 Oversight Board Members, Dr. Mike Bush, Chair Rick Neal, Jeff Burgh, Janice Turner, and Patti Walker. Enlarge Photo By Jean McLeod — Wednesday, February 18th, 2015
There has been a longstanding rift between the City and the Senior Center over a facility rental contract. And despite months of discussions, with both sides stating their case, the problems between the Fillmore Senior Center Inc. (FSCI) and the City of Fillmore has only grown wider. The latest problem is a threatened lawsuit led by FSCI President Patti Walker, if the Center’s rental contract with the City is not renewed. And with almost $130,000 already paid out in settled claims by two now former employees for “harassment suffered by Board members at the center” the City has taken action to correct the inappropriate environment. Rental Contract: Walker Letter: |
|
By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 18th, 2015
 A traffic signal pole was knocked down by a Ford F210 Pickup truck as the result of an collision with a Chrysler PT Cruiser. Enlarge Photo On Friday, February 13, 2015, at approximately 5:38pm, Fillmore Deputies were dispatched to an injury accident at the intersection of Ventura Street (SR126) and “C” Street. The accident included two vehicles, a Ford F250 pickup and a Chrysler PT Cruiser. The driver of the Ford Pickup, Robert Gamble, was traveling westbound on Ventura Street and the Driver of the PT Cruiser, Harrison Terry, was traveling eastbound preparing to make a left turn (North) onto “C” Street. As the two vehicles entered the intersection they collided head on. The Ford Truck continued Westbound colliding with the traffic control light pole on the corner, taking the pole down. Due to the significant injuries, Traffic Investigator Sr. Deputy John Popp was called to the scene. Terry and his two passengers were transported to VCMC for injuries ranging from minor to major injuries. Gamble was uninjured. Parties Involved: Gamble, Robert Santa Maria Unk. Party Involved: Terry, Harrison Santa Paula 75. Victim: Unknown |
 Superintendent Dr. Adrian Palazuelos announced during the February 17, 2015 Fillmore Unified School District meeting that the American Dream Foundation (ADF) has awarded the District $7,500. ADF is a non-profit out of Ogden, Utah whose mission statement reads, “To assist in the personal and economic improvement and development of disadvantaged individuals.” Norma Sandford-Perez was instrumental in obtaining the gift and will be overseeing its distribution. Enlarge Photo By Jean McLeod — Wednesday, February 18th, 2015
 Assistant FUSD Superintendent Martha Hernandez presented the Board a Local Education Agency (LEA) Plan Revision. Each LEA is required to develop a plan on how Title I (U.S. Dept. of Education) monies are to be spent. Enlarge Photo Superintendent Dr. Adrian Palazuelos announced during the February 17, 2015 Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) meeting that the American Dream Foundation (ADF) has awarded the District $7,500. ADF is a non-profit out of Ogden, Utah whose mission statement reads, “To assist in the personal and economic improvement and development of disadvantaged individuals.” Norma Sandford-Perez was instrumental in obtaining the gift and will be overseeing its distribution. Assistant Superintendent Martha Hernandez presented the Board a Local Education Agency (LEA) Plan Revision. Each LEA is required to develop a plan on how Title I (U.S. Dept. of Education) monies are to be spent. Under Title I "(S)chools must focus Title I services on children who are failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet State academic standards. Schools enrolling at least 40% of children from low-income families are eligible to use the funds for school wide programs designed to upgrade their entire educational programs to improve achievement for all students, particularly the lowest-achieving students." FUSD qualifies for the low-income and lowest-achieving requirements for Title I. The District has been in Program Improvement for three years. The goal of Title I funds is to upgrade the instructional programs, which have to be identified in the plan. Hernandez presented the Board with the plan, along with 40 others who are part of the District Leadership Team. Next, Palazuelos gave an update on the repair/replacement of the fire alarm system at Fillmore Middle School (FMS). The fire alarm system has not been in working order at FMS for at least a month, but there has been and will remain a fire watch until fixed. Sammy Nigrete is watching the school during the day, the custodians have evening watch and a staff member has the nights. The company doing the work, Simplex, arrived on campus February 16th with all the components and the infrastructure repair will be complete by next week. Water contacting the low voltage wiring was cited as the cause of failure. Palazuelos told the Board, "We're still determining the root cause." Insurance covers all costs including the fire watch hours, minus the deductible. The District has hired a new Technology Technician, bringing the number to four. Three will maintain the District Office and one will support the Fillmore High School campus. Board Member Sean Morris addressed the proposal on the new housing in Piru. Construction had not yet begun. Morris mentioned that Ventura County has possibly given builders a pass on paying Development Impact Fees (DIFs) to encourage low income housing construction, which may cause funds shortage for education. DIFs are what cities use to build schools for children who will reside in the new homes. The Board agreed to investigate if the County plans to wave the fees, preparing a plan to have them reconsider. Finally, students from Fillmore High School will receive workshop training on how to teach elementary students basics about biology and educate them about the River Restoration Project this Saturday, February 21st. Also, the Drama Club will be selling t-shirts to raise money for their upcoming play "Halls of Horror", opening March 13th. |
 Cheryl Heitmann, VCREA Vice-Chair and City of Ventura Mayor presents the Emerging Energy Leader Award to Douglas Tucker, Mayor of Fillmore, at the Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance (VCREA) 2nd Annual Energy Leadership Reception on January 29th. (l-r) Cheryl Heitmann, Douglas Tucker, and Sue Hughes, Deputy Executive Officer, VCREA. Photo by Gia Allen. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 18th, 2015
Presented at 2nd Annual VCREA Leadership Reception
On Thursday, January 29th, Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance (VCREA) honored its partners for strides in energy savings at the 2nd Annual VCREA Leadership Reception. The event brought together partners and stakeholders to meet, acknowledge the program’s 2014 community impact, and assess goals for the upcoming year. Three new awards were introduced and presented at the event. Douglas Tucker, the Mayor of Fillmore, accepted The Emerging Energy Leader Award on behalf of the City of Fillmore. The Emerging Energy Leader Award recognizes leadership of significant energy savings in a VCREA partner’s own facilities, programs and community outreach. Since 2006, the City of Fillmore has achieved more than 10 percent energy savings through the implementation of energy efficiency programs. In 2014 alone, the City also completed an Energy Action Plan to help identify objectives and strategies to help the city realize its long-term energy efficiency goals and achieved “Gold Tier” denomination in Southern California Edison’s Energy Leader Partnership Program, moving from “Valued Partner” and skipping over “Silver Tier” status. “It is encouraging to see the efforts of all our partners making such a noticeable impact on energy usage throughout the County,” said Sue Hughes, Deputy Executive Officer, VCREA. “Together we are carrying out the mission of being energy stewards for our communities. We look forward to continued collaboration and success in the years to come.” Ventura County was honored with the Energy Saving Impact Award for having the largest total number of Kilowatt hour savings from projects completed in 2014, with over 1.5 million kWH, and the City of Thousand Oaks was honored with Green Community Leadership Award for the city’s extraordinary community outreach and efforts engaging with the residential and business community. VCREA is a Joint Powers Agency composed of different public agencies working to develop and implement energy initiatives that support sensible growth, a healthy environment, and the economy. Last year, 13 organizations were involved with the agency, including Members: the cities of Fillmore, Oxnard, Santa Paula, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura; the County of Ventura; Ventura County Community College District; Ventura Regional Sanitation District and Ventura Unified School District; plus other participating cities: the cities of Camarillo, Moorpark, Ojai, and Port Hueneme. Utility partners are Southern California Gas Company and Southern California Edison. VCREA strives to increase energy efficiency awareness and advance the use of clean, efficient and renewable local resources. Since 2006, VCREA has attained over $3 million dollars in incentives and 22.5 million Kilowatt hours in savings for its partners. About VCREA |
|
By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 18th, 2015
01/14/15 to 01/20/15
 City of Fillmore 01/14/15 |
 On Wednesday, February 4th, at 1:50pm an arrest was made near Waterford and D Streets. The suspect, Donaldo Renee Torres, 28 of Fillmore, was arrested for Petty Crime 1, Stolen Vehicle, and Resisting Arrest. It all began on January 26th when Torres allegedly stole a 2007 Chrysler Sebring. On February 4th Torres was at the Shell Gasoline Station on C Street and Highway 126 filling the tank of the stolen car. Torres was spotted filling gassing up by the cousin of the stolen vehicle’s owner. When the cousin confronted Torres he fled and the cousin was able to return the vehicle to its owner. The police were able to pull field slips and locate photos from a gas station in Santa Paula of the suspect with the stolen vehicle. This gave police probable cause of stealing and possessing a stolen vehicle, which led to the suspect’s arrest. Torres resisted arrest and had to be tasered. Arrest information provided by Police Chief Dave Wareham. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 11th, 2015
|
|
By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Wednesday, February 11th, 2015
 Ventura County Sheriff's Department On 2/4/2015, Ventura County Sheriff’s patrol deputies working the Oak Park area stopped a vehicle for a minor violation. They contacted the driver, James Alvarez and his passengers Elroy Orduno and Albert Penuelas. During the traffic stop, deputies discovered Alvarez was on active probation in Ventura County and the vehicle he was driving belonged to Orduno. They invoked Alvarez’s probation search terms and searched Alvarez and the vehicle. Deputies located two pounds of high grade marijuana inside the vehicle. Deputies arrested all three subjects for conspiracy and possession for sales of marijuana. Deputies later determined Penuelas provided them false identifying information. The deputies were able to determine his true name and discovered he had two outstanding felony warrants. Narcotic Detectives assisted with the investigation and served a search warrant at Orduno’s residence located on the 300 block of Alder Springs Drive in Oak Park. Officers with the Thousand Oaks Directed Enforcement Team (DET) assisted Narcotic Detectives with the service of the search warrant. They contacted and detained Orduno’s girlfriend, Penny Vitela and their two minor children, ages 4 and 6, inside the residence. During the search of the residence, detectives located about two thousand Xanax pills, over 22 grams of methamphetamine, 5 grams of cocaine, small amount of marijuana and a loaded shotgun. The condition of the house was unkempt and some of the drugs were found in locations that were within arm’s reach for the minor children. Based on the circumstances, detectives began a Drug Endangered Children (DEC) investigation. Child Protective Services was contacted and notified of the situation. They immediately responded to assist with the investigation. At the conclusion, Child Protective Services took custody of the children and removed them from the home. The children’s mother, Penny Vitela was arrested for child endangerment and she was later booked into the Main Jail in Ventura. Her bail is set at $50,000 Elroy Orduno was arrested for violations of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana for sale, possession for sale of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, and child endangerment. His bail is set at $70,000 James Alvarez was arrested for Transportation of Marijuana and his bail is set at $50,000 Albert Penuelas was arrested for giving false information to a peace officer and conspiracy to transport marijuana and two felony warrants. All four subjects are set to appear in court on February 6th, at 1:30 PM. Nature of Incident: Narcotics Arrests |
|
By Jean McLeod — Wednesday, February 11th, 2015
City anticipates Fillmore Senior Center, Inc. lawsuit
 On behalf of the City of Fillmore Mayor Douglas Tucker received a Gold plaque presented by Representative Sue Hughes. The City earned the Emerging Energy Leader Award for its energy conservation. The February 10, 2015 Fillmore City Council Meeting was filled to capacity. It began with a proclamation, a reward and an announcement. The Council then went into Closed Session for over two hours discussing the rental agreement with the Fillmore Senior Center Inc. (FSCI) before returning to the Council Chambers. The proclamation was presented to the Fillmore Raiders Cheerleaders for their 2nd National Title. The 2014-15 Raiders Cheerleader Squad are JAZ International Champions. The squad won First Place in Las Vegas on January 25, 2015. The squad members are: Ryleigh Westrup, Angelina Delgadillo, Daniella Lucas, Alyssa Brooks, Tatyana Villella, Hennassy Marquez, Maddie Davis, Aiesa Rodriquez, Jada Plummer, Natalie Cruz, Valeria Cruz, Jazmine Chavez, Sasha Segovia, Alexis VanWhy, Jayni Rolfe, Jordyn Rolfe, Mersaydez Cardona, Lilliana Contreras and Daisy Andrade. The coaches are Caitlin McCall, Taylor Wright, Sadie Ortiz, Tanya Barrera, Tami Rolfe, Ellyse Lucas, Rebecca Ibarra, Tina Hurtado and Lori Nunez. Mayor Doug Tucker spoke of their superior sportsmanship and civic pride adding that many of participants are Honor Role students. The item that kept the Council in closed session for over two hours of discussion was whether to renew the rental By Jean McLeod The February 10, 2015 Fillmore City Council Meeting was filled to capacity. It began with a proclamation, a reward and an announcement. The Council then went into Closed Session for over two hours discussing the rental agreement with the Fillmore Senior Center Inc. (FSCI) before returning to the Council Chambers. The proclamation was presented to the Fillmore Raiders Cheerleaders for their 2nd National Title. The 2014-15 Raiders Cheerleader Squad are JAZ International Champions. The squad won First Place in Las Vegas on January 25, 2015. The squad members are: Ryleigh Westrup, Angelina Delgadillo, Daniella Lucas, Alyssa Brooks, Tatyana Villella, Hennassy Marquez, Maddie Davis, Aiesa Rodriquez, Jada Plummer, Natalie Cruz, Valeria Cruz, Jazmine Chavez, Sasha Segovia, Alexis VanWhy, Jayni Rolfe, Jordyn Rolfe, Mersaydez Cardona, Lilliana Contreras and Daisy Andrade. The coaches are Caitlin McCall, Taylor Wright, Sadie Ortiz, Tanya Barrera, Tami Rolfe, Ellyse Lucas, Rebecca Ibarra, Tina Hurtado and Lori Nunez. Mayor Doug Tucker spoke of their superior sportsmanship and civic pride adding that many of participants are Honor Role students. The item that CONTINUED » |
|
By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Wednesday, February 11th, 2015
 Christopher Hammond A Burglary took place at 8:13am, 100 block E. Telegraph Road, on Sunday, February 8, 2015. The address contains several businesses on the property. Two of the businesses were burglarized sometime during the night. Deputies determined an employee from a third unrelated business, Christopher Hammond, 30, was the suspect. Hammond was on probation for possession of stolen property. Deputies made contact with Hammond and found him in possession of stolen property from both victims. Hammond was arrested for 459 PC. Fillmore detectives and Burglary Investigators notified and responded. |
|
By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Wednesday, February 11th, 2015
 Daniel Freitas On Sunday, February 8, 2015, at approximately 5pm, an alert patrol deputy arrested Daniel Freitas for commercial burglary at the scene of a construction site storage trailer. The deputy was on patrol Sunday near a construction site in the 200 block of Edgewood Drive when he observed Freitas involved in suspicious behavior. Freitas was wearing a hard hat and a yellow vest and appeared to be covering property with a tarp just outside a storage building. Upon making contact with Freitas to investigate the circumstances, the deputy discovered the storage building had been forced open and thousands of dollars in tools removed. Freitas was attempting to conceal the tools then return later and collect them. Freitas was arrested for commercial burglary and booked into the Ventura County Main Jail. His bail was set at $70,000. Prepared by: Detective John Fox |