Mayor Diane McCall

The City of Fillmore kicked off the holiday season just before the City Council meeting on Tuesday night with about 50 people attending the 6:00 p.m. Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in front of City Hall. Drifting snow came down (provided by a small bubble machine) creating a playground for children who attempted to build a small snowman. Hot chocolate, hot cider and cookies were provided making it a very festive scene.

The City Council meeting which followed also celebrated the appointment of a new mayor and mayor pro tem.

There were a number of other items also on its agenda; Appointments of City Council Member to Committees, Commissions, Liaison, and Outside Agencies, Proposed Save Open-Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) petition to extend expiration to the year 2050, a new ad hoc committee Fillmore Development Council (FDC), and a Drought Update were just some of those items.

Diane McCall was installed as the new Mayor of Fillmore by unanimous vote. Mayor Pro Tem required some discussion. Council Member Douglas Tucker put forward Council Member Rick Neal for Mayor Pro Tem, but both Council Member Manny Minjares and Mayor McCall put Council Member Carrie Broggie for nomination. There was a small bit of discussion resulting in a unanimous vote for Broggie as the new Mayor Pro Tem.

Fillmore Supervisor David CONTINUED »

I met Edgar Torres, when he was 11 years of age, while he attended Piru Elementary School. The family lived in the Colina Vista apartments.

His loving mother, Aida Pizano, remembers those were very hard times for the family. She was a single-parent with a 1-month old baby and eight more children, all consisting of 5 boys and 3 girls. Aida Pizano drew inner strength from her faith and courageously tackled the raising her family of nine children on her own. Aida told me she would take the early Piru Vista van then walk to work at Taco Bell in Fillmore, in later years would transfer to the Santa Paula Taco Bell Store. Edgar and mom worked together at Taco Bell in Fillmore as soon as he got his work permit.

Aida remembers that, though Sergio and Yaira were his older siblings, Edgar took charge of his younger siblings seeing them to Piru Elementary School in the mornings, rain or shine. Later after school, when mom arrived late at 5 PM, when she received extra hours at work, Edgar would pick up his littlest siblings from the next door babysitter, others from school and get everybody to do their homework.

On his own, Edgar took on the lead male role in the house, when his older brother Sergio married young. Mom said that Edgar took on a lot of responsibility and provided counseling to his younger brothers and sisters. He would tell them the importance of going to school and to not miss school! Edgar also enjoyed cooking dinner and did so for his siblings. Mom would call from work to check on the kids and Edgar would give her a full report. Mom arrived home tired from work, but relieved that everybody was home safe and everything was in order at home. Mom said says she was always grateful to Edgar for being so responsible. He knew his mother depended on him and he felt it was up to him to help his mother.

Mom Aida recalls how in these recent years, after dinner both would sit in the back patio, chatting away together for hours until it got dark and it was time to come in. Edgar was a very good and loving son and close friend to her.

Edgar Torres, 24, recently passed away recently. Edgar graduated from Fillmore High School in 2009 and always remembered his dear teacher Ms. Trina Tafoya. Edgar was working as an Agriculture and Landscaping Maintenance worker during the week, worked construction jobs and washed cars on weekends with his good friend Alex “Fresh” Chessani. He also worked at Subway in Fillmore and was the Ventura Subway Store Manager. He had plans to buy a car wash business and a construction concrete mixer business. Edgar’s long-held dream was to purchase a big family house for his mother and all his brothers and sisters.

Edgar’s older brother, Sergio raved that without a doubt, Edgar Torres was THE BIGGEST Raider’s Fan around - Period. Besides football, Edgar also loved other sports, such as basketball, softball and boxing. Edgar trained in boxing for some time, too.

Edgar had recently gathered his brother Sergio and close friends, and formed his own Fillmore “Short Fuse” softball team. Coach and Captain Edgar played one game as team pitcher recently. Sergio recalls Edgar as always being happy, never mad and walking in anywhere and being the “Life of the Party!.”

Favorite food for Edgar was his mom’s “Tacos de Machaca (shredded beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and HOT salsa), as well as, her red Chicken Enchiladas, and yummy Pózole. He LOVED his papaya fruit! “It was no secret that Edgar was a good eater!”, Sergio shared with laughter.

Sergio loved his brother Edgar’s positive energy and the great vibe that he would bring where ever he would go. He would give a lot of good, welcomed advice when people were down. He always had the right words to say, was a really positive and very caring individual. Edgar would always try to help everybody.

Still, he was also the biggest jokester around with brothers and sisters. Always clowning around and would love to imitate people with funny physical postures; like imitating his brother Sergio, when Sergio was sick and mopping around feeling sorry for himself.

Edgar will always be in the hearts and minds of his loving mother Aida Pizano, and his loving brothers and sisters: Sergio, Yaira, Carla, Matthew, Cecilia, Jose Luis, and Bryan. He was a wonderful Godfather to his beautiful nieces Liliana and Natalia, as well as, loving his nephew Sergio, Jr.

Edgar Torres was a loving son, grandson, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and good friend to many and always found a way to put a smile on everyone's face. Edgar, rest in peace. You did a very good job while here on this earth.

Please support Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid's Coat Drive to raise enough money to put a coat on every child that comes through the line this Christmas in Fillmore.

Link to the gofundme page where you can help support the coat drive: https://www.gofundme.com/t69vmh5h

This project idea started when I was watching the kids waiting with anticipation to see Santa at the North Fillmore Community Storefront for the Fillmore Volunteer Fire Department toy giveaway. Looking at the line, none of the kids had on coats. My mind judged immediately “Did the children forget their coats? They knew it was cold and that the wait was long.” The line snaked as the little boy tucked into his mother and the realization hit me like the cold wind- The little boy didn’t forget his coat. He doesn’t have a coat.

Please join Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid’s Winter Coat Drive. In December we will be giving away brand-new warm winter coats to needy children of the Santa Clara Valley who are standing outside in line in Fillmore to receive their toy from Santa. There are no “administrative” costs. You send the money and our teams go and buy the coats.

As Marion Wright Edelman, the founder of the Children’s Defense Fund says:

“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”

When you place a warm coat on cold little shoulders, you know that a warm coat makes a big difference.

Link to the gofundme page where you can help support the coat drive: https://www.gofundme.com/t69vmh5h

Laura Bartels, Director
Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid
PO Box 236
Fillmore, CA 93016

"Join the City in front of City Hall for a tree lighting ceremony at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, December 8th"?