SACRAMENTO - California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith is reminding anyone who hasn’t yet received a flu vaccine to do so in time for the holidays.

“The holiday season is a time to enjoy getting together with friends and family,” Dr. Smith said. “Unfortunately, it’s also often when many people catch the flu. Getting the flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself against influenza and to protect those around you as well. Don’t let the flu ruin your holidays.”

In the United States, flu activity is usually highest between December and February and can continue into May. As long as flu viruses are circulating, it’s not too late to get vaccinated.

Flu vaccine is available now. Once administered, it takes the vaccine up to two weeks to fully protect you against the flu. An influenza vaccine is especially important for pregnant women and other people at higher risk for severe influenza.

Each year, flu causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands or sometimes tens of thousands of deaths in the United States. To reduce this threat, CDPH recommends the annual flu vaccine for everyone six months of age and older, including pregnant women.

Two of this season’s vaccine components, the influenza A (H3N2) and influenza B (Yamagata lineage) strains, have been updated to match the viruses Californians are facing this flu season.

Flu can cause severe disease across all ages. According to the recently published California influenza surveillance report , there were 78 influenza-associated deaths reported in persons under 65 years of age in California during the 2014-15 influenza season. Two Californians younger than 65 years of age have already lost their lives due to the flu or its complications in this current influenza season.

Common symptoms of the flu include fever, cough, sore throat, chills, fatigue or body aches. Children may also have nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

CDPH also encourages people to protect their health by eating a nutritious diet, getting enough sleep and not smoking. People who feel they may have influenza should contact their physician.

To stop the spread of flu and other respiratory illnesses, Californians should also:

• Stay home when you are sick
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw away the used tissue
• Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and warm water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth

Dr. Smith encourages Californians to contact their health care provider, physician’s office, clinic or pharmacy about obtaining the flu vaccine. Some local health departments may also offer low- or no-cost flu immunizations. For more information about the flu visit the CDPH influenza web page. To find a flu vaccine location near you, visit www.flu.gov.

This morning the Los Angeles Unified School District shut down all of its schools due to a threat that was very specific to LAUSD. The threat came via electronic communications and law enforcement is reportedly working with school leaders there.

Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Stan Mantooth spoke with Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean this morning and he indicated that we have no reason to believe that our schools are unsafe. Therefore, school operations are continuing as normal.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office issued this statement today at 8:00 am:
"The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office has been in contact with the appropriate authorities in Los Angeles following reports of an electronic threat against several Los Angeles Unified School District schools. Whatever threats that were received were specific to the Los Angeles area. There are no known threats against any Ventura County schools or anywhere in Ventura County."

About the Ventura County Office of Education
The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org.

SACRAMENTO - California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith is urging Californians to protect themselves against mosquito bites if traveling to Mexico or Latin America, where there have been increased reports of the mosquito-borne diseases chikungunya and dengue. Travelers should also be aware that there is currently transmission of dengue on the Big Island in Hawaii, and precautions against mosquito bites are advised; there are no reports of dengue transmission on the other Hawaiian islands.

“We want all Californians to be extra careful when traveling to these regions and take steps to avoid mosquito bites,” Dr. Smith said. “The mosquitoes that transmit chikungunya and dengue are aggressive daytime biters.”

Chikungunya is a viral disease characterized by acute onset of fever and severe joint pain. Dengue, another viral disease, is characterized by high fever, severe headache, muscle and joint pain, rash, and in severe cases bleeding manifestations. For both, treatment is supportive, the disease is not contagious person to person, and there is no vaccine.

For 2015, 164 cases of chikungunya and 90 cases of dengue have been reported in California residents, all with a history of travel to areas where transmission of these diseases occurs. Of reported cases in 2015, 148 (90 percent) chikungunya and 77 (86 percent) dengue cases had a history of travel to Latin America. The number of reported California dengue cases with a history of travel to Mexico has increased in the last three years, with 80 in 2013-2015 compared to 17 in 2010-2012.

Three California residents have acquired dengue during the recent outbreak in the Big Island in Hawaii. There have been no cases of chikungunya and dengue acquired locally in California.

CDPH recommends that travelers prevent exposure to mosquito bites by wearing protective clothing and applying insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535 according to label instructions. DEET can be used safely on infants and children two months of age and older. In addition, make sure that your hotel or lodging has air conditioning or doors and windows with tight-fitting screens to keep out mosquitoes.

Chikungunya was first introduced to the Caribbean in late 2013, and by Nov. 30, 2015, over 25,000 confirmed cases were reported from the Caribbean and Central, South, and North America, including over 9,000 cases in Mexico. Dengue transmission has also been prevalent throughout Latin American countries in recent years, and the risk of dengue is present in several Mexican states, including Baja California Sur (where Cabo San Lucas and La Paz are popular tourist areas).

If you have returned from an affected region and have fever with joint pain or rash within the two weeks following your return, please contact your medical provider and tell the doctor where you have traveled. If your doctor suspects chikungunya or dengue, please protect yourself against mosquito bites until you recover. This will prevent spread of the virus to mosquitoes and potentially humans here in California.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Traditionally, thefts of packages from doorsteps and mailboxes tend to increase during the holiday season. Criminals are well aware of the increase in package deliveries and drive through neighborhoods looking for unattended packages and full mailboxes. The Fillmore Police Department and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office have received information about solicitors knocking on doors, possibly casing residences, while at the same time grabbing Christmas cards, checks and gifts cards from mailboxes. A recent incident occurred in the 400 block of Fillmore Street. A male suspect, wearing a dark-colored baseball cap, dark blue jeans, and a dark-colored sleeveless “muscle” shirt was seen removing a UPS delivered package from a victim’s front porch and leaving in a red 4-door sedan. There were also packages stolen from homes on Grand Avenue. There is no suspect information on those thefts.

Here are a few tips to protect your deliveries during the holiday season:

• Ensure someone is at the residence if a delivery is expected. If this is not possible, have the delivery sent to a place of employment or request that the package be held at the Post Office for pickup.
• Tracking numbers – Most agencies will send you a tracking number to allow you to monitor where your package is and when it will be delivered.
• Promptly retrieve packages and mail from your residence.
• Drop off outgoing mail at the Post Office or hand the mail to the Postal Service delivery person.
• Encourage your neighbors to call the police to report any unusual activity in your area. People in your neighborhood usually know who resides at and visits your residence. Neighbors should call law enforcement if unknown people are seen going through your mailbox or loitering around your residence.
• Most importantly, be aware of your surroundings; protect yourself and your property by locking doors and windows and making it harder for criminals to steal your valuables.
The Fillmore Police Department and the Ventura County Sheriff’s would like to wish everyone a safe and wonderful Holiday Season.

Nature of Incident: Holiday Package Theft Advisory
Report Number:
Location: City of Fillmore & the Santa Clara Valley Communities
Date & Time: 12/08/2015
Unit(s) Responsible:
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
Prepared by: Sgt. Mario Aguilar
News Release Date: 12/08/2015
Media Follow-Up Contact: Sgt. Mario Aguilar (805) 524-2233
Approved by: Captain Dave Wareham

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

Mayor Diane McCall

The City of Fillmore kicked off the holiday season just before the City Council meeting on Tuesday night with about 50 people attending the 6:00 p.m. Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in front of City Hall. Drifting snow came down (provided by a small bubble machine) creating a playground for children who attempted to build a small snowman. Hot chocolate, hot cider and cookies were provided making it a very festive scene.

The City Council meeting which followed also celebrated the appointment of a new mayor and mayor pro tem.

There were a number of other items also on its agenda; Appointments of City Council Member to Committees, Commissions, Liaison, and Outside Agencies, Proposed Save Open-Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) petition to extend expiration to the year 2050, a new ad hoc committee Fillmore Development Council (FDC), and a Drought Update were just some of those items.

Diane McCall was installed as the new Mayor of Fillmore by unanimous vote. Mayor Pro Tem required some discussion. Council Member Douglas Tucker put forward Council Member Rick Neal for Mayor Pro Tem, but both Council Member Manny Minjares and Mayor McCall put Council Member Carrie Broggie for nomination. There was a small bit of discussion resulting in a unanimous vote for Broggie as the new Mayor Pro Tem.

Fillmore Supervisor David CONTINUED »

I met Edgar Torres, when he was 11 years of age, while he attended Piru Elementary School. The family lived in the Colina Vista apartments.

His loving mother, Aida Pizano, remembers those were very hard times for the family. She was a single-parent with a 1-month old baby and eight more children, all consisting of 5 boys and 3 girls. Aida Pizano drew inner strength from her faith and courageously tackled the raising her family of nine children on her own. Aida told me she would take the early Piru Vista van then walk to work at Taco Bell in Fillmore, in later years would transfer to the Santa Paula Taco Bell Store. Edgar and mom worked together at Taco Bell in Fillmore as soon as he got his work permit.

Aida remembers that, though Sergio and Yaira were his older siblings, Edgar took charge of his younger siblings seeing them to Piru Elementary School in the mornings, rain or shine. Later after school, when mom arrived late at 5 PM, when she received extra hours at work, Edgar would pick up his littlest siblings from the next door babysitter, others from school and get everybody to do their homework.

On his own, Edgar took on the lead male role in the house, when his older brother Sergio married young. Mom said that Edgar took on a lot of responsibility and provided counseling to his younger brothers and sisters. He would tell them the importance of going to school and to not miss school! Edgar also enjoyed cooking dinner and did so for his siblings. Mom would call from work to check on the kids and Edgar would give her a full report. Mom arrived home tired from work, but relieved that everybody was home safe and everything was in order at home. Mom said says she was always grateful to Edgar for being so responsible. He knew his mother depended on him and he felt it was up to him to help his mother.

Mom Aida recalls how in these recent years, after dinner both would sit in the back patio, chatting away together for hours until it got dark and it was time to come in. Edgar was a very good and loving son and close friend to her.

Edgar Torres, 24, recently passed away recently. Edgar graduated from Fillmore High School in 2009 and always remembered his dear teacher Ms. Trina Tafoya. Edgar was working as an Agriculture and Landscaping Maintenance worker during the week, worked construction jobs and washed cars on weekends with his good friend Alex “Fresh” Chessani. He also worked at Subway in Fillmore and was the Ventura Subway Store Manager. He had plans to buy a car wash business and a construction concrete mixer business. Edgar’s long-held dream was to purchase a big family house for his mother and all his brothers and sisters.

Edgar’s older brother, Sergio raved that without a doubt, Edgar Torres was THE BIGGEST Raider’s Fan around - Period. Besides football, Edgar also loved other sports, such as basketball, softball and boxing. Edgar trained in boxing for some time, too.

Edgar had recently gathered his brother Sergio and close friends, and formed his own Fillmore “Short Fuse” softball team. Coach and Captain Edgar played one game as team pitcher recently. Sergio recalls Edgar as always being happy, never mad and walking in anywhere and being the “Life of the Party!.”

Favorite food for Edgar was his mom’s “Tacos de Machaca (shredded beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and HOT salsa), as well as, her red Chicken Enchiladas, and yummy Pózole. He LOVED his papaya fruit! “It was no secret that Edgar was a good eater!”, Sergio shared with laughter.

Sergio loved his brother Edgar’s positive energy and the great vibe that he would bring where ever he would go. He would give a lot of good, welcomed advice when people were down. He always had the right words to say, was a really positive and very caring individual. Edgar would always try to help everybody.

Still, he was also the biggest jokester around with brothers and sisters. Always clowning around and would love to imitate people with funny physical postures; like imitating his brother Sergio, when Sergio was sick and mopping around feeling sorry for himself.

Edgar will always be in the hearts and minds of his loving mother Aida Pizano, and his loving brothers and sisters: Sergio, Yaira, Carla, Matthew, Cecilia, Jose Luis, and Bryan. He was a wonderful Godfather to his beautiful nieces Liliana and Natalia, as well as, loving his nephew Sergio, Jr.

Edgar Torres was a loving son, grandson, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and good friend to many and always found a way to put a smile on everyone's face. Edgar, rest in peace. You did a very good job while here on this earth.

Please support Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid's Coat Drive to raise enough money to put a coat on every child that comes through the line this Christmas in Fillmore.

Link to the gofundme page where you can help support the coat drive: https://www.gofundme.com/t69vmh5h

This project idea started when I was watching the kids waiting with anticipation to see Santa at the North Fillmore Community Storefront for the Fillmore Volunteer Fire Department toy giveaway. Looking at the line, none of the kids had on coats. My mind judged immediately “Did the children forget their coats? They knew it was cold and that the wait was long.” The line snaked as the little boy tucked into his mother and the realization hit me like the cold wind- The little boy didn’t forget his coat. He doesn’t have a coat.

Please join Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid’s Winter Coat Drive. In December we will be giving away brand-new warm winter coats to needy children of the Santa Clara Valley who are standing outside in line in Fillmore to receive their toy from Santa. There are no “administrative” costs. You send the money and our teams go and buy the coats.

As Marion Wright Edelman, the founder of the Children’s Defense Fund says:

“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”

When you place a warm coat on cold little shoulders, you know that a warm coat makes a big difference.

Link to the gofundme page where you can help support the coat drive: https://www.gofundme.com/t69vmh5h

Laura Bartels, Director
Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid
PO Box 236
Fillmore, CA 93016

"Join the City in front of City Hall for a tree lighting ceremony at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, December 8th"?

Now in its third year the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley’s First Lego League Robotics Program has a solid group of true robotics lovers and keeps adding to their program with new youth! Club members from both Santa Paula and Fillmore sites form the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley’s Robotics Team, The Stompers. The Stompers went back to basics and taught new members the ropes as they prepared to enter the 2016 First Lego League Challenge. With the guidance of coaches, Lorenzo Manzano and Manuel Ortiz, practicing for the challenge included preparing for the robot game, project and core value portions of the competition. While at the First Lego League Challenge they put their science skills to use and utilized robotics and technology to discover innovative ways to help solve the problems associated with the current handling of trash and recycling. For their project portion of the competition the team chose to focus primarily on how to spread awareness on the importance of recycling. Coach Manuel Ortiz explains, “Through their research The Stompers came up with the idea to create a recycling program that would be created by students for students.”

With twenty-five teams competing, The Stompers impressed the judges during the core value presentation with an amazing display of teamwork while explaining their recycling solution. Jan Marholin, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley proudly states, “It is exciting to see our youth embrace robotics and the critical thinking skills that go with it. Whenever youth are engaged in a project, their passion and investment in it shows.” Recognizing the importance of hands-on science, technology, engineering and math learning opportunities, Time Warner Cable through its Connect a Million Minds Initiative, is the proud sponsor of The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley First Lego League Robotics Program.

About Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds
Time Warner Cable's (TWC) Connect a Million Minds (CAMM) is a five-year, $100 million philanthropic initiative to address America's declining proficiency in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), which puts our children at risk of not competing successfully in a global economy. Using its media assets, TWC creates awareness of the issue and inspires students to develop the STEM skills they need to become the problem solvers of tomorrow. Program highlights include: original PSAs that challenge public perceptions of STEM; a unique website, www.connectamillionminds.com, and "The Connectory", a one-of-a-kind online resource that makes it simple and easy for parents and students to find informal science and technology learning opportunities in their communities. Local TWC markets have activated CAMM across the country with community-specific programs and partnerships.

To promote safe riding and the wearing of safety equipment, the Fillmore Police Department will be holding a Bicycle and Skateboard Safety Rodeo on Saturday, December 12th, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The event, which is free to the public, will be held at Two Rivers Park (River St. at D St., Fillmore) and will feature safety instruction, an obstacle course, bicycle and skateboard safety inspections, and proper helmet fitment. The park also features a BMX track and a skate park for all to enjoy.

Thanks to the generous help of the Fillmore Fire Foundation, Fillmore Police Department’s Citizens Patrol, First 5 Ventura County – Fillmore, Fillmore Lions Club, Fillmore Rotary Club, Fillmore Women’s Club, Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, Ragatz Performance Bicycles of Santa Paula, and SkateLab of Simi Valley, there will be free helmets for children who do not have them and raffles for new bicycles and skateboards.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Millions of Americans ride bicycles, but less than half wear bicycle helmets. For example, a national survey conducted in 2001-2003 found that only 48% of children ages 5-14 years wore bicycle helmets when riding. Further, older children were less likely to wear helmets than younger children. In 2010 in the U.S., 800 bicyclists were killed and an estimated 515,000 sustained bicycle-related injuries that required emergency department care. Roughly half of these cyclists were children and adolescents under the age of 20. Annually, 26,000 of these bicycle-related injuries to children and adolescents are traumatic brain injuries treated in emergency departments.”

California state law (21212 VC) requires all bicycle riders and skateboarders, under the age of 18, to wear helmets.

The City of Fillmore Municipal Code (14.60.020 FMC) also requires that all bicycles be properly licensed. Doing so aids law enforcement in identifying owners of lost or stolen bicycles and, to aid Fillmore residents in complying with this ordinance, free bicycle registration will be available (with proof of residency), as well.

Prepared by: Sergeant Kevin Vaden

Special Education Director Mary Williams and Program Specialist Krystal Sarabia-Rocha presented the Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board an overview of FUSD's Special Education Program (SEP). FUSD has a total of 540 SEP students throughout the district.

Since 2002 the FUSD student percentage with disabilities has increased by 11.8%. The largest increases are in Autism (12X). Autism continuing to be on the rise with a 2009-2010 survey indicating Autism is 2.9% nationally, and a 9.9% population in California. Boys are four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with Autism. Orthopedic Impairment (3X) is FUSD's second largest increase and Intellectual Disabilities (2.5X) the third.
The categories of disabilities range from physical impairment to learning disabilities. FUSD's largest three are; Specific Learning Disability with 292 students (54.1%), Speech and Language Impairment with 106 students (19.6%) and Intellectual Disabilities with 42 students (7.7%).

Special Academic Instruction at FUSD serve both mild-moderate and moderate-severe disabilities and is styled to meet each students' needs. Through the Resource Specialist Program the student receives intensive instruction in specific areas, such as math and English, for part of the school day and attends regular class the remainder.

With the Special CONTINUED »