On Monday, December 7th at 11:44 AM a fire broke out in the Santa Clara riverbed south of Santa Paula, causing closures for both east and west bound lanes of Highway 126 at Briggs exit. The blaze is said to have been caused by a large tree falling onto power lines. With 35-plus mph Santa Ana winds it structures as well as agricultural operations. Evacuations were assessed
but did not take place. By 3 PM the fire grew to 174 acres, and between 4 PM and 5 PM the freeway closure was put into place. Tow-hundred fire fighters were sent out to battle the blaze; no damages were reported.

On Friday, December 4th at 3:46 PM a fire was reported north of Fillmore in the Sespe Wilderness near Four Fork Creek Road and Hopper Mountain. A helicopter was dispatched to Quarter Acre Brush Fire North of Fillmore the scene for water drops due to the remote location of the blaze, as well as fire engines on the ground. By 5:30 PM ground crews made a line surrounding the fire allowing them to cease water drops and contain the fire reported at a quarter acre. No damages or injuries were reported at the time of the incent; cause is still under investigation.

The Fillmore Condors Youth Cross Country Team which competed at the AAU Youth Cross Country Nationals in Florida on Saturday, December 5th. Top row, left to right: Leah Barragan, Yarely Herrera, Coach Felix Zuniga, Noah Flores, Diego Felix, Diego Rodriguez, Coach Phil Ramirez, Lindsey Ramirez, Yarably Herrera. Middle row, left to right: Lucy Zuniga, Natalia Retana, Santiago Felix, Abel Arana, Itzel Arana. Bottom row, left to Right: Coaches Andrea Mendez and Gerardo Flores. Photos courtesy Fillmore Condors XC President Erika Arana.
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Some of the Fillmore Condors XC Team in Florida.
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Courtesy Fillmore Condors Cross Country President Erika Arana

The Fillmore Condors Cross Country team concluded their 2020 season by participating in the AAU Youth Cross Country Nationals on Saturday, December 5th, 2020. Although there wasn’t the usual number of runners, over 2,000 athletes still made the trip to Tallahassee, Florida to compete at the 100+ acres, known as the premiere cross-country facility at Apalachee Regional Park. This multi-use park includes one of the nation’s few sites designed specifically for cross country running. The pristine trail features numerous course/distance options through the rolling hills, lowlands and pine forests. The trail was designed to give runners the opportunity to run on several types of surfaces. For a few of our athletes, this was their second time racing at this very same course, back in 2017. Weather conditions were a lot better for our athletes, this time around. The Florida rain drenched the course the night before, forcing our athletes to run on some muddy trails. Overall, it felt like the California weather they were used to.

This year, by far was the most challenging, due to Covid restrictions. Most of our season racing, were held as “Inter-Team Time Trials”. This is how national teams were determined at the end. Our fourteen local Condors joined other area runners to form Valley United Striders. Condor representatives were Abel Arana, Itzel Arana, Leah Barragan, Diego Felix, Santiago Felix, Destina Guzman, Yaraby Herrera, Lindsey Ramirez, Natalia Retana, Diego Rodriguez, Lucy Zuniga and sisters - Kaylie, Kirsten, and Kristen Theobald.

With high school sports on hold, we welcomed three Condor Alumni’s to join our National team. The third race of the day was the girls 13 and 14-year-old, with 214 runners. Lindsey Ramirez 98th overall and 57th, individually for the 14-year-olds; Lindsey had over a 2-minute PR of 15:38.15. Her alumni teammate, Yaraby Herrera had been battling a hamstring injury 2 weeks prior and still managed to fight her way through it during her race. Yaraby placed 187th overall and 94th individually, for the 14-year-old girls; 18:29.26. The boys 13 & 14-year-old division had a stacked field of 245 runners. Alumni, Diego Rodriquez finished strong, placing 91st overall and 62nd individually, for the 14-year-olds; PR 13:37.66. Diego Felix crossed the finish line in a PR 15:02.03, placing 186th overall and 79th individually, for the 13-year-olds. Due to an injury, Condor Noah Flores had to withdraw his National team spot. These youth four, ran a 3,000-meter (2.48 mile) race.

Following was the girls 11 and 12-year-old division, that consisted of 240 runners. Leah Barragan placed 160th overall and 96th individually, for the 12-year-olds; 13:08.41. Santiago Felix ran the boys 11 and 12-year-old division race, that saw 212 runners that morning. He finished strong with a time 12:27.39, placing 164th overall and 71st in the 11-year-olds, individually. Both Leah and Santiago ran a 3,000-meter (1.86 mile) race.

142 runners toed the starting line in the girls 9 and 10-year-old race, with four of the Striders being Condors. They pack ran the entire way to a 3rd team podium appearance. Theobald sisters, Kristen ran 12:28.55, 42nd overall and 11th individually, for the 9-year-olds; Her sister Kirsten behind with a 12:32.25, 49th overall and 13th individually, for the 9-year-olds. Lucy Zuniga, a second behind her teammate, crossed with a time of 12:33.14 for a 50th overall finish and 14th individually, for the 9-year-olds. Destina Guzman tried hard to hold on to her teammates to finish 76th and 24th individually, for the 9-year-olds; 13:05.36. Abel Arana was the Strider’s first runner to cross the finish line in the field of 137 runners. His time was 11:45.85, placing 39th overall and 28th individually, for the 10-year-olds. Abel and his teammates also ran away with a 3rd place podium title. This division ran the 3,000-meter race (1.86 mile) race.

The last race for our athletes, was the girls 7 and 8-year-olds. Following in her brother’s footsteps, Itzel Arana also was the Strider’s number one runner to cross the finish line with a PR time of 9:18.30. Itzel placed 32nd overall and 11th individually, for the 7-year-olds. Her teammate Natalia Retana had a huge PR time of 10:44.33, placing 51st overall and 31st individually, for the 8-year-olds. This was the girls first National experience and together with their teammates, Itzel and Natalia earned a 3rd place podium finish in their 2,000-meter (1.24 mile) race.

Fillmore Condors Cross Country is a non-profit organization under Heritage Valley Blazers Inc. We are the only cross-country team in Fillmore, we represent our city with pride. The Condors are coached by Philip Ramirez, Gerardo Flores, Jared Perez and Felix Zuniga. “Saying we are proud, is an understatement; especially this year. We had an unpredictable season and made the best of it. All we wanted was some normalcy for our athletes, and running has always taken us places. They come out, push through the pain, and train their minds daily with one goal in mind; December!” Condors President Erika Arana and board members would like to thank the following for sponsoring our athletes this unforgettable cross-country season: Fillmore Lions Club, Fillmore Rotary Club, Prancer’s Farm, Siena Floral Accent’s, Heritage Valley Blazers Inc. and the Fillmore Community for purchasing Jamba Juice cards from our athletes. For more XC or Track info, contact 805-624-1129. FOREVER CONDORS!

The State of California’s Stay Home Order will go into effect on Sunday, December 6 at 11:59 pm in Ventura County and in all Counties in Southern California, after the Southern California Region's hospital ICU capacity dropped below 15%. The order closes many businesses and activities and urges people to stay at home whenever possible.

The California Department of Public Health reported on Friday evening that Southern California's ICU capacity dropped to 13.1%, triggering the Stay Home Order.

The order requires bars, wineries, nail salons, hair salons and barbershops, and other personal care services to close. Private gatherings of any size are prohibited. Restaurants can stay open for takeout and delivery, but they have to shut down both indoor and outdoor dining.

The Southern California Region Ventura County was placed in has, by itself, more than half the State’s total population. The region includes 11 counties. The County is urging the Governor to consider smaller, more targeted regions. The County, along with 58 Counties throughout the State, are also urging the Governor to consider additional, immediate assistance for impacted workers, families and businesses. The County of Ventura will continue to advocate and engage with the State on behalf of our County on a regular basis.

Schools opened while Ventura County was in the purple tier can stay open. K-6 schools that were given a waiver to reopen will be allowed to stay open. Retail stores will be allowed to stay open at 20% capacity.

Additionally, all non-essential travel is temporarily restricted statewide. Hotels and motels are now restricted to guests traveling for an essential reason.

Ventura County and all Counties in the Southern California Region are required by the State to stay under the lockdown for at least three weeks. After that, state health officials will evaluate ICU capacity and transmission rates to project at least four weeks into the future to determine if the stay home order can be lifted.

All Ventura County residents are further urged to help slow the spread by wearing a mask, social distancing and not gathering during this critical time. “Given the significant increase we have been experiencing in our county with COVID-19 with cases, test positivity, and hospitalizations, this order is the only remaining measure to flatten the curve as soon as possible,” said Rigoberto Vargas, Ventura County Public Health Director.

“Since it will take several weeks for these additional restrictions to slow in particular the very concerning rising hospitalizations, collectively and as the strong community that Ventura County is known for, I urge every resident and sector to support the measure in this order so that we can once and for all, given also the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine, get this virus under control. We will then be able to return to the path toward fully opening our business, schools and other sectors,” added Vargas.

The following activities and sectors must close by midnight on Sunday, December 6:
Indoor and outdoor playgrounds
Indoor recreational facilities
Hair salons and barbershops
Personal care services
Museums, zoos, and aquariums
Movie theaters
Wineries
Bars, breweries and distilleries
Family entertainment centers
Cardrooms and satellite wagering
Limited services
Live audience sports
Amusement parks

Other sectors that will be allowed to stay open when operating remotely is not possible include:
Critical Infrastructure
Schools that are already open for in-person learning
Non-urgent medical and dental care
Childcare and pre-K

The following sectors will have additional modifications in addition to 100% masking and physical distancing:
• Outdoor recreational facilities: Allow outdoor operation only without any food, drink or alcohol sales. Additionally, overnight stays at campgrounds will not be permitted.
• Retail: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
• Shopping centers: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
• Hotels and lodging: Allow to open for critical infrastructure support only.
• Restaurants: Allow only for take-out, pick-up, or delivery. No indoor or outdoor dining.
• Offices: Allow remote only except for critical infrastructure sectors where remote working is not possible.
• Places of worship and political expression: Allow outdoor services only.
• Entertainment production including professional sports: Allow operation without live audiences. Additionally, testing protocol and “bubbles” are highly encouraged.

More information about the Stay Home Order can be found at: https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/

Local information at www.venturacountyrecovers.org.

Mr. A.H. James, also known as Painter James, was first known for painting and decorating businesses, then became known as the community painter.

Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

The April 14, 1944 headline in the Fillmore Herald reads “Thirty-Three Cadets Are Entertained Here During Easter.” Air cadets in training in Lancaster, far from home over the holiday spent a weekend at the homes of generous local citizens. Fillmore families adopted themfor the weekend. They were entertained with an open house, the key to the city, a house party and dance at Camulos. Church services and a round of informal activities including picnics, horseback riding, and swimming filled the rest of the weekend.

Mr. A. H. James, known as Painter James, was the guiding spirit behind these activities. He worked with the commandant of Mira Loma Airbase to bring the cadets to town. The cadets arrived at the depot (now part of the Fillmore Historical Museum) and were picked up by the host families. They were welcomed by families by the name of Peyton, Haase, Brown, Mc Kim, Smith, Rubel, and many others including of course James. Many of these names we still recognize.

Mr. James repeated this act of kindness toward our servicemen and women several times. The Easter 1944 celebration was the tenth such event that Painter James organized. At a similar Christmas visit for 55 air cadets and 5 WAVES, a letter from home was presented to eachvisitor as part of the festivities. Other groups came from Oxnard, Santa Ana, Taft, and Santa Barbara. Twelve hundred cadets were invited to Fillmore in this one year.James arranged for transportation, entertainment, and sleeping quarters for all of the visiting guests. He also organized wheelchair basketball games for wounded veterans from Birmingham Hospital in Van Nuys.

Mr. James was born in Greenfield, Iowa in in 1892, married Lillian Hilbert in 1917, and died in 1970. Coming to Fillmore from Colorado he ran a painting and decorating business and was known to the community as “Painter.” He had threesurviving sons who survived to adulthood. His son Robert, a staff sergeant in the Army Air Corp, was killed in the Philippines in 1942.

The Fillmore Historical Museum is especially grateful for another enormous project that Mr. James created during the war years. He collected over 1200 photos of Fillmore World War II servicemen. Part of the collection was put into albums and was on display in town. Others were framed and displayed upstairs at Briggs Hardware store where the Veterans of Foreign Wars used to meet. Later they were housed in the local Memorial Building along with other mementos. They now hang in the upstairs hallway at the Museum. This collection has over 300 photos; a few of the photos are still unidentified. Frank Erskine added names to most of the photos. Some also display a star. A gold stars signify that the veteran was killed, silver indicates a prisoner of war, and red is for the wounded. Currently nineteen (19) of the photographs are unidentified. You can view their photographs at https://www.fillmorehistoricalmuseum.org/unidentified-wwii-f. If anyone can help us identify these men, we would very much appreciate it.

Mr. James continued his efforts during the Korean War as well. The Museum would like to expand the collection with more who served in Korea and also photos of local men who served in Viet Nam. If you know of someone please contact us at the Museum at 805 524-0948 or email us at fillmore.museum@gmail.com. We can scan the originals and return them to you.

Naya Rivera

Ryan Dorsey, ex-husband of late Glee star Naya Rivera, 33, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of his and Rivera’s 4-year-old son, Josey, for wrongful death and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The move comes after Rivera’s tragic death from drowning at Lake Piru in early July 2020.

The lawsuit names Ventura County/Operators of the lake property, the United Water Conservation District and Parks and Recreation Management as defendants.

According to the court filings, the pontoon Rivera rented at Lake Piru did not contain certain important safety features, including a safely accessible ladder, adequate rope, an anchor, a radio and more. The suit also says the boat did not come with floatation devices, although other boaters at the scene said they found Josey alone on the boat with Rivera’s purse, her wallet, and a life jacket.

“There are no signs warning visitors about the dangers of swimming in the lake, to wear life vests when swimming or boating, or that dozens of others have drowned in Lake Piru,” the filing says.

It is believed, as Rivera and her son swam in the lake, the boat drifted away. According to earlier reports, the child told authorities that his mother helped him onto the boat, but she was not able to climb on and disappeared under the water surface. Her body was recovered five days later.

According to the filing, the wrongful death claim, which typically proceeds a formal lawsuit against a government entity, was rejected by the County on September 8th. The United Water Conservation District rejected the wrongful death claim on October 14, 2020.

Southern California Edison is facing a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event in several areas within Ventura County. The Fillmore Active Adult and Community Center will be a Community Resource Center staffed with a Customer Service Team to support customers impacted by this event. SCE’s staff will follow COVID-19 guidelines for indoor and outdoor facility operations. The details for this Public Safety Power Shutoff event are as follow: Location Address: 533 Santa Clara St., Fillmore 93015. Start Date: Thursday, 12/03/2020. End Date: Saturday, 12/05/2020. Hours of Operation: 8 AM – 10 PM.