Warming up the crowd of youth and adults in Piru got a helping hand through the recent distribution of over 300 new and used coats at two distribution points during this holiday season. In partnership with the Ventura Rotary Club’s “Coats for Kids” program, volunteers distributed 125 coats to youth prior to the Wednesday night Christmas Program at Piru Elementary School. Then, Sunday December 20th another 200 coats of all sizes were provided to the community at San Salvador Mission.

These coats were gladly and appreciatively received by members of all ages in this tight-knit community. The many volunteers who made this all possible warmly welcomed the smiles and hugs. Many of the volunteers were members of the newly formed Piru Seniors & Active Adults League. This new group, P-SAAL, is a recently formed community group established within San Salvador Mission for seniors and other active adults. This group will focus on arranging activities and presentations to increase and expand opportunities and experiences for our local residents. These will include, but not be limited to, activities for exposure to local and regional cultural, historical, educational and entertainment destinations and proceedings.

For more information about P-SAAL, please contact Andy Arias at tactman@aol.com or 805-521-1554.

Fillmore Convalescent Center

Fillmore Convalescent center must pay $7.75 million to the family of a 71-year old stroke victim, Maria Arellano under the conditions of an elder abuse lawsuit. The trial lasted 22 days. The verdict splits liability among three defendants: Fillmore Convalescent Center, 40 percent; owner Eduardo Gonzalez, 40 percent; and employee Monica Garcia, 20 percent.

Arellano's family became suspicious when bruises appeared on the woman, who could not speak. The family set up a hidden camera, after complaining to the facility's management, which the alleged were not investigated. The camera was key at the trial. It showed Garcia slapping Arellano, pulling her hair, twisting extremities, and brutally in a shower chair.

Garcia was criminally charged and pleaded no contest to simple battery in February. She did 10-days work release.
The family of facility resident Daniel Sanchez, 83, suspect that Sanchez may also be a victim of abuse. They have also filed a lawsuit that is slated for trial in January 2010. Sanchez has since died. He was also a stroke victim and non-verbal.

Attorney Gregory Johnson, who represented the Arellano family, said he offered to settle the case with the Center in July for $500,000, according to the Ventura County Star. The Center made no offer of monetary settlement or mediation, said Johnson. Arellano is still a patient at the facility.

On Tuesday, December 15, 2009 Father Barney of the Parochial Mission San Salvador Catholic Church in Piru handed a second check to Co-Founder Paula Cornell of the Simi Valley based For The Troops (FTT) organization in the amount of $793. A $300 check was given to For The Troops in August of this year also. The total of $1,093 was collected from contributions made by parishioners from both the San Salvador and Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Churches. Assisting with the presentation to FTT Members Paula Cornell and Virginia Obenchain were members of the Ventura County Fire Department's Station 28 headquartered in Piru; Captain Danny Rodriquez, Engineer Fred Ponce and Fireman/Paramedic Jason Buckley.

Recently the County of Ventura Fire Department joined with the “For The Troops Program” to send care packages overseas to United States Armed Forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. For The Troops is an organization based in Simi Valley that accepts donations and assembles care packages for our troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The care packages are sent year around to our front line troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. These care packages contain much requested items such as snack items, batteries, DVDs, CDs, magazines, personal care items and letters of appreciation from children and adults.

For The Troops have placed collection boxes at all the County of Ventura CONTINUED »

Ruben Anthony Perez

On Monday, December 21, at 11:40 a.m., Fillmore Police received a call from La Flor Bonita owner Brandy Smith about a customer in distress. The woman came into the store looking “agitate, nervous and scared” according to Smith. She gave a note to Smith and said to give it to the police if anything happened to her. She said suspect Ruben Perez, 31, had been holding her hostage for four days, drinking and beating her. Perez was in the car with two young children waiting for the woman to exit. Police reports said the victim was injured and Perez had threatened to kill her. Smith hid the woman in the store’s bathroom and called police. Before they arrived, Perez walked away with the children, but returned and was arrested without incident. It was determined that Perez and the victim live together.

Perez was arrested for 273.5 P.C. Felony Domestic violence, 422 P.C. Felony Criminal threats, and 236 P.C. Felony False imprisonment.

Javier Barajas, 31 of Los Angeles, was charged last week with intimidating a witness in a 2008 drive-by shooting in Fillmore. If convicted of the new felony, Barajas faces up to life in prison. He is now serving 300 days in jail. Barajas has an immigration hold on him and he is not eligible for bail. A preliminary hearing is set for December 24, 2009. He was credited 162-days served, including credit for good behavior. While out of jail, Barajas intimidated a witness who was forced to relocate because of the physical threat.

In September Barajas pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact in a gang-related drive-by shooting. Barajas and two other men drove to Fillmore on March 27, 2008 after the funeral of Jose Camacho, 22 of Moorpark. No one was injured in that shooting.

Jorge Hernandez, 24 of Oxnard, pleaded guilty to all charges Wednesday I drunk driving deaths. He admitted to drunken driving, causing injury, and driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher in the deaths of two county disc jockeys in September 2009. He is also expected to plead guilty to two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in the deaths of David Garcia, 33 of Port Hueneme, and Alex Estrada, 33 of Ventura. Garcia was a graduate at Fillmore High School and well-known in the city and the county as DJ Gorilla.

Hernandez was driving his pickup truck the wrong way on Highway 118 near Rose Avenue on September 27th, when it collided with Garcia’s vehicle. Garcia was driving his wife Sonia Garcia, 26, and Estrada home from the Relay for Life 2009 event held in Fillmore. Sonia was critically injured.

Hernandez’ sentencing is set for January 25, 2010; he could receive up to 16 years and eight months in prison.

Not ever rain could stop the town of Piru from having their annual Christmas Parade. They honored the veterans of Piru as well as this year’s Grand Marshal Mrs. Chessanie, or as some know her, Mrs. Cheese.

Sitting proudly aboard a decorated truck and trailer ensemble provided by OST Trucking, nearly two- dozen Piru Veterans waved and saluted the crowd lined up along the route through the historic downtown district last Saturday. These men were clearly full of pride as many dressed in military hats or attire. With a banner of the days’ theme, “Merry Christmas to our Soldiers”, the lead vehicle was a 1968 “deuce and a half” military transport vehicle provided by local businessman and classic car restoration expert Ellery Engel. The final vehicle in the convoy was Gilbert Zavala’s restored 1971 Chevy truck, with patriotic flags waving in the wintry conditions. Zavala was also part of the tribute as a Vietnam War Veteran himself. This celebration literally covered the bases from A-Z, or Korean War veteran Lupe Alcozar to still-active Gilbert Zavala Jr., who just returned to the states after serving in the Middle East wars. Over 70 current or former Piru residents have been identified for serving our country and range from Manuel “Sleepy” Martinez who served during WWII to men and women still on active duty.

This annual parade and festival, sponsored by the Piru Neighborhood Council, continued into the evening as locals did not let the occasional downpours damper their spirit. This year’s event was orchestrated by Chacha Troyke and her merry band of community volunteers. Grand Marshal Donna Chessani, known by many as “Mrs. Cheese”, has served the town’s youth through her work with Piru School and other local causes. She offered words of thanks and holiday reflections during a brief stop at the judges’ stage, provided by Rancho Temescal; and was acknowledged for her many years of service by parade announcer Stephanie Acosta.

The parade began at the west end of Center Street near the Piru CONTINUED »

Bob Stroh spoke at council’s open forum Monday night.

The Fillmore Flashes were honored Monday night at a joint City Council/Parks & Recreation meeting. The Frontier League Championship presentation was made by Mayor Pattie Walker, who read each young man’s name, to the applauds and praise of those in attendance. The Flashes were the first Fillmore team to win the championship in 32 years. Each Frontier League Title winner was presented with a Fillmore City pen. Coach Matt Dollar expressed his pride in the team and said they won the title for all the Fillmore teams who didn’t win in the last 32 years.

During public comment, resident Bob Stroh described the Council’s recent Brown Act violations as “trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube.” He also accused The Gazette of “subverting the truth” in an effort to “do anything to get them out of office,” referring to the “Katzenjammer Kids”, ie: Councilmembers Walker, Washburn and Brooks. Rich McKee, President of Californians Aware, a political watchdog group who recently filed suit against the city council, didn’t escape Stroh’s unusual churn, calling him an “ambulance chasing equivalent.” The city settled the McKee lawsuit with a public admission of three Brown Act violations at its August 25th meeting, attendance at a 2-hour Brown Act Retraining workshop, and payment of McKee’s legal fees, totaling $6,000.

Director of Public Works Bert Rapp reviewed the Two Rivers CONTINUED »