City of Fillmore

[Editorial Note: Last month, Fillmore City Clerk Clay Westling refused to accept candidate statements from Douglas Tucker and Manuel Minjares which would appear on the November ballot. Westling demanded changes to unobjectionable wording. Below are the before/after statements. The question is – was politically motivated bias shown against the candidates by the present City Clerk?]

Manuel Minjares
REFUSED STATEMENT: The City of Fillmore is and has been facing significant hurdles in all aspects of City governance. Parks and community facilities face closure, local residents have been laid off in favor of high priced out town consultants, businesses have left and commercial vacancies continue to linger. Our city attorney has been removed and replaced with more expensive legal counsel and our sewer treatment plant operator may soon be replaced which can lead to dire financial consequences in the future.
Getting the City back on solid financial ground, keeping our cherished parks and community facilities open and attracting new businesses will be the main goals of my tenure as a City Council member. I understand that this will not be an easy task. However I feel that my love for this community, previous experience as a city planner for Fillmore and present experience as a property supervisor have afforded me with the technical and communicative skills to be the City Council member our town needs. Together we can make a difference in our community. I respectfully ask for your vote.
ACCEPTED STATEMENT: The City of Fillmore is and has been facing significant hurdles in all aspects of city governance. The choices we make today will chart our path for years to come. I feel that my love for this community, previous experience as a city planner for Fillmore, present experience as a property supervisor, and manager of the Fillmore Youth Basketball League have afforded me with the technical and communicative skills to be the City Council member our town needs. Together we can make a difference in our community. I respectfully ask for your vote.
La Ciudad de Fillmore está y se ha enfrentado a obstáculos significativos en todos los aspectos del gobierno de la ciudad. Las decisiones que tomamos hoy en día trazarán nuestro camino en los próximos años. Siento que mi amor por esta comunidad, la experiencia previa como planificador de la ciudad de Fillmore, la experiencia presente como supervisor de propiedad y de gerente de la Liga Juvenil de Baloncesto de Fillmore me han proporcionado con las habilidades técnicas y comunicativas para ser el miembro del Concejo Municipal que nuestra ciudad necesita. Juntos podemos hacer una diferencia en nuestra comunidad. Respetuosamente les pido su voto.

Doug tucker
REFUSED STATEMENT: Vision, Compassion, CONTINUED »

On Wednesday, September 5th, Gregorio Aguilar, 22 of Fillmore, was sentenced to 42 years to life, along with a sentence of life without parole for the murder of Sean Odle, 30. In August 2012 he was found guilty of first degree murder committed during a robbery.

On December 26, 2008 Aguilar and an accomplice entered the Circle K in Ventura, where Odle was working. They demanded Odle open the cash register. Odle instead dialed 911 from a cell phone. Aguilar fired a shotgun at Odle, but the safety was on. He released the safety and fired again, striking Odle in the chest. In the presentence report Aguilar told a probation officer Odle would be alive if he had given him the money.

Aguilar has also been convicted of attempted robbery of Central Market in Santa Paula in December 2008, and a robbery at the Fillmore Shell station the same month.

When I arrived for my 4:00 PM appointment with newly appointed Fillmore High School Principal Russom Mesfun I spotted him immediately before I even parked my car. It was not only because I have seen his picture in more than a few news articles while researching him for this interview, but he is also a person that stands out because of his 6'3” athletic stature. He also stood out because he was wearing a suit and tie which, I later learned, he believes he needs to set an example for others, faculty, staff and students, in his position as principal of Fillmore High School (FHS). Because I was a few minutes early I decided to sit in my car and continue to watch Mr. Mesfun.

Mr. Mesfun was standing in front of the FHS's main entrance talking with recently retired FHS teacher Epi Torres. At the same time Principal Mesfun was talking with Epi, he was interacting with students by showing he was interested in after school student activities by watching what looked to me to be cheer leading practice on the front lawn of FHS. If that wasn't multitasking enough, he was making encouraging comments to a student playing a musical instrument just a few feet from where he stood.

I wasn't surprised to see him outside of his office and interacting with students because from my research I know this was his way of “developing a welcome atmosphere for students… being among them and encouraging them.” In another interview with Contra Costa Times reporter, Mimi Rohr, in the Bay Area, he said, “While I am playing with students, I am watching their posture, listening to their language and watching their relationships. I am not just a principal. I am the father of this village. I deal with the basics- food issues, problems at home and the breakup of friendships.” I have no doubt as I watch him there in front of the school that he was doing exactly that. As I approached Mr. Mesfun and Epi we exchanged greetings and he led me into the main building and into his office.

Since I already knew CONTINUED »

A stabbing took place on Sunday, September 16th at a home in the 800 block of Hume Drive, Fillmore. At approximately 1:50am a 19-year old man engaged in a fight with an unknown partygoer and was stabbed on the right side of his abdomen. He was taken to Ventura County Medical Center with minor injuries. The victim is not cooperating with authorities, and deputies are searching for the stabbing suspect.

Fillmore Unified School District

This fall semester a number of Fillmore Unified School District students have a better understanding of algebra and geometry due to the success of the Math Bridge Academy (MBA) offered this summer. The eight classes, held at Fillmore High School (FHS) June 13th thru July 11th, were designed to prepare grade 6-12 students with the math skills needed to succeed academically and be better prepared for the work place.

Jennifer Weir, Summer School Principal, presented the accomplishments the participating 199 students achieved. Mary-Allyn Garcia, one of the participating teachers who teaches 5th grade at San Cayetano, addressed the Fillmore Unified School Board with what she felt was achieved commenting the summer session “….gave me an opportunity to see where the student were going….by the end we saw everything come together.” Jeremiah MacMahon, a FHS geometry teacher who also taught at MBA, added that the students who participated are doing very well and MBA was a huge help for those student that had repeated the math classes. There was a total of eight teacher and three student tutors who made up the MBA program. Raquel Aguilar, one of the student tutors, said everything was well prepared and she received all the supplies needed. Marlene Carbajal, also a student tutor, said she felt like a role model to the students and that tutoring helped her keep her own math skills sharp.

Some of the students who CONTINUED »

A 39-year old Oxnard man died Monday in a fall while painting wind machines in an orchard in Bardsdale. The accident occurred at 6:15am near the intersection of San Cayetano Street and Pasadena Ave. Jose Romero was pronounced dead at the scene due to blunt force trauma

The September 11, 2012 Fillmore City Council open meeting began with recognition of those who put the extra effort needed to keep the Aquatics Center in proper order, a recap of Public Safety’s Annual September 11th Observance and Drug Enforcement Agency Take Back Day. Other agenda items included a report from the Police Chief, a proposed winter closure of the Aquatics Center and announcement of the new City Attorney. But what was of greatest concern to many of Fillmore residents was the abrupt announcement by the Council that City Manager Yvonne Quiring has resigned and the Finance Director will also be leaving in a few weeks. Council Member Steve Conaway was not in attendance.

Two important staff positions are being vacated in the coming weeks with the timing less than two months before the November 6th election. Three City Council seats are up for election and those elected will need to get up to speed quickly, making this a bad time for a departure of these two vital positions.

Quiring, who served as Fillmore’s City Manager for three years, will be leaving to take a job as Financial Director and Assistant City Manager in the City of Davis. Quiring gave three weeks notice of which two weeks are paid vacation and will be starting in Davis on October 1st. Financial Director Glenda Jay has chosen to retire and will be leaving on November 3rd. Jay explained her departure is due to concerns that she secure her retirement which could be effected by the November 6th election. She believes the tax initiatives on the ballot will fail and as a result it would have a negative impact on her retirement.

Another item of concern CONTINUED »

September 11, 2012 – Today Magellan Strategies, a national public opinion research firm, released results of a survey of 240 likely general election voters in the City of Fillmore, California. The survey tested a variety of community-based questions, including what voters consider to be priorities the Fillmore City Council should be addressing. The survey was commissioned by Communities Building Together, Inc.

“The survey shows that Fillmore voters believe their community and their City Council can do better,” said David Flaherty, CEO of Magellan Strategies. "Fillmore voters desire change in government leadership and how city services are prioritized and provided.” The survey finds that a majority of respondents – across all demographics – are dissatisfied with the City of Fillmore Council. Among all respondents, only 31 percent approve of the job they are doing and 52 percent disapprove. Top issues for voters include the budget, the cost of water, growing the economy, attracting businesses, and creating jobs.

“Clearly voters would like to see Fillmore go in a new direction,” added Flaherty. “A majority, 53 percent, believe the City Council has been self-serving, taking advantage of their positions in power, and acting without any regard for the taxpayers and citizens of Fillmore. In addition, a whopping 78 percent disagree with the City Council laying off and replacing city staff with consultants, thereby increasing the size of the City budget rather than reducing it. More evidence of voter dissatisfaction is that 62 percent of voters believe the City Council has engaged in reckless spending and has done a poor job of managing the city budget. This is going to be a tough year for incumbent members of the City Council.”

The full topline results of the survey are included in this document.

Interviews for this survey were completed using both English and Spanish interviewers. The landline and cell phone sample for the survey was randomly drawn from a Fillmore, California voter file. The survey response data was weighted based upon voting demographics from past Fillmore general election cycles. Interviews were conducted between August 28th and September 3rd, 2012. Three attempts were made to interview each household in the sample. This survey has a margin of error of 6.2 percent at the 95 percent confidence interval. Any questions regarding the methodology of this survey should be directed to David Flaherty. He can be reached at (303) 861-8585 or dflaherty@magellanstrategies.com. For information on Communities Building Together, Inc. contact Roger Campbell at (805) 857-2785 or rognfillmore@aol.com.

About Magellan Strategies
Magellan Strategies offers a wide array of political data products and services to political candidates and organizations. Services include live, automated and online survey research, modeling, microtargeting and predictive analytics, enhanced voter registration databases, voter data analysis, demographic analysis, mapping, and redistricting data and technology consulting. Visit www.MagellanStrategies.com for more information about the firm.