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 »

The City of Fillmore Fire Department is proud to announce they have been awarded a grant by State Farm Insurance Agency in the amount of $1,500. The money received will be used to purchase a much needed electrical generator for the Children’s Learn not to Burn Fire Safety Trailer. This trailer serves as an integral part of the City of Fillmore’s ongoing campaign to educate local youth on the dangers found within their homes.

State Farm Insurance Agency has been a longtime supporter of the City of Fillmore Fire Department with their most recent grant award being one of several contributions received over the past six years. Through their generous dedication and commitment to the community of Fillmore, State Farm has provided upwards of $35,000 in grant funding to numerous projects throughout our agency. Grants such as these play an important role in providing an opportunity for projects that would otherwise be unobtainable due to budgetary shortfalls.

One specific area the insurance agency has continued to provide funding for is the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program. Established in early 200, upwards of 300 Fillmore residents have been provided extensive seven week training on emergency response, free of charge.

Rich McKee, President of Californians Aware, is deciding whether to pursue the City of Fillmore for yet another alleged Brown Act violation. On December 3rd McKee presented the city with a letter for Demand for Correction for an alleged violation on the Council’s November 24th agenda concerning “Existing Litigation…Richard P. McKee v. City of Fillmore; Ventura County Superior Court…” No such litigation existed on November 24, 2009, according to McKee. The “pending litigation” referred to McKee’s lawsuit against the city for three previous Brown Act violations. McKee, and his attorney Kelly A. Aviles, contend that the litigation was no longer “pending”, having been settled on November 16, 2009.

In his Demand, McKee sought two remedies at the December 8th council meeting: first, the council was to announce that it violated the Brown Act on November 24, 2009, by agendizing and holding a closed session…when in fact the litigation identified did not exist; and second, disclosure of the entire discussion had in that improperly held closed session.

The City sees it differently. At the December 8th meeting City Attorney CONTINUED »

Sheila Tate

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley is pleased to announce the appointment of volunteer Sheila Tate as the Clubs Interim Chief Professional Officer. Sheila has generously volunteered to take this leadership role, with the goal of leading the Club, with its five Clubhouses and six after-school sites, as it moves forward in this challenging economic environment.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley has three Clubhouses serving Fillmore and Piru, the Neil C. Schmidt Clubhouse in North Fillmore, the Fillmore Clubhouse on First Street and the Rancho Sespe Clubhouse in the Rancho Sespe Apartments on Telegraph Rd., between Fillmore and Piru, the two Clubhouses in Santa Paula include the Las Piedras Clubhouse (sharing space with the Santa Paula Police Storefront on 13th St.) and the Harvard Clubhouse on Harvard Blvd. After-School sites are located at Barbara Webster Elementary, Thelma Bedell, Glen City School, McKevett School Blanchard School and Grace Thille School.

Sheila approached the board with her offer to help as a CONTINUED »

Scott Beylik and Mike Richardson, Fillmore community leaders in agriculture, have been selected to participate in the California Agricultural Leadership Program (CALP), one of the premier agricultural leadership opportunities in the United States. Their class, the 40th selected in the program’s history, was recently inaugurated in Sacramento.

The priorities for CALP are to create leaders who can make change for the long-term viability of California agriculture, are able to engage and positively influence society, and can participate in communication networks that enhance California agriculture. It has been in operation since 1969 and has more than 1,000 alumni, including such leaders as U.S. Reps. Devin Nunes and George Radanovich, Secretary of Food and Agriculture A.G. Kawamura, Secretary for Natural Resources Mike Chrisman, state Sen. Abel Maldonado, Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, and Department of Pesticide Regulation Director Mary-Ann Warmerdam. Graduates are leaders in their communities and in the agriculture industry.

“The way to succeed in life is to know how to change with CONTINUED »