At last night’s city council meeting William Foley, Director of Ventura County Health Care Agency, spoke concerning the assistance needed to continue operations of Santa Paula Hospital, and its importance to the communities of Fillmore, Santa Paula, and Piru.

Councilmembers Manuel Minjares and Mark Austin were appointed to serve on the Santa Paula Hospital Steering Committee.

A presentation was given to Council by William Foley, Ventura County Health Care Agency (VCHCA) Director, concerning assistance needed to continue operations of the Santa Paula Hospital.

Several Fillmore residents spoke to the Council concerning the importance of the Santa Paula Hospital. The Hospital was said to be running $9 million in the red this past year. It is recognized as a critically important medical facility for Fillmore, Piru, and Santa Paula.

Council approved the award of contract to Toro Enterprises, Inc. for the construction of the Neighborhood Street Resurfacing and Sidewalk, Curb and Gutter Repair Spec No. 18-04 as reduced to eliminate slurry seal work by deleting bid item nos. 9 and 10.

City Council amended the existing three-year contract to expire on June 30, 2020, to increase the not-to-exceed amount of $2,460,000 to Willdan Engineering, Inc. for City Engineering Services, as an alternative to the staff recommendation.

Council agreed to receive the proposed addition of the Small Wireless Facility fees to the Schedule of Fees and Charges for City Services; Conduct a public hearing and obtain public comments concerning the proposed new SWF fees to the Schedule of Fees and Charges for City Services. After receiving public comments, close the Public Hearing and commence City Council discussions; and Adopt City Council Resolution 19-3723 to approve the new SWF fees to be added to Exhibit E of the Schedule of Fees and Charges for City Services.

8-E PUBLIC HEARING: RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL
TO ADOPT AND APPROVE: 1) INITIAL STUDY/MITIGATED NEGATIVE
DECLARATION, GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT, ZONE CHANGE, ALLEYWAY
VACATION, LOT MERGER AND LOT LINE ADJUSTMENT, DENSITY BONUS, AND
DEVELOPMENT PERMIT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF 77 AFFORDABLE
WORKFORCE HOUSING UNITS AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF MOUNTAIN
VIEW STREET AND HWY 126 AND LAND USE AND 2) CITY-REQUESTED ZONING
RE-DESIGNATIONS FOR ADJACENT PROPERTIES were approved.
8-F The first reading to introduce Ordinance 19-912 amending and adding FMC sections under Chapter 15.25 regarding graffiti enforcement and cost recovery and finding of exemption from CEQA was completed.
8-G City Council approved a request to increase the budget to provide interpretation services at City Council meetings. The increased cost, to the original $4,200, is $3,300.
8-H Council approved Ventura County Animal Services contract.
8-I Council approved the amendment to the contract with Kimley Horn and authorized Mayor Diane McCall to sign this contract.

Nova Storage has completed its construction and is holding a Grand (Re)Opening on Thursday, June 20, 2019, from 12pm to 2 pm. Ribbon cutting ceremony will be followed by delicious food, fun photo booth and fabulous prizes, including gift cards, Dodger tickets, FREE Storage and much more! Come join the fun!! Nova was founded in 1978 when San Fernando native Larry Layne opened North Valley Storage in Mission Hills beside the I-5 Freeway. Nova’s second property opened in the mid-1980’s, in Sylmar on Foothill Blvd. The company later expanded into new locations in Downey, South Gate, Lynwood and Gardena. Throughout its 38 years of operating in diverse communities in Los Angeles County, Nova has made a commitment to investing in the communities it serves by supporting local schools, chambers of commerce, hospitals, and service organizations through sponsorship, referral programs, membership, charitable donations, and volunteer efforts. Last year Nova sponsored the boys CIF soccer champs and continues to support the Fillmore High School sports programs. Nova Storage Fillmore is their seventh facility. Nova now has over 5,000 tenants who can make online reservations and pay their bill on NovaStorage.com, and enjoy individually alarmed units, tenant protection and now, at some facilities, individual text alerts for unit entry. To learn more about Nova Storage, visit www.NovaStorage.com

Former Fillmore City Budget Consultant John Wooner

[Courtesy ABC News, Bakersfield]

MCFARLAND, CA - May 14th is when McFarland City Manager John Wooner's wife reported Wooner missing. Wooner was last seen driving a city issued Dodge Durango. Family says he was last seen visiting his father's grave at Hillcrest Cemetery in Bakersfield.

Last week the City Council voted Janet Davis the interim City Manager.

“You can imagine this is a very difficult time for the family," said Davis. "It’s a very difficult time for the employees that worked with Mr. Wooner on a daily basis and in his absence we are leading the way he would like us to lead and taking care of the community, and taking care of the citizens.”

On Tuesday evening, the McFarland City Council called a special closed session meeting. Wooner's position as City manager was on the agenda and who will continue managing his responsibilities.

“The City Council hasn’t made any decisions about going forward with a City Manager," said Davis. "I’m still the interim City Manager and we’re staying on top of city business. It’s a very busy time of the year for us.”

The Bakersfield Police are still handling the investigation into Wooner's disappearance. As of Tuesday, they say he is still classified as missing.

If you have any information on Wooner's whereabouts you're encouraged to call BPD at 327-7111.

Are you ready to camp out at Two Rivers Park next month? It’s FREE to camp out with us! However, you must pre-register with the Parks and Recreation Department still! Email us to get the registration paperwork at recreation@ci.fillmore.ca.us

Join us as Fillmore partakes in the Great American Campout from June 22nd-23rd at Two Rivers Park. We’ll have camp activities throughout the day, a campfire & an evening movie in the park. This is a FREE event to participate in; we’ll have food trucks available for you to purchase treats and meals from. Bring your own tent, sleeping bags, etc. All tents must be secured with weights or sandbags — NO STAKES IN THE GROUND. All youth under 18 years old must be registered with an attending adult. Email recreation@ci.fillmore.ca.us to register!

Enlarge Photo

The City of Fillmore will be opening the Active Adult Center located at 533 Santa Clara Street in Fillmore as a “Cooling Center” beginning Tuesday, June 11th at 12:00 p.m. and will be open until 8:00 p.m. The dates and hours can change depending on the weather but whenever the temperature reaches 94 or above the Cooling Center is opened. Fillmore residents are encouraged to use the center to remove themselves from the heat and drink plenty of cold water provided by the Fillmore Fire Department. If you have any questions please feel free to call City Hall at (805) 524-1500 or the City Fire Department at (805) 524-0586.

Bob Crum

I read that humans share 98 percent of our genes with chimps. Uh huh. Perhaps that explains why many photographers emulate them. Photographically speaking, chimping is looking at the digital camera's LCD screen as soon as a photo is made. As shuttermuse says, “the term is jokingly derived from the excited noises oooh ohh that photographers often make when they see a great shot on the LCD screen sometimes followed by ape-like hand motions while exclaiming LOOK AT WHAT I GOT! Good grief!

Chimping is often a derogatory term prescribed to photography amateurs lacking confidence. However, professional and enthusiast photographers also often chimp their shots. Of course I don't. OK, I'm guilty! (gasp!)

Chimp at your peril. Action at events is often fast and unpredictable so chimping might cost you a 'money' shot. But, as shuttermuse states, instant feedback is a significant benefit of shooting digital. Chimping is a quick way to check exposure. Sure but (this is embarrassing) if I got a dollar for every potential 'money' shot I missed due to chimping, perhaps I'd have enough money to take all 2,397,602 of my readers out to lunch.

Of course, when shooting landscapes chimp away. It's good to periodically check the histogram to analyze the exposure, check focus, and composition.

Chimping can help photography newbies build confidence. If your camera's settings are out of kilter, instant feedback will show mistakes and guide you make the necessary aperture, shutter speed or ISO adjustments. Used accordingly, chimping can be considered a learning tool, thereby expedite your learning process.

But chimping is not necessarily peachy. As stated above, but bears repeating, chimp at the wrong time and you might miss the shot of a lifetime. At the event, make a test shot or two to check exposure so when the event begins, you can concentrate on composition and not worry about exposure.

Additionally, I often see newbies chimp while not realizing that the camera LCD screens are not Hi-Def. Fact is, the LCD screens on most cameras are lousy. Therefore, the image viewed on the LCD screen is a poor example of the photo's quality or even exposure. If you're capturing photos in RAW mode, what is seen on the camera LCD screen is not the RAW photo but a jpeg based on the RAW photo data. Image exposure is best indicated with the camera's more accurate histogram.

I was assigned to shoot Fillmore High School's graduation ceremony. The light was problematic. With the sun setting, some of the event in the sun, other parts in shadow. Had to continually adjust aperture settings as I pointed the camera in a different direction. I had to make exposure adjustments so fast I had to double clutch the lens to quickly dial in proper aperture! Love muscle memory! But I digress.

Surprises are fine for birthday parties but not at event shoots. It's been ages since I shot the graduation program. Not forewarned, I was bamboozled. As the turning of the tassels was happening, I quickly moved to get in position for the tossing of the mortarboards (caps) into the air. That didn't happen! Instead, the graduates fired plastic streamers (WHAT?) into the air from tubes. I was instantly startled! Then my trusty experience kicked in, and I quickly changed to burst mode and fired away-click-click-click-click-click-click, eight frames/second. Over in seconds, NO time to chimp till done. Success! Whew! One of the ceremony finale photos is the photo of the week. Graduation ceremony photos at fillmoregazette.com.

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

Live video stream of 2019 Fillmore High Graduation Ceremony begins tonight at approximately 7:00 p.m. local time.

Instructions for watching the graduation live stream:

Point your web browser to http://www.fillmoreusd.org/stream/

It will take you to a District webpage entitled "Video Streams Fillmore Video Production"

Under "Fillmore Video Production," click on “YouTube Channel”

Direct YouTube link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txj3EQcM63Y

The 106th Annual Fillmore High Alumni Dinner event will take place at the Fillmore-Piru Veterans Memorial Building on Saturday, June 8th.

One of the highlights of the event is the awarding of scholarships to each Alumni Association’s scholar recipient.

Dinner is catered by the award winning DJ’s Catering. The menu includes grilled Angus sirloin beef, roasted chicken breast with wild mushrooms (in Porcini Béchamel) served with field greens and vegetable salad, potatoes Mousseline, three cheese macaroni & cheese, and an assortment of freshly baked rolls with butter. Dessert menu includes choice of warm peach or apple cobbler (with McConnell’s of Santa Barbara vanilla bean ice cream).

There is still room available but reservations are going fast. Purchase your reservations ASAP online at www.fillmorehighalumni.com (click on Events), At the FHS Alumni Store located at 559 Sespe Avenue, or Patterson Hardware located at 362 Central Avenue (open 7 days a week).

Let’s celebrate our alma mater, our community of Fillmore, and our graduating seniors!

It’s FREE to camp out with us! However, you must pre-register with the Parks and Recreation Department still! Email us to get the registration paperwork at recreation@ci.fillmore.ca.us

Join us as Fillmore, CA partakes in the Great American Campout from June 22nd-23rd at Two Rivers Park! We'll have camp activities throughout the day, a campfire & an evening movie in the park.

This is a FREE event to participate in; we'll have food trucks available for you to purchase treats & meals from.

Bring your own tent, sleeping bags etc. all tents must be secured with weights or sandbags NO STAKES IN THE GROUND. All youth under 18 years old must be registered with an attending adult.

Join us for a family-friendly event to kick-off the summer in Fillmore!

Email recreation@ci.fillmore.ca.us to register!

Fillmore Unified School District

Board meeting highlights for the Fillmore Unified School District

Fillmore Adult School 2018-2019 Year in Review
The Governing Board received a presentation on the 2018-2019 Fillmore Adult School Year in Review. Presentation was delivered by Assistant Superintendent, Stefan Cvijanovich and Director, Tom Chan

Proposed 2019-2020 Update to Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
The Governing Board received a presentation on the proposed update to the 2019-2020 LCAP. Presentation was delivered by Assistant Superintendent, Micheline G. Miglis.

2019-2020 Proposed Budget, Including Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) Budget Overview for Parents and Proposition 30 Expenditure Plan
The Governing Board received a presentation on the 2019-2020 proposed budget and accompanying components. Presentation was delivered by Assistant Superintendent, Andrea McNeill.

Award Bid for Electrical Yard Infrastructure Update at Fillmore High School
The Governing Board awarded the bid as follows:
Project#: 2019-035
Project Description: Electrical Yard Infrastructure Update at Fillmore High School
Contractor: Scott and Sons Electric
Amount: $1,606,000.00

Personnel Recommendations
The Board approved all personnel recommendations including new hires, promotions, resignations, and leaves.

Bob Crum

I won't deny feeling irritable — symptoms of cabin fever from long confinements indoors during weather unfit for even a duck. Don't understand the weather of late but I know that it's not conducive to photography: dismal light and damp environment.

To counter the symptoms, some well-meaning friends suggested that I start a new hobby (no time), try a new recipe (out of garlic), start scrapbooking (not enough scraps), do a puzzle (too puzzling), engage in late spring cleaning (to much like work), spend time reading the Gazette's entertainment section (the whole paper is entertaining ), or plan a summer vacation. That's it! On my bucket list: A cruise up the inland passage to Alaska. Anyway, by the time you read this, the weather will most likely turn delightful again. Moving along...

Ever harbor a thought about a particular subject and not ever needing to mention it until questioned? And, for vindication, wonder if anyone else thinks likewise?

A few years ago, I was asked to speak about my experiences as a photographer to a group of Thousand Oaks artists. I took several photos to show. One image, in particular, I made in August 2012, near Nicholas Pond, Leo Carrillo State Park. The photo: tall, wild, brown and dead grass backlit by the sun making the grass glow beautifully as if every stalk of grass was gold—a favorite photo. One in the audience asked: “Why take a boring photo of brown dead grass?” Nice guy! I paused, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. As I glanced around the room, I was thankful for the opportunity to express my passion for photography. Holding the photo, the scene, I explained, was beautiful, blissful in its unique way. After admiring the view a few moments, I made this photo. Look at how the grass glows! Within just a few minutes, the sun set behind the hill eliminating the majestic light. Please note that I made the photo for me! I explained that every time I look at the photo, I could vividly recall the awe and joy I felt at that moment! As I share this photo, I'm sharing a special moment in time and place. Your tastes, sir, may differ, and that's OK. The group applauded, and I continued with my presentation, knowing that the group of artists understood.

When not shooting on assignment, was I the only one who took photos for myself? No. William Neill, a photographer/writer for Outdoor Photographer magazine, recently wrote that a friend asked him: “‘Is my voice original at all, and does it matter?' Neill replied: “That depends on why you're doing your photography and for whom. I like to think that most of us make photographs for ourselves, for the enjoyment of experiencing nature and exploring the landscape, and not to please someone else.”

Vindication! Furthermore, with camera in hand, I've explored, enjoyed and photographed fabulous landscapes and waterscapes in places that I might not usually have even thought about. Montaña de Oro State Park comes to mind. Anyone else been there?

Did I ever mention timing? Making a zesty photo zing is a matter of critical timing. The photo of the week is an example of why the finger on the shutter-release button better be ready! Milliseconds matter. There are no do-overs. Get it or go home empty handed! Note that I'd be hard-pressed to make the photo with, ahem, a cellphone. C’mon folks, you know I had to say that! Happy photoing.

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

FILLMORE, California – People across the world can get up-close-and-personal with an endangered California condor chick in real-time through live streaming video of a cliff-side nest in a canyon on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in Ventura County, California.

California condor chick #980 hatched on April 10. Its parents are nine-year-old female condor #563 and 19-year-old male condor #262. This is the pair’s first nesting attempt together and their first year on the live streaming Condor Cam as a pair. This is female condor #563’s second attempt at raising a chick, and the chick’s father, condor #262, fledged one other chick in the past with a previous mate.

Followers of the California Condor Cam watched a chick hatch live in the wild for the first time in history from another cliff-side nest on Hopper Mountain NWR in 2015. Since then, livestreaming video of California condor chicks have gained worldwide attention – attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers from all over the world.

“Today’s technology allows researchers like us to observe nests in remote locations without having to trek into the backcountry and wait for days, sometimes weeks, at observation blinds for a glimpse of the condors,” says Dr. Estelle Sandhaus, the Santa Barbara Zoo’s director of conservation and science. “With this live stream, the public can share in the thrill of seeing these rare and highly endangered birds care for their chick, and follow its development before it takes its first flight. What was once only seen by a few scientists is now available to anyone with an internet connection.”

In California, wild condors nest, roost or fly in the mountains of Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Kern, Tulare and Fresno counties, and the western Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The 2018 nesting season was a record-breaking one, with 12 nests in the mountains of Ventura, Santa Barbara and Kern counties. Six of those nests were successful, the most ever in the Southern California flock.

“The success of last year’s nesting season was really monumental for the condor recovery program and a testament to the hard work of all the partners involved in this effort,” said Nicole Weprin, wildlife biologist with the Service’s California Condor Recovery Program. “We’re hopeful for another successful nesting season this year, and thrilled that the public can share in our excitement by watching the Condor Cam.”

The number of California condors dropped dramatically in the mid-20th century, leading the Service to designate the species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. By 1982 there were only 22 of the iconic birds left in the wild. Today, due to intensive, ongoing captive breeding and recovery efforts led by the Service in conjunction with multiple public and private partners, the California condor population has grown to just under 490 birds worldwide, with more than half of the population flying free.

Today the number one killer of California condors is lead poisoning, caused by condors feeding on carcasses containing lead bullet fragments. Peer-reviewed research shows that lead poisoning is a serious health problem for both wildlife and humans, and the Service is working with partner organizations and the hunting community as it transitions to the use of non-lead ammunition alternatives. Hunters are continuing their proud tradition of wildlife conservation by using these non-lead alternatives.

Another threat specific to condor chicks is “micro trash.” Micro trash are small coin-sized trash items such as, nuts, bolts, washers, copper wire, plastic, bottle caps, glass, and spent ammunition cartridges. Condor parents collect these items and feed them to their chick, which can cause serious problems with the chick’s development. While it is not completely understood why this occurs, many biologists believe that the condor parents mistake these items for pieces of bone and shell which provides a source of calcium if fed to the chick.

Conservation efforts toward the recovery of the California condor are achieved only through partnerships amongst federal and state agencies, together with private landowners and organizations. The Pole Canyon Condor Cam is made possible through access provided by private landowners, and through the financial and technical support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Santa Barbara Zoo, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, and Friends of California Condors Wild and Free.

"The condor cams are unlike any other offering on the internet. Each year we've streamed from a different site and pair, and the differences among all these nests and individuals have given viewers a unique opportunity to understand more of the richness and variability of the condor's life history,” said Charles Eldermire, Cornell Lab Bird Cams project leader. “That's not just good for viewers—it's good for the condors, too."

To watch the Condor Cam, visit: www.allaboutbirds.org/condors