Katharine McDowell, Branch Manager of the Fillmore Library, gave an update on the new expansion. Our library is part of the Ventura County Library system which consists of 12 active libraries and a mobile library. The Fillmore Library is now double in size with study rooms, a community room which can seat 50 people, an innovation lab and homework stations with laptops, besides the usual shelves of books for children and adults. The Friends of the Library donated 10 laptops and fund all of Katharine’s programs for the children and more. Library hours are Monday & Tuesday, 2:00pm to 7pm, Wednesday, 10am to 5pm, and Friday & Saturday, noon to 5pm. It is a wonderful new building with something for everyone!

Please join the Fillmore Unified School District in congratulating Barbara Vazquez on being appointed to the position of Director, Child Nutrition Services. Barbara Has worked at Fillmore Unified School District for 18 years. She worked as an Account
Clerk II for the Child Nutrition Services Department for four years and as the Child Nutrition Services Manager for the last six. She has an Associates of Arts degree and Certification in Diet and Nutrition. Barbara’s goal, along with the entire Child Nutrition Team, is to continue to serve healthy, nutritious, appealing meals that meet or exceed the state and federal nutrition standards. We look forward to Barbara’s leadership in this new role. Congratulations Barbara! Courtesy Fillmore Unified School District Blog: https://www.blog.fillmoreusd.org

Courtesy Fillmore Fire Department

This year’s annual Fillmore Community Holiday Giveaway will be held Saturday, December 17th from 9 AM – 12 PM at the City of Fillmore Fire Station, 711 Landeros Lane. This is the annual event where holiday commodities are given to the children who reside within the Fillmore Unified School District boundaries. COVID-19 restrictions have been relaxed and the event will be “in-person”. Anyone who is sick is asked to not attend and arrangements may be made for home delivery. Commodities given will be age-appropriate toys, new jackets/coats, reading books and socks. As is customary, a holiday bag of groceries will also be available for each family while supply last. Santa will be available for a picture with each child. As a reminder, this event is only for children who reside within the Fillmore Unified School District boundaries, you must provide proof of residency within the School District such as a utility bill, report card or driver’s license.

This year’s sponsors of the event include our local Fillmore Police and Fire Departments, Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid, One Step A La Vez, Soroptimist International of Fillmore, Rotary International of Fillmore, Fillmore Lions Club, Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, Fillmore Citizen’s Patrol, Fillmore Women’s Service Club, Fillmore Friends of the Library, Super A, Salvation Army, the Fillmore Fire Foundation and numerous other generous personal and business donors. Our sponsor list will be updated week to week.

If you would like to help donate to the Fillmore Community Holiday Giveaway, you may give new toys, socks, reading books or canned food; drop boxes are located at the Fillmore Police Station and at the Fillmore City Fire Station. Monetary donations are preferred this year to reduce person to person contact; checks may be made out to “The Fillmore Fire Foundation” with a notation of “Holiday Giveaway”. Donations may be mailed to Fillmore Fire Foundation, PO Box 331, Fillmore, CA 93016 or for drop off, please contact Keith Gurrola (805) 815-0328.

Case #: 2021030478

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko has announced the filing of charges against a group of poachers and wildlife traffickers known as the “E-Bike Crew.”

Seven people have been charged with 21 counts of filing a false or forged document, conspiracy, receiving stolen property, unlawful possession of untagged bear, and animal abuse or cruelty. On December 5, 2022, six of the seven defendants were arraigned in the Ventura County Superior Court.

California Department of Fish & Wildlife investigated the “E-Bike Crew” discovering that they worked with Lizette’s Market in Piru to fraudulently reprint hunting licenses and tags. The six-member wildlife trafficking organization (“WTO”) is accused of conspiring with Lizette’s Market beginning in June 2019 through October 2021, allegedly producing the false and fake tags to hunt and take more deer, pigs and bears than legally allowed by state law.

Martin Bravo Sr. (DOB 04/14/63), of Oxnard, Martin M. Bravo (DOB 05/13/92), of Oxnard, Walfre Lopez y. Lopez (DOB 06/14/84), of Oxnard, Gilberto Lopez Hernandez (DOB 02/15/88), of Thousand Oaks, Jaime Mendoza Avila (DOB 10/02/81), of Porterville, and Cristian Lopez Perez (DOB 02/11/91), of Los Angeles, are the charged members of the WTO. Juventino Reyes Guerrera (DOB 09/11/78), of Piru, is facing the same charges and was the operator of Fish & Wildlife licensing equipment located at Lizette’s Market.
There is an active arrest warrant in the amount of $200,000 for Defendant Lopez y Lopez. The other six defendants are in custody and being held on $200,000 bail in the Ventura County Jail. The next scheduled court appearance is December 7, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 13 of the Ventura County Superior Court.

Advertisement from the Piru News, April 24, 1930.
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Sanitary Food Market circa 1936.
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Pete’s Sanitary Barbershop circa 1920.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

Correction from the last “Did You Know?” column. Fillmore Rotary began May 19, 1924 the main Rotary organization did begin 1905. Thank you to Martha Richardson.

When avocadoes first began to be grown in the area, not being sure how to serve them Alice Moore Milton served the pit to visitors throwing away the flesh.

In 1912, Fillmore Billiard and Amusement Parlor advertised “hot and cold baths at all hours.”

At various times, Fillmore not only had the Sanitary Dairy, but a Sanitary Market, Sanitary Barber and Sanitary Bakery.

J. A. Grimes of Grimes Canyon note, was the first person to own a typewriter about 1905. He complained, “the d--- thing can’t spell.”

Carl Caswell “C. C.” Elkins holds several “firsts” for Fillmore: first owner of a general store; first insurance agent; first notary public; first to ship oranges out by train; first to manufacture olive oil; first justice of the peace. There are probably some left out.

Fillmore’s first street lights were strung across Central Avenue between Stephenson’s Market and the Rood Harmonson Store on the north side of Main Street in 1907.

John Galvin was Fillmore’s first city attorney in 1914 after incorporation. He had graduated law school in 1910. When asked how he was chosen with little experience to be city attorney, he replied, “It happened I was in the right place at the right time to draw up the incorporation papers and become the attorney. I had personality, obvious and unimpeachable character and I was the only attorney in town.”

Fillmore’s first undertaker, E. A. French, also owned the Outlet Novelty Store at 330 Central Avenue.

Gold was discovered in 1842 at the San Feliciano tributary of Piru Creek, by Francisco Lopez who had trained as a mineralogist at a university in Sonora, Mexico. This as six years before it was found at Sutter’s Mill.

The William Shiells family donated the land for the Veteran’s Memorial Building and Library as well as Shiells Park.

J. P. McIntyre, a Sespe beekeeper in the 1880s, named his daughters after flowers: Lily, Pansy, Myrtle, Violet, Iris and Flora. His son was named Robert.

The first paved sidewalk was installed by George Tighe in front of his store in 1909. By 1917 there was 5 miles of sidewalk with curbing in Fillmore.

For twenty years (probably with the collusion of fellow Rotarian and Postmaster J K L Schwartz) Frank Erskine answered the local children’s letters to Santa Claus.

In the early 1930s Piru had three barbershop/pool hall combinations – Ideal Billiard Parlor and Barbershop owned by T. H. Green; Belty’s Barbershop (with 3 pool tables) owned by R. O. Belty; and Ruiz’s Barbershop (which also had card tables) owned by G. T. Ruiz.

Santa Paula High School Fire Investigation

On Sunday morning 11/27/22, at about 12:42 a.m., a structure fire was reported at the Santa Paula High School. Firefighters responded to the scene and have since extinguished the fire. The Santa Paula Unified School District announced that school will be cancelled for Santa Paula High School students on Monday and Tuesday, November 28th-29th. The incident is under investigation by investigators from the Ventura County Fire Dept. and Santa Paula Police Dept.

Anyone who may have information pertaining to the fire is urged to call the Santa Paula Police Department at (805) 525-4474 or Detective Shawn Virani at (805) 525-4474 ext. 220. Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous may call Ventura County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. The Santa Paula Police Department has also established a secure database to collect footage from security cameras or surveillance videos. If you have information or video(s) to share, please notify the Police Department and email SPCrimeInfo@spcity.org.

Also, the Santa Paula Unified School District is offering a WeTip telephone number to report any information: (844) 805-2659.

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