To the Editor:
Thank you for reporting on John Wilson. It saddens me that innocent people and their property were injured or harmed, but doubly so to see a once good man spiral down. John Wilson has long history in Ventura County, he was a pillar of the community, a paramedic, a good guy. Then he did a very bad thing by tampering with narcotics at the ambulance company and possibly the fire dept. He may admit to doing it for 1 year, but some wonder if he may have been doing it for far longer.
Do you know why he hasn't been indicted, faced trial, or spent substantial time behind bars yet?
It seems odd to me that someone could tamper-with drugs "for a year in what may be the largest case of its kind in California history," and be allowed to remain free and be a threat to the public. When Narcotics are tampered with, not only are patients pain needlessly not relieved, but they're also in danger of becoming sick from foreign contaminants.
The New England Journal of Medicine: Serratia marcescens Bacteremia Traced to an Infused Narcotic.
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/346/20/1529
I don't want to see this man suffer, rather, I want to see him rehabilitated. The fact that he's still taking suboxone almost 2 years later, tells me that his addiction was very bad and he possibly isn't getting the best treatment or not sticking to the treatment. Our healthcare industry needs to do a better job of keeping our people healthy. Today it takes a big person to come forward and admit they have a problem with addiction. Our system needs to be changed so you don't need to be a big person to come forward. Entry into the system that gets healthcare professionals rehabilitated from addiction needs to be made simpler and easier for those who would otherwise feel ashamed or fearful of coming forward. Many impaired healthcare professionals, like John, became that way after an accident, injury or other traumatic event. We owe them and the public they serve a first class system of rehabilitation. Let's create one now, before another knucklehead allows their addict thinking to justify tampering with the pain relievers reserved for the public we serve.
Bringing awareness of his situation to the citizens of Ventura County will greatly help our society as a whole.
Thank you,
Aimin Alton

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To the Editor:
Mr. Farrell,
With all due respect, in response to your web response to my letter printed in Thursday's paper, April 15, I have copied and pasted below the front page article from which I quoted. It was not an editorial, but a news story. Please notice that in lines 4 and 5, the writer did say, "bussed...by the school district". If anyone still has their copy of last week's newspaper, it's still right there on the front page for all to see. The information was more than implied--it was directly stated, but thank-you for acknowledging your error and for your commendation of the Piru parents' efforts.
The title was Commission Recommends Charter School for Piru. The erroneous line was, “Approximately 70 anti-charter persons were bussed from Piru to Sacramento by the school district for the purpose of protesting the charter.”
Sincerely,
Christina Wilson
Fillmore

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To the Editor:
SAVING THE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL
Mr Sweeney definitely does not speak for the majority of parents of Piru when he's quoted as saying "The families of Piru do not want their school converted to charter". another quote as " Piru School is a neighborhood school and the center of the town and charter takes away local control". He couldn't be more wrong! Call us the silent majority if you will. In other words I am glad he shares the same beliefs as thee pro charter supporters and those who just wanted there only school that's in such poor conditions for over to many years now. That has not been maintained by our district and tired of empty promises. I'm glad he share's the same beliefs as the pro charter supporters and the supporters of a healthier school who want to take back our school from the Fillmore Unified School District who we believe have failed us. If Mr Sweeney and Assistant Superintendent Mike Bush had paid more attention to Piru School earlier, maybe we would not be where we are right now.
What matters most to the district is the money they will lose if Piru goes charter and not the children and our community that has this one school that belongs to the district to manage and take care of. Assistant Mike Bush is being quoted as saying the district would lose $7500.00 per student if the charter school is approved. Is Mr Bush admitting that the district needs our money to help fund the projects elsewhere in the district? That explains why our school is in poor condition's. Mr Sweeney and Mr Bush how can you sleep at night when our children are in a classroom that has a leaky roof and their teacher still manages to teach the children. A kindergarten class with no playground for them that has been condemned for over 10 years. Classroom's that have been condemned due to the termites who made it there castle. We are still waiting for replacements that have been promised and yet another classroom on its way to be condemned. A walk way that our people have tripped because it's cracking and sinking. A cafeteria and our Auditorium that our beautiful children are in a spot so that they can have music and play in a band. How we admire our band Teacher to make that location work for our kids to have music in our school. At the same time Piru is now out growing because we are growing.
The red headed step child has had enough and now wants to try living with the real parent, but the step parent is going to loose all the child support money, so he's scrambling to act like he really cares. After all Mr Sweeney isn't that what this is all about, the money that the district stands to loose if Piru goes charter. If the district really cared about the children of Piru's education and the community of Piru they would have from the start when parents wanted to fix their school them selves and invited you to come and still choose not to care and ignored us. It's really sad that it took the Ventura County Board of Education to tell the Fillmore School Board the condition of Piru School was UNACCEPTABLE.
May there be less and less brain washing that has been imposed on you. That you make your own decision with out being bullied. What parent wouldn't jump at the chance to send their children to a free better school. No one is driving away the children of Piru to attend other schools other than the district and those who are using bully tactics to do so. Keep your minds and hearts open!
Signed
The Silent Majority with the Parents united y Padres Uni dos

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To the Editor:
As a parent of two Piru Elementary School students I realize there has been an enormous divide among the parents and staff of our school this year. People have and always will disagree over education reform, restructuring of schools and educational material content. In the end someone always wins and we must agree to disagree. In all of these discussions where is the most important factor? Our Children! All the children of the Fillmore and Piru communities! They are not monitory items to be bartered with they are children.
My concern is for the safety of all the children in our communities. On January 28, 2010 I was on the Piru Elementary School campus and witnessed their first fire drill of the 2009-2010 school year. I observed the fire alarm bell in the room I was in to be quite low and in my perception hard to hear. I was also told later that day that the Fire Alarm bell did not work at all in two upper grade classrooms. The principal of the school was notified of the problem that day thou not by me. On February 9, 2010 I along with other concerned parents of Piru Elementary filed Williams Act complaints with the FUSD district office. There were numerous hazards sited, the fire alarm not working and being hard to hear were among the complaints. On March 25, 2010, I received the districts response to these complaints. This is FUSD response to the fire alarm issue and I quote, “Not an immediate threat to health and safety.”
Does that sound like an expectable response to you? To me it was not. The safety of our children is at stake. I have appealed this and other Williams Act complaints to the state but I feel this matter deserves immediate attention. I attended the FUSD School Board Meeting on April 13 to plead my case. I was asked my motives, it was implied that I was a liar and at one point a board member threw her arms in the air and said, “this is ridicules’” when referring to the complaints posed to the board. Never the less the fire alarms were tested, with me present and it was agreed that they cannot be heard in two classrooms.
The FUSD Superintendants and the FUSD School Board need to address this matter immediately.
My motives are simple. The children of our communities deserve to have safe, hazard free schools to attend. How can we expect them to thrive in an environment were they are not safe. Everyone needs to put aside their differences and put the focus back were it belongs, on the children.
One of many concerned Parents at Piru Elementary.

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To The Editor:
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all those who contributed to the success of Fillmore High School's twelfth annual arts show "Art Unleashed". It takes a lot of people and a lot of hard work, dedication and talent to coordinate an event such as this. Thank you to Fillmore Lions Club, Fillmore High School ASB and Lucy Quezada-Romero for your donations and for being a patron of this event for the past 12 years. Thank you to the Administration at Fillmore High School for your ongoing commitment to this event, and to Principal John Wilber who has seen to it that we get what we need to keep the show going year after year… To the staff and teachers at FHS who supported the student’s efforts and allowed students to take part in hanging the show…To the custodial staff- Larry, Baldo, and Tony thanks for helping with breaking down the show. Special thanks to Greg Godfrey and the fantastic members of the Fillmore High School Concert Band and the Fillmore High School Jazz Band who played at the event- the musical concert helped to make the evening a resounding success… To Mary Ellen Wortham and FHS photo department and Mr. Henry Beltran and the woodshop classes for your artwork. … To Josh Overton, the drama department and the poetry club for the outstanding performances. Thank you to the parents and the community who attended the show and helped to make this a special night for the students. Last, but not least, to all the student artists, actors, poets, and musicians who put in numerous hours preparing for this event, hosting and cleaning up after a long day and night- especially my Art students and former students who came back to help- thank you- without you there couldn't be a show. I am very proud of all of you.
Rosalind Mitzenmacher
Fillmore High School Art Departmen