Written by Carina Monica Montoya
Of all the things we’ve seen around Fillmore from giant dogs carrying a Chihuahua in a saddle bag to a Jack Russell surfing on the back of a convertible Mercedes, you’d think that we’ve seen it all, then comes Gabriel “Gabe” Arroyo walking his pet pig around town. This is one animal that lives high on the hog. His name is Azulito de los Cielos, but is also called “Little blue”, affectionately called “Azulito”, and fondly called “Buddy”. Buddy is a 3 ½ year old pot belly mix, weighs 265 pounds and as one would correctly guess, loves to eat.

Gabe is a native of Fillmore and has long generation family roots in Fillmore. A semi-retired mechanical engineer in the aerospace industry, Gabe spends most of his days tending to Buddy – daily walks, play, feeding, mud baths, and grooming. Gabe acquired Buddy from a breeder in Florida and personally transported Buddy across country to Fillmore by car. The two are inseparable, which leaves Gabe a bit anxious to return home when work takes him away for more than a few days. We all know the special bonding between man and dog, but few of us know that the bonding of man and pig can be just as special. Pigs communicate both with sounds and body language. They make at least 20 different calls, including barks, squeals, grunts, and screams. They like to use trees or fences for rubbing, relax to music, are very curious animals and like different enrichment toys, all of which Gabe makes available to Buddy.

Most people around town are happy to see Buddy and children are fascinated to see and pet him. He is well behaved and is very social. There’s a lot about pigs that most people don’t know. Although they generally have poor eyesight, they have a great sense of smell. With 1,113 olfactory receptor genes, they can sniff and snort out odors. Pigs are also very clean animals and do their business away from where they sleep and eat. They also learn their names by the time they reach two to three weeks of age whereas it may take a human up to a year to make the connection. Pigs also have long memories and can remember things years later whereas humans often forget the name of someone they just met.

Next time you see Gabe and Buddy on an early morning or evening walk, say “hello” and marvel at how well-behaved Buddy follows without a leash.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Beginning Thursday, September 1st, 2022, the Fillmore Police Department and Ventura County Sheriff’s Office will be holding a 12-week Public Safety Academy for the community. Designed to provide community members with an inside look at law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and other public safety agencies, the program will allow participants to meet with members of the Fillmore Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, Fillmore Fire Department, Ventura County Superior Court, District Attorney’s Office, and Probation Agency. Classes will be held Thursday nights, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, at the Fillmore Police Station, 524 Sespe Ave.

In 2023 we plan to have another Public Safety Academy which will be held in Spanish. For an application, requirements, and additional information, contact the Fillmore Police Department.

Community: Fillmore Public Safety Academy
Nature of Incident: Fillmore Public Safety Academy
Report Number:
Location: City of Fillmore
Date & Time: Begins 09-01-22 at 6:00 PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Police Department
Prepared by: Deputy Eric Tumbleson
Approved by: Captain Garo Kuredjian

Fillmore Little League Baseball posted the following on their Facebook page, dated Monday, July 18th, 2022. “Unfortunately, our Fillmore Little League snack bar was broken into this weekend. We are deeply saddened that this has occurred. We are still investigating the damages and loss and will be making repairs as soon as possible. The costs to repair these damages will ultimately mean we have less money to put into our 2023 season. The individual(s) who are responsible for this have taken not just from the FLL, but from our community and our kids. If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact
the Sheriffs Department.” On Tuesday, July 19th, 2022, they posted the following, “And as quick as it was broken… it was fixed!!! The Fillmore Little League would like to extend a sincere THANK YOU to Rob Lemons of Lemon Tree Embroidery, Juan
Sanchez of @electricremedy and Mr. Sandoval of Sandoval Handyman for their quick response to help our league!! They covered all
costs and repairs to get our snack bar fixed today!! Thank you for everything you do!!!! BIG round of applause for these upstanding community members!!!!”

Hi, my name is Mary, and I’m a close family friend of the Cassidy’s. I’m raising money for Larry Cassidy and his family. Larry passed away in a fatal car crash on 7/12/2022. We all remember Larry as one of the sweetest, kindest, most giving people on this planet. Let’s come together and help support Larry’s family as they plan, grieve and celebrate his life. Anything helps and is much appreciated. Use this link to donate: https://www.gofund.me/e2918991

Randy Garcia, an educator for 15 years, happily returns to the Fillmore Unified School District. Mr. Garcia most recently served as an Assistant Principal in Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD) for the past 4 years. He has previously served as a middle-school Assistant Principal, Dean of Students, a middle school teacher, and elementary teacher.

Mr. Garcia began his career in education with the Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) as a middle school teacher and spent years teaching at both Piru and Mountain Vista Elementary Schools. He also spent a handful of years serving as an assistant coach with the FHS Varsity football and JV baseball programs. In 2012, Mr. Garcia left FUSD to seek an administrative position with the Pleasant Valley School District (PVSD). After six years in PVSD, Mr. Garcia accepted a position as an Assistant Principal with OUHSD, where he served in this role at both Pacifica High School and lastly at Hueneme High School.

Mr. Garcia is a proud resident of Fillmore and product of the Fillmore Unified School District. He is married to Mary-Allyn Garcia, also an employee of FUSD. They have four children, two that are FHS Alumni, and two daughters, who are currently attending FHS.

Mr. Garcia believes in enjoying life by being of service to others. He lives by the quote, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." – Muhammad Ali

The Ventura County Fair has announced that Fillmore’s own 12 year old Vita Jolie Vazquez ha won the first prize in the 2022 VC Fair poster contest. Vita Jolie rendered her exciting illustration in colored pencil and included a quartet of animee-styled screaming kids on the roller coaster. We think she captured the essence of the theme.

“I've always been interested in art and the different forms of it, including the process and stages. That includes drawing and painting, video games, fashion and style. My immediate goals are to get my name and art out there to hopefully find people interested in my art. My ultimate goal would be to make a living out of my work when I'm an adult. I've been drawing ever since I could hold a pen, which was before I could walk, and draw almost daily. This year, however, I have had the best experience and achievements with art. I have had two of my drawings published; one as the official VC Fair poster of 2022 and the other as the back cover of the 2021-2022 Fillmore Middle School yearbook. I will be starting 7th grade at FMS this Fall.” –Vita Jolie Vazquez, 2022 Ventura County Fair Poster Artist.