Ventura County Office of Education

UPDATED 3/1/22 to reflect that the state's new mask guidance for students also applies to school employees as a result of an executive order signed by Governor Newsom.

Students and staff at public and private K-12 schools in Ventura County and throughout California will no longer be required to wear masks after March 11, regardless of their vaccination status. Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration made the announcement Monday, saying COVID-19 conditions have sufficiently improved to warrant the change.

The state’s decision to lift the mask mandate for students and staff is in line with guidelines issued Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC says schools should only mandate masks when COVID cases and hospitalizations are high in the counties where they are located. Ventura County’s rates are in the medium category according to the CDC’s website.

Even after the mask mandate is lifted, state and local health officials strongly recommended students and school employees continue to wear them to help keep COVID-19 case numbers on their current downward trend. Anyone who would like to keep wearing a mask at school is encouraged to do so, and most schools will continue making masks available to students and staff.

Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, was selected to provide a public education perspective to state decision-makers who develop the masking policies that local schools must follow. He relayed the concerns of those who feel that masks are uncomfortable for children and hinder learning. He also shared the worries of educators who feel uneasy about teaching in classrooms with unmasked students. He emphasized that the mask policy should be applied universally to all students, whether they are vaccinated or not, so no student feels singled out.

“This is a difficult issue with strongly held opinions on both sides, and I want to thank the many people who have reached out to me to share their views,” Dr. Morales said. “Because the state made masks optional in most public places earlier this month, I believe it’s appropriate that the same rules apply at schools. We are entering a new phase of the pandemic, and I am happy to see schools taking another step toward returning to normal.”

Schools are required to enforce the student mask mandate through March 11. Between now and then, parents and guardians can help prevent learning disruptions by having their students wear masks to school. Schools that lift the mandate before it’s allowed by the state risk significant liability issues and the potential loss of their insurance coverage.

Also on Monday, Governor Newsom signed an executive order updating the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) standards related to COVID-19 in the workplace. This has the effect of making masks optional for school employees after March 11, whether or not they are vaccinated.

Throughout the pandemic, schools have been among the safest places for students to be, with most virus transmission happening off-campus. In addition to encouraging the voluntary use of masks, schools will continue using other safety measures, including improved ventilation and enhanced cleaning protocols. Parents and guardians have an important role to play as well by being vigilant about keeping students home when they are sick.

For the latest information about COVID-19 and Ventura County Schools, please visit www.vcoe.org/COVID-19.

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By Jan Lee

If you haven’t already, mark your calendar for April 9 and 10. Those are the dates of the Fillmore Flower Show. The theme this year is “Farie Tales and Flowers”. We hope this theme will inspire many entries.

There are eleven entry divisions. Let’s discuss the first three:
Division I— Single Stem Cut Roses. Whatever rose you have growing in your garden, you can enter it in the flower show. It could be a hybrid tea rose, floribunda, miniature rose or “Any Other Unlisted Rose”. There is even a category for novelty rose which can be the most fragrant or the largest rose bloom. You don’t know what kind of rose you have? No problem! When you arrive at the show between 7:30 and 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, there will be several people helping who will make sure your bloom is in the correct division.

Division II— Single Stem Cut Iris. There are three classes of iris, bearded iris, spuria iris and Japanese iris. If you have iris, cut off a bloom, bring it to the show and we’ll get it in the right classification.

Division III— Other Single Stem Cut Flowers. This division is for ANY flower you have blooming in your yard. Everybody has at least one flower. This division is especially fun because we never know what type of flower will be entered. Visitors to the show get a good opportunity to see something beautiful that one of their neighbors has cultivated. Perhaps it would look good in your yard, too! During the public viewing, from 1-4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, there will be many people around who can tell you a lot about the flowers, where to plant them, how much light and water they require, etc.

There is a plant boutique at the flower show. This is one of the popular stops during the flower show. You might find a plant that you can grow and possibly win an award next year! Please plan to enter and attend. For complete information see fillmoreflowershow.org.

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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

Members of the Fillmore Historical Museum met in the Fillmore Railroad Depot on Saturday, Feb 26th for the annual meeting of the membership. The Museum was founded in 1971 by author, teacher and world traveler, Edith Jarrett and incorporated in 1972. Its first home was on the ground floor of the Fillmore Masonic Temple building. It moved to the Southern Pacific railroad depot in 1974 when Mrs. Jarret purchased the building and moved it across Main St to a location next to the Fire Station. After the Northridge Earthquake the museum closed for 4 years while the Rancho Sespe Bunkhouse and the Hinckley House were restored and opened to the public. It wasn’t until 2006 that restoration of the Depot was completed.

President, Martha Gentry, reported that in spite of Covid shutdowns and lack of train tourism over 500 people visited the Museum with visits from all points of the U.S. and England. Museum volunteers gave over 2,379 hours of time to welcome tourists, work in the research library, and maintain the collection. During the year we had the benefit of help from an intern from Cal State Channel Islands. She began her internship working in the collection and eventually produced her own photo display of Fillmore’s natural disasters.

Many of the display areas have been reimagined or refurbished with emphasis on providing explanations in English and Spanish with added QR codes so that musical selections and some interviews can be heard. Photos have been enlarged to enhance the displays of our first pioneers. There is also a fascinating display of photos of movies filmed in Fillmore and of the St. Francis Dam disaster.

We have received several important artifact donations including the wooden bottle and plaque from the Sanitary Dairy now in the Depot and 800 black and white photos of Fillmore from the 1985-87 time frame. These photos have been posted a few at a time on Facebook and Instagram as we try to identify the people in them. Thanks to the Fillmore & Western Railroad owners Dave and Tresa Wilkinson we now have the c 1905 Piru Depot cast iron stove. It can be seen in the office area of the depot. The largest acquisition this year was a 1927 American La France fire engine. The fire engine first saw service in Fillmore in 1927, was eventually sold to a farmer who used it in his orchard and then purchased and lovingly restored by a local group of volunteer firemen. The next major fundraising project will be to build a fire house for the fire engine.

The museum hosted two book signings this year: Carina Montoya was here to autograph her book “Ventura County” and Ofelia Romero autographed her new book, “The Legend of the Romeros, Then and Today.” Both books are still available for purchase at the museum.

Finally the members elected 4 board members who will serve three year terms. They are: Martha Gentry, Joanna Michel, Jack Stethem and Bob Morris. Following the meeting refreshments were served and the attendees were able to view the new displays in the Bunkhouse.

The Museum is now open Wednesday through Fridays from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. closing from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. We hope you will visit our website at www.fillmorehistoricalmuseum.org where you will find the stories we have written for the Fillmore Gazette as well as books for sale and information for visitors.

CITY OF FILLMORE CITY COUNCIL AND SUCCESSOR AGENCY REGULAR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2022

8. A CONSIDER APPROVAL OF AGREEMENT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF OFFSITE DEVELOPMENT IMPROVEMENTS WITH MOUNTAIN VIEW 77 LP FOR THE MANY MANSIONS (MOUNTAIN VIEW APARTMENTS) PROJECT STAFF REPORT MANY MANSIONS - LIC AGR N STREET DEDICATIONS FINAL W ATTCH.PDF. Councilmember Austin motioned, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Edmonds. Ayes: unanimous.

8.B CITY COUNCIL RECEIVE REPORT AND DISCUSS TWO RIVERS DOG PARK SR - DOG PARK SR FINAL.pdf Unanimous approval. Council authorized to use $200,000.

8.C APPOINTMENT OF PRIMARY AND ALTERNATE OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS (SCAG) STAFF REPORT SCAG DELEGATE_2022.pdf.

Delegate - Christina Villasenor, Alternate - Mark Austin.

All votes 5-0 affirmative.

Jordan Castro, Fire Captain Badge Ceremony.

Jason Arroyo, Firefighter Engineer Badge Ceremony.

Southern California Edison (SCE) presentation - Rudy Gonzalez, on outage Next regularly scheduled meeting, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 8, 2022, City Hall, 250 Central Avenue, Fillmore, CA 93015.

Courtesy Esperanza Ocegeuda
On Friday, February 18th, the Fillmore Lions Club and Fillmore Middle School received the California Lions Club Foundation Back-to-School Grant. This grant supported FMS’ Positive Behavioral Interventions and supports rewards program and was used to purchase gift cards to Starbucks and Baskin-Robbins. The Fillmore Lions Club is always looking for ways to support the community and was ecstatic to receive this grant! If you are a local organization looking for community support or a community member looking to make a difference, visit the Fillmore Lions Club website at fillmorelionsclub.org.

Ventura, CA — Today, the county’s Planning Commission took a bold step toward drawing down oil development by limiting a request filed by Carbon California to renew an oil and gas permit. The move sets a precedent for future oil development in the county.

The oil company sought permission to continue operation of two existing oil wells and one wastewater injection well and to redrill existing wells in the Sespe Oil Field. The county’s Planning Director approved that permit extension in October, allowing the company to extract oil and dispose of wastewater for another twenty years. That decision was then appealed by local conservation organizations Los Padres ForestWatch, Climate First: Replacing Oil and Gas, and Keep Sespe Wild.

It is the first conditional use permit (CUP) in the Sespe Oil Field to be updated in a quarter century and will lay the groundwork for other CUP extensions expected to be filed in coming years.

In today’s unanimous vote, the commission approved the permit request but restricted its renewal from twenty years to ten, placed a limit on the number of times a well could be redrilled from unlimited to just one, and required full reclamation and restoration of an abandoned oil pads at the site. The restrictions are a step toward alignment with the state's policy of phasing out oil production and the County's new guidelines, outlined by its General Plan, which call for a 41% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

"Today's action signals that the County of Ventura takes seriously its obligation to move a step closer towards a clean energy future,” said ForestWatch executive director Jeff Kuyper. “We'll continue to do everything we can to ensure that the forest, downstream communities, and our climate are safeguarded from fossil fuel extraction."

The permit is one of 19 CUPs governing more than 200 oil wells in the Sespe Oil Field. Most of these facilities operated under “antiquated permits” that were approved more than a half-century ago, before the advent of modern environmental laws and with no limit to the number of wells. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors approved a program in 2019 to bring these permits in line with current environmental and public health standards, but that effort was put on hold after the oil industry filed eleven different lawsuits and launched a million-dollar campaign to place the matter on the June 2022 ballot.

“As California moves toward phasing out oil extraction by 2045 and the climate crisis continues to intensify, extraction permit renewals like this require a high level of analysis and consideration,” said CFROG executive director Shannon Simpson. “It’s past time we take these important steps forward to secure a carbon-free energy future for our own health and safety and for the preservation of the natural landscape that delights and sustains us.”
The Sespe Oil Field is just upstream from Fillmore's only source of water for drinking and irrigation, is home to critical habitat for endangered southern steelhead, and is at the nexus of efforts to reintroduce endangered California condors to the wild. Thousands of visitors pass through the area each year to access trailheads, streams, waterfalls, and campsites in the Sespe Wilderness. The oil lease is adjacent to the Los Padres National Forest and is bisected by Little Sespe Creek, an important tributary to Sespe Creek which itself is a major tributary to the Santa Clara River.

The commission declined to adopt other requests in the appeal, such as addressing ongoing permit compliance issues at the facility and requiring new environmental studies to update the 28-year-old environmental document currently in place which does not account for new information and conditions, cumulative emissions from the Sespe Oil Field, or impacts to climate change, environmental justice, water resources, and wildlife. However, the new permit will be subject to new surety bonding requirements developed by the county if they are instituted within the next 24 months to make sure that the burden of cleanup does not fall to the taxpayers.