing for a Proposition 218 protest hearing. Proposition 218 is the proposed increase in fees to the sewer and water rates for properties here in Fillmore.

Starting off the council meeting there was much discussion about the ballots that were sent out recently to the property owners in regards to the water and sewer fee increases. Some found the ballots confusing and others did not know that only property owners had been sent the ballots, and that only property owners could protest the proposed increased rates. It was suggested that the ballots should have read ‘Ballot’ on the front, to avoid some of the confusion, to which the council agreed that having done that would have been an improvement.

Lupe Grimaldo along with Tom Dawson voiced their concern with the escalating water and sewer rates. Grimaldo questioned the council on what exactly the rate increases will be and cautioned that the citizens need a better explanation and that the council should do a better job at distributing the ballots. Mayor Patti Walker stated she’d received many comments similar to Grimaldo’s and that, “The mailer was misleading, we need to get out more information.”

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