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Please excuse this unusual informality.

Well, I’m sitting down to write my column at 11:15 PM. Just got back from a devastating house fire. Before that, I had just returned from a long school board meeting concerning the Drag Queen show at an after-school organization designed to assist children with various youth challenges. The audience contained quite a few out-of-towners and demonstrated vigorous pro and con speakers.

Please note: To stop widespread false rumors, it should be noted that neither the Fillmore City Council nor the Fillmore School Board had anything to do with organizing the One Step A La Vez Drag Queen event reported by the Gazette on June 29. Two Council members attended that event on their own time. I have requested information from school Superintendent, Christine Schieferle, about possible presence of One Step A La Vez on the school campus. I apologize to Mrs. Schieferle for the short lead time provided for an answer, but the last 24 hours have been very busy. I’m assured the Gazette will be provided with accurate facts, and I thank the Superintendent for her consideration.

The theater room was packed with a considerate, orderly, and highly involved audience last night. I think everyone appreciated that. More details to follow.
Martin Farrell, Publisher

(l-r) is Fillmore’s Caleb Salazar & Gabriel Lopez who competed with their Simi Valley 9U All-Star team in the PONY Baseball Zone Tournament in Walnut, California this past weekend. Now they will play in the 2023 Pony International Mustang 9U World Series to take place Friday, July 21, 2023. Live stream the game at https://bnproductions.uscreen.io/.
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Gabriel Lopez and Caleb Salazar, both of Fillmore, battled it out with their Simi Valley 9U All-Star team this past weekend July 15 & 16, 20223 in the PONY baseball Zone Tournament in Walnut, California.

The duo helped their team clinch a spot on the International stage. Where their team is one of two in the State of California to compete in the tournament of teams featured from around the globe.

Teams from Japan, Mexico, Honduras along with four other teams from the United States will participate in the 2023 Pony International Mustang 9U World Series. The tournament begins July 21, 2023 at Keating Park in Vacaville, California. The boys will face off with their first opponent Mexico Los Mochis 5p.m. on Friday night. The Championship game will be held Monday, July 24, 2023. Gabriel and Caleb are excited for this once-in-a lifetime opportunity to represent their community on such a big stage. “Their big dreams are now reality”. You can live stream the game at https://
bnproductions.uscreen.io/.

Two Council members received numerous complaints for attending the One Step A La Vez Drag Queen production a few weeks ago. Mayor Mark Austin made a point of stating this was not a Council sponsored event.
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July 11, 2023
All agenda items approved 4-0
9.A NEW BUSINESS 9.A PUBLIC HEARING: CONSIDERATION OF AN INTERIM URGENCY ORDINANCE EXTENDING FOR 10 MONTHS AND 15 DAYS A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OR EXPANSION OF RECREATIONAL VEHICLE STORAGE AND SELF-SERVE STORAGE FACILITIES WITHIN CITY LIMITS, DECLARING THE URGENCY THEREOF, AND FINDING AN EXEMPTION UNDER THE CALIFORNIA
9.B 1. Adopt Resolution 23-3949 to extend the declaration of a local emergency arising from the collapse of a sewer manhole which rendered the downstream pipeline unusable.
9-C REQUEST: That the City Council provide staff direction on the preferred style and color to allow staff to prepare a bid specification and bid a project to construct new shade structures over the tot-lots at Two Rivers Park and Dolores Day Park.
9-D RECOMMENDATION That the City Council approve using American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) funds in the amount of $150,000 to support the Spirit of Santa Paula in Fiscal Year 2023-2024.
9-E RECOMMENDATION: Provide direction on the request to sponsor up to $25,000 for the County of Ventura’s 150th Anniversary Celebration.
All agenda items approved 4-0

Courtesy https://explorelakepiru.com/

Dear Lake Piru Visitors:

It’s been an unprecedented year for rainfall throughout the state and there is an abundance of available water. In addition, the coming year’s forecast is shaping up to be a second straight wet year. To help other regions prepare for significant flood mitigation and to take advantage of the opportunity of the excess available water that can be put to beneficial use here in Ventura County, beginning on July 10, 2023, we will begin drawing down the reservoir level in Lake Piru, using the water to recharge groundwater basins in the Piru, Fillmore, Santa Paula, and Oxnard areas. This recharge operation also helps to fight seawater intrusion along the coast, another extremely beneficial use of this water.

The draw down will take several weeks/months so that swimming, fishing and boating will still be possible at Lake Piru through summer. We fully anticipate, however, that come November, we will once again be filling the reservoir as excess State Water from Northern California becomes available and winter storms bring more runoff. For information on how the water in Lake Piru benefits the region, please visit the United Water Conservation District (owners and operators of Lake Piru and the Santa Felicia Dam) website at www.unitedwater.org.

Personal watercraft (PWCs) will be limited to no more than 20 units on the reservoir at any given time. No vessels will be permitted past the 5 mph buoy line at the Reservoir’s South End near Santa Felicia Dam. This area will remain closed until further notice.