Maia Yasmine James, of Palmdale.

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Maia Yasmine James (DOB 06/12/97), of Palmdale, was sentenced to eight years in state prison, following her June 21, 2019, convictions for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury. James also admitted special allegations that she inflicted great bodily injury, had a blood alcohol content of 0.15 percent or higher and injured additional victims.

On the evening of October 13, 2017, James drove into oncoming traffic on Highway 126 east of Fillmore and struck two vehicles traveling in opposing lanes. The passenger in James’ car was killed. The driver and passenger of the first vehicle James struck were seriously injured. Two occupants of the second vehicle James struck were also injured. Investigation by the California Highway Patrol found that James had a blood alcohol content of 0.258 percent after the collision, more than three times the legal limit, and had consumed more than seven alcoholic drinks.

After James pled guilty to her crimes, and prior to her sentencing, she was arrested and charged with felony driving under the influence of alcohol in San Diego County. Her case in San Diego County is still pending.

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The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 280 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims. Follow the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office on Twitter @VenturaDAOffice

Fillmore Unified School District

RESOLUTION NO. 19-20-03 CALLING FOR FULL AND FAIR FUNDING OF CALIFORNIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS

WHEREAS, California has the sixth largest economy in the world, and the largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of any state in the nation; and

WHEREAS, despite California’s leadership in the global economy, the state falls in the nation’s bottom quintile on nearly every measure of public K-12 school funding and school staffing; and

WHEREAS, California ranks 45th nationally in the percentage of taxable income spent on education, 41st in per-pupil funding, 45th in pupil-teacher ratios and 48th in pupil-staff ratios; and

WHEREAS, K-12 school funding has not substantially increased, on an inflation-adjusted basis, for more than a decade; and

WHEREAS, under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), state funding for K-12 schools has only this year recently returned to levels predating the Great Recession of 2007; and

WHEREAS, the modest revenue increases since the implementation of LCFF have been eroded by rapidly increasing costs for health care, pensions, transportation and utilities; and

WHEREAS, 58 percent of California’s public school students are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch (13 percent above the national average), and 23 percent of California students are English learners, more than twice the national average; and

WHEREAS, California’s investment in public schools is out of alignment with its wealth. its ambitions, its demographics and the demands of a 21st-century education; and

WHEREAS, in 2007, a bipartisan group of California leaders commissioned a report titled Getting Down to Facts, which stated it would take an additional $17 billion annually to meet the State Board of Education achievement targets for K-12 schools; and

WHEREAS, in 2016, a California School Boards Association (CSBA) report, California's Challenge: Adequately Funding Education in the 21st Century, updated the Getting Down to Facts data and determined that, adjusting for inflation, an additional $22 billion to $40 billion annually would be required to provide all public school students with access to a high-quality education; and

WHEREAS, California funds schools at roughly $1,961 per student less than the national average, which translates to approximately $3,462 per student when adjusted for California being a high-cost state; and

WHEREAS, California trails the average of the top 10 states by almost $7,000 in per-pupil funding; and

WHEREAS, in Robles-Wong v. State of California, a group of plaintiffs led by CSBA argued that California’s school funding system violated Article IX of the State Constitution by denying all students access to an education that prepares them for economic security and full participation in our democratic institutions; and

WHEREAS, the California Supreme Court declined to hear the case by a 4-3 margin, prompting Justice
Goodwin H. Liu to write: “It is regrettable that this court, having recognized education as a fundamental right in a landmark decision 45 years ago [Serrano v. Priest (1971) 5 Cal.3d 584], should now decline to address the substantive meaning of that right.”; and

WHEREAS, in order to prepare our students for participation in a democratic society and an increasingly competitive, technology-driven global economy, California must fund schools at a level sufficient to support student success; and
WHEREAS, despite its vast wealth, California has consistently underfunded public education while widening its scope, adding new requirements and raising standards without providing appropriate resources to prepare all students for college, career and civic life; and

WHEREAS, if California is to close opportunity and achievement gaps and create a public school system that offers consistently high levels of education, the State must provide schools with the resources to meet the needs of their specific populations;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the governing board of the FILLMORE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT urges the State Legislature to fund California public schools at the national average or higher by the year 2020, and at a level that is equal to or above the average of the top 10 states nationally by 2025 and to maintain, at a minimum, this level of funding until otherwise decreed.

Adopted this 20th day of AUGUST, 2019.
Motion made by: Virginia De La Piedra
Second made by: Scott Beylik
List members voting “aye”: Scott Beylik, Kelli Couse, Virginia De La Piedra, Sean Morris, Lucy Rangel
List members voting “no”: 0
List members abstaining: 0
List members not present: 0

FILLMORE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Board of Education
Virginia De La Piedra, 08/20/19
Virginia De La Piedra, Clerk

Starting September 6th at the Santa Paula Art Museum, Gabriel Cardenas of Fillmore will be instructing free weekly individual art projects, murals and more for teens ages 13 – 18 to learn design as well as develop their own artistic style. Photo courtesy Gabriel Cardenas.

Calling all creative teens! On Friday, September 6, 2019, the Santa Paula Art Museum will launch its new “Teen Art Group,” a free, weekly, hands-on art-making experience for local teens ages 13-18. Teens can join artist in residence Gabriel Cardenas for weekly, individual art projects, learn about design, techniques and materials, and explore their own personal style. The group will also help plan and paint public murals around Santa Paula! All teens and all skill levels are welcome. Participation is free. Teen Art Group will meet at the Santa Paula Art Museum every Friday evening from 4:30pm to 6:30pm starting September 6, 2019. Teens can find and follow the group on Instagram @teenartgroup.

Teen Art Group will be led by painter, musician and “artivist” Gabriel Cardenas. Cardenas is currently a graduate student at Cal State University, Northridge (CSUN) where he is pursuing research in Chicano Art politics and Muralism. Previously, Gabriel exhibited his art in and around Santa Barbara where he received his bachelor’s degree from UCSB. As a teacher and mentor to youth in the community, Gabriel has led various mural installation projects in places such as Ortega Park, La Cumbre Jr. High, Franklin Neighborhood Center, Isla Vista, and Carpinteria. As a Ventura County local, he has painted murals in Santa Paula, Saticoy, Oxnard and participated in art shows and pop-ups in Ventura as well. Gabriel’s hope is to teach, mentor and foster a generation of critical thinkers through the practice of art.

The Santa Paula Art Museum occupies two historic buildings located at 117 N 10th Street and 123 N 10th Street in downtown Santa Paula. The Museum features rotating exhibitions of vintage and contemporary art, creative classes for children and adults, family-friendly events, live musical performances, a gift shop, and more. Regular museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00am to 4:00pm, and Sunday from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. Regular admission is $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors, and free for students and museum members. Contact the Museum by calling (805) 525-5554, or by e-mailing info@santapaulaartmuseum.org.

Bob Crum

A fellow photographer and friend provided fodder for this week's column when she emailed me a scathing, acrid, caustic, critique of my photography of late. It's OK. Belly buttons and opinions, everybody's got one. Furthermore, she loves firing salvos of rants with the declaration: Just trying to be helpful. Hmm.

She opined that as a photojournalist, I took too much artistic license with my photos. She obviously overlooked the significance of 'style', the artistic personality of a photographer.

On lensdiaries.com, paraphrasing Roland Gomez, explained that some photographer's have style, most don't. Many photographers don't even know what style is. Style, however, is a key ingredient that will identify a professional photographer from their colleagues and photography enthusiasts.

According to Gomez, photographic style is consistent, identifiable quality in a photographic body of work that portrays the artistic personality of the photographer. Plus a reflection of what the photographer saw and felt when making the photo.

Ultimately style is something that most photographers should develop but don't know how to achieve, Roland wrote. But all photographers passionate about their craft should strive to create their own personal style. I did exactly that years ago.

How does a photographer develop a style? Establish consistent shooting habits. This includes consistent exposure settings, composition, lens selection, lighting quality and all the other technical aspects of developing a photograph. Consistency is key." Will the majority of my followers agree that my photos have a consistent look? Does the aperture f/11 sound familiar? Histogram to the right wall?

As a photojournalist shooting events, my task is to tell their story with photos. But I'll pounce on every opportunity to photograph fantabulous landscapes and waterscapes. But rather than photojournalism influencing my landscape photography, the reverse is the reality. Years ago, I made the deliberate decision to initiate & add an artistic element, a style, to my photojournalism. The reason? Separate my photographic work from the mainstream. After all, it's a competitive business!

My friend has trouble reconciling my artistic photojournalism. But why do event photos have to be ho-hum run-of-the-mill images? As Roland mentioned, a photographic style is also interpreted or defined by the viewers. Over time it is hoped that viewers will recognize a style, a consistent theme in my photos. The reward of achieving a photographic style is that when you see my photos, you almost immediately associate them with my name. A sweet reward, indeed!

The photo of the week is Miss Fishbreath on a Ventura Harbor dock. I launched my new inflatable kayak, but because I don't have a waterproof case for it, I did not take my Canon 7D2 camera. What if I tip over the kayak? Instead, I took my 8-year old 'waterproof' Panasonic DMC-TS3 pocket camera. This ancient little digital camera sports a CCD resolution of 12-megapixels and 28-128mm zoom range when shooting still images. The zoom lens offers a slightly greater focal length of 30-140mm equivalent range. Apertures ranging from f/3.3 to f/10.0 at wide-angle, and f/5.9 to f/18.0 zoomed out.

If I accidentally tip over the kayak, I just need to climb back in and wipe off the lens of the camera and continue shooting. I paddled to within about 10 feet of Miss Fishbreath while she posed. As I was photoing her, a couple of sea lions tussling in the water next to me bumped the kayak! Whoa ho, that was an exciting moment! The kayak rocked a bit but didn't tip. Whew, that's one way to learn that the kayak is more stable than I thought. Happy photoing.

Send comments, suggestions or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

Enlarge Photo

The building that was Faith Community Church on the corner of Central Avenue and First Street will become a new housing site after a 5-0 vote of the city council.

The owner of the property plans to keep the exterior church structure and renovate the interior. A 26-unit apartment building is planned with commercial units on the ground floor.

The city council also approved an 18-unit condominium building for the UHaul business site at Fillmore and Main Street. It will be a three-story structure with six commercial spaces on the ground floor. This plan, proposed by owner Harold Foy,
was warmly received by the council. The property owner, Harold Foy, told the council he thinks his proposal is “a one-of-a-kind project, the likes of which I have not seen in Fillmore.”

“The owner of the church property is Alex Glasscock, who also owns The Ranch Malibu, a luxury fitness retreat in the Santa Monica Mountains near the Ventura and Los Angeles County line.”...”We found an amazing piece of property that might have gone vacant, and we have some experience repurposing and restoring special properties,” he told the council. (Ventura County
Star)

Fabian Garibay, 26 of Fillmore.

On August 14th 2019, Detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Gang Unit were conducting an investigation into Fabian Garibay, a documented gang member out of Fillmore. Fabian Garibay was the suspect of several crimes committed in the cities of Port Hueneme, Oxnard, and Fillmore.

Gang Unit Detectives, with the assistance of Fillmore Station Patrol Deputies, contacted Fabian Garibay in an alleyway of the 500 block of Kensington Drive in Fillmore. While executing a signed search warrant on Garibay, he was found in possession of a loaded handgun, gang indicia, and drug paraphernalia. The handgun was later confirmed to be stolen out of Port Hueneme.

Garibay was booked into custody at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Main Jail facility for violation of PC 25850(a) – Carrying a loaded Firearm on One’s Person, PC 25400(a) – Carrying a Concealed Firearm, PC 27545 – Unlawful Transfer of a Firearm and PC 496(a) – Receiving Stolen Property. Fabian Garibay remains in custody with bail set at $105,000.

Nature of Incident: Gang Member in Possession of Stolen Firearm
Report Number: 19-127807
Location: 500 block of Kensington Drive, Fillmore
Date & Time: August 14, 2019 / 5:15 PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Sheriff’s Gang Unit, Fillmore Station Patrol
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S1) Fabian Garibay, 26, Fillmore
Prepared by: Detective Erik Hernandez
Approved by: Captain Brian Slominski

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).