Nelson Davila Cruz, 63, Los Angeles CA.

A lottery scam investigation in Fillmore on Thursday, October 10th, led to the arrest of a Los Angeles man for felony conspiracy to commit a crime, obtaining money by false pretenses, elder abuse, and an out-of-county felony warrant.

On October 10th, at approximately 2:40 p.m., an elderly female entered Bank of the Sierra in the city of Fillmore and proceeded to withdraw a large sum of money from her account. Cruz entered the bank as the elderly female was conducting the transaction. Cruz appeared to have an unusual interest in the elderly female and her transaction which prompted bank employees to notify the Sheriff’s Office. Patrol deputies and detectives responded to the bank and Cruz was contacted scurrying out of the bank. Patrol deputies interviewed the elderly female who told them she was contacted by two suspects, a male and female, asking for her help cashing a winning lottery ticket. They convinced the elderly female to obtain “good faith” money from her account that was needed to cash the winning ticket. The two suspects handed the elderly female one of their cellphones and a male on the other line impersonated himself as a lawyer corroborating what she had been told by the two suspects reference the winning lottery ticket.

Detectives determined Cruz was working in concert with the unidentified male and female suspects and he was booked at the Main Jail for PC 532(a) / Obtaining Money, Labor or Property by False Pretenses, PC 182(a)(1) / Conspiracy to Commit a Crime, and PC 368(b)(1) / Elder/Dependent Adult Abuse. During the booking process, it was discovered Cruz had an out-of-county felony warrant for PC 487(a) / Grand Theft by Embezzlement and was a suspect in Long Beach case for a lottery scam.

The common methods for carrying out these crimes include targeting the elderly, suspects alleging he/she cannot cash the winning lottery ticket due to their nationality, suspects working in pairs of two or three, and the request to wire, transfer, or obtain money or goods in exchange for winnings from a fictitious lottery ticket. The Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone who believes they are possibly being scammed in a similar matter to contact local law enforcement.

Nature of Incident: Lottery Scam
Report Number: RB# 19-159713
Location: City of Fillmore
Date & Time: 10/10/19 @ 2:40 PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Patrol Services and Detectives
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S) Nelson Davila Cruz, 63, of Los Angeles, Ca
Prepared by: Detective Shawn Pewsey #3867
Approved by: Captain Eric Tennessen

On October 9, 2019, at 7:30 AM, Santa Paula Police officers responded to an armed carjacking report at 6th and Santa Paula St. The officers contacted the victims and learned their 2000 Chevy Silverado truck was stolen at gunpoint by a male and female juvenile. SPPD notified surrounding agencies of the incident, including details of the stolen vehicle.

At approximately 3 PM, SPPD received information from the Ventura Police Department that the stolen vehicle was spotted fleeing from a shopping center in Ventura after a female juvenile was arrested for shoplifting. The female subject was later identified as one of the two suspects involved in the carjacking incident that occurred earlier in the day in Santa Paula.

At about 3:30 PM, SPPD received additional information that the stolen truck was involved in a traffic accident on Highway 126 at Pyle Road, Fillmore. Four male juveniles and a female juvenile were arrested by Ventura County Sheriff's deputies after the suspects fled the accident on foot. One of the male subjects was later identified as the second suspect involved in the carjacking incident that occurred earlier in Santa Paula. The Santa Paula Police K-9 Unit searched the area where the suspects were arrested and discovered a loaded firearm fitting the description of the gun used during the carjacking incident.

Subsequent investigation revealed the subjects are known gang members and was involved in a countywide crime spree that spanned Santa Paula, Oxnard, and Ventura. The crimes included multiple armed robberies, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a loaded firearm, and attempted theft.

“This effort is a perfect example of local law enforcement agencies working together to share intelligence in order to solve a variety of crimes while remove dangerous gang members from the community,” said Chief Steve Mclean. “Thank you to the Santa Paula Police Department, Ventura Police Department, Ventura County Sheriff's Department, and California Highway Patrol for working closely to end this crime spree within eight hours of the first incident.”

The investigation is on-going.

Officer Preparing Press Release:
Assistant Chief of Police
Approved by: Chief of Police Steven McLean #1001

Socks are one of the most needed items for the needy! This year we are once again holding a sock drive for Fillmore kids. Our goal is 1,000 pairs of new socks! Drop off box will be available Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Diamond Realty, 460 Santa Clara St., Fillmore. We will be accepting sock donations until December 1, 2019. New children’s socks only—toddler and up—no infant socks. There are donation boxes around the community. Questions? Contact Lorraine at 805.298.5318

Fillmore High to host “Vaping Presentation: What Parents Need to Know”, October 22, 2019 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., in the Fillmore Unified School District auditorium, 627 Sespe Avenue, Fillmore, CA 93015. For more information call Alma Ixta at (805) 981-8475. Courtesy Fillmore High School website.

Bob Crum

'Tis the autumn season and reminiscing often leads to waxing whimsical. I grew up in a small New Jersey farming community. To the north of home, a raw unmolested forest of deciduous trees stood protected by thorny briars. On my hands and knees, my dog King and I would crawl through the briars to the secret path that led to our oasis along Shalk's creek. Every autumn, the landscape became the canvas upon which nature painted vivid scenes. Imagine an eyeful of colorful scarlet oak, vivid yellows from tulip poplars, and the golden leaves of black hickory. This potpourri of brilliant colors is much too majestic to be observed with a glance and dismissed. Enthralled with the essence of Mother Nature's creativity, my dog King and I would spend as much time as my mother would allow at a clearing in the forest along the creek. Occasionally a trout would break water leaping to catch an insect. Squirrels often joined us. Songbirds provided the melody, in G# of course. There is little that massages the feeling of awe better than such an experience.

Back at the house, mom's constant command: Bobby, rake the leaves! The unspoken reward: A leap into the giant pile I made. Giggles guaranteed! And I can still feel the cushioned landing. And smell the aroma of crushed leaves. Ah, sentimental and wistful affection for my childhood days. But I digress.

That was then and before I had a camera. Nevertheless, the memories remain as vivid as the colors. Green trees presently predominate here in Fillmore. Some leaves on the sycamore trees are beginning to turn, many dislodged by the recent Santa Ana breeze. But sycamore leaves don't turn a vibrant color. They simply go from green to blah. The only thing more depressing is not winning the Power Ball lottery.

Dazzling displays of autumn colors in Southern California are rare. However, the eastern Sierra is replete with color galore. Mono County woodlands provide some of the best golden-orange-crimson autumn colors in the western United States.

The Mono County website (monocounty.org) declares that the time to go is now. "Travel to Rock Creek, Mammoth Lakes, the June Lake Loop, Yosemite (Tioga Pass), Lundy Canyon, Bridgeport, Sonora Pass and beyond to see fall colors at their finest." Find hotspots at http://tinyurl.com/yyr5j5dv. Though my yearning to go is intense, previous commitments prevent it. Because the colors of autumn are a short season, not sure I can engage this year.

Tips for compelling photos of fall foliage. First, a dedicated camera is the tool of choice. A polarizing filter on your lens will enhance the vibrant colors. If you're at a creek, wet leaves on the bank shot with a polarizing filter make killer photos.

Light and weather are significant factors. Don't let overcast skies discourage you. Such conditions provide saturated colors. Overcast light will reduce harsh shadows and highlights bringing forth lovely colors that bright sun often dampens. Wait! If you prefer super shadows and highlights, direct sunlight will increase the tonal range with a touch of drama. And don't quit shooting too early. The blue hour, right after sunset or just before sunrise, often adds a delectable blue/purple hue to fall foliage. The golden hour - the hour after sunrise and before sunset - often adds a luscious touch of gold to the leaves.

Blue hour, golden hour, high noon, or any tick-of-the-tock: If there's light, I take delight in shooting what I behold. Go and make photos of fall foliage and send me your best photo!

The photo of the week is of John, made during the recent downtown photo walk.

Send comments, suggestions or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

(above) Bruce Johnson, tenant of Fillmore's Packinghouse Creative, voicing his frustrations at City Council regarding the red tagging of the building (the packing house at Sespe and A Street across from the fire station) back in August of this year. See Johnson’s Letter to the Editor in the "Letters" section.

A half-dozen Fillmore business owners complained to the Council about the red-tagging of businesses located in the packinghouse at Sespe/Landeros and A Street. The City maintains warnings have been sent to each business in the structure concerning violations of state and local safety issues. The building owner contends that these citations cannot reasonably be satisfied financially in the 100-year old building and is causing businesses to abandon their places in the historic structure.

8.A 1) PUBLIC HEARING: CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE 19-920, ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT 19-04, AMENDING THE FILLMORE MUNICIPAL CODE TO REMOVE THE TEMPORARY USE PERMIT REQUIREMENT FOR SPECIAL EVENTS AND FINDING OF EXEMPTION FROM CEQA; AND 2) CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE 19-919, AMENDING THE FILLMORE MUNICIPAL CODE TO ESTABLISH A SPECIAL EVENT PERMIT REQUIREMENT
FOR EVENTS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY AND FINDING OF EXEMPTION FROM CEQA, was unanimously approved.

PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT
23 Staff recommends moving forward with this item. Civic Rec Staff is recommending the purchase of a new online recreation software from Civic Rec. Staff likes the way this software operates behind the scenes for staff and for the general public. Civic Rec will be able to manage all of the following: •Online facility / park rentals• League registration for basketball/baseball•Recreation class registration• Ticket sales for special events• Point of Sale operations for the aquatics center – this would replace the square system oDaily entry transactions Scheduling of swim lessons The software interfaces with a company called Sky Logix. Sky Logix makes a wireless controller for field lighting systems. When an end user completes a reservation for one of our fields, the lights will automatically turn on and off based on the reservation in the system. This would prevent facilities staff from having to travel to the park to turn on/off the lights. The wireless lighting controller would be an additional cost above and beyond the cost to Civic Rec for software as detailed below. The time savings generated would pay for the wireless controller. The first-year cost is $10,500. That includes a $6,000 setup/implementation charge for CivicRec and a $4,500 annual subscription fee. The recurring cost is then $4,500/year. Staff tabulated the rental revenues from FY17/18 for the Memorial Building, Active Adult Center, Parks & Pool and determined the cost of our annual revenue to be $129,746 for rentals. Based on those figures, staff estimates being able to offset the annual subscription fee of the software by charging a 3.5% online booking fee. The booking fee would need to be adopted formally.

28 FISCAL IMPACT: Fiscal impact for recommended items – $206,428.93 No funds were budgeted for these items and would need to come from the reserve funds. RECOMMENDATION 1. Discuss and comment on items proposed by city staff. It was determined that the city's parks are in need of additional maintenance. Delores Day Park, the swimming pool, and other park areas were discussed and commented on by City Manager David Rowlands.

DISCUSSION: Over the past several months, City staff has been putting together a list of projects and repair estimates for various City facilities for City Council consideration. None of these projects are included in the adopted 2019-20 Budget. FINANCE DEPARTMENT: Data Ticket Inc. is used by a number of cities in Ventura County to process citations and issue permits including the Cities of Ventura, Port Hueneme, and Camarillo and the Ventura Community College District. Working with Data Ticket would allow the City to put RV and driveway parking permits, garage sale permits, and citation payments all online in one system.

Staff recommendations were unanimously approved.

The Fillmore Unified School District received $776,119 in state funding to tackle the illegal sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to minors as part of the California Department of Justice’s Tobacco Grant Program. The grants were awarded to 76 local entities throughout the state to support the enforcement of state and local laws related to the illegal sales and marketing of tobacco products to minors. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the recipients on October 1, 2019.

Fillmore Unified School District Superintendent, Dr. Adrian Palazuelos, shared “Fillmore Unified is committed to ensuring that our actions will enable the youth of our community to better understand the risks associated with tobacco and nicotine use.”

“Tobacco is a serious threat to public health, especially to California’s youth,” said Attorney General Becerra. “These grants will support local communities in enforcing the law and educating kids about the harms of tobacco products. My office is dedicated to ensuring the state has the resources necessary to curb the dangers of tobacco and protect the public’s well-being. Preventing or reducing illegal sales of tobacco to minors will pave the way to a healthier California—we’re committed to tackling this public health crisis head on.”

The Fillmore Unified School District will use the funding to address underage tobacco and nicotine use, as well as provide training and outreach to parents and students regarding the dangers of tobacco and nicotine use.

The Department of Justice’s Tobacco Grant Program is funded by Proposition 56 (Prop. 56), the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016. Beginning April 2017, Prop. 56 raised the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack, with an equivalent increase on all other tobacco products. Prop. 56 also allocates millions of dollars annually to the California Department of Justice for distribution to local law enforcement agencies for the support and hiring of peace officers for various activities. These activities include investigations and compliance checks to reduce the illegal sale of tobacco products to minors.

Possible PSPS for Fillmore due to high winds. When there are potentially dangerous weather conditions in fire prone areas, we (Edison) may need to call a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event. During these events, we will proactively turn off power in high fire risk areas to reduce the threat of wildfires. Turning off our customers’ power is not something we take lightly, but PSPS events are one of the ways we can better ensure the safety of the public, our customers, and our employees. Including: Ventura County (approximately 1,589 customers) Fillmore and unincorporated areas. Maps available at www.sce.com/safety/wildfire/psps

On Saturday, October 5th at around 4:40 p.m., shots were fired to warn a group of hikers on private property near a remote canyon Piru. At about the same time a car crash and an injured woman were reported near the Holser Canyon Fire Road location.

An 89-year old woman, who lives in the area, saw a group of trespassers walk onto her property. Feeling alarmed she armed herself with a rifle and gave warning shots away from the group of nine. The hikers were part of a survival training group from a nearby shooting range.

The group, including an off-duty CHP officer, began to leave her property. She proceeded to follow them down the road in her truck, and leveled her rifle at them.

A member of the group opened the woman’s truck door and tried to wrestle the gun away from her. Her foot came off the brake, she fell from the truck, the truck ran over her ankle, and proceeded to roll off a cliff.

Airlift units were called and the woman was transported to the hospital for her minor injuries. No other injuries were reported. Neither the woman nor group pursued charges.

Enlarge Photo

On Saturday, September 28th, from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM, the Fillmore Police Citizen Patrol and Ventura County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with local organizations to present a bicycle rodeo to more than one hundred Piru children.

The Bicycle Rodeo was held at the San Salvador Mission in Piru and included a bicycle safety course, free helmets and fitting assistance for every child who attended, bicycle tune-ups and raffle prizes. The Sheriff’s Office also had displays from the Sheriff’s Bomb Squad, SWAT, K9 and Mounted Volunteer Units. The Ventura County Fire Department also participated in the event.

More than 125 Piru children attended and participated in the safety course designed by BikeVentura. The safety of our children is a top priority, and the children who attended the event learned the basics in rules of the road for bicyclists and in bicycle safety.

Sponsors of the event included the San Salvador Mission, BikeVentura, Piru Pizza, California Resource Corporation, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Foundation and the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Association.

Nature of Incident: Piru Bicycle Safety Rodeo a Success
Location: San Salvador Mission
4041 Center Street, Piru
Date & Time: Saturday, September 28th, 2019 – 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Unit(s) Responsible: Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and Fillmore Police Citizen Patrol
Prepared by: Sergeant Dave Sparks #2409
Approved by: Captain Eric Tennessen

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On 10/01/19, at about 1:44 PM, Sheriff’s Dispatch received a report of two overdue hikers. The two hikers, (P) Debbie Murphy and (P) Myrto Karamitsou, were due to return on 09/30/19. While initiating an investigation, the hikers activated their personal locator beacon (PLB). A Ventura County Aviation Unit helicopter (Air Squad 8) was dispatched and located the hikers. The hikers were flown out of the mountains to a predetermined location in Fillmore.

On 09/27/19, at about 3:00 PM, Karamitsou and Murphy started hiking from Middle Lyons Camp Ground, north of Ojai. Their plan was to hike from Middle Lyons Camp Ground, traverse the Sespe River, and emerge in Fillmore. They estimated they would arrive in Fillmore on 09/30/19.

Karamitsou and Murphy packed accordingly for their hike; they brought enough food, proper clothing, and a water filtration system to sustain them for the duration of their trek. Additionally, they carried a PLB in case of an emergency.

When Karamitsou and Murphy did not return on the planned date, Karamitsou’s husband notified Sheriff’s Dispatch. From him, we were able to obtain information about Karamitsou’s and Murphy’s planned route, provisions, and hiking experience. The Ventura County Aviation Unit was notified about the circumstances and began preparing to launch Air Squad 8 for a search of the hikers. Just prior to the launch of Air Squad 8, Karamitsou and Murphy activated their PLB.

Activation provided responders with accurate latitude and longitude coordinates to assist in locating the overdue hikers Air Squad 8 took off from the Camarillo Airport and located Karamitsou and Murphy in the Sespe River, near Tar Creek Falls. Air Squad 8 performed a hover load to allow for a Crew Chief and Search and Rescue Paramedic to depart the aircraft.

The crew members were hover loaded onto a large boulder in the river bottom and made contact with the hikers. They learned Karamitsou and Murphy were not injured and did not require any medical attention. Karamitsou and Murphy activated their PLB because the terrain prevented them from progressing further down the Sespe River towards the city of Fillmore. Karamitsou and Murphy were secured onto Air Squad 8, via a hover load, and flown to a predetermined location in Fillmore.

Karamitsou and Murphy were prepared with the appropriate level of food, water, and personal survival gear. Karamitsou and Murphy notified someone outside of their hiking group about their trip. This included departure and arrival locations, planned route, and an arrival date.

Additionally, Karamitsou and Murphy were carrying a PLB with them.
The Ventura County Aviation Unit would like to remind all individuals who enter the backcountry to register your trip with someone who is or will be able to keep track of your progress. Additionally, it is important to recognize your limitations when traversing difficult terrain. Karamitsou’s and Murphy’s use of their PLB enabled rescuers to pin point their exact location without conducting a lengthy search.

Nature of Incident: Rescue of Two Hikers
Report Number: 19-154450
Location: Los Padres National Forest, Sespe River near Tar Creek Falls
Date & Time: 10/01/19 @ 3:15 PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Special Services / Aviation Unit – Search & Rescue
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(P) Myrto Karamitsou Ojai 50
(P) Debbie Murphy Ojai 58
Prepared by: Deputy Kristopher Doepking
Approved by: Captain Paris

Commander Eric Tennessen.

The city of Camarillo has selected Commander Eric Tennessen as their new chief of police. Camarillo City Manager Dave Norman interviewed potential candidates for the position and, after conferring with the City Council, selected Eric to replace outgoing chief, Commander Dave Murray, who was recently appointed to Assistant Sheriff.

Eric is a twenty-one-year veteran of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and has an extensive background in investigations that include assignments in Camarillo, Moorpark, Gang Unit, Special Crimes Unit, and Major Crimes Bureau. Eric was assigned as a patrol watch commander before transferring to Thousand Oaks where he managed patrol operations. In 2017, he was selected as the chief of police for the city of Fillmore where he has served for the past nineteen months.

Eric has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology as well as a Master of Science degree in Public Administration from Cal State Northridge. Eric was born and raised in South Dakota and currently resides in Camarillo with his wife, Kaylee, and their four children.

Eric will begin his service as Camarillo’s chief of police on Sunday, October 20, 2019.

Nature of Incident: Former Fillmore Chief of Police Selected as Camarillo Chief of Police
Date: October 8, 2019
Narrative:Prepared by: Sergeant Marta Bugarin
News Release Date: October 8, 2019
Approved by: Sheriff Bill Ayub

October 31st Trunk or Treat – Downtown Fillmore (Central Avenue between Sespe Ave. & Main Street!) 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. FREE trick or treating fun on Halloween night in Fillmore! Come dressed in your best costumes to show off out this Hollow’s Eve, and vote on your most favorite decorated trunk at the event. Free family fun. If interested in being a registered “trunk” to decorate your car/tent and hand out treats or host games for the trick-or treaters, call 805-524-1500 ext 713 or email recreation@fillmoreca.gov for more info. FB event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/2508489405904461/

November 2nd 2019 Dia De Los Muertos – Central Park (250 Central Avenue. Fillmore CA 93015) 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. We invite you and the familia out for a FREE family-friendly event… live entertainment, food trucks, shop vendors, FREE movie in the park! Call 805-524-1500 ext. 713 for more information. Interested in performing or being a vendor? Email recreation@fillmoreca.gov FB event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/503201296918298

Bob Crum

Considering the variety of 'photos of the week' published, I often receive questions asking how do I stay inspired? Answer: Life! In spades! Life in its multitudinous forms present unlimited fascinating photo opportunities every day, so staying motivated is easy.

Another question often asked by a few of my 1,286,328 readers is about a photo walk in Fillmore. Done! Last Saturday. I announced it here twice but should have advertised it on a billboard. Sad to say, not one photographer, or phonetographer, from Fillmore, participated.

Not only was the photo walk fun, but also an excellent opportunity to practice the art of "seeing." I've observed that too often, people look but don't 'see.' If a scene or object is seen without total apperception, looking is not seeing. Some conclude that photographers have a third eye, referring to 'seeing' what most overlook. And let's acknowledge previsualization (previs) with the 'mind's' eye, a topic for another day.

I scheduled the photo walk to begin at 5 p.m. to take advantage of the late afternoon light. What's better than downtown Fillmore during the golden hour for photographic inspiration? A photo walk is not unlike street photography. Street photography is a genre that I don't engage in often enough. Though photos made are often fortuitous, they are nonetheless revealing of life. Connect the dots.

Phonetographers continue to write about, ahem, the inconvenience of photography.

This topic came up during my discussions with my Truckee photography friend. Upon ruminating the subject, we mutually concluded that phonetography is all about instant gratification. To opine, it seems that the world, because of technology, is running at a much faster speed. It is often feeling like hyper-speed. No time to make a RAW photo, and later have to post-process it. Snap the picture with a cell phone and instantly zap it to social media. Every day, millions of phonetographers post snapshots on Facebook and Snapchat. All shot without any regard to composition, but so what? There are so many snapshots to see that at best, they get only a quick glance, then it's on to glance briefly at the next snapshot. The next day, who remembers the snapshots? Snaptography is like ghostography; we think we saw a photo, but we're not sure.

In spite of apparent obstinacy, I remain motivated to beat the creative drum. I'm passionate about photography because I'm enamored with creativity. But as my friend and I discussed, if creativity means nothing, it follows that photography means nothing. But I am not yet disposed to believe that creativity is kaput. Yet I remain befuddled. Photography is the perfect medium for those who like me have no artistic talent for fine art painting. So it seems that only two obstacles prevent or hinder more from engaging in the joy of photography: Cost of gear and editing software. I get that. But a quality point-and-shoot camera can be bought for far less than a large screen tv. And surely photography is so much more fun than watching a tv sitcom. Arguing this opinion is futile!

On the recent photo walk, a photo op magically appeared. It happens when you believe in serendipity. Truth be told, anticipating such possibilities, I scheduled the walk to include the golden hour before sunset. At the right time, I maneuvered into position to capture both the sunrays and the long, gorgeous shadow. Bidda-bing, bidda-boom: Ecstasy! BTW, the sunrays are done in the camera, not added during post-processing. The technique is revealed in the photo data.

Send comments, questions or suggestions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

Bob Crum

Considering the variety of 'photos of the week' published, I often receive questions asking how do I stay inspired? Answer: Life! In spades! Life in its multitudinous forms present unlimited fascinating photo opportunities every day, so staying motivated is easy.

Another question often asked by a few of my 1,286,328 readers is about a photo walk in Fillmore. Done! Last Saturday. I announced it here twice but should have advertised it on a billboard. Sad to say, not one photographer, or phonetographer, from Fillmore, participated.

Not only was the photo walk fun, but also an excellent opportunity to practice the art of "seeing." I've observed that too often, people look but don't 'see.' If a scene or object is seen without total apperception, looking is not seeing. Some conclude that photographers have a third eye, referring to 'seeing' what most overlook. And let's acknowledge previsualization (previs) with the 'mind's' eye, a topic for another day.

I scheduled the photo walk to begin at 5 p.m. to take advantage of the late afternoon light. What's better than downtown Fillmore during the golden hour for photographic inspiration? A photo walk is not unlike street photography. Street photography is a genre that I don't engage in often enough. Though photos made are often fortuitous, they are nonetheless revealing of life. Connect the dots.

Phonetographers continue to write about, ahem, the inconvenience of photography.

This topic came up during my discussions with my Truckee photography friend. Upon ruminating the subject, we mutually concluded that phonetography is all about instant gratification. To opine, it seems that the world, because of technology, is running at a much faster speed. It is often feeling like hyper-speed. No time to make a RAW photo, and later have to post-process it. Snap the picture with a cell phone and instantly zap it to social media. Every day, millions of phonetographers post snapshots on Facebook and Snapchat. All shot without any regard to composition, but so what? There are so many snapshots to see that at best, they get only a quick glance, then it's on to glance briefly at the next snapshot. The next day, who remembers the snapshots? Snaptography is like ghostography; we think we saw a photo, but we're not sure.

In spite of apparent obstinacy, I remain motivated to beat the creative drum. I'm passionate about photography because I'm enamored with creativity. But as my friend and I discussed, if creativity means nothing, it follows that photography means nothing. But I am not yet disposed to believe that creativity is kaput. Yet I remain befuddled. Photography is the perfect medium for those who like me have no artistic talent for fine art painting. So it seems that only two obstacles prevent or hinder more from engaging in the joy of photography: Cost of gear and editing software. I get that. But a quality point-and-shoot camera can be bought for far less than a large screen tv. And surely photography is so much more fun than watching a tv sitcom. Arguing this opinion is futile!

On the recent photo walk, a photo op magically appeared. It happens when you believe in serendipity. Truth be told, anticipating such possibilities, I scheduled the walk to include the golden hour before sunset. At the right time, I maneuvered into position to capture both the sunrays and the long, gorgeous shadow. Bidda-bing, bidda-boom: Ecstasy! BTW, the sunrays are done in the camera, not added during post-processing. The technique is revealed in the photo data.

Send comments, questions or suggestions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

As the Sheriff of Ventura County, I feel compelled to address my decision to withdraw our participation from the “Blue Bowl” flag football fundraising event that was scheduled to take place this weekend here in Ventura County.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office has worked with hundreds of organizations, businesses, and individuals over the last year to organize and plan successful fundraisers for the Helus family and all the victims of the Borderline tragedy. To date, every event has been successful, lifelong friendships have been established, and people of all faiths and all political views stood hand-in-hand because the focus was exactly where it needed to be - on the victims and their families. We will continue to support all of our fallen law enforcement brothers and sisters and their families, as well as all of the victims of tragedies our community has experienced.

In regards to the “Blue Bowl,” I initially gave my approval for support of the event organized by this out-of-state group. As we drew closer to the actual event, they seemed to become more focused on political agendas, and less and less so on the victims and their families. I felt it was in the best interest of the department, the victims, and our community to not directly participate in the event, which the organizers have since cancelled.

The event organizers have now launched a vicious and calculated social media campaign against the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office — and specifically against Commander Tim Hagel, who serves as the Chief of Police for the City of Thousand Oaks, as he has done honorably for the past several years. During the past year, since the Borderline crisis, Commander Hagel has been both professionally and personally involved with all those impacted by the Borderline tragedy. He has personally attended every funeral service and been present at virtually every
fundraiser. His focus has been and continues to remain on what is best for those impacted by this tragedy and what is best for Ventura County.

Our focus continues to remain on what is best for the people of Ventura County and those that suffered, during this difficult time.

Given the national spotlight focused on this event, Karen Helus, the widow of Sgt. Ron Helus who was killed at the Borderline, and their son, Jordan, have reached out to us and expressed their disappointment over the negative publicity. Here are statements from Karen and Jordan:

Statement from Karen Helus:

Friends,
As always, thank you for the continued and incredible amount of love shown to me and my family over the last year. I am saddened and disappointed that a charity fundraiser has turned into politically charged national news story. Since the tragic events of last November, I have intentionally avoided relating political causes to the loss of my husband. Unfortunately, the politics surrounding this flag football event turned into a distraction from the cause it was meant to highlight. Since this event has evolved into more about politics and less about our loss, I feel it is important to remind everyone that I have met our President on several occasions and continue to respect and support him due to his unwavering support of my family and all law enforcement. I also want to thank my life long family at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office for standing by me throughout this past year. They have been with me every step of the way from accompanying me to highly publicized charitable fundraisers to getting my nails done and going to lunch.
Thank you,
Karen

Statement from Jordan Helus
Hello All,
As you are probably well aware, I typically do not speak out on issues, but I feel it is important to do so now. With the recent developments of the Ron Helus Blue Bowl I'd like to clarify a few things from my perspective.
1: Tim Hagel and the VCSO pulled out of the event due to mutual agreement based on the growing political agendas surrounding the event. He is not a rogue chief of police and he is in no way any of the negative things some members of the community (the one he continues to love and support) are calling him. Knowing him personally, he is a kind hearted man who does not deserve to be treated in any other fashion as such.
2: The original intent of the event was to honor those lost at Borderline and have fun with the community in a friendly flag football tournament. As the event has grown in notoriety, the agenda of the event seemed to be changing from honoring the fallen, to becoming a political platform to speak and express personal views. The VCSO has no issue with freedom of speech coming from any political affiliation, but the purpose of the event was not to discuss politics on a stage that the deaths of 12 people created.
3: I have not spoken with the organizers of the Ron Helus Blue Bowl, and I do not believe they had done anything wrong in regards to organizing the event and inviting individuals from a variety of political views, beliefs, and mindsets. In fact, I am very thankful and appreciative of their efforts organizing such a large event. Where they went wrong, was taking conversation between them and the VCSO out of context and try to paint Tim Hagel as the villain. There was no villain. No one was in the wrong. The focus of the event changed and the VCSO no longer wanted to be affiliated with the newly perceived focus of politics. The only wrong done was slander on the part
of the organizers.
As you can tell, I have strong opinions on this and I wish that things could just go back to how they were when the event was first presented. Both my mom and I were very excited and enthusiastic about the idea along with the VCSO, but I personally support their decision to withdraw from the event.
That being said, I do not have all the facts and tend to keep a very open mind. My hope is that this was all a huge miscommunication and that the Blue Bowl organizers did not intend for the event to turn into a political stage.
Best,
Jordan

Prepared by: Sheriff Bill Ayub