To the Editor:
GEORGE FLOYD
I have seen conversations on social media talking about organizing a protest here in Fillmore in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. I want to speak to those organizing and to anyone who may be considering participating in the protest.
First, I want to let you know that, the entire country agrees with your cause. We all mourn the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer and that officer has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Sheriff Ayub has condemned the police officers in Minneapolis saying, “The actions of the four officers last Monday cannot be justified or rationalized.”
I support your constitutional right to peacefully protest for your cause. I, and the city, will work with any group in a positive way. Let the world know how strongly you feel about the events of last week. Do so as Martin Luther King and Gandhi, with peace in your hearts and actions, and you will find that the country is on your side. Let’s all work together to make positive improvements.
Tim Holmgren Mayor, City of Fillmore

To the Editor:
Recently we have been hearing comments that the death toll from the Corona Virus could be over stated. I wondered how or why that would happen. After doing a little checking I learned why this is the case. It seems that a hospital is reimbursed an average of $5,000 for a patient diagnosed with pneumonia. If that same patient is diagnosed with Corona Virus the hospital receives an average payment of $13,000 and if the patient is put on a ventilator the average payment goes up to $39,000. I am not implying that doctors purposely misdiagnose their patients. On the contrary, the CDC has put out guidelines opening the door for doctors to use discretion when weighing the facts. Even without lab results confirming the Corona Virus diagnosis the Doctor may list the disease as Corona Virus. And with a major financial incentive why wouldn’t the Corona Virus take center stage.
The other question I have is why we are now told to wear a cloth face mask. “While masks may block some droplets, Dr. Fauci Said, they do not provide the level of protection people think they do. Wearing a mask may also have unintended consequences: People who wear masks tend to touch their face more often to adjust them, which can spread germs from their hands. When Dr. Fauci first announced the need to lock down the country the death toll estimate was 2.2 million people in the United States could die. The number was later reduced to between 100,000 and 200,000, and that number was later reduced to around 60,000. The politicians have told us we must sequester at home, close all our non essential businesses close are schools, we are not allowed to go to church, or the theater, or the ball game or, anything else that brings people together. We are releasing criminals while arresting law abiding citizens who just want to support their family. Our rights are being trampled on without a legislator ever voting on a bill to empower the governor to exercise such authority.
There were 61,000 deaths from the flu during the 2017-2018 flu season in the United States. Strange that the press did not even mention it. I guess they were to busy trying to convince us that President Trump colluded with the Russians. So now the question is who do you believe? The press that has been lying to us for the past three years or Doctors who keep changing their mind regarding the severity of the Virus. Are we being lead like a bunch of Lemmings down a false trail? Finding facts defining the extent of the Corona Virus is not difficult. Take the time to question what you hear and decide for yourself what the truth is. Don’t be a Lemming.
David Johnson,
Fillmore Ca 93015

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To the Editor:
A family member who consumes primarily conservative media said just 13 days ago “The U.S. death toll will never reach 100,000” while making an argument against physical distancing and comparing Covid19 with the 1968 “Hong-Kong Flu.”
I don’t know what conservative media host my family member got this comparison from but a simple internet search combined with a little thinking-for-yourself would quickly reveal the reasons why we need physical distancing for Covid19.
The Hong-Kong Flu was in the U.S. for 2 years and killed approximately 100,000 Americans.
Covid19 has been in the U.S. for only 5 months and we've already hit the 100,000 dead Americans mark, AND, most of the country has been physically distancing.
If we didn’t do, and don’t continue to do, any physical distancing, over the next year and a half, several models show approximately 2.2 million Americans will be dead.
For people who like to compare Covid19 to the annual seasonal flu or automobile accident deaths, here’s a comparison for you. After 2 years of Covid19, with no physical distancing, we would have more dead Americans than The Revolutionary War, The War of 1812, The Indian Wars, The Mexican War, The Civil War, The Spanish-American War, World War 1, World War 2, The Korean War, The Vietnam War, The Persian Gulf War, and The Global War on Terror COMBINED, and then take that number and multiply it by 2.
I recognize people are being harmed financially, but you need to have a life to have a livelihood.
Let’s all pressure congress and disinfectant-huffer Don in the White House for more financial relief to all who need it.
Scott Duckett,
Fillmore

To the Editor:
Coronavirus observations
Enough is enough!!!! According to reliable doctors {without an agenda.} the chance of dying from this virus is .08% in California. In other words you have as many chances to die from a car accident. So why is our governor so determined to destroy the economy of our state? “For our own safety” is his excuse. Are we not capable of taking care of our own safety? | think it is time to stop acting like sheep willing to follow without questions.
Huguette Johnson
Fillmore, Ca.

To the Editor:
Re: Huguette Johnson’s “Coronavirus observations” Letter to the Editor.
It’s too early to establish a reliable death rate for Covid19 but it’s clearly more deadly than the seasonal flu. Even with our current physical distancing measures in place, Covid19 will kill far more people than a bad flu season. The daily U.S. death rate from Covid19 is currently higher than the daily U.S. death rate from car accidents, cancer, heart disease, etc., besides, it’s nonsensical to compare a highly contagious airborne virus to automobile accidents. Automobile accidents are not airborne, not going to sneeze on you, not contagious, and that’s why physical distancing measures are necessary and have already saved 100’s of thousands of lives.
Scott Duckett,
Fillmore

To the Editor:
In the tension and uncertainty of the times, it occurs to me that perhaps what is needed is a little humor, and, because there is so little of it to find, my letter will be quite brief. It doesn’t even have to be intended humor.
This week I found, past all the relentless appearances of the president disputing the scientists, doctors and governors regarding governmental assistance and response in this emergency, one really comical Tweet from the President of the United States. Mark this: the USA is not going to pay for the security for Harry and Meghan, if they relocate to LA LA Land. He has too much respect for the Queen. Because that is the kind of news our country is so desperately seeking at this difficult time for the Sussexes.
It’s a window on Trump's mind. Not the fact that the number of masks available are wildly insufficient (he suggested that somebody is getting them "out the back door" in NYC, that ventilators in federal government reserve are not all being released, and that the president rewards only governors and states that “have been nice to him.” Because, you know, “it’s a two-way street.” Google it.
The test of government is whether it resolves problems for the benefit of all the people. It exists for no other reason.
Kelly Scoles
Fillmore CA

To the Editor:
March 13, 2020
I’m sorry folks but I find myself having to write in response to Kelly Scoles. This time she has taken on the mantel of Corona Virus expert and social guru. For a woman who says she does not hate President Trump she does a poor job of hiding it.
Let’s put some things into perspective. Yes the Corona Virus is a nasty virus and yes it has killed some people but it will not destroy our country. Remember the last pandemic that the news media told us about. The year was 2009 and it was called the Swine Flu. We were told it would have a major effect on our health system. When all the dust had settled we were left with the following statics. A total of 60 million American had contracted the Swine Flu. Of that 60 million 300,000 were hospitalized and 18,000 died from the Swine Flu. The main difference between then and now was that Barack Obama was president. There was no way the press was going to call him incompetent even if he did not make a public announcement until over 1,000 people had died. As of March 12" 40 Americans have died from the Corona Virus. The State of Washington is responsible for 70% of those fatalities. And 77% of the fatalities in Washington State were residents of one nursing home. Another interesting fact is that no one under the age of 50 has died from the Corona Virus in the United States. So that begs the question, why are we cancelling all the sporting activities? Why is the press constantly pounding us with dire predictions of gloom and doom? Could it be this is politically motivated? The press has been trying to convince us a recession is just around the corner. Is this an attempt to convince the American people to stay home and not spend any money? That’s a good way to put a damper on the economy. Let’s apply some common sense and use caution when going out in public, but let’s not succumb to the irrational hysteria we are being pummeled with by a politically motivated news media.
Huguette Johnson
Fillmore, Ca

To the Editor:
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that I did not hate Trump, but that I feared him. This last two weeks are one illustration of why.
This administration forfeited a near-month long heads up about Covid-19 because our president believed the virus was a “foreign problem,” against explicit warnings by his health advisors who are experts in the spread of disease. Surprisingly, when he eventually passed to the scientifically-challenged VP the responsibility for the health task force, some truth finally emerged. Dr. Tony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergic and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in a televised meeting of the task force, had to wrestle with Trump over how long a vaccine would take. On Sunday TV shows Fauci had to defend his commitment to the truth about the virus, to insist that vaccines will take a year or more, not the three or four months prediction the president “prefers.”
It is reported that, from the very beginning, the president argued not to tell the public about the true characteristics of the virus so as not to “spook the markets.” Trump wanted to keep a boatload of passengers to remain aboard a stricken vessel near San Francisco so “the numbers will be better…and it’s not our (his) fault.” Trump brays that lower prices at the gas pump mean savings for citizens and ignores the fact that we are now oil self-sufficient; Houston, we have a problem. He assured us that “everyone who needs a test can have one,” only to be corrected by his own health advisors. And still, he publicly laments that “maybe he should have been a doctor” he is so brilliant about medicine. Clearly, he lives an alternate reality.
This is where the fear emerges. Trump, contrary to his claims, clearly knows nothing about epidemiology, despite efforts to inform him, and would rather control the story to his political advantage than solve the problem. It’s not so much that he
doesn’t know; what is frightening is that he refuses to listen to those who do. He cut funding to all health organizations responsible for containing infectious disease over the last three years. An expensive lesson for Mr. Trump. And for us. The truth is, we have never been able to trust this president to manage this crisis or any other. He is his own expert in all things. Remember, “I know more about ISIS than the generals do.” “I think I know about it [the economy] better than [the Federal Reserve]. “ “Technology — nobody knows more about technology than me.” “Who knows more about lawsuits than I do? I’m the king.” “I know more about courts than any human being on Earth.” “I, alone can fix it.” A man who knows everything can learn nothing. And that is a frightening situation when that person is the president of the United States.
We are now past containment and into mitigation of the virus. You know all the rules about hand washing, etc. Stay healthy.
Kelly Scoles
Fillmore CA

To the Editor:
One concerning issue coming our way is the coronavirus which originated in Wuhan, China. World travel being what it is, protection against pandemics requires transparency, long-term and short-term preparations, and the funding to support them. The coronavirus sheds light on the administration’s lack of understanding and preventable failures in meeting this and future health threats.
COVID-19 is still considered a fairly low risk to Americans, but U.S. health officials have been warning for over a month that a pandemic was a significant threat, with very little response from our government. Now, when the threat appears to be gaining steam worldwide, our president rants that Democrats are weaponizing the threat to hurt the stock market and make him look bad. Don Jr. declared that Democrats are hoping the virus kills millions of Americans to end his father's "winning streak." How small, self-centered, and miserable do people have to be to make such hateful statements? But, it is a chance to once again play victim.
VP Mike Pence is the new coronavirus czar though he has no medical background and barely believes in science. He managed to expedite the spread of HIV as governor of Indiana by banning needle exchange (go ahead and inject with your infected friend's needle). The president, when the threat became apparent this last week, did try to fund anti-virus efforts by offering up 37 million dollars designated to help poor people obtain winter heating oil as funding against the contagion. What a guy.
When the Obamacare (ACA) was passed in 2010, it established and financed the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF), but Republicans have worked to undermine that law (and all things Obama). When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law in 2018, it cut $750 million from the PPHF. The significant reduction in funding to the PPHF has been accompanied by cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and staffing has been slashed. In 2018, the Trump administration further diverted millions of dollars from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The Trump administration’s budget for 2020 proposes additional drastic cuts to public health and the CDC. Mercifully, those proposals are unlikely “wins” for the administration in either the House or Senate, certainly now. But we are already unprepared because of the lack of funding in the prior three years.
Trump, as always, wants to gut the U.S. contribution to international organizations, specifically the World Health Organization (WHO), whining as he always does that other countries are not paying their fair share. Trump again fails to see that disease (like failed alliances for national security with NATO) puts everyone at risk in a world that grows smaller every day. Disease knows no national borders and this virus is not the last threat we will see.
Just as he does in taking his Sharpie to facts and programs and maps he doesn't like, Trump believes that saving his own presidential hide is the true bottom line. In fact, it is the health and welfare of the nation. He gambled that the health funding wouldn't be needed, and he lost.
Kelly Scoles
Fillmore, Ca

To the Editor:
Ms. McLeod’s assertion that I hate the president is incorrect. I save my hate for adults in authority who shield abusers, particularly of children. These would include abusing and abuse-tolerant clergy and of offenders in the Boy Scouts of America. It is correct, however, that while I respect the office, I do not respect many of the actions, statements, unconstitutional acts and uncivilized norms of this president.
This is a man with incredibly errant morals, in words and actions. He mocks others, including persons with disabilities, a prisoner-of-war American hero, and even gold-star families. He pays off porn stars. He makes a big show of giving money to vets, and then doesn’t do it. He gives every indication that he, at the very least, is tolerant of racism. He cages children, some of whom will never see their parents again. This man charges the government top dollar (yours) to house his security forces at his own establishments, though he claims he gives them a special rate (Google it to expose that lie). He frequently praises dictators and insults our allies in our name. He removes anyone from his cabinet and circle who does not completely agree with him, because to disagree with him is, in his own words, a traitorous act, and “un-American.”
Trump is a man who famously lies constantly. It’s as if he’s testing to see just how far afield he can go before his crowd turns on him in disbelief. So far, he can lie at will, and claim that anyone who challenges his many untruths or misconduct is perpetrating a “hoax” or a “fake news” story, or a treasonous attack on, not just him, but the country itself. If your child never took responsibility for his acts but always blamed others, constantly congratulated him or herself for real or imagined achievements, made fun of and bullied others, cast aspersions upon anyone who questioned him, and lied repeatedly, I believe you would obtain medical advice or treatment for that child as soon as possible.
Even more concerning is his view of the presidency and the balance of power. Ask yourself this: if and when a Democrat becomes president again, will you still insist that when he/she exercises “unlimited power over government," he/she can do “whatever I want?” No checks and balances, no calling out the president for overreach. That would mean, in retrospect, every single thing that Obama did was absolutely within his unlimited powers.
No, I don’t hate Trump. I wonder how someone who is essentially a showbiz personality has convinced so many of my countrymen to ignore this man behind the curtain and find a person worthy to lead our great country. I don’t hate Trump, I fear him and I fear for the future of our republic.
Kelly Scoles
Fillmore, CA

To the Editor:
I live in Fillmore and care deeply about the city. I am very concerned about the upcoming election for Board of Supervisors. While many know us for our festivals and being the safest city in Ventura County, fewer know that we have a single and quite dependable water source, our large and constantly refilling aquifer. That aquifer, the ONLY water source for Fillmore, is potentially in danger. An oil shaft has been drilled illegally within a mile of the aquifer and that shaft runs through the underground stream that feeds the aquifer. That well is currently under review with the EPA but with the recent opening of millions of acres of public land opened to drilling and mining we fear for our clean water.
Kim Stephenson is running for Board of Supervisors. Ms. Stephenson has received no donations from the oil industry. She is accepting small donations only. Ms. Stephenson has spoken with hundreds of Santa Clara Valley residents and knows what issues we face. She will fight to represent us in all areas and will protect our water and natural resources.
Unfortunately, Kelly Long has received unprecedented large donations and support from the oil industry in her last election and even more this election period. I do not trust that Kelly Long will vote in favor of our clean water source and against the oil industry as she is now indebted to them for their HUGE contribution to her campaign. For that reason and many others reasons I urge you to research the funding and voting record and platforms of the candidates and realize that KIM STEPHENSON is the person to elect for District 3, Ventura County.
Lynn R. Edmonds
Fillmore, Ca
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To the Editor & Community of Fillmore:
THAT A HEART IS NOT JUDGED BY HOW MUCH YOU LOVE, BUT BY HOW MUCH YOU ARE LOVED BY OTHERS- THE WIZARD OF OZ
And that was so evident for those who attended the Celebration-of-Life on January 25th, 2020 for Angel Carrera Jr. who passed away on August 14th, 2019 at the age of 67, in Sacramento, California.
On behalf of the Memorial Committee of: sister Ana Maria and husband Tony Vega, sister Olivia Carrera Lopez, classmates Tony and Sandra Gaitan, Joe Ramirez, friends
Rick and Juanita Ferrer, Comadre Debbie Sanchez, Godson Gabriel “Pokey” Sanchez
III, Mathew Sanchez, Compadre Roberto Juarez, Goddaughter Jaclyn Morales, and
Compadre Jack Morales, we express our sincere gratitude and thank you’s to all who attended and supported us on that eventful day at the Fillmore Veteran’s Memorial Building.
The welcoming of Angel’s family- Mrs. Marta Carrera, sons Angel Carrera III and
Andrew Carrera, brother Joe Pedroza and family, sister Ana Maria Vega and family, and sister Olivia Carrera Lopez and family were recognized.
Classmate, Deacon Manuel Martinez blessed the celebration. A delicious lunch was provided and served by taquero Fernando Cervantes to more than 250 people. A collage of pictures was shown, and music was played by DJ Matthew Sanchez.
The reading of the obituary was read by Angel’s son, Andrew Carrera and followed with remarks and memories by speakers, Mr. Jim Fauver, Compadre Roberto Juarez,
Willie Rivera, Brother Joe Pedroza, Tony Gaitan, Joe Ramirez, Eddie Reyes on behalf of Rudy Reyes, Norbert Riesgo, and classmate Vernon Kenfield. Mr. Bruce Dempsey was also in attendance.
A reading of a prayer/poem was read and highlighted by Goddaughter Jaclyn Morales.
A Proclamation of Adjournment meeting for Angel Carrera from the Ventura County
Board of Supervisors was presented to Mrs. Marta Carrera and sons from Fillmore Councilman Manuel Minjares and Field Representative for Supervisor Kelly Long.
A Proclamation of Recognition for Veterans was presented to Angel’s brother Joe
Pedroza, from sister Olivia Carrera Lopez on behalf of Angel’s government service and work with Veteran’s statewide. About 20 local veterans who knew Angel were in attendance, honored and saluted Angel on his dedicated achievements to Veterans.
A song titled, Humble and Kind from Tim McGraw was played. Angel Carrera III spoke of his father on what the song meant to him.
At least 25 members of the Fillmore Class of 71 were present to honor, support, and celebrate the eventful occasion. Mr. Kenny “Sunny” Sundstrum, extended his talents and versatility in singing and playing two songs in honor of his classmate, Angel.
A closing blessing of the celebration was given by Deacon Manuel Martinez with continued socializing, music and many desserts to conclude the occasion.
Two Fillmore Organizations, The Fillmore Alumni Association and The Fillmore
Veteran’s Memorial Building will benefit from monetary contributions in the amount of $1300.00 each that was sent by family, friends, and classmates on behalf of Angel Carrera Jr.
In conclusion, we the committee express our sincere gratitude and many thanks for the support we received for Angel’s Celebration-of-Life and ask God for his many blessings to each of you who attended and made financial contributions.
With much sincerity and gratitude, The Memorial Committee of Angel Carrera Jr.
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To the Editor:
Kelly Scoles, in her hate for anything Trump, stated last week that "Betsy DeVos (Trump's Head of Education) is destroying the backbone of our nation: the public school system." Well let's look to a few historical facts and when our educational system started to fail and what could be the cause.
American public education is in poor shape today because of cultural and social trends, most beginning in the 1960s, which destroyed classroom discipline, the moral basis for education, and a national consensus on what students should learn (1969 Tinker v. Des Moines, a landmark Supreme Court Ruling had a huge impact) but does that explain why American students do not possess the communication and computational skills they need today to succeed in college or in the working world? Let's look back.
An article published 27 years ago (DeVos wasn't in charge) in Foundation for Economic Education, Feb 1, 1993 writes; "When government policy continues to impose rigid personnel rules, bureaucracy, regulations, and a mandate to use education to engineer social or political outcomes, a school cannot successfully impart the needed skills, knowledge, and perspective to its students—whether these students choose to be there or not.....'Do-gooders' throughout the twentieth century have sought to expand the role of public education in all aspects of what was once family life, such as instilling moral values, providing health and nutrition, fighting delinquency and crime, and protecting children from physical and psychological abuse. Today, they are the primary advocates of Head Start and other supplements to school that intervene in virtually every aspect of a student’s life."
The article goes on to state statisics of past changes; "From 1955 to 1991, the average pupil-teacher ratio in U.S. public schools dropped by 40 percent." So years ago class size was addressed.
What about spending? "Annual expenditures per pupil in U.S. public schools exploded by about 350 percent in real dollars from 1950 ($1,189) to 1991 ($5,237). In only two years during this 40-year period did spending fall: 1980 and 1981. Spending grew by about a third in real terms from 1981 to 1991"
Today California spends $104.4 Billion each year (50.4% of the General Fund) which is $11,993 per student per school year and even more on ESL/ELL students. So our problems aren't added funding, but supporters of overturning Prop. 13 sure want you to think we need to tax more and throw more money at it.
Failures 32 years ago showed, "Just five percent of 17-year-old high school students in 1988 could read well enough to understand and use information found in technical materials, literary essays, historical documents, and college-level texts. This percentage has been falling since 1971......Average Scholastic Aptitude Test scores fell 41 points between 1972 and 1991. Apologists for public education argue that such factors as the percentage of minority students taking the SAT can explain this drop. Not true. Scores for whites have dropped." So it wasn't skin color!!! But what this 27 year old artical states as a possible cause in failure is ".....the rise in recent decades is the use of America’s public schools for the purpose of engineering some social outcome deemed desirable by political leaders. This is an unavoidable, and perhaps insurmountable, failing of government-run education."
Betsy DeVos had nothing to do with our past education failures that continue today. But according to Kathy Scoles she will destroy it. When hating Trump is everything, why stick to facts and just throw anything at the public and use the kids as victims.
Jean Mcleod
Fillmore, Ca

To the Editor:
Unlike our esteemed editor, I found the State of the Union presentation to be in the same carousel approach our president takes to everything: gaudy, self-aggrandizing, narcissistic, theatrical, dishonest, and emotionally needy. There are people who like that sort of thing as opposed to substance.
For those of you who think that Trump really is trying to protect medical preexisting conditions as he repeats endlessly and touted in the SOTU, you need to know that his administration is in the courts as we speak attempting to invalidate those and other health care provisions. He is working diligently to reduce Medicare. He is increasing the tensions in the Middle East by his haphazard foreign policy which mightily protects autocrats. Betsy DeVos is destroying the backbone of our nation: the public school system. He hasn’t done anything to improve infrastructure as he promised, he hasn’t built a wall paid for by the country of Mexico. He hasn’t brought the country together; on the contrary. He hasn’t saved coal (thank heavens) and he has not helped the middle class. What he has done is replace every safeguard against constraining unbridled executive power by appointing Barr as attorney general and filling his cabinet with people who are too afraid to disagree with him, or too ambitious to give a darn. Oh, yes. One good thing: he has ridden Obama’s coattails to a decent economy.
Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats had no choice but to impeach, though they knew the Republicans would give the president a pass (the exception, below). They had a virtual cafeteria-selection of offenses, but they selected the worst: inviting foreign countries into our election system. Trump feels, and has always felt, perfectly at ease with that. You can Google it.
Some Democratic Senators were profiles in courage in the final count to acquit or remove: Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Doug Jones of Alabama who has a tough race ahead of him. Republican Mitt Romney of Utah carefully explained his crisis of conscience in voting “guilty” on one Articles of Impeachment and was excoriated by Trump and his minions. Meanwhile, the pitiable Susan Collins of Maine mealy-mouthed her hopes that Trump would “learn his lesson.” It was one of the rare moments of humor in the whole process, a single beam in a senate which has declared that, if the president thinks his reelection is in the best interests of the country, whatever means he uses to assure it is permissible.
Now, for the revenge-taking. Trump is famous for it. He has already started with both Vindman brothers. There are many more to come. The question is, will you reward at the polls this newly-empowered, deeply-flawed, lawless and tragic figure?. Somewhere, Shakespeare is taking up his pen.
Kelly Scoles
Fillmore, CA

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To the Editor:
The 37th Assembly District race is under the radar. Voters need to look closely at the candidates. That’s why I recommend that voters choose Jason Dominguez. He is a former high school teacher and labor organizer, has a law degree from Berkeley School of Law, a master’s degree in environmental law, a former United Nations Legal Officer at the Hague who prosecuted those who committed war criminals and genocide. He’s also served as a Santa Barbara Deputy County Counsel, as a Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney, Deputy City Attorney and Council Member.
As a City Council Member in Santa Barbara Jason spearheaded private-public partnerships to increase affordable housing, helped return a $4,000,000 budget surplus, fought for green-energy solutions and to create local jobs and wants to address homeless at the root cause by "investing in mental health infrastructure." In addition to his City Council work, Jason teaches International Law at The Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law, and is the CEO & Founder of a non-profit that provides legal assistance to low-income families and youth leadership training.
Other Assembly District candidates don’t have Jason’s skill-set, experience or determination. They include a young left-wing progressive and college organizer, a drama major with deep pocketed special interests and ties to pot farmers and dispensaries, a non-profit executive focused on sexual violence, a former track coach, a former teacher and current Board of Supervisor, and a 22 year old whose answers to pressing issues do not appear to “have any factual basis.”
visit: VoteJasonDominguez.com
Anna Marie Gott,
Santa Barbara

To the Editor:
I recently read that Supervisor Kelly Long voted several times to extend a temporary oil drilling ban near Camarillo to allow for further study on potential impacts to local water quality. She also pressured the County of Ventura to take further measures to identify the source of well contamination. Her diligence on this issue is appreciated by her constituents and she has my support in her campaign for re-election on March 3.
Krista Nowak of Camarillo

To the Editor:
On behalf of the Davis family we appreciate all who came to show support in the celebration of life of Adrian Paul Davis, Jr. It is during difficult times like these we struggle to get through the days to the next, but with all the love, prayers, and support pouring into our hearts over these last few weeks we are truly grateful. Please continue to keep his spirit and memories alive everyday. And as he would say “Thank You Lord For Another Beautiful Day”.
With many thanks and love from,
(Wife) Marina Davis, and kids Candace, Alle, and Jordan
(Father) Adrian Davis, (Sisters) Debbie & Valerie and Families.

To the Editor:
After reading the letter by Ms Scoles, I find myself compelled to try and put things into perspective. Ms Scoles is certainly entitled to her opinion and I respect her right to speak her mind, but there is a difference between opinion and fact. So let’s look at what she claims makes President Trump guilty of obstruction of congress. True he ordered his administration not to testify before the Impeachment committee. It’s called executive privilege and has been used by numerous presidents in the past. The latest event that triggered the use of executive privilege was the investigation of Fast & Furious. This was a government program initiated by the Obama administration to sell guns to Mexican drug cartels and track them. When a border patrol agent was killed by one of these weapons congress opened an investigation to find out what was going on. President Obama declared executive privilege and ordered Attorney General Eric Holder to refuse all requests for information. Things got so bad that congress voted to hold Eric Holder in Contempt of Congress for refusing to produce the documents subpoenaed. Should congress have voted to impeach President Obama for refusing to provide information to congress? The same thing happened during the Louise Lerner hearings. Remember she was the IRS supervisor who withheld none profit tax status to several Tea Party chapters attempting to organize. President Obama instructed the IRS not to provide information to congress. The constitution provides for three equal branches. Congress does not outrank the executive branch so there is no such thing as obstruction of congress. The congress has not identified a statute which President Trump is guilty of breaking. Unfortunately this whole Impeachment affair has been going on since the 2016 election when Democrats refused to accept that Trump had actually beaten their candidate.
David Johnson of Fillmore

To the Editor:
Re: Martin Farrell's December 12, 2019 Editorial.
Apparently, you believe that all Democrats are subject to an “utter lust for power, complete absence of conscience, wholly incapable of truth, with no sense of humor,” not just in politics, but in all things. Even the lady who checks you out at the market, the man who repairs your car, or the priest who says your Mass? If you do, no wonder you sound so isolated and angry.
We are in a momentous time in our country. All Americans want to avoid the disruption and unknown inherent in an Impeachment. There are many risks involved, especially when the ultimate outcome is known, thanks to the recent comments by Mitch McConnell, winking and assuring us all that the president will be “vindicated.”
The president is accused of enlisting a foreign power to help him in the 2020 election, consistent with his earlier admission he would not refuse foreign election help if offered (as he did in 2016). He accuses the Democrats of an unfair process, but he insists on a “blanket immunity,” refusing to allow any of the primary sources to testify or provide documents. There is no choice; the congress must call Trump out on such unconstitutional acts, if only to prevent future presidents from using Trump’s twisted arguments.
But, bless your heart, Martin, you did make me smile (though sardonically) when you decried the terrible motives and process used in the House hearings on impeachment. You lamented that, “what goes around comes around - and it is quickly coming around now. It will take generations to recover the trust and respect that once existed between the two American parties. “
If that is true, and future politicians fail to recognize the necessity of working for the good of the country, we are lost. And it will not be laid at the feet of the Trump Impeachment. It will go at least as far back as the refusal of Mitch McConnell and the Republicans to consider the nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court in the last 11 months of Obama’s term. “Let the voters decide,” was McConnell’s argument. Recently, McConnell laughingly asserted that, if a vacancy on the Court arose at any point in the next 11 months of the Trump administration, he would send a nomination to the Senate (and “let the voters decide” be damned). Such is the political virtue of Mr. McConnell and his like-minded GOPers.
If it is not possible to consider facts and fully argue them, there is no democracy. I suggest that your vilification of all Democrats is one way to ensure politics is bloodsport. I hope your holidays are peaceful and joyous. We can probably all use a little time for reflection.
Kelly Scoles, Fillmore

To the Editor:
This was written by a friend of mine whose family is considered by today's politically correct standards "a minority" due to their appearance and last name. But they just consider themselves Americans without a hyphen.
"I have spent the last ten years or so listening to those who are NOT native Indian demonize the Pilgrims and the white man for every evil or catastrophe that befell the indigenous people on this continent. First off, the primary settlers welcomed the Indians into their camps. They weren't all murderers, hell bent on enslaving or taking what the locals had. Those types came later, as they often do, because they are naturally born evil, and don't usually discriminate when they practice their craft. Secondly, Things could have gone far worse, had the white Europeans remained home, and left the Indians to their own gods. After all, Europeans were far from the only powerful cultures plowing the seas in search of new lands and riches. They could have just as easily ended up victimized by feudal Japanese lords, whose justice was served at the end of a beheading sword. Ask any Chamorro, Filipino, or Chinese how their people and cultures were treated during the Japanese expansion prior to WWII. Mayan and Mexican cultures were likewise already quite a threat to some indigenous tribes in the south, as they practiced slavery and plundered whomever was weaker while seeking to expand their own influences. Let's face it; The planet was full of warring, enslaving plunderer's during that period, and they could have fallen to the followers of Allah from the Middle East, where many of those cultures still practice slavery and indebtedness that forces a particular caste to be a permanent servant.
I'm not going to defend what the evil doer's visited upon the indigenous population; nor should anyone's sacrifice be in vain. My only point is that the pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock was not the cause of every native Indians' fate. In some ways, it may have even been their salvation, for history and archaeology have proven that some cultures have fared far worse on this earth at the hands of less benevolent conquerors. But the Pilgrims, once again, were a welcoming group, and they blessed Indian and settler alike. But if we are to be fair, every native Indian should be as revered as the pilgrims on this day, as they were instrumental in keeping the pilgrims alive during their learning years in the new lands."
We have traditions and a culture that deserve to be respected and preserved, because even with its flaws, the United States is kinder than most and everyone would know it if true honest history were actually taught in our schools today.
Jean McLeod of Fillmore, Ca

To the Editor:
We would like to thank the Rotary Club of Fillmore for their continued support of the arts programs at Fillmore High School. Their generous donation to the upcoming April 2020 Arts show will allow us to continue putting on this event. On behalf of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Fillmore High School, thank you!
Rosalind Mitzenmacher, Visual & Performing Arts Dept. Chair of Fillmore High School

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To the Editor:
Meet Mireya Avila Mejia, a resident of Cabrillo's Fillmore Central Station Apartments and a graduate of Fillmore High School, who was inspired to become a nurse by those caring for her mother while she was undergoing surgery and radiation for thyroid cancer.
“I want to impact someone’s life in a positive manner and help someone’s mother in the way my mother was being helped. … As I embark on my nursing journey, I plan to get a job in the Ventura County area as a Nurse Practitioner. I will most likely be working in the Ventura County Hospital in the emergency unit, but it doesn’t matter where I am as long as I am saving lives,” Mireya said.
Mireya is now attending California State University, Channel Islands, in the Master's in Nursing program with help from a Rodney Fernandez Leadership Scholarship awarded by Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation.
Mireya’s life, and the lives of other Rodney Fernandez Scholarship recipients just like her, have been changed through the generosity of donors and the work of Cabrillo, which provides scholarships to local students to help them
• Excel despite financial instability
• Follow their dreams of a better future by attending college
• Give back to their community
Students like Mireya need your support. In the coming weeks you’ll be hearing more about our scholarship recipients and the impact your gift can make. We hope you will consider a gift that will bring a brighter future to local students.
With gratitude,
Margarita H. de Escontrias,CEO, Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation
Donote Here: https://cabrilloedc.dm.networkforgood.com/emails/401823?recipient_id=yD2GY4fjc5A00SFTE2FZNg||aW5mb0BmaWxsbW9yZWdhemV0dGUuY29t#https://cabrilloedc.networkforgood.com/projects/73438-rodney-fernandez-leadership-fund

To the Editor:
I’m still in a glow thinking about what a special time Veterans Day in Fillmore turned out to be. Thanks to the many who were involved in making it all come together so successfully. They should be pleased with the results of their efforts. From the Sespe Car Club who carried Vets in their cars up Central Avenue to the rousing, patriotic music at the Memorial Building, the MC, the speaker, and the Grand Marshall as well as the Lulac Club who honored individual vets with medallions I spoke to many veterans that day and the rest of the week. Without exception, they felt honored and appreciated. Thanks again to everyone who put this together.
Sincerely, Susan M Cuttriss, Fillmore

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To the Editor:
The FUTA bargaining team will meet with FUSD on Monday, November 25th for a final mediation session. It is our hope that we will agree to a fair settlment that honors the dedication, commitment and sacrifice of every educator in Fillmore. We will be attempting to reach a Tentative Agreement for 2018-2019 school year. During mediation FUTA will walk away with a Tentative Agreement or we will be released to fact finding. Fact finding will bring Fillmore educators one step closer to a strike. We are prepared to stay as long as it takes. Let’s hope our leadership and school board are committed to settling this fairly and not drag it on any further. For the benefit of being able to move forward together, we must resolve this now.
Tammy Ferguson, FUTA President

To the Editor:
We would like to thank the Women's Service Club of Fillmore for their continued support of the arts programs at Fillmore High School. Their generous donation to the upcoming April 2020 Arts show will allow us to continue putting on this event. On behalf of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Fillmore High School, thank you!
Rosalind Mitzenmacher
Visual & Performing Arts Dept. Chair
Fillmore High School

To the Editor:
In your editorial of October 31, 2019, you ask how a decorated Army Lt. Col. And intelligence officer could respond to a subpoena from the House to answer questions regarding a “perfect” phone call between the president and a foreign leader, Zelenskyy, to which he was an invited listener.
If he had testified that he heard nothing that would amount to a request for foreign assistance in US political matters, you would have been fine with it. But because his truthful answers did compromise the president, to you he is no better than a thief, and had a purpose to “bring him [Trump] down.” Worse, he is in league with the “lying Liberal Left” in their malicious scam in seeking to investigate whether said president violated campaign law, abused his power, and sought and seeks to obstruct the constitutional duty and prerogatives of the House of Representatives.
You assume, and not for the first time, that if an individual of whatever stature does not agree with you and your political and social views, they are liars, operate to undermine the republic, and are in fact guilty of evil intent.
Is it possible, Martin, that you are just wrong? That Lt. Col. Vindman simply told the truth, as one under oath is required to do? Trump has surrounded himself with spineless sycophants and many persons of questionable character and little principle. Half of his cabinet has had to resign for ethics reasons. And when someone of unimpeachable character raises his hand and takes a sacred oath to tell the truth, you choose him to vilify. Amazing.
Kelly Scoles,
Fillmore

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To the Editor:
It’s hard to believe I have to write another letter to the editor. I love these kids and I love this town. The school board is not listening to teachers or the community because if they were, we would not still currently be at impasse. I’m tired of speaking at board meetings where the reaction from elected officials is rolled eyes, stiff body language, and inattention. Teachers in this community would not be coming to speak if there wasn’t a real reason for it. We are not attracting or keeping the best teachers in Fillmore. In fact, our teacher of the year last year, Stacia Helmer, left the district this year.
Fillmore doesn’t attract quality new teachers. There are open math positions when almost half the year is over. Why? Because our educators the lowest paid in Ventura County based on percent of the overall budget. This has been said over and over and over. Looking at the data from the last four years we’ve hired 91 new teachers, over half the districts certificated employees, yet 73 have already left with many citing the low pay, long hours, large class sizes, and unsupportive administration. Fillmore must have competitive salaries to keep the great teachers that are left, and attract new ones to fill all of our positions. Our students deserve a qualified teacher in every classroom and not round after round of substitute teachers. Fillmore students deserve the best that we can give them and our leadership must do better.
Jennifer Beal,
31 year FUSD Educator
FUTA bargaining chair

To the Editor:
We would like to thank the Lions Club of Fillmore for their continued support of the arts programs at Fillmore High School. Their generous donation to the upcoming April 2020 Arts show will allow us to continue putting on this event. On behalf of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Fillmore High School, thank you!
Rosalind Mitzenmacher, Visual & Performing Arts Dept. Chair at Fillmore High School

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To the Editor:
HISTORIC BUILDINGS NEED REVIEW BY FILLMORE CULTURAL HERITAGE BOARD (FCHB)
The Citrus Packing House (“CPH") is just another Historic Building/Property that is not being vetted properly, that’s perturbing to historians, as well as other interested citizens!
This building is historically significant and listed in Fillmore’s Centennial History book 1888-1988, page 70-71, and the Fillmore-Piru Citrus Association History Book, 1887-1987, page 8-10. Beyond the Harvest. The historic name is Fillmore Citrus Fruit Association Packinghouse (FCFAPH).
The Fillmore Cultural Heritage/Historic Preservation program was started in I989. and unanimously approved by Fillmore City Council and 2013 Agreement was unanimously approved again. To a point, it recognizes/gives Fillmore leeway to operate/implement local regulations. This means the City of Fillmore should still network with Ventura County CHB, which serves as Fillmore Cultural Heritage Board (FCHB) for review and comments and recommendations. The CHB serves in the same capacity with other cities in the County, ie, Oxnard, Thousand Oaks.
When the City sees a project come in and it is noted it is a historic building, whether a declared landmark or a documented historic building, it should be sent to Fillmore Cultural Heritage Board for review so owner knows how to proceed and what is expected with the City of Fillmore.
However, the City of Fillmore is falling short in following its obligation to the agreement with CHB. The City has taken upon itself to be the expert on specialized historical matters and ignoring the CHB. The Cultural Heritage/Historic Preservation regulations and guidelines is a field that needs trained persons to review historic buildings. To ignore regulations does not mean they’ve gone away.
But the City has not been doing this! In fact, they hired a mitigation consultant who has admitted, (nor has the reputation as remarked by others in the field for this kind of detailed, specialized work), that he has no historic preservation training. Yet, his “expert” advice was used to determine the Faith Community Church/aka historic name: Presbyterian Church, did not have historic significance, when in fact, the value was seen/listed as such in the 1983 Fillmore Cultural Resources/Historic Survey, Appendix III.
A meeting recently between the Planning Director and 2 Cultural Heritage Board staff members to maintain better networking resulted in the CHB staffers being told “the Cultural Heritage Board was not needed” and "has to wait to be invited” for the CHB to do routine work. Then I wrote the City Manager encouraging him to follow the agreement and network with the CHB. The City Manager has never answered my letter, nor has City answered other paperwork I have sent.
So with this City attitude to press ahead and seemingly leaving out steps, explains in part the City having trouble now with a historic building = the "Citrus Packing House", when directions/guidelines could be confusing to complete requirements and with no CHB guidance. Two (2) years is a long time not to see work completion expectations culminate.
Perhaps if historic projects were called by their historic names, citizens can better understand the significance and the process. In particular, the fact that the current "CPH" historically was one of three citrus plants on 2 corners (At SW and NW corners of A St and then Sespe St.) interacting to complete the early, prominent activity at the height of citrus processing,. A convenient, efficient process succeeded with the adjacent railroad line to the south of the packinghouse and the nearby citrus grove on the now Sespe School NE corner.
Working together is the best route. Thank You!
- Kathie Briggs, Architectural Historian

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To the Editor:
Hugs or Handshakes: a hagiography
Watching the University of Tennessee’s head football coach yank his quarterback’s facemask in frustration on primetime television got me thinking about the nature of leadership and our varsity football coach. Over the last three decades I've been involved (on and off) with Fillmore’s football program - as a ball boy and player in the 90s, as a coach in the aughts, and now as a fan in the teens. Given that proximity I feel confident saying coach Sean Miller, and what he's building here, is special. Please don't misunderstand me, my proclamation has nothing to do with wins and losses, which are, by my lights, footnotes to the larger, more pressing charge of nurturing and developing the young hearts and minds of our student athletes. It is coach Miller's commitment to this higher purpose that I wish to underscore in this letter.
“A good game", writer Mark Edmundson says, "is a simulation of life. There we get a chance to learn, to prepare ourselves and to grow, so when the real losses come, as they will, we may be half-ready for them.” While sympathetic to Edmundson’s view, I want to suggest that the quality of growth one might experience within a given simulation is largely contingent upon the quality of leadership and guidance one receives playing said game. It is precisely for that reason that I believe coach Miller to be the leader our players need. Over two seasons I've seen him use football and its concomitant methodologies of mental and physical preparation to foster cognitive and emotional growth in our students. Beyond all the regular platitudes one might expect in a letter that is, admittedly, starting to read like a hagiography – such as, his positivity is infectious, or, he really cares about his players (all of which are true by the way) – Miller's greatest quality is that he models what Eric Weinstein calls "critical feeling". Loosely defined, critical feeling is the ability to retain one’s humanity and composure under pressure. Whether his team has just scored the winning touchdown or thrown the game losing interception, coach Miller is an exemplar of compassionate equanimity. (Qualities that seem to be falling out of fashion but which I find fundamental to facilitating the fellow feeling necessary to maintain our democracy).
Consider for a moment, how the behavior exhibited by Tennessee’s coach, mentioned above, might be interpreted by players, staff, and impressionable fans. One interpretation is that to get respect leaders need to occasionally fly off the handle and physically demean subordinates. Another plausible reading: outcomes are what matter. As such, it’s okay to let my competitive spirit trump my compassion for the people I lead. There is, of course, the possibility that those who witnessed this lack of comportment read it as an example of how not to lead (given the comments section on ESPN’s message boards, however, this seems depressingly unlikely). But it strikes me that we should want more from our coaches; they are after all, by word and deed, molding tomorrow’s leaders.
Make no mistake about it, coaching is teaching, and coach Miller’s actions and words instruct. In all of my time around the game, he is the only head coach I have ever seen regularly carry equipment to and from the field. That probably sounds trivial but in my experience the distribution of labor within a football team tends to follow a strict hierarchy. As you might expect, head coaches traditionally place themselves at the top of the pyramid. (Carrying equipment is a thankless job customarily foisted upon underclassman and the so-called walking wounded who constitute the pyramid’s base). That he does it without complaint communicates profound lessons about the nature of leadership and responsibility, to his players. In this light, his coaching can be understood as an extension of his pedagogy, and football a medium through which he conveys the values and ideals our young people need to successfully navigate life after school. Take his “hugs or Handshakes” policy as another example. At the end of every game and practice, coach Miller selects a player and asks “hugs or handshakes?” to which the player determines how many handshakes or hugs each player has to give before leaving the field. Superficially, it’s a team building exercise. On a deeper level, hugs or handshakes introduces a radically unique vision of masculinity and meaning to a culture derided, often justly, for perpetuating harmful norms like aggression, homophobia, and emotional repression.
I have faith that football is a good in the world. To some degree, it made me. Subjecting myself to the crucible of games and practices put me in contact with my best and worst self, deepening my self-awareness in a way that felt weighty. That is to say, football cultivates what the Romantic poet John Keats called “negative capability”, which, in the broadest of terms, is something like the capacity to know oneself and see the humanity in others. I see this capacity manifest in coach Miller. I see it in the foundational strategies and rituals he is building the football program upon. Going into Santa Paula week (and beyond) I would ask that you keep this in mind. Because win or lose, I think we’ve found the right person for the job.
Kindest Regards,
[Editor's note: The letter's author requested to remain anonymous.]