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.

Courtesy Jan Lee

Over the years, the flower show has had many themes. The theme for 2022 is, “Farie Tales & Flowers.” The committee hopes the theme will encourage inventive entries. Think how colorful all the many blooms around us can be. Each delicate blossom could inspire you to create a whimsical arrangement. Think of the dainty miniature arrangements that could be on display. Look around your garden and begin to plan your entry.

Competitive entries are limited to residents within the Fillmore Unified School District boundaries. However, entries from non-residents are welcome for exhibition. All entries for competition must have been grown by the exhibitor or by the exhibitor’s family for Youth entries. The judges for the flower show are experts. Every year they comment about how much they enjoy the Fillmore Flower Show. It is a truly fun community event.

There are three divisions in the flower show specifically for youth. Youth Composition—write an original poem or short essay on a single page, with or without illustration, on the theme of the flower show. Youth Arrangements—a flower display to be arranged at the show without adult help. Youth Art— a non-competitive division. Original art work on the Flower Show Theme. Also, there will be a table where children can plant a succulent to take home.

The committee members are thrilled that we will be able to have the flower show this year. We hope all of Fillmore will show up to celebrate the beauty in our community on April 9 and/or 10 at 533 Santa Clara Street, Fillmore. For complete information and rules go to fillmoreflowershow.org.

Lawrence Hinckley, who witnessed a shooting between Mason Bradfield and the George Henley.
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Mason Bradfield’s San Quentin Prison Photo in 1916. Mason’s prison register 1910-1918.
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Judge Merton Barnes.
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[Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum - From “Old-Timers’ Tales of Fillmore” by Edith Moore Jarrett. Originally
published in Ventura County Star-Free Press, January, 14, 1979.]

Crime and punishment were sometimes a bit mixed up as in the case of our Constable Owen Miller, said by the Ventura Free Press in 1899 to be “the best-known man in Ventura County.” He came here in 1888 by train from Pennsylvania and was raising cattle up Sespe Canyon by 1893. Around 1902 he owned the Central Hotel in town and rented out pack trains for trips to the Sespe Hot Springs and Lockwood Valley. By 1918, he was running for reelection as constable of Fillmore Township, and in 1918, his professional card in the Fillmore Herald advertised, “Private detective work of all kinds. Member National Detective Service Association.” One can hardly imagine our village needing a real live detective, but many did approve of his sideline. You see, he was said to be the town bootlegger, amused by his double role and frank about it to everybody but his boss, the county sheriff, who kept trying to catch him at it.

Haskell Schell, as a teen-ager, worked for Miller in his livery stable and heard some gleeful stories of his boss’s moonshine moonlighting. Seems that Miller told him that he had arrested a couple of local fellows and had to take them by train to the Ventura jail. He didn’t handcuff them, so when the train slowed for Santa Paula, the fellows jumped out the open window and ran away. Miller just leaned out and yelled, “Hey, you! Come back here!” which, of course they didn’t. “They’d have been locked up for 90 days,” he explained to Haskell, “and they were two of my best customers.”

Another time, on a similar errand, Miller told how he handcuffed a prisoner and kept a wary eye on him all the way. Why hadn’t he let him go, too? “He was my worst competitor, a bootlegger,” the constable chuckled. “It was good business to get that guy locked up for 90 days.”

Once when the Ventura sheriff decided that Miller had gone to far, he planned to sneak in unexpectedly and administer a little punishment himself. But someone had tipped off Miller, who removed the bottles from his little hotel and buried them all in the manure pile behind his table. The sheriff searched the place in vain. No evidence.

After he had gone, Miller went out to uncover his cache. It had been a hot day, with the sun shining on the barnyard. You know what happened. Every bottle had burst from the heat. Even Miller got a good laugh out of the story when he told it himself.

[Miller had to deal with some big-time crime] in 1915 when Mason Bradfield shot George Henley in broad daylight right in front of the Orange Leaf Café. The two men had been feuding for years, both owning property up the narrow Big Sespe Canyon, for Henley was apparently uncooperative about a right-of-way through his brownstone quarry for Bradfield’s oil crew.

That day little Lawrence Hinckley – [later] our artist in residence – happened to see the shooting. It scared him so badly that he fled to his father’s drugstore across the street, in the front door, out the back, and kept going.

“Buster” Brown, too, a little older than Lawrence, saw the bleeding Henley come staggering down the street, bellowing with pain and with Bradfield still trying to gun him down. About that time Constable Owen Miller popped out of his Central Hotel and, as soon as the revolver was emptied, arrested Bradfield and took it away from him.

Dr. Manning’ office was right there, upstairs, but Doc was out on a house call, so the bystanders loaded Henley into somebody’s spring wagon at the hitching rack, and “Buster” Brown earned his claim to fame because he got to hold one of Henley’s legs.

The hand-written Criminal Docket No. 1 of the Fillmore Justice Court notes on July 2, 1914, that Bradfield appeared before Judge Merton Barnes on a charge of “assault with intent to commit murder.” Bradfield had raised $10,000 bail and hired a couple of young Ventura attorneys, Gardner and Orr, to defend him.

The hearing had an amusing quirk, as told by the judge’s daughter, Barbara Barnes Jones. Dr. Osborn, called to testify concerning Henley’s wounds, was nettled by young Gardner’s cocky attitude and decided to show up that smart fellow, so laid it on him with answers in medical Latin. Gardner acted confused, and then suddenly shook the good doctor by asking a long question in the same technical Latin. Dr. Osborn hadn’t known that Gardner had spent a few years in medical school before taking up law. Judge Barnes had a hard time keeping his face straight.

The Fillmore Herald reported that preliminary hearing in detail. The reporter, equally miffed by that smart young fellow from Ventura, commented a little acidly that “he ought to go far in his profession.” He did. Few in Ventura County have to be reminded that quick-witted Erle Stanley Gardner later became the internationally famous author of hundreds of best-selling novels based on legal doings.

After Bradfield got out of jail, Constable Miller, who had tangled with Henley, too, gave him back his gun and said, as he told it around town, “Next time, do a better job.”

Bob Thompson.
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Recently retired Fire Captain, Robert “Bob” Thompson, was recognized by the Fillmore City Council on February 8th, for his fifty years of service to the Community as a member of the Fillmore Fire Department. It was particularly noted that Bob served with honor and dignity from February 1972 through February 2022. During his tenure Bob rose through the ranks of the Fire Department. Starting out as a Volunteer Firefighter/Engineer, Bob was promoted to Volunteer Fire Captain in 1980 and then in 1987 he was promoted to the rank of Volunteer Assistant Chief. Bob served as a Volunteer Assistant Chief until 2005 when he was hired as one of three fulltime permanent Fire Captains. On February 2 of this year, Bob retired as a fulltime permanent Fire Captain having served seventeen years in that position.

During his career, Bob had many positive interactions with the Community. Several highlights of his career occurred during the 1994 Northridge Earthquake that devastated Fillmore. Bob and his Crew were instrumental in saving numerous lives by performing heroic rescues and extinguishing blazing structure fires. Other highlights of Bob’s career included responding to, two separate hazardous materials fires within a few days of each other in which thousands of Fillmore citizens were forced to be evacuated away from the highly toxic smoke, these fires occurred in the late 1980’s. Besides responding to the common, large wind driven wildland fires that seem to hit California and Fillmore every few years, Bob was also instrumental in rescuing victims from the major floods that hit Fillmore in 1989 and 2005.

Not all of Bob’s career has been spent mitigating large emergencies, in his daily routine, Bob has trained hundreds of new rookie Volunteer/Reserve Firefighters, most of these Rookies have gone on to serve as Fulltime/Permanent Firefighters with municipalities all across the United States. Besides training, Bob has responded to thousands of emergency medical incidents, saving a high percentage of lives. Unfortunately, Bob has seen more that his share of death. On a positive note, Bob has also brought life into the world with several baby deliveries.

Bob is very proud of his accomplishments while serving the Community. During the years, he has proudly jumped in with his Crew to help out numerous non-profit organizations and/or individuals, anytime they needed someone to solve their problems. On his off-duty time Bob ran the very prosperous Dewey Auto Parts store on Ventura Street, he always greeted his customers with a smile and laugh. He is still remembered with his laugh as a member of the famous Fillmore High Football “Chain Gang”, a team of men who have been serving the High School for over 40 years, longest continuous team in Ventura County. Bob also served many years with his church, devoting his time to ensure that teens in Fillmore had a safe place where they could go after school and on weekends.

Bob will be missed as a fulltime Fire Captain, but he will still be available when the “Big One” hits. Bob will be assuming a position as a Reserve Battalion Chief. To quote Bob, “You can take me out of the Fire Service (retirement), but you can’t take the Fire Service out of me”!!!! THANK YOU BOB!!!

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On February 8th, at about 5:20 PM, a 15-year-oldboy was walking home from school when he was approached by a male suspect who was driving a white older 80’s model Toyota Sport Utility Vehicle(a picture like the one driven by the suspect is attached below).The suspect attempted to lure the juvenile into his vehicle on Ventura Street near Mountain View Street in the City of Fillmore. The juvenile did not comply with the suspect, instead he said he was going to call the police, the suspect drove away from the juvenile, eastbound on Ventura Street.

The suspect is described as an elderly white male, approximately sixty-five years old, with red bumps around his nose and mouth area, the suspect was slender, had wrinkly skin, and balding with white hair around the sides of his head. The suspect was wearing a white shirt, dark colored shorts, and a black necklace.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact The Fillmore Police Station @ (805) 524-2233 or the below listed detective. The reporting party may remain anonymous.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public to speak to your children about “Stranger Danger.” If your child walks to and from school, or for any other reason, it’s always a good idea to have another person with them. We encourage the public to call “911” to report any suspicious behavior. When reporting suspicious behavior, please be a great witness and provide as much detail as possible. With so many individuals now having cellular phones with cameras, remember to take a photo if it is safe to do so, it truly helps.

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).

Prepared by: Deputy Rubalcava #4459
Approved by: Captain Garo Kuredjian

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Five juveniles from Fillmore were arrested for graffiti vandalism and conspiracy to commit a crime after they were caught defacing property at a local Fillmore park.

During the month of January, there was an increase in graffiti vandalisms throughout the city of Fillmore. On February 11th a resident called the police to report several juveniles loitering around Meadowlark Park, a frequent target area of the vandals. Deputies responded to the park and located graffiti and initiated an investigation.

The graffiti vandalism was witnessed by a diligent resident who relayed valuable information to responding deputies. The investigation revealed that the juveniles had spray painted graffiti on the tables, benches, and playground equipment which caused hundreds of dollars of damage to the city owned property.

The investigation resulted in five juveniles being arrested for vandalism along with felony conspiracy to commit a crime. All the arrestees were cited and released to their parents pending a future court date.

Graffiti vandalism is an eyesore that directly affects the quality of life in our communities. If left unchecked, graffiti can decrease property values and lead to the deterioration of entire neighborhoods. Gang graffiti may also be the catalyst for additional, more serious conflicts between rival gangs. The removal of graffiti costs homeowners, business owners and taxpayers thousands of dollars each year.

The Fillmore Police Department encourages citizens to immediately report suspicious people and vehicles, and to promptly report any graffiti they come across by calling (805) 524-2233 or (805) 654-9511. Once the police have investigated these crimes, all graffiti should be immediately removed.

Anyone with information pertaining to criminal activity in the Fillmore area are urged to contact the Fillmore Police Station at (805) 524-2233 or the below listed detective. The reporting party may remain anonymous.

Graffiti Removal
The city of Fillmore removes all graffiti by either painting over it or by using a power washer to wash it off, the method of removal depends on the location of the graffiti. If graffiti is on private property the city secures a signed agreement from the property owner giving them permission to do the work. Call the city of Fillmore Graffiti Removal at (805) 524-1500 if you see graffiti within the city and they will take steps to remove it.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office has established a secure database to log information about who has surveillance systems. If you would like to register your surveillance information and allow authorities to contact you, should a crime occur in/or near where your cameras are installed we kindly ask that you email the Fillmore Police Department at: fillmorePD.CameraShare@ventura.org.

Nature of Incident: Five Juveniles Arrested for Graffiti Vandalism
Report Number: 22-18608
Location: Meadowlark Park, Fillmore
Date & Time: February 11, 2022 @ 4:30 P.M.
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Detective Bureau, Fillmore Patrol Services, and Fillmore School Resource Officer
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
Male Juvenile Fillmore 14
Male Juvenile Fillmore 15
Male Juvenile Fillmore 14
Male Juvenile Fillmore 14
Male Juvenile Fillmore 14
Prepared by: Detective Sergeant Will Hollowell
Approved by: Captain Garo Kuredjian

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).