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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
Frank Mutz surveys the fire damage to the kitchen of his building, formerly Diamond Dave’s Café. On Monday, August 3, Frank and his wife Stacy were at Diamond Dave's Cafe in Fillmore, taking interior and exterior photos of the property at 454 Santa Clara Street that they lease to Dave Burns for his popular restaurant. They finished photographing the property and left, but returned 45 minutes later. And it’s a good thing they did. A kitchen fire had ignited and the Mutz's were met with billows of smoke pouring out of the east kitchen windows. Frank ran inside, while Stacy called 911. He grabbed a fire extinguisher hanging in the kitchen, one of two on the premises. But the flames were already lapping up to the kitchen ceiling and pressured cans were starting to explode, forcing Frank out of the area. Fillmore Fire Department, and Ventura County and City Fire arrived within 15 minutes of the 911 call. It took two hours to extinguish the fire. "I want to thank the fire departments for treating it with such urgency," stated Frank. "They got it out pretty quickly, considering," added Stacy. The fire caused over $250,000 in damages, but that figure is not final until the insurance company makes its final determination, stated the couple. The fire was caused by large appliances plugged into an electrical outlet behind the stove. The overload caused an outlet arc fault which sparked the fire, according to Stacy and Frank. The Mutz’s have owned the building since 2004 and ran a restaurant out of it from 2004 to 2006, when the leased it to Burns. Frank and Stacy plan on reopening the business themselves. "We can't wait to get it reopened again for all our customers, and see all their friendly faces," said Stacy. "I miss them all and think about them often." |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
A 25-year old woman was raped at a Lake Piru campground between 12 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. Sunday, August 16th. She was attacked near a restroom, and did not know her attacker before that night. The woman had been partying and drinking. The man fled after the attack. Major Crimes detectives are actively working the case, stated Captain Tim Hagel, Fillmore’s Police Chief. |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
 A three-vehicle collision happened Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of Highway 126 and B Street. No injuries were reported. Two vehicles received relatively minor damage. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
 Peter Egedi Nature of Incident: Arrest of Former Fillmore Fire Chief Location: Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility Date & Time: August 11, 2009 9:00am Unit Responsible: Special Services Division / Major Crimes Bureau A) Egedi, Peter Karl, age 40. On Tuesday, August 11, 2009, Peter Egedi surrendered himself to detectives of the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau pursuant to an arrest warrant. He was subsequently booked at the Main Jail for violation of California Penal Code sections 487PC – Grand Theft and 504PC – Embezzlement by a Public Officer. Egedi, the former Chief of the Fillmore Volunteer Fire Department was the subject of a lengthy investigation that began in April of 2008 into allegations that he had misappropriated Fire Department funds. Officer Preparing Release: Official report: Docket Date all counts: August 10, 2009: Complaint filed on 08/10/09 09:23:41 by Ventura County District Attorney. Felony charge 504 (PC) filed as count 1 with violation date of 03/22/05-Embezzlement by Public or Private Officer: CONTINUED » |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
 John Wooner speaks to the council on the City of Fillmore’s 2009-2010 Budget. On August 11, 2009, Fillmore City Council held its third Budget Workshop as part of the development of a 2009-2010 budget. The Council plans to adopt the final budget after a formal public hearing on August 25th. At the previous workshops, on July 23rd and 28th, Transitional City Manager Larry Pennell expressed concerns that the City would suffer a financial crisis in the middle of the 2010-2011 fiscal year if spending were not curbed to match projected decreases in revenue. The Council directed staff and John Wooner, a consultant who had been hired to help with budget preparation, to incorporate suggested cuts and other recommendations into the budget. The budget was revised on August 10th. After a general overview of the changes, the Council reviewed the budget funds almost page-by-page, asking questions, making corrections, and requesting changes. Wooner hopes to receive the last of the Council's change requests by August 14th, so that he will have time to incorporate the changes into the final budget to be presented on August 25th. Wooner had been hired, on Pennell's recommendation, to reformat the budget. On July 23rd, Wooner presented the Budget in a new format as a series of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. The formatting changes to the budget do not indicate a shift in accounting practices, but are expected to make the budget more transparent to increase its usefulness as a management tool. The new format is expected to provide City employees, Council members, and the public with a budget that is easier to read, analyze, and manage. The Council will be able to see spending patterns on a monthly basis. The previous budget format was more line-item oriented, and items were identified by fund and divisions within each fund. The new format shows a summary page, detail page, and salaries page for each fund. The August 10th version of the 2009-2010 budget will be available for download in pdf form at www.fillmoreca.com CONTINUED » |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
The hit Fox Network series “Bones” was fi lming in Fillmore on Monday, August 10 on Grand Avenue and Old Telegraph. Shown is a FBI van used in fi lming. Bones is an American drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensics and police procedurals in which each episode focuses on an FBI case fi le concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth to the forensic anthropology team of Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan. Emily Deschanel stars in the title role, opposite David Boreanaz as Special Agent Seeley Booth. The rest of the cast includes Michaela Conlin, T. J. Thyne, Eric Millegan, Tamara Taylor and John Francis Daley. The series, created by Hart Hanson, is very loosely based on the life of forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, who is a producer on the show. Its title character, Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan is named after the protagonist of Reichs’ crime novel series. Bones is a joint production by Josephson Entertainment, Far Field Productions and 20th Century Fox Television. The fourth season premiered on September 3, 2008 on Fox. In the UK, it aired on Sky1 on Thursdays, starting on September 25.[3] The show was picked up for two more seasons, with the fi fth season set to premiere September 17, 2009 on Fox. |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
 Ventura County Sheriff's Department 07/22/09-08/09/09 |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
 A crowd gathered in Central Park on Monday, August 3, to watch the Fillmore Fire Department and supporting units fight a fire at a popular restaurant. At approximately 9:55a.m. the City of Fillmore Fire Department responded to a report of a kitchen fire at Diamond Dave’s Cafe located at 454 Santa Clara Avenue, Fillmore. Upon arriving on scene firefighters observed heavy smoke from the rear entrance and rooftop of the structure. Shortly after entering the structure, firefighters were able to launch an aggressive attack resulting in minimal damage to three rooms and the exterior of the structure. The fire was knocked down within 15 minutes of the arrival of the first unit. The restaurant was closed at the time of the incident preventing any injuries to occupants or bystanders. Additional resources from the City of Santa Paula and County of Ventura were requested shortly after the time of dispatch. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The building is owned by Frank and Stacy Mutz and was leased by Dave Burns. Enlarge Photo  A neighbor quickly attempted to assist with fighting the fire, and stayed with it for about 20 minutes. Enlarge Photo  The smoke was thick, and filled the entire structure. No injuries occurred and no structural damage. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
 A concrete slab which had supported a temporary classroom at San Cayetano is being converted to a patio, and there will be steps from the patio to the kindergarten play area. Enlarge Photo Board Member Tony Prado presided over the Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting on August 4, 2009. The Board reviewed salary schedules for the upcoming year, heard an update on facilities repairs and improvements, heard plans for welcoming staff back to school, and approved a bus contract. School will start on August 19, 2009. Superintendent Jeff Sweeney said that staff were being welcomed back to school on Monday, August 17, 2009. Sweeney said on that Monday staff will receive training on the new data management system, Zangle, which Assistant Superintendent Mike Bush has been working to roll out. The motivational guest speaker for the day will be Jeff Eben (www.jeffeben.com). Teachers will be setting up classrooms on August 18th. The Board postponed approval of the 2009-2010 Salary Schedules, because Board Members John Garnica and David Dollar were absent. Materials handed out at the Board meeting consisted of: the Certificated Salary Schedule, the Certificated Salary Schedule with Longevity, rates for Hourly Teaching Assignments, description of rates for Extra Services by Counselors, description of rates for Extra Period Teaching Assignments, the Extra Pay Schedule (Stipends), the School Psychologist/Coordinator Salary Schedule, the Management Salary Schedule with Longevity, Classified Job Titles and Longevity, the Classified Salary Schedule, and the Supervisory Employees Salary Schedule with Longevity. Substitute teachers’ pay rates were not included. Bush noted that approving the Schedules was a formality, and that the Schedules merely implemented decisions that the Board had previously made. Sweeney noted that the Certificated Salary Schedule includes the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association’s 1% raise. Bush noted that the Management Salary Schedule includes reductions to the number of days worked per year. When Prado asked whether the Schedules contained anything controversial, Bush replied that some people were not happy with working a shorter year but the Board had already considered that issue. Bush explained that he needs the Schedules approved to issue August paychecks, but said that the Board could approve them on August 18th, which is before paychecks would have been issued anyway. CONTINUED » |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that the Real Estate Fraud Division and Consumer Protection Division have concluded a civil prosecution conducted against real estate businesses owned and operated by Oscar Soto Vasquez (DOB: 11/30/71) of Fillmore and his wife Delia. Vasquez, along with his loan company, Quest Home Loans, Inc. (“Quest”), dba Quest Mortgage of Oxnard, and his realty company, Real Estate Vision, Inc. (“REV”), dba Century 21 New Vision of Oxnard, and Vasquez’s wife, Delia Vasquez (DOB: 05/25/71) of Fillmore, agreed to pay restitution, civil penalties and costs of the suit. The Final Judgment and Permanent Injunction were signed this afternoon by Judge Frederick Bysshe. An investigation of Quest was initiated by the District Attorney’s Office in 2005 after Quest was determined to be the most prolific advertiser in local Spanish-language media for home loans and refinancing services. The Office began an investigation into whether Quest was providing written Spanish translations of loan documents written in English to its Spanish-speaking customers as required by law. The investigation discovered that Quest only provided documents in English. CONTINUED » |