Local Fillmore youth cross country runners competed at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday, December 5th. The group of local athletes competed and qualified for the event with the team known as the Pacific Coast Shockwaves which represent athletes from Fontana, Los Angeles, San Pedro, Victorville and Ventura County. The team is coached locally by Maria Elena Alcantara, Evelio Arriaga, Daniel Bakholdin, Israel Estrada, Temo Laureano, Juan Ruiz, Cynthia Tarango, and Juan Toledo. For more information on the team please call or text: 805-421-8741 or 805-258-3821.

The results are as follows:
Emily Arriaga, 12:11.61, Girls 3k Race: 9 -10 year olds, placed 27th overall out of a field of 142 runners, placing 20th in her age group, with her Shockwave team placing 1st as National Champions.

Mason Arriaga, 4:12.46, Boys 1k Race: 6 years old & under, placed 15th overall out of a field of 50 runners, earned All American Honors, placing 7th in his age group.

Julie Bakholdin, 11:43.08, Girls 3k Race: 11 - 12 year olds, placed 62nd overall out of a field of 240 runners, placing 21st in her age group, with her Shockwave team placing 3rd.

Joshua Estrada, 14:28.79, Boys 4k Race: 13 - 14 year olds, placed 156th overall out of a field of 245 runners, placing 94th in his age group, with his Shockwave team placing 5th.

Paola Estrada, 11:00.59, Girls 3k Race: 11 - 12 year olds, placed 15th overall out of a field of 240 runners, earned All American Honors, placing 4th in her age group, with her Shockwave team placing 4th.

Leah Laureano, 8:55.25, Girls 2k Race: 7 - 8 year olds, placed 19th overall out of a field of 59 runners, earned All American Honors, placing 6th in her age group, with her Shockwave team placing 1st as National Champions.

Niza Laureano, 15:43.42, Girls 4k Race: 13 - 14 year olds, placed 104th overall out of a field of 214 runners, placing 45th in her age group, with her Shockwave team placing 4th.

Aaliyan Tarango, 8:49.25, Girls 2k Race: 7 - 8 year olds, placed 15th overall out of a field of 59 runners, earned All American Honors, placing 11th in her age group, with her Shockwave team placing 1st as National Champions.

Bestselling Author Brett Battles

Brett Battles, bestselling author of nearly 40 novels, has moved to Fillmore. Born and raised in Ridgecrest, California, Battles lived most of his life in the greater Los Angeles area, but felt ready for a change.

"I was looking for a place outside of Los Angeles, but close to Simi Valley, where my kids live," said Battles. "Ventura County seemed like the perfect solution. I checked out several places, and really liked the feel and size of Fillmore. Plus, one of my best friends lives here, so that was a bonus."

Battles has sold over one million copies of his novels. He is a USA Today bestselling author of several series including the Jonathan Quinn series, the Project Eden series, and the time bending Rewinder trilogy. His debut novel, The Cleaner (A Jonathan Quinn Novel Book 1), was nominated for The Barry Award for Best Thriller, and The Shamus Award for Best First Novel. His second Jonathan Quinn novel, The Deceived, won The Barry Award for Best Thriller.

Battles has traveled extensively to many international cities, Ho Chi Minh City, Berlin, Bangkok, Angkor Wat, Singapore, Jakarta, London, Paris, and Rome, all play parts in his current and upcoming novels. Although he enjoys traveling, Battles loves being at home to write and spend time with his three adult children, Ronan, Fiona, and Keira, who now enjoy driving up to Fillmore for visits and to play with Maggie, Brett's neurotic, paranoid, and very cute, Australian Shepherd.

"I love the pace of Ventura County. It’s both energetic and relaxed, perfect for me. I feel like I’ve lived in Fillmore for years. It really feels like home. I’ve made some great friends here already, and look forward to making even more."

Battles says, "If you like James Bond, Jack Reacher, or Jason Bourne, give my Jonathan Quinn series a try. I get the best feedback from Quinn fans. They seem to really love the main characters." Battles latest Quinn novel, The Vanished, was just released this December and has already reached #1 in several Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense categories on Amazon. You can lean more about Battles and his novels at his website www.brettbattles.com

During this time we would like to remember and honor those in our community. Santa Clara Valley Hospice has been sponsoring Light Up a Life for over 27 years. There is still time to make a $10 donation to add the name of a loved one. Contact: SCVH at 805.525.1333.

IN MEMORY OF...
Gladys Carpenter
Anice Reed
I B Reed
Billy Reed
Wanda Lynn Martin
Claude Lee
Mary Lee
Hazel Hiebert
Rufus Hiebert
Bill Edmonds
Harold Michel
Bernice Michel
Sam Myers
Estelle Johnson
Ruth Gillespie
Diane Dudley
Chris Cone
Shelly Signor
Ruth Musgrave
Don Musgrave
Ked Creed
Roberta Creed
Hazel Davis
Gerald Davis
Ed Preston
Betty Preston
Eileen Cuttriss
Leslie Cuttriss
Jean Mullen
Donna Zoelke
Lois Main
Anna Bliss
Roland Preston
Jack Schleimer
Georgia Morton
Dean Morton
Nadean Rogers
Bertha De Lara Zermeno
Virginia Grainger
Ray Dressler
Mary Beyerl
Joe Beyerl
Velia Newport
Lloyd Michel Sr.
Donald DeYoung
Neva DeYoung
Nancy Dunst
Frank Dunst
Elaine Dunst
Raelene Chaney
Bob Chaney
Art Chessani
Raymond Wallace
Tommy Wallace
Otto Olson
Noma Olson
Harold C. Olson
Robert “Bob” Olson
Luanne Perez
Natividad Gaitan
Genaro Gaitan
Clemente Ferrer
Blanca Ferrer
Eric “Rick” Godfrey
Bret Godfrey
Vena Godfrey
Grace Meehl
Louis Meehl
Kathy Black
Terry Meehl
Janine Reese
Ramona E. Golson
Gene Wren
Marie Wren
Steve Kay
Lowell Barnhart
Carmen Barnhart
Onema Nunes
Susan Taylor
Sophia Norris
Frank Norris
Tom Maxfield
Phillis Maxfield
Lorraine Finch
Helen Lidamore
Ronnie Brooks
Manuel Cabral
Jess Cabral
John Cabral
Frank Cabral
Jim Stehly
Mary Stehly
Phillip Stehly
Jess Colitti
Ronnie Brooks
Monica Hernandez
Debbie Thomas
Cheri Fleming
Gay Givens
Hector Merjil Sr.
Hortencia Perchez
Jovita Chavez
Steve Halweg
David Ayala
Don Gunderson
Ruthie Gunderson

In Honor of:
Wilma Allen
Helen West
Sharon Modglin
Ari Larson (Fillmore City Council Member)

1960 in the Gymnasium.
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1942 somewhere in the Pacific.
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December 5th 1941 Briggs Hardware Store.
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1913 parlor at Christmas.
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1911 Christmas Fillmore Herald.
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circa 1930 Christmas time in Fillmore.
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1963 Edith Jarrett's home Christmas decorations.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

Christmas is always an exciting time for children and their families. The children eagerly await the arrival of Santa and presents. Their parents spend an outrageous amount of time and money buying presents and attempting to hide them until late Christmas Eve when they can be placed under the tree for the children to find in the morning.

Fillmore’s local merchants tried to outdo each other with festive store windows. The only newspaper in Fillmore added to the festivities with special, colorful, Christmas front pages. The photo of the front page from 1911 shows Santa, having swapped his sleigh for the newest invention, an airplane, dropping toys and candy to the children below.

Christmas in the early years of the twentieth century were less complicated. There might be a small tree such as the one in the photo from 1913, decorated with popcorn strings, some tinsel, ribbons and a few presents. The piano was close by to allow for singing carols as the children impatiently waited for Santa to arrive. Sometimes there were parties where the children received an orange from California or piece of hard candy.

In 1930 Fillmore celebrated with lighted Christmas trees placed in concrete pots down both sides of Central Avenue as well as trees in the center of the street placed at each crosswalk. These were all live trees as were all the trees for sale in every grocery store in town. There were at least 5 grocery stores on Central Ave with trees for sale out front on the sidewalk.

Merchants in 1941 decorated their front windows with all those appliances they hoped a husband would purchase to make his wife’s life easier. To be festive Briggs Hardware added a garland with wreaths and bells to their window display. Note the date on the photo, Dec 5, 1941, two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Christmas for the next few years would be very changed with consumer items restricted and young men off to war.

The photo of the Christmas tree sitting on fake bricks is from 1942, “somewhere in the Pacific.” Christmas was celebrated even in a tent far from home during the war.

By the 1960s outdoor decorations were popular at people’s homes. The photo of museum founder Edith Jarrett’s home on Foothill in 1963 is typical of the time. Also typical are the water thrifty plants and the rocky area in front of the house.

In 1960, if you wanted to see Santa Claus you probably went to Stocker’s Department Store, It had almost anything a child could wish for. It was just south of Orin Eberly’s drugstore where you could get a great gift for mom and north of Champ Cochran’s men’s emporium where you could find a gift for dad. The Fillmore Theater was just up the street. It was the place to go for special Christmas movies and cartoons, a tradition begun for the children of Fillmore in the 1920s and originally hosted and paid for by Richard Stephens of Stephens Market.

Christmas pageants were also part of the Christmas festivities. Not only were they performed in churches, they also were performed by the Fillmore High School students in the “state of the art” high school auditorium. The productions consisted of talented students dancing, singing, playing their musical instruments and performing skits. The final act was always a production of the journey of Joseph and Mary and birth of Jesus. After the high school building and its auditorium were demolished in the mid-1950s the pageant moved to the high school gym. The nativity scene took place on the south side bleachers with Joseph, Mary, Jesus and the angels, wise men and shepherds as seen in the accompanying photo from 1960. Many of you may remember teacher, Beatrice Albright, the guiding light for these productions.

All of us have special memories of Christmases here in Fillmore when we were children. There were family gatherings, church programs, lights and music. We here at the Fillmore Museum wish you all a safe, healthy, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Kristian Fonseca, 22, of Fillmore

Original Press Release:
On Saturday, October 24th, 2020, at approximately 10:13pm, the Santa Paula Police Department received a call of shots fired with two subjects down in the 200 block of Ventura St. Upon officers arrival, officers located two subjects with gunshot wounds. One subject was pronounced deceased on scene and the second subject was transported to the Ventura County Medical Center where he is in critical condition. While officers were investigating the scene, a third victim of the shooting arrived at the Santa Paula Hospital Emergency Room. He was later taken to the Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura. There are no suspects in custody and the motive is unknown at this time.

Update:
On Thursday 12/10/2020 SPPD Detectives completed the investigation into the October 24, 2020 shooting which claimed the lives of two people. During the investigation Kristian Fonseca of Fillmore was identified as a person of interest. Fonseca was arrested by SPPD Special Enforcement Officers on October 27, 2020 on an unrelated warrant. SPPD Detectives conducted the investigation and on December 10, 2020 Fonseca was charged by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in relation to the October 24, 2020 shooting. Fonseca has been in custody since October 27, 2020 on charges unrelated to the homicide.
CONTACT PERSON: Detective Hector Ramirez
APPROVED BY: Commander Scott Varner

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced on Thursday, December 11th that Kristian Fonseca (DOB 10/07/98) of Fillmore, has been charged with the murder of Jose Estrada and Daniel Zuniga, both of Santa Paula. The complaint charges two counts of murder with a special allegation that Fonseca personally used a firearm in the commission of the crimes. Fonseca was also charged with one count of attempted murder with a special allegation that he personally used a firearm, for the shooting of Rafael Hernandez, of Santa Paula, in the same incident.

Mr. Estrada and Mr. Zuniga were fatally shot on East Ventura Street in Santa Paula in the late evening hours of October 24, 2020. Mr. Estrada died that day, while Mr. Zuniga remained on life support for two weeks before he died. Mr. Hernandez was shot several times and survived his injuries. Fonseca is currently in custody for an attempted murder that he committed in the city of Ventura in October 2019. He appeared in court on December 10, 2020, and pled not guilty to the new charges. The case is set for an early disposition conference on January 27, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court. Fonseca is currently in custody at the Ventura County Jail with bail set at $3 million.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 280 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims.

Follow the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office on Twitter @VenturaDAOffice

On Friday, December 11th at 5 PM, a car crash was reported on East Guiberson Road, east of Highway 23 in Bardsdale. When California Highway Patrol arrived on scene they found a pickup truck in a ditch with a male victim outside the vehicle and unresponsive. Authorities closed Guiberson for several hours to conduct their investigation. On Monday, December 14th the Ventura County Medical Examiner identified the crash victim as Jose J. Gonzalez Sr., 57, of Fillmore. Authorities report that the pickup truck veered off the road and that the driver did not appear to have used his brakes before the crash, can was not
wearing a seatbelt.

This housing project is a joint venture with the Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura. Funding sources for this project come from Ventura County Housing Trust Fund Acquisition Loan, County of Ventura CDBG Funds, State Funds, Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura Permanent, Loan and Project Based Vouchers, Conventional Permanent Loan, and 4% Tax Credits + Tax Exempt Bond.

The Community Amenities available will be Manager/Services Offices, Community Room, On-Site Library Services In, Partnership With The Ventura County Library System, Two Playgrounds, Outdoor Activity Center, On-Site Laundry, Community Gardens, Picnic/BBQ, Garage Parking and Guest Parking.

For more information visit https://www.manymansions.org/properties-in-development/mountain-view-fil...

Saturday, November 14th Fillmore artist, musician, and “artivist” Gabriel Cardenas began a new mural project for Nova Storage here in Fillmore at 455 A Street. Nova Storage reached out to the community by conducting an online poll where people voted on their favorite historic fruit label design. The community’s response was greater than expected and the winner was the SESPE label. Above is the is the second of three murals planned for the building. The first mural was completed back in April of this year. Nova Storage plans on beginning working on the third mural in January 2021.

Nova Storage continues to be active in their local communities, with nine branches providing superior customer service and offering clean, safe and secure facilities at a great rate. Stop by one of their locations, like them on Facebook, follow on Instagram, and visit their website at www.Nova Storage.com.

SoCalGas announces additional donation to the Gas Assistance Fund to help customers in need. There is still time for income qualified individuals and families to apply for up to $200 to help pay their gas bills. To learn more, go to https://sempra.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=19080&item=137863. Courtesy City of Fillmore.

Young family bees on Oak Flat in 1916.
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Beehives in Bardsdale.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

Honey bees were introduced into North America in 1622 in Jamestown and from there slowly spread across the continent. By 1850, bee colonies were appearing in the San Jose area and soon came south.

By 1876, Robert Wilkin moved his apiary from Ohio to Sespe. Even without the orchards that would soon come to the area, the abundant native vegetation, especially sage, wild alfalfa and buckwheat, provided for the bees. This particular apiary was taken over by Mr. Wilkin’s son-in-law, James F. McIntyreshown here in 1900, smoking a hive to sedate the bees so the frames of honey comb could be safely removed.

The process at the McIntyre apiary was explained in the October 10, 1891 issue of Pacific Rural Press (San Francisco).

“The land slopes about ten feet from the back of the apiary to the honey house, which makes it easy to wheel the honey into the house. Two carts… are used to wheel in the honey. Each cart carries four "supers” full, or about 200 pounds at a load. When extracting, one man fills one cart with honey in the apiary, while the other extracts the other cart-load in the honey house. It takes from 20 to 30 minutes to fill a cart, and the man in the honey house can easily extract one in the same time. A three-inch pipe runs from a reservoir down through the apiary and connects with a Pelton water motor in the honey house, which furnishes sufficient power to run a small circular saw or the honey extractor. The honey runs from the extractor into iron tank, shown below the honey house, which hold 8000 pounds each, where It is allowed to stand for one or two weeks, and is then drawn off through a molasses gate into 60-pound cans for the market.”

The entire McIntyre family was committed to beekeeping. They had 4 daughters and one son. The son was named Robert, the girls were all named after plants – Myrtle, Flora, Lily and Pansy. According to the San Francisco Call, October 31, 1906, Flora was paying her way through UC Berkeley by raising and selling queen bees at $1 each. “Her skill in handling the insects is such as to qualify her for rank with the entomologists of the university.”

The McIntyres in Sespe were not the only apiarists in the area. Tommy Arundell became well known with his hives in Pole Creek. In 1893, he delivered a paper to the California Beekeepers Association on “Economy in Bee Keeping”. Nate and Al Stone, who are remembered as some of the hunters who supplied Fillmore with fresh meat, also conducted a thriving honey business in the 1910s and 20s. The Haase family had extensive honey operations at Oak Flat as did the Young family. Piru Canyon is still a major honey producing area.

By 1910, Ventura County had over 11,000 hives of bees and produced over 400,000 pounds of honey, the majority of which was produced in the Fillmore area.

On Monday, December 7th at 11:44 AM a fire broke out in the Santa Clara riverbed south of Santa Paula, causing closures for both east and west bound lanes of Highway 126 at Briggs exit. The blaze is said to have been caused by a large tree falling onto power lines. With 35-plus mph Santa Ana winds it structures as well as agricultural operations. Evacuations were assessed
but did not take place. By 3 PM the fire grew to 174 acres, and between 4 PM and 5 PM the freeway closure was put into place. Tow-hundred fire fighters were sent out to battle the blaze; no damages were reported.

On Friday, December 4th at 3:46 PM a fire was reported north of Fillmore in the Sespe Wilderness near Four Fork Creek Road and Hopper Mountain. A helicopter was dispatched to Quarter Acre Brush Fire North of Fillmore the scene for water drops due to the remote location of the blaze, as well as fire engines on the ground. By 5:30 PM ground crews made a line surrounding the fire allowing them to cease water drops and contain the fire reported at a quarter acre. No damages or injuries were reported at the time of the incent; cause is still under investigation.

The Fillmore Condors Youth Cross Country Team which competed at the AAU Youth Cross Country Nationals in Florida on Saturday, December 5th. Top row, left to right: Leah Barragan, Yarely Herrera, Coach Felix Zuniga, Noah Flores, Diego Felix, Diego Rodriguez, Coach Phil Ramirez, Lindsey Ramirez, Yarably Herrera. Middle row, left to right: Lucy Zuniga, Natalia Retana, Santiago Felix, Abel Arana, Itzel Arana. Bottom row, left to Right: Coaches Andrea Mendez and Gerardo Flores. Photos courtesy Fillmore Condors XC President Erika Arana.
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Some of the Fillmore Condors XC Team in Florida.
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Courtesy Fillmore Condors Cross Country President Erika Arana

The Fillmore Condors Cross Country team concluded their 2020 season by participating in the AAU Youth Cross Country Nationals on Saturday, December 5th, 2020. Although there wasn’t the usual number of runners, over 2,000 athletes still made the trip to Tallahassee, Florida to compete at the 100+ acres, known as the premiere cross-country facility at Apalachee Regional Park. This multi-use park includes one of the nation’s few sites designed specifically for cross country running. The pristine trail features numerous course/distance options through the rolling hills, lowlands and pine forests. The trail was designed to give runners the opportunity to run on several types of surfaces. For a few of our athletes, this was their second time racing at this very same course, back in 2017. Weather conditions were a lot better for our athletes, this time around. The Florida rain drenched the course the night before, forcing our athletes to run on some muddy trails. Overall, it felt like the California weather they were used to.

This year, by far was the most challenging, due to Covid restrictions. Most of our season racing, were held as “Inter-Team Time Trials”. This is how national teams were determined at the end. Our fourteen local Condors joined other area runners to form Valley United Striders. Condor representatives were Abel Arana, Itzel Arana, Leah Barragan, Diego Felix, Santiago Felix, Destina Guzman, Yaraby Herrera, Lindsey Ramirez, Natalia Retana, Diego Rodriguez, Lucy Zuniga and sisters - Kaylie, Kirsten, and Kristen Theobald.

With high school sports on hold, we welcomed three Condor Alumni’s to join our National team. The third race of the day was the girls 13 and 14-year-old, with 214 runners. Lindsey Ramirez 98th overall and 57th, individually for the 14-year-olds; Lindsey had over a 2-minute PR of 15:38.15. Her alumni teammate, Yaraby Herrera had been battling a hamstring injury 2 weeks prior and still managed to fight her way through it during her race. Yaraby placed 187th overall and 94th individually, for the 14-year-old girls; 18:29.26. The boys 13 & 14-year-old division had a stacked field of 245 runners. Alumni, Diego Rodriquez finished strong, placing 91st overall and 62nd individually, for the 14-year-olds; PR 13:37.66. Diego Felix crossed the finish line in a PR 15:02.03, placing 186th overall and 79th individually, for the 13-year-olds. Due to an injury, Condor Noah Flores had to withdraw his National team spot. These youth four, ran a 3,000-meter (2.48 mile) race.

Following was the girls 11 and 12-year-old division, that consisted of 240 runners. Leah Barragan placed 160th overall and 96th individually, for the 12-year-olds; 13:08.41. Santiago Felix ran the boys 11 and 12-year-old division race, that saw 212 runners that morning. He finished strong with a time 12:27.39, placing 164th overall and 71st in the 11-year-olds, individually. Both Leah and Santiago ran a 3,000-meter (1.86 mile) race.

142 runners toed the starting line in the girls 9 and 10-year-old race, with four of the Striders being Condors. They pack ran the entire way to a 3rd team podium appearance. Theobald sisters, Kristen ran 12:28.55, 42nd overall and 11th individually, for the 9-year-olds; Her sister Kirsten behind with a 12:32.25, 49th overall and 13th individually, for the 9-year-olds. Lucy Zuniga, a second behind her teammate, crossed with a time of 12:33.14 for a 50th overall finish and 14th individually, for the 9-year-olds. Destina Guzman tried hard to hold on to her teammates to finish 76th and 24th individually, for the 9-year-olds; 13:05.36. Abel Arana was the Strider’s first runner to cross the finish line in the field of 137 runners. His time was 11:45.85, placing 39th overall and 28th individually, for the 10-year-olds. Abel and his teammates also ran away with a 3rd place podium title. This division ran the 3,000-meter race (1.86 mile) race.

The last race for our athletes, was the girls 7 and 8-year-olds. Following in her brother’s footsteps, Itzel Arana also was the Strider’s number one runner to cross the finish line with a PR time of 9:18.30. Itzel placed 32nd overall and 11th individually, for the 7-year-olds. Her teammate Natalia Retana had a huge PR time of 10:44.33, placing 51st overall and 31st individually, for the 8-year-olds. This was the girls first National experience and together with their teammates, Itzel and Natalia earned a 3rd place podium finish in their 2,000-meter (1.24 mile) race.

Fillmore Condors Cross Country is a non-profit organization under Heritage Valley Blazers Inc. We are the only cross-country team in Fillmore, we represent our city with pride. The Condors are coached by Philip Ramirez, Gerardo Flores, Jared Perez and Felix Zuniga. “Saying we are proud, is an understatement; especially this year. We had an unpredictable season and made the best of it. All we wanted was some normalcy for our athletes, and running has always taken us places. They come out, push through the pain, and train their minds daily with one goal in mind; December!” Condors President Erika Arana and board members would like to thank the following for sponsoring our athletes this unforgettable cross-country season: Fillmore Lions Club, Fillmore Rotary Club, Prancer’s Farm, Siena Floral Accent’s, Heritage Valley Blazers Inc. and the Fillmore Community for purchasing Jamba Juice cards from our athletes. For more XC or Track info, contact 805-624-1129. FOREVER CONDORS!

The State of California’s Stay Home Order will go into effect on Sunday, December 6 at 11:59 pm in Ventura County and in all Counties in Southern California, after the Southern California Region's hospital ICU capacity dropped below 15%. The order closes many businesses and activities and urges people to stay at home whenever possible.

The California Department of Public Health reported on Friday evening that Southern California's ICU capacity dropped to 13.1%, triggering the Stay Home Order.

The order requires bars, wineries, nail salons, hair salons and barbershops, and other personal care services to close. Private gatherings of any size are prohibited. Restaurants can stay open for takeout and delivery, but they have to shut down both indoor and outdoor dining.

The Southern California Region Ventura County was placed in has, by itself, more than half the State’s total population. The region includes 11 counties. The County is urging the Governor to consider smaller, more targeted regions. The County, along with 58 Counties throughout the State, are also urging the Governor to consider additional, immediate assistance for impacted workers, families and businesses. The County of Ventura will continue to advocate and engage with the State on behalf of our County on a regular basis.

Schools opened while Ventura County was in the purple tier can stay open. K-6 schools that were given a waiver to reopen will be allowed to stay open. Retail stores will be allowed to stay open at 20% capacity.

Additionally, all non-essential travel is temporarily restricted statewide. Hotels and motels are now restricted to guests traveling for an essential reason.

Ventura County and all Counties in the Southern California Region are required by the State to stay under the lockdown for at least three weeks. After that, state health officials will evaluate ICU capacity and transmission rates to project at least four weeks into the future to determine if the stay home order can be lifted.

All Ventura County residents are further urged to help slow the spread by wearing a mask, social distancing and not gathering during this critical time. “Given the significant increase we have been experiencing in our county with COVID-19 with cases, test positivity, and hospitalizations, this order is the only remaining measure to flatten the curve as soon as possible,” said Rigoberto Vargas, Ventura County Public Health Director.

“Since it will take several weeks for these additional restrictions to slow in particular the very concerning rising hospitalizations, collectively and as the strong community that Ventura County is known for, I urge every resident and sector to support the measure in this order so that we can once and for all, given also the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine, get this virus under control. We will then be able to return to the path toward fully opening our business, schools and other sectors,” added Vargas.

The following activities and sectors must close by midnight on Sunday, December 6:
Indoor and outdoor playgrounds
Indoor recreational facilities
Hair salons and barbershops
Personal care services
Museums, zoos, and aquariums
Movie theaters
Wineries
Bars, breweries and distilleries
Family entertainment centers
Cardrooms and satellite wagering
Limited services
Live audience sports
Amusement parks

Other sectors that will be allowed to stay open when operating remotely is not possible include:
Critical Infrastructure
Schools that are already open for in-person learning
Non-urgent medical and dental care
Childcare and pre-K

The following sectors will have additional modifications in addition to 100% masking and physical distancing:
• Outdoor recreational facilities: Allow outdoor operation only without any food, drink or alcohol sales. Additionally, overnight stays at campgrounds will not be permitted.
• Retail: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
• Shopping centers: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
• Hotels and lodging: Allow to open for critical infrastructure support only.
• Restaurants: Allow only for take-out, pick-up, or delivery. No indoor or outdoor dining.
• Offices: Allow remote only except for critical infrastructure sectors where remote working is not possible.
• Places of worship and political expression: Allow outdoor services only.
• Entertainment production including professional sports: Allow operation without live audiences. Additionally, testing protocol and “bubbles” are highly encouraged.

More information about the Stay Home Order can be found at: https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/

Local information at www.venturacountyrecovers.org.

Mr. A.H. James, also known as Painter James, was first known for painting and decorating businesses, then became known as the community painter.

Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

The April 14, 1944 headline in the Fillmore Herald reads “Thirty-Three Cadets Are Entertained Here During Easter.” Air cadets in training in Lancaster, far from home over the holiday spent a weekend at the homes of generous local citizens. Fillmore families adopted themfor the weekend. They were entertained with an open house, the key to the city, a house party and dance at Camulos. Church services and a round of informal activities including picnics, horseback riding, and swimming filled the rest of the weekend.

Mr. A. H. James, known as Painter James, was the guiding spirit behind these activities. He worked with the commandant of Mira Loma Airbase to bring the cadets to town. The cadets arrived at the depot (now part of the Fillmore Historical Museum) and were picked up by the host families. They were welcomed by families by the name of Peyton, Haase, Brown, Mc Kim, Smith, Rubel, and many others including of course James. Many of these names we still recognize.

Mr. James repeated this act of kindness toward our servicemen and women several times. The Easter 1944 celebration was the tenth such event that Painter James organized. At a similar Christmas visit for 55 air cadets and 5 WAVES, a letter from home was presented to eachvisitor as part of the festivities. Other groups came from Oxnard, Santa Ana, Taft, and Santa Barbara. Twelve hundred cadets were invited to Fillmore in this one year.James arranged for transportation, entertainment, and sleeping quarters for all of the visiting guests. He also organized wheelchair basketball games for wounded veterans from Birmingham Hospital in Van Nuys.

Mr. James was born in Greenfield, Iowa in in 1892, married Lillian Hilbert in 1917, and died in 1970. Coming to Fillmore from Colorado he ran a painting and decorating business and was known to the community as “Painter.” He had threesurviving sons who survived to adulthood. His son Robert, a staff sergeant in the Army Air Corp, was killed in the Philippines in 1942.

The Fillmore Historical Museum is especially grateful for another enormous project that Mr. James created during the war years. He collected over 1200 photos of Fillmore World War II servicemen. Part of the collection was put into albums and was on display in town. Others were framed and displayed upstairs at Briggs Hardware store where the Veterans of Foreign Wars used to meet. Later they were housed in the local Memorial Building along with other mementos. They now hang in the upstairs hallway at the Museum. This collection has over 300 photos; a few of the photos are still unidentified. Frank Erskine added names to most of the photos. Some also display a star. A gold stars signify that the veteran was killed, silver indicates a prisoner of war, and red is for the wounded. Currently nineteen (19) of the photographs are unidentified. You can view their photographs at https://www.fillmorehistoricalmuseum.org/unidentified-wwii-f. If anyone can help us identify these men, we would very much appreciate it.

Mr. James continued his efforts during the Korean War as well. The Museum would like to expand the collection with more who served in Korea and also photos of local men who served in Viet Nam. If you know of someone please contact us at the Museum at 805 524-0948 or email us at fillmore.museum@gmail.com. We can scan the originals and return them to you.

Naya Rivera

Ryan Dorsey, ex-husband of late Glee star Naya Rivera, 33, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of his and Rivera’s 4-year-old son, Josey, for wrongful death and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The move comes after Rivera’s tragic death from drowning at Lake Piru in early July 2020.

The lawsuit names Ventura County/Operators of the lake property, the United Water Conservation District and Parks and Recreation Management as defendants.

According to the court filings, the pontoon Rivera rented at Lake Piru did not contain certain important safety features, including a safely accessible ladder, adequate rope, an anchor, a radio and more. The suit also says the boat did not come with floatation devices, although other boaters at the scene said they found Josey alone on the boat with Rivera’s purse, her wallet, and a life jacket.

“There are no signs warning visitors about the dangers of swimming in the lake, to wear life vests when swimming or boating, or that dozens of others have drowned in Lake Piru,” the filing says.

It is believed, as Rivera and her son swam in the lake, the boat drifted away. According to earlier reports, the child told authorities that his mother helped him onto the boat, but she was not able to climb on and disappeared under the water surface. Her body was recovered five days later.

According to the filing, the wrongful death claim, which typically proceeds a formal lawsuit against a government entity, was rejected by the County on September 8th. The United Water Conservation District rejected the wrongful death claim on October 14, 2020.