Story Courtesy LPFW

Last month, two regulatory agencies cancelled permits for three oil wells in the Sespe Oil Field after receiving complaints that the approvals were issued erroneously, and without any public notice, hearing, or environmental review.

The permits – issued by the County of Ventura Planning Division and the California Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources – authorized Texas-based oil company Seneca Resources Corporation to deepen three existing oil wells along a tributary of Sespe Creek, just one-half mile from the boundary of the Sespe Condor Sanctuary. Operations like this in the Sespe Oil Field have increasingly relied on hydraulic fracturing, the controversial oil extraction technique involving pumping sand, water, and thousands of gallons of chemicals underground to stimulate oil production.

The permits were issued the same week that the U.S. Forest Service announced a proposal to hydraulically fracture eight additional wells on national forest land in the same area. Fracking has been approved or proposed for a total of 29 wells in the Sespe Oil Field since 2011.

“Fracking is making an alarming resurgence in the Sespe watershed, one of the most ecologically sensitive areas in Ventura County,” said Jeff Kuyper, executive director of Los Padres ForestWatch, a watchdog organization that monitors oil drilling in the Los Padres National Forest. “No fracking should occur here until regulations are finalized and until environmental studies on the impacts of fracking are completed.”

The drilling was initially approved by the Planning Division as an “over-the-counter” Zoning Clearance on May 5, 2014. Zoning clearances are issued by planning staff for minor projects that have already been approved under a Conditional Use Permit (CUP). The County issued a CUP for these oil wells in 1976, and significantly updated that permit in 1981.

However, when the oil CONTINUED »

Long time Fillmore resident and local farmer Scott Beylik announced his candidacy for the Fillmore Unified
School District Board officially filing his papers for the November 2014 General Election.

Current Councilmember Diane McCall announced her candidacy for Fillmore City Council Monday, July 28, 2014.

More in next week’s Gazette edition.

07/08/14
Surveillance
700 Blk. A St.
Lost Property
500 Blk. Ventura St.
Search Warrant
200 Blk. E. Telegraph Rd.
700 Blk. Edison Ln.
Labor Camp
Keep the Peace
300 Blk. Saratoga St.
Abandoned Vehicle
500 Blk. Central Ave.
07/09/14
Surveillance
700 Blk. A St.
Robbery
Central Ave./Main St.
Search Warrant
300 Blk. Fillmore St.
Keep the Peace
900 3rd St.
Threats CONTINUED »

Will the City of Fillmore continue to attract tourism to town without the Fillmore and Western Train is a question many Fillmore residents are asking. It all comes down to money and who is responsible for maintaining the tracks and capital improvements.

There are approximately 177,200 miles of track in service in the U.S. which require vigilant inspections, maintenance, repair and replacement in order to keep freight and passenger trains moving safely. The dispute with Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) and Fillmore and Western is a 32 miles stretch of track from Montalvo to Fillmore.

In 1991 the City of Fillmore, through its Redevelopment Agency (RDA), agreed to move Short Line Enterprises Fillmore Production Railroad (SLE) to Fillmore to create film production and tourism in town. The agreement between Southern Pacific and Fillmore's RDA was a lease of railroad tracks from Fillmore to 12th Street in Santa Paula for filming and tourist trains. SLE was responsible for maintaining the tracks at a Class 1 standard.

In 1995 the Cities of Fillmore, Santa Paula and Ventura RDA's and Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) agreed to purchase Southern Pacific's branch line between Montalvo Wye to the Los Angeles County Line for a price of $9,000,000, mostly paid by government grants, with each town's RDA's contributing $50,000. At the time that stretch between Montalvo and Santa Paula was "Excepted" and could only haul freight. The following year Dave Wilkinson purchased the train and changed the name to Fillmore and Western (F&W).

According to Dave CONTINUED »

The Rotary Club received their charter on May 19, 1924. Over the years the Club has sponsored many youth activities such as Boys Scouts, Swim Team, Cross Country, Mock Trial, Little League, Dictionary projects, High School scholarships and Library at Fillmore Christian Academy to name a few. Internationally donations were given for a Children's Hospital in Mexico, Lifewater International, Nicaragua and Haiti projects. The main goal has been giving to Polio Plus the Rotary International's project to eradicate Polio from the world. There has been a lot of history in the Club over these 90 years. It reminds us where we have come from and encourages us to continue to move forward in our service to the community and the world.

Marjie Bartels, transplant recipient, participated in the 2014 Transplant Games of America.

My transplant journey started in 1999 when I was 42 years old with a pain in my elbow! It was much more intense than muscle soreness, and pain medication didn’t help. After increasing joint pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, and several visits to the doctor, I finally ended up in the hospital for twelve days and was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called Wegener’s Granulomatosis, a form of vasculitis. For 3 ½ years I took a chemotherapy drug called Cytoxan, along with prednisone, to control my symptoms. Long-term use of Cytoxan led to me being diagnosed with Myelodysplasia, then leukemia, in 2004.

After initial treatments failed, I had a bone marrow transplant on April 5, 2005. I was so fortunate that my only sibling, my sister Sally, was a perfect match and I did not have to search for a donor. I spent a month in the hospital at UCLA getting chemotherapy for the leukemia, then was able to enjoy three weeks at home before returning to UCLA for another month. I had a few days of full-body radiation, a massive dose of chemotherapy, the transplant, and then a few weeks of recovery there. Weekly visits to my UCLA doctor plus numerous daily medications and periodic infusions followed for several months. Though I returned to part-time work some months after the transplant, it really took about a full year to feel pretty normal again.

Nine years have passed since my transplant, and I am thankful I feel well most of the time. I don’t have all the strength and stamina I used to have, but am able to live a normal and active life. The bone marrow transplant saved my life, and I am so thankful for my sister who donated to me and for my doctors who took such good care of me.

I enjoyed participating in the 2014 Transplant Games of America, and watching my SoCal team members compete in traditional sports like volleyball, tennis, basketball, track and field, swimming, and cycling, and in other events like darts, ballroom dancing, table tennis, corn hole, bowling, and Texas Hold'Em (poker). There was an event that just about everyone could participate in. We had many good athletes on our team who won medals, some in multiple sports. It proves that being an organ or transplant recipient doesn't rule out living a normal and active life. The Transplant Games of America gives organ and transplant recipients, their donors, and donor families the opportunity to reaffirm every two years that donation is truly the gift of life! It is so easy to register to be a donor; when you apply for, or renew your driver's license or state ID card, all you have to do is check the box "Yes--I want to be an organ and tissue donor." You can also go to www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org for more information.

City of Fillmore

07/01/14
Search Warrant
1200 Blk. Los Serenos Dr.
800 Blk. Fine St.
200 Blk. E. Telegraph Rd.
Vandalism
100 Blk. Sespe Ave.
Hit & Run – Non Injury
Mountain View St./Ventura St.
400 Blk. Saratoga St.
Warrant Arrest
800 Blk. Fine St.
Keep the Peace
800 Blk. Edison Lane
600 Blk. Ventura St.
Trespass
A St./Santa Clara St.
Disturbance Fireworks
Dunton Ln./River St.
07/02/14
Bandishing CONTINUED »