Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

When most people think about the beginnings of the history of the Piru (originally pronounced "Pea-roo") area, they go back to 1887 when David Cook of Chicago bought the Rancho Temescal land grant from the Del Valle family and platted the town. Some more informed might go a little further back to when Benjamin Warring traded a pistol for the Buckhorn Ranch. Both would be missing a great deal of the area’s history and interesting stories.

Join Michelle Ybarra McKinley as she takes us back to the time of the Tataviams, the indigenous people who greeted the Portola Expedition in 1769, painting a picture of their life prior to the arrival of the Europeans.

She will tell of the people who settled the area, from Juan Fustero, the saddle maker, the Dominguez family, the Reasoners and others who settled the hills and canyons around Piru.

The Fillmore Historical Museum and Michelle McKinley will share these stories on Zoom on February 23, at 7:00 pm. There is no charge for the event, but you need to preregister to receive the meeting information. You can register now by going to the “Special Events” tab on our website, www.fillmorehistoricalmuseum.org

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that a guilty plea was entered by Juventino Reyes Guerrero (DOB 09/11/78), of Piru, for his role in working with an illegal wildlife poaching group, known as the “E-Bike Crew.”

Reyes Guerrero, the operator of Fish & Wildlife licensing equipment located at Lizette’s Market in Piru, pled guilty on Monday, January 30, 2023, to six felonies, including two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and four counts of filing a false or forged document.

Reyes Guerrero is scheduled to be sentenced on March 15, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court, where he is expected to receive 180 days in the Ventura County Jail and a lifetime ban operating state computers, such as the one in Lizette’s Market for printing hunting tags.

“The defendant abused the licensing systems and helped to orchestrate illegal killings of local wildlife,” said District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “His actions endangered our environment, and as a consequence of his guilty plea, he will have a lifetime ban from issuing hunting tags and licenses.”

Martin Bravo Sr. (DOB 04/14/63), of Oxnard, Martin M. Bravo (DOB 05/13/92), of Oxnard, Walfre Lopez y Lopez (DOB 06/14/84), of Oxnard, Gilberto Lopez Hernandez (DOB 02/15/88), of Thousand Oaks, Jaime Mendoza Avila (DOB 10/02/81), of Porterville, and Cristian Lopez Perez (DOB 02/11/91), of Los Angeles, are the six charged members of the “E-Bike Crew” wildlife trafficking organization (WTO).

California Department of Fish & Wildlife investigated the “E-Bike Crew” discovering that they worked with Reyes Guerrero to fraudulently reprint hunting licenses and tags.

“This guilty plea is a testament to the intensive and thorough investigation on the part of our wildlife officers in combination with support from the Ventura District Attorney’s Office investigators and prosecutors,” said David Bess, Chief of the Law Enforcement Division and Deputy Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

An early disposition conference for the six WTO members is scheduled for April 6, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court.

Defendant Information:
Juventino Reyes Guerrero (DOB 09/11/78), Piru
Charges Pled Guilty to:
• (2 counts) PC 182 (a)(1) – Conspiracy to commit a crime
• (4 counts) PC 115(a) - Filing a false or forged document

Pictured (l-r) is President Elect Scott Beylik and Rotarian Ernie Villegas. Courtesy Rotarian Martha Richardson.
Enlarge Photo

The speaker was Fillmore Rotary’s own Ernie Villegas. He has recently been appointed to the Fillmore/Piru Memorial District Board. As you all know the Memorial Building and Youth Building are completely closed due to the many repairs needed. Ernie has been working diligently looking for funding and they have been approved for two grants totaling $2.1 million. While that is amazing it will not be enough for the entire renovation. After the complete inspection of the two buildings, a priority list was compiled, and the roof will be the first repair made. Ernie is now researching who can do the work. He has also been talking to the county about making the Memorial Building an Emergency Service Operation Center.

Applications are now being accepted from high school senior girls for the P.E.O. Education Award. Girls planning to attend an accredited undergraduate degree program or a vocational/skills training program may pick up an application in the career center at FHS. Applicants must live within the boundaries of Fillmore Unified School District but do not have to attend Fillmore High School. Potential candidates may also call (805) 625-0264 for information about how to obtain an application. Deadline
to return applications is February 17, 2023.