The American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to help ensure a sufficient and diverse blood supply by giving blood this February.

Since the beginning of the year, widespread flu and inclement winter weather in some parts of the country have prevented many regular donors from making or keeping their blood donation appointments. Healthy and diverse blood donors are needed to help maintain a sufficient blood supply.

Diversity among blood donors is important because red blood cells carry markers that determine one's blood type, and certain blood types are unique to specific racial and ethnic groups. Blood must be matched very closely for those patients with rare blood types or for those who need repeated transfusions. Patients are less likely to have complications from blood donated by someone with a similar ethnicity.

All blood types are needed, especially types O negative, A negative and B negative. To learn more about donating blood and to schedule an appointment, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Upcoming blood donation opportunities

Simi Valley
2/21/15 9:00 AM - 3:15 PM Rancho Santa Suzanna Community Center,
5005-C Los Angeles Ave
2/27/15 1:00 PM - 7:15 PM Rancho Santa Suzanna Community Center,
5005-C Los Angeles Ave

Thousand Oaks
2/16/15 1:00 PM - 7:15 PM Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd
2/18/15 1:00 PM - 7:15 PM Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd
2/23/15 1:00 PM - 7:15 PM Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd

Ventura
2/17/15 1:00 PM - 7:15 PM Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli Street

How to donate blood
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver's license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood.

High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

VENTURA COUNTY, CA - Since mid-December, the State of California has confirmed 92 cases of measles as of Monday, February 2nd. Ventura County has now reported 10 cases. Despite the increase in number of cases, most people have immunity to measles. “Probably 95% of the population is immune to measles because they had 2 MMRs, their childhood measles shots,” said Dr. Robert Levin, Health Officer for Ventura County.

At this time, 91.6% of all children entering kindergarten in Ventura County have had 2 MMR shots and are thus immune to catching the disease. There are schools in the county with a particularly low rate of MMR immunization. One private school on the east end of the county has a measles immunization rate of 67%. Most public schools in Oxnard, on the other hand, have a measles immunization rate of 100%.

Symptoms of measles include cough, runny nose, reddened eyes, fever, a rash and often, tiny sores in the mouth. A person with measles may only have a few of these symptoms. “Most people with measles feel quite sick, as sick as someone feels with the flu,” said Dr. Levin. Measles is a very contagious disease and entirely preventable. While not as deadly as Ebola, for instance, it is 5 to 15 times more contagious. People who contract measles are contagious for 4 days before they develop the rash and for 4 more days after they develop the rash.

For information on a Public Health clinic near you if you are in need of immunizations, please call: 805-981-5221; for a Ventura County Health Care Agency Ambulatory Care clinic near you, please call: 805-677-5110.

SACRAMENTO – Dr. Gil Chavez, State Epidemiologist and Deputy Director, Center for Infectious Diseases, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today confirmed that a patient admitted to Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center on Wednesday evening who exhibited symptoms consistent with a viral illness including Ebola, and with a history of travel to an Ebola-affected country, has tested negative for the Ebola virus.

“State and local health officials have been working hard with California’s Ebola Treatment Centers to safely and effectively identify, isolate, diagnose and treat suspect Ebola patients. This recent case at Kaiser South illustrates that our hard work and partnership has paid off,” said Dr. Chavez.

The test for Ebola conducted by the Sacramento County Public Health Laboratory came back negative early this afternoon.

At this time, there have been no confirmed cases of Ebola in California and there is no threat to the general public. Ebola symptoms may appear anywhere between two to 21 days after exposure and include a fever, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and lack of appetite. Travelers from Africa may experience flu-like or GI symptoms due to malaria or other non-Ebola associated diseases.

Whenever there is a person displaying symptoms that may be Ebola, who has recently traveled to Sierra Leone, Liberia or Guinea, certain precautions are taken including isolating the patient, ruling out other infectious diseases, and testing for Ebola if warranted. The California Department of Public Health, in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sacramento County Public Health and Kaiser South Sacramento, worked together to ensure protocols were in place to protect the public health.

For more information, visit http://cdph.ca.gov/programs/cder/Pages/Ebola.aspx.
www.cdph.ca.gov

Benjamin Fernandez Herbert

Over the years, as a school counselor, I have been blessed to be in a position to work with many, many young students from kindergarten through beyond high school. Their beautiful faces and unique expressions come to my mind as I recall good, sad and life-changing experiences that will be forever in my heart. Not one young man or young woman has ever been alike in their life story, personality or challenges.

Ben Fernández Herbert was a Fillmore High School Graduate of 2011. He lived in his beautiful Fillmore all his life. Ben tragically passed away in a car accident on Sunday, January 18, 2015.
Ben was born to Sara Abigail Herbert and Saul Fernandez. He is survived by his mother Sara A. Herbert, siblings Jorge Garcia Herbert, Claudina Luna Herbert, Carmen Aragón Herbert and Brenda Medina Herbert as well as nephew Derek Luna, and many aunts and uncles on both sides of family. Sadly, Ben’s father, Saul Fernandez, died in a bike-riding accident when Ben was three years old.

Ben was a handsome young man, physically, and from within; he had that special gift of being friendly, charismatic, having a happy demeanor with a megawatt smile that reminded you of what a decent young man and all that is good in the world was all about. Ben knew how to be a good, sincere friend and exuded a healthy outlook on life. He had such a positive influence on everyone he met. Those of us who knew Ben; his loving mother, Sara, lovely girlfriend Amanda, siblings, uncles and aunts, friends, co-workers and adults, whether for a moment or years, have felt the great loss and impact of his tragic passing. We also acknowledge how very blessed we all were to be touched by Ben.

He had set many goals in his life, and was able to reach some pretty serious ones by his young age of 21. That was how he was; he set his goals and met them head-on, one by one. He valued higher education and knew that by acquiring knowledge, he would be able to have a solid foundation for his future life.

He was a loving son. Ben’s nickname for his precious mom was “Pancha”, as he hugged and kissed her with great love. Ben would tease his sweet Grandmom “Cuca” María Fernández, who raised him alongside his mom, and make her laugh when he sang to her as he returned home from seeing his beautiful girlfriend Amanda. Mom Sara lovingly recalls how, as children, he and his nephew Derek loved to play with their Power Rangers and they used to switch and wear mismatched Power Rangers socks all the time. Ben would dress up in his Power Rangers suit and have a blast. Ben and Derek were 6 months apart, Ben being the eldest. Laughing, mom said that Ben loved his beloved pet gecko “Lilo” so much that once he desperately tore the house inside out until Lilo was found hidden behind the bathroom door. Mom said that Lilo would immediately come up to Ben’s shoulder when he laid his hand out, but Lilo would hide and not come out for anyone else.

Mom laughed as she said how much Ben loved BBQ pork ribs, piling up the BBQ sauce high on his plate! Mom recalls how much he ate and ate, but always remained slender. She remembered how he and his Derek signed up to play football when he was 8 years old. She loved watching him have fun and trying out new things.

Mom added, he and Derek had made a pact to team up to start working on a professional dream to be rescue firefighters in the mountainous areas. This past January 12th Ben and Derek started the Spring Semester at Ventura College. Mom Sara and Grandmom Cuca would see them both go off with their backpacks, as they did when they were little boys.

In remembering him, his older brother Jorge said, “Ben was an excellent person who never gave up on his goals. Despite tough obstacles in his young life, he remained strong and remained optimistic because he believed that through his own hard work and effort he would, and always did, figure a way to meet the latest challenge. Ben’s great love for his beautiful mother Sara, and his love, respect and fear for his loving God helped him in his struggles in life.”

Mrs. Isela Larin, FHS Career Center Counselor, stated that Ben was a very dedicated, highly motivated, polite young man who came into her office asking about the process to serve as a FHS Fire Department Cadet. He was approved and served as a Fillmore Fire Cadet in his FHS Junior year, 2010. He successfully completed the program and was a great asset to the Fillmore Fire Department.

Former Fillmore Starbucks Supervisor, Alberto Caceres, told me that Ben had recently been promoted as supervisor and had just opened the Santa Paula Starbucks store. His loving girlfriend Amanda Armstrong, hundreds of school and college friends, as well as Starbucks coworkers from the Fillmore and Santa Paula Starbucks, greatly miss him.

Jorge said, “Ben never accepted ‘I can’t’ as part of his vocabulary. Ben found God to be very present in his daily life, but also was very much aware of what God expected of him – no excuses! He had a lot of thoughts that he shared with many of his friends, words that gave life and encouragement to others dealing with hard moments in their lives. He was the kind of person that would share his time talking with friends and guide his friends and gave so much of his energy to serve others.”

Pastor Ernie Rangel, of Promesa de Jesús Church, spoke of Ernie with great love, “Ben, (and his mother, Sara) was a very active member of their church. Ben was in the youth group, church choir and band, playing his guitar for many years.”

As I remember Ben Fernández Herbert, the young man who left us too early in life, I pray that his young friends who have been touched by this tragedy remember him as he was. Ben was an excellent role model for all and I have learned a lot from him to be a better person. I wish we could have duplicated him a million times, because the world would have been a much better place, less violence, less bullying, good hearts around.

Mom Sara and Grandmom Cuca said they would always leave the outside light on for him, listening for his steps as he returned late at night. Mom said they still leave the light on, waiting for him to come home.

Norma Pérez-Sandford is a FUSD District K-12 Counselor

Fillmore City Councilmember Dianne McCall

Earlier this month, Deputy Oren Ryerson, a patrol deputy for the city of Fillmore, arrested a young man and brought him back to the station. As they spoke, the young man became emotional and explained his mother recently lost her job and was unable to buy food for the family, which includes four younger siblings. Deputy Ryerson explained the situation to Senior Deputy Cesar Salas and the two worked it out to buy food for the family, which Senior Deputy Salas delivered that morning. Later, Deputy Ryerson spoke to Fillmore City Councilwoman Dianne McCall about the family’s plight. Councilwoman McCall wanted to help by purchasing food for the family and finding work for the young man. Deputy Ryerson and Councilwoman McCall met at the family home the following day with food they had purchased. Councilwoman McCall told the mother that other members of the Fillmore community wanted to help as well.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is proud to work in communities with dedicated and caring people such as Councilwoman Dianne McCall, Deputy Ryerson, and Senior Deputy Salas.

A Proclamation was presented by Mayor Douglas Tucker to Officer Michael Zabarsky for going the extra mile to help a Fillmore family living in substandard conditions.
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A Proclamation was presented to the Morris family for the Fillmore Area Transit Company’s (FATCO) 40 years of service to the community along with the many non-profits and sports events the family has sponsored over the years. Pictured (l-r) are Council Member Rick Neal, Mayor Douglas Tucker, Chappy Morris, Wm ‘Bill’ Morris, and Council Member Diane McCall.
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The Fillmore Bears Pee Wee Division Pacific Football League received a Proclamation from Mayor Douglas Tucker. The team was noted for superior sportsmanship.
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The Fillmore Bears Pee Wee Division Pacific Football League.
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There were four items on Tuesday's Fillmore City Council Meeting along with three proclamations. The first agenda item was a contract for a City App, second was parking enforcement on Central, next was approval of a "In God We Trust" display, and last was giving Commissioners a stipend.

The first proclamation went to Officer Michael Zabarsky for going the extra mile to help a family living in substandard conditions.

Another proclamation went to the Fillmore Bears Pee Wee Division Pacific Football League for their superior sportsmanship.

Also, honor's went to the Morris family for the Fillmore Area Transit Company's (FATCO) 40 years of service to the community along with the many non-profits and sports events the family has sponsored over the years. Chappy Morris responded, "It’s been an honor to serve you."

The Ventura County IT Services Mike Pettit and Kevin Coe, Deputy Chief Application Services, gave a presentation regarding the development of a City of Fillmore Mobile Application. With this new app residents with iPhones and Android Smartphones will have quick access to City services. Requests will automatically be routed to the correct department for proper handling regarding various things such as potholes, abandoned shopping carts, graffiti, code enforcement, VCAlert and more. The app will also provide a list of frequently called numbers, an events calendar and other important information and links. The bilingual app uses GPS coordinates to locate shopping carts (CartSnap), potholes, car accidents to can quickly respond. The cost is $8,000 ($4,000 iPhone App and $4,000 Android App) with annual maintenance cost anticipated to be $1,121. Other cities using such apps are Oxnard, Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley. The app is expected to be available in four weeks.

The Council once again addressed the problem of parking on downtown Central Avenue. Parking is restricted on Central to two hour between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday with unrestricted parking lots at the rear of the businesses on both the east and west sides of the street.

Police Chief Dave Wareham addressed the Council stating, "Without a doubt, there's a parking problem....some are cooperating, but some are not." Downtown Central has 50 businesses and only 53 parking spaces. Wareham told the Council the problem is basically two specific people who are not complying. He said when addressing one of the two people, they responded, "It's my right to park here and I don't care about my neighbors." Wareham reported that some tenants and business owners move their cars every two hours, sometimes returning to the same space they were they had previously parked.

The cost to the City to regulate the situation is not a simple or inexpensive fix, approximately $40,000 to $400,000 for added enforcement. The Council suggested patrolling Central Avenue more often and looking into changing the zoning which would require new business have restricted parking. The Council will continue monitoring the problem.

In April 2014 the Council discussed displaying the national motto "In God We Trust" prominently in the council chamber. At the time it was not decided where or what type of plaque would be displayed. After discussing both the cost and location it was decided and agreed upon having the motto painted above the dais.

The last agenda item was deciding whether to start compensating commission members with a stipend. This would be for the three commissions: Parks and Recreation Commission, Film Commission, and Planning Commission. A questionnaire was sent to Cities throughout California asking if they compensated their commissioners.

Thirty-eight of the 55 that responded said they do compensate their commissioners. Some that did were here in Ventura County: Camarillo, Moorpark and Simi Valley. Compensations ranged from $10 to $543. Some were a monthly stipend and others per meeting attended.

Council Member Diane McCall who was on the Planning Commission for seven years, stated that being on that commission taught me more about Fillmore than she could have achieved on her own and what prompted her to be on the Council adding, "How do you put a dollar amount on that?"

There were also discussions about some being compensated more than others. They all agreed the Planning Commission goes through a great deal of documents but struggled with the problem of implying one person’s time is more valuable than another's. Mayor Douglas Tucker stated, "I was on the Planning Commission and it takes a great deal of your time. I feel time is valuable....I would like an educational allowance...with well educated commissioners to serve the community." He suggested talking to the people on the commissions for their opinion.

Everyone agreed on the educational allowance, $50 per month for the Planning Commission and $25 per meeting for the Parks and Recreation, and Film Commissions' with a limit of two meetings per month.

An item that was approved by a simple voice vote was a FY 2015-16 Budget Development Guidelines that Finance Director Gaylynn Brien presented the Council. The guidelines encompassed four main policies to be used going forward. (1) The City will adopt and maintain a balanced General Fund budget by ensuring that annual operating expenses are held to levels within annual operating revenues; (2) The City will maintain a prudent reserve in the General Fund balance to be used to respond to catastrophic events. This reserve amount as, a percentage of budgeted expenditures, will be established by the City Council as part of its action in adopting the budget; (3) The City's water and sewer enterprise funds shall be self-supporting such that fees for operating services will be maintained at a level adequate to cover all operating expenses and infrastructures needs; (4) One time revenues shall not be used to fund ongoing operating program expenses. Any such revenues shall be used to pay for one-time expenditures, if authorized by the City Council, or placed in the appropriate fund balance; (5) One-time expenditures that result in long-term cost savings, efficiencies, or both will be considered money well invested.

The Council also passed and approved by a simple voice vote, a resolution showing their commitment to sustainable energy and declared their goal to conserve energy consumption and achieve Platinum Tier Level Status. The primary objective of this Energy Policy is to implement best energy management practices across all departments of the city and "lead-by-example" setting short, medium and long-term goals for reducing energy consumption, increase use of clean, renewable energy, and reduce annual electricity consumption by 20% (compared to 2006 use) by 2020.

The Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s help in identifying this suspect. Anyone who can help identify the suspect from the attached photographs is asked to call Det. Mulrooney at (805) 646-1414.
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The Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s help in identifying this suspect. Anyone who can help identify the suspect from the attached photographs is asked to call Det. Mulrooney at (805) 646-1414.
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During the early morning hours of 12/01/2014, an unknown suspect entered two different self-serve laundry locations in the Ojai Valley. The suspect pried open numerous washing machine coin boxes and then stole the coins stored inside. Security video shows the suspect is a mid-twenties Hispanic male.

During the investigation, Ojai detectives learned that a similar crime was committed in the City of Camarillo on November 5, 2014. A review of the Camarillo security tape revealed that the suspect in the Camarillo theft appears to be the same suspect as the Ojai thefts.

The Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s help in identifying this suspect. Anyone who can help identify the suspect from the attached photographs is asked to call Det. Mulrooney at (805) 646-1414.

Nature of Incident: Attempt to Locate Burglary Suspect
Report Numbers: 14-27113 /14-28175
Location(s): Mira Monte Quick Clean / Coin House Laundry
Dates & Times: 12/01/2014 0000-0800
Unit(s) Responsible: Ojai and Camarillo Investigations
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (Party), (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
Unknown Unknown unk
Prepared by: Sgt. R. Harwood
News Release Date: 01/27/2015
Media Follow-Up Contact: Detective Joe Mulrooney 805-947-8075
Approved by:
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is warning the public of a recent series of phone scams in which the caller claims to be a member of the CHP and asks for payment for missed jury duty, outstanding fines, or an outstanding arrest warrant.

The CHP said the callers typically instruct residents to purchase re-loadable cards and call them back with the numbers to the cards. Similar scams have been reported to other law enforcement agencies as well.

“We appreciate the public for bringing this issue to our attention, and we want to warn others to be vigilant and never give out personal information to someone you don’t know,” said CHP Coastal Division Chief Reginald Chappelle.

The CHP does not call community members seeking payment under any circumstances. In addition to never giving personal or financial information to an unsolicited caller, the following tips are recommended:
• Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.
• Utility companies and government agencies will never contact you for payment by GreenDot, MoneyPak or Vanilla Reload.
• Remember that anyone who has the number on a prepaid card has access to the funds on your card.
• Never wire money or provide debit or credit card numbers to a stranger.
If you believe you are being scammed regarding an alleged unpaid traffic citation or other court-imposed financial obligation you can:
• Ask the caller for the court case number, date of ticket, or other specific information. Then verify the debt or confirm other details by contacting the local court where the offence was reported to have occurred. IN ANY CASE IF THERE IS SUCH AN OBLIGATION, ADDRESS AND RESOVE IT DIRECTLY WITH THE COURT, NOT WITH A STRANGER.

VENTURA COUNTY, CA - Since mid-December, the State of California has seen 59 cases of measles. Ventura County has now reported 5 of those cases. One of our measles cases had reason to be in City Bank in Camarillo, at 430 Arneill Road for much of the day from Monday, January 12 through Wednesday, January 14, 2015. Any person who entered the main lobby of the bank on any of those days who is not immune to the measles virus has some potential risk of acquiring measles. Most people have immunity to measles. "Probably 95% of the population is immune to measles because they had 2 MMRs, their childhood measles shots," said Dr. Robert Levin, Health Officer for Ventura County.

A 2-shot series starting on or after the first birthday is protective. At this time, 91.6% of all children entering kindergarten in Ventura County have had 2 MMR shots and are thus immune to catching the disease. There are schools in the county with a particularly low rate of MMR immunization. One private school on the east end of the county has a measles immunization rate of 67%. Most public schools in Oxnard, on the other hand, have a measles immunization rate of 100% The Communicable Diseases division of the Ventura County Public Health, a department of the Ventura County Health Care Agency, says that anyone who was in the bank on one of those three days who develops symptoms of measles should call their physician, tell them they may have been exposed to measles, and ask to come in to the office for a measles titer. Tell the receptionist before your arrival that you should be put directly into a patient room to have your blood drawn so that you won't expose other patients waiting to be seen in the waiting room.

The symptoms of measles include cough, runny nose, reddened eyes, fever, a rash and often, tiny sores in the mouth. A person with measles may only have a few of these symptoms. "Most people with measles feel quite sick, as sick as someone feels with the flu," said Dr. Levin. Measles is a very contagious disease and entirely preventable. While not as deadly as Ebola, for instance, it is 5 to 15 times more contagious. People who contract measles are contagious for 4 days before they develop the rash and for 4 more days after they develop the rash.

For those who were in City Bank in Camarillo on the days referenced, they are at risk of developing measles for up to 21 days following exposure. For example, someone who was in the bank on Wednesday the 14th of January is at risk of developing measles until February 4th.

For information on a Public Health clinic near you if you are in need of immunizations, please call: 805-981-5221; for a Ventura County Health Care Agency Ambulatory Care clinic near you, please call: 805-677-5110.

The first Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) meeting of 2015 was attended by two new Board Members, Sean Morris and Scott Beylik, and contained Governor Brown's Budget Proposal, FUSD's Audit Report for FY 2014, the new School Site Plan requirements and the Class of 2014 Analysis.

The meeting began with recognition of the students who participated in the Content Filter Testing at the Ventura County Office of Education. Fillmore High School (FHS) students Gray MacMahon, Billy Tran-Wyche, Luke Myers and Fillmore Middle School students Sam Guzman, Liam Howard, Brandon Antonson and Victor Jimenez received certificates for their part. The goal of the testing is to gain a safer digital environment for students.

Assistant Superintendent Martha Hernandez gave a presentation on the Class of 2014. She reported that 192 students graduated FHS along with 50 from Sierra High School; which was that school's largest class ever. The demographics given on race were 224 Hispanic, 26 White, 1 Asian, 2 Black, 1 Multiple. FHS also lost 28 students that transferred out of the district, leaving before or during their senior or junior year. Sierra High School lost 12 that transferred to another school with 6 more transferring to FHS. There were 34 students that met UC/CSU requirements, but unfortunately 141 students did not.

More bad news CONTINUED »

El Dorado Mobile home owner Charles Richardson told the Council the park subdivision would price the cost of his unit and others out of the sellable market.
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There was standing room only at the first Fillmore City Council Meeting of 2015. The four hour meeting had a number of items, some were continuing such as the El Dorado subdivision, the leasing of the Fillmore Senior Center and increased improvement of Fillmore's Energy Action Plan. Others were new items; addressing future demands for potable water, and renewal of the Waste Discharge Requirement Permit.

The first item addressed was the question of renewing the lease of the City's multi-use building known as the Senior Center to the nonprofit Fillmore Senior Center Inc. (FSCI).

At the December 9, 2014 Council meeting former Council Member and President of FSCI Patti Walker addressed the Council claiming the English speaking classes arranged by the City had encroached on areas used by the seniors. FSCI themselves have offered Spanish classes, but not English. Walker also remarked on FSCI's displeasure with the Council not waving the rental fees for events such as Bingo.

On December 17, 2014 the City received a letter from former Council Member Gayle Washburn who threatened a lawsuit citing that lease discussions had been done in closed session, saying it was a Brown Act violation. There were also accusations that the Council had not disclosed the date and time when the lease discussions had taken place. Council Member Rick Neal answered the accusations informing those present that the discussions were always announced with all the other agenda items and that lease issues are always done in closed session to which City Attorney Tiffany Israel added that a lease is a real estate item and must be discussed in closed session.

During Public Comments Jean Westling, Joanne King, Gayle Washburn, Gloria Hanson and Patti Walker spoke to the Council to plead with them to reconsider the lease, but not all were conciliatory in trying to win over the Council and went so far to call the move by the Council a "hostile takeover."

City Manager David W. Rowlands reminded those in attendance of the six to seven months of discussions regarding the lease and that the City is not eliminating any adult activities or closing the doors. There are plans for a future Adult Advisory Board which will take about seven month to put together a program. He then added, "We're looking to improve on the programs." Council Member Rick Neal commented that when the City first took over the Equestrian Center everyone seemed against it. But after the program was in place he received many emails stating what a great move it was and how happy everyone is with the changes.

Council Member Diane McCall responded, "The City isn't looking to close the Senior Center, we're looking to enhance it." All Council Members agreed they are excited about this change and that it is a good time for the City to help enhance those programs and a chance to be a united front with everyone going forward. Council Member Manuel Minjares told those present, "We by no means want to take away programs. It is our wish to move forward with improving existing programs." Mayor Doug Tucker added, "Our seniors are a strong asset...it is not a hostile takeover. We want to partner with the Senior Center. Our intentions are very positive. We want to see classes continue."

Minjares then made CONTINUED »

Adrian Moreno

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Today marks the one year anniversary of the death of a dear son, nephew, grandson, friend and wonderful human being. What is a one year memorial anniversary supposed to be like? How do his family and friends honor his memory when his life was taken from him and his murderer is still not known, or in prison?

As the family and friends of Adrian Moreno, who was tragically and unexplainably shot on January 11, 2014 in Fillmore, we have asked ourselves these and many more questions, and will continue to do so for many years to come. We join those parents and families who have lost a loved one to the senseless act of gun violence.

Like these families, however, we must be present for Adrian every day. We do not forget him on holidays, birthdays, vacations, parties, concerts, school night … weekends, or weekdays. Adrian Moreno loved life. As an 18 year old, recent high graduate, he was about to pursue a college career in music production, he was/is a karate brown belt, played baseball, football and ran cross country in college. He was/is the admired and caring oldest brother of a 15 year old sister and a 6 year old brother. Hundreds of friends came to his funeral memorial to pay their respects. He is remembered fondly for his kindness, intelligence and ambition.

Like the many families who have lost a child, we must also ask why this happened and what we can each do to prevent another family from losing their child to gun violence. In 2014 there were over 51,000 incidents in the U.S. involving gun violence, resulting in 12,544 deaths, which include 2,339 teens (12-17) killed or injured.1 Since January 1, 2015 there have been 551 incidents.

Each of us has a responsibility to these teens and adults killed by gun violence to report suspicious behavior to prevent a death before it happens. Like the citizens of Washington who this December, passed initiative 594, which requires criminal background checks on all firearm sales and transfers in the state, including gun shows and the internet, we must purse the same actions in each of our states. We must take to the streets and show our passion for the lives of our children and families, and to show our communities and the world that we care about the fate of our families and society.

This is how we honor our lost sons and daughters. This is what our lost sons and daughters, and those that are alive to remember them would want us to do. On January 11, 2015, we will remember Adrian Moreno for the remarkable person that he was, and will honor him along with all those lives like his which were lost to senseless gun violence. We will let him hear us talk about his acts of kindness, goals, and challenges with friends and family. He will be with us as we eat our meals, laugh, cry, become angry, tired and ultimately end the day exhilaration of another day ahead. He will be with us and we will celebrate his life forever.

A $22,500 reward is being offered for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person (s) responsible for this crime. Rewards funds are generously donated by the City of Fillmore, the law firm of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, LLP, and the Fillmore Unified School Teacher’s Association.

Or if you would like to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 805-384-4730.

For more information and to make donations please visit www.adrianmatters.com.

http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/tolls/2014

A group of concerned citizens and the Fillmore City Council deserve a big thank you. The Fillmore Bicycle Pump-track located at Two Rivers Park next to the skate park came at no cost to the City. It has taken a little more than a year for the two acre site to be completed and is expected to have a soft ribbon cutting ceremony in March.

According to Councilman Rick Neal, "The response has been overwhelming. People from out of town have come to Fillmore to use the track. It will really add to our tourism."

The track is the only one in Ventura County. The next closest track in Southern California is a private one in Santa Barbara/Santa Ynez with the closest public track located in San Diego. "Pump-tracks are popular in Europe" according to Parks and Recreation Commissioner Chano Ibarra, who believes the uniqueness will bring tourists and sports events to Fillmore.

The track is a continuous circuit of dirt rollers, banked turns, berms and jumps that loop back on itself as the riders propel themselves by shifting their body weight to gain momentum; similar to one shifting their weight in a swing to propel higher. The pumping allows the rider to propel forward without having to pedal. As the bike moves up and down and sideways the rider's goal is to keep the torso, the center of the body's mass, in as straight of line as possible and as quickly and fluidly as possible. It is a sport for all ages and challenges the participant requiring a great deal of energy and exercise in a short amount of time.

The new bike park is a fun family environment and a safe off-street place to learn to ride, practice and increase cycling skills and designed to accommodate up to 10 riders at a time. The drawbacks are the weather, particularly hard rains. The track must be completely dried out before it can be used and needs attending to about once a month, clearing rocks and weeds.

This all began with Ibarra's idea of building the pump-track to increase the sports activities available in Fillmore. He, along with Jason Foy and Vivian Madena, created the Ride Heritage Valley (RHV) organization. The group procured a donation from Pacific Coast Web Design (Danielle) who created the website and logo for RHV: http://rideheritagevalley.weebly.com/ and the project proceeded from there.

Ibarra's friend Jimmy McIlvain, who lives in Santa Clarita and has a completed track in his back yard, invited Councilmember Rick Neal and others to see what a bump-track consisted of and whether it would be an asset to Fillmore. RHV's idea was presented to the Fillmore City Council on December 13, 2013 and all agreed that the bike pump-track should go forward.

Using donated funds, Ibarra purchased pump-track plans for a residential back yard and presented them to his friend Hans Keifer, owner of Bellfree Contractors Inc. out of Los Angeles. Keifer redesigned the smaller back yard plans to plans for a public park and donated the finished work to Fillmore; an estimated donation of up to $12,000. Bellfree Construction has completed close to 200 paved and natural bridle trails and paths along with numerous bridges and viewing platforms for cities, counties, states and private endeavors, but this is the first bike park design for the company and a new addition to their portfolio.

Rick Neal, who was Mayor at the time, approached Fillmore resident Grant Taylor, owner of MG Taylor Equipment, about the needed heavy equipment. Taylor agreed to donate approximately $25,000 of heavy equipment including backhoes, forklifts, bulldozers, loaders and volunteers agreed to the labor needed to operate the equipment. It took three weeks of work, on and off, and a large work crew to grade the site to a 1% slope which allows rain water to be cast off at a speed slow enough to not create crevasses and fast enough to not puddle. According to Ibarra "With all the recent rain the drainage worked great, it was close to zero, almost perfect."

The rock and soil, with a price tag of $9,832, was donated by Rusty Cochran, owner of Grimes Rock Inc. Trucks worked daily nonstop for a week delivering and placing the 1,500 tons of export soil (mixture of sand and clay) needed to build the continuous circuit of dirt rollers, berms and jumps. More volunteers worked numerous days using hand tools to produce the finished track.

When asked what was the projects most difficult hurdle, all agreed it was coordinating the volunteer labor and donated items. Without the incentive of being a paid customer, things get done when available and that took a great deal of cooperation by everyone involved.

RVH was adamant that a special "thank (you to) the current Fillmore City Council, Parks Commission and Fillmore City Staff, especially Rick Neal, Rigo Landeros, David Smallwood and Annette Cardona for all their input. They have all been very supportive and forward thinking in bringing a project like this to Fillmore..... and there were two CORBA members who have been super supportive. They are Mark Langton (former CORBA president) and Steve Messer (current CORBA president)." But the project would not have been such a success if RVH had not put the idea forward in the first place.

Taylor stated, "The track is a great for the community and for the youth. They'll have something to do to keep them out of trouble" and added that there is still a bit more shaping of jumps to be completed. Jeremy Combs, an experienced bike rider who lives in Ventura, tested the track and gave recommendations for improvements of the berms and jumps. There are also a few items still needed to complete the overall track; ladder drops with wooden features, a teeter-totters platform, seating, picnic benches and shade trees. They continue to need donations to complete it.

Weather permitting and donations for the final needed items, the park is expected to be completed by March. Ibarra stated that May is Bike Safety Month and it is hoped there may be an event opening.

To view a video: https://vimeo.com/116016980

Their Facebook page: RideHeritageValley-RHV and to donate to the parks construction: FBP: http://www.gofundme.com/axz0cs

US National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard

January 7 at 5:13pm

The City of Fillmore in Ventura County was the hottest spot in the nation today with a high temperature of 87°. Several sites throughout Southern California were right behind Fillmore at 85°, including Downtown Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, Burbank, Pasadena, San Gabriel, Camarillo, Yorba Linda, Fullerton, and Lake Forest.

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Since October 2014, numerous late night and early morning commercial burglaries have occurred in various cities throughout Ventura, Santa Barbara and Northern Los Angeles Counties. It is believed the same suspects are responsible for the crimes. The suspects are targeting commercial buildings and taking primarily Apple computers and laptops.

We are asking for the public’s help in identifying the subjects in the attached photos, which were taken from video surveillance from one of the recent crimes.

Anyone with information on the crimes or the below pictured suspects is urged to call Sgt. Jason Robarts at (805) 947-8108 or Jason.robarts.Ventura.org

Nature of Incident: Public’s help needed to identify tri-county burglary crew
Report Number: 14-25727
Location: Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles County
Date & Time: Sept 2014- Dec 2014
Unit(s) Responsible: Thousand Oaks Police Investigations
Prepared by: Sgt. Jason Robarts #2948
News Release Date: 01/12/2014
Media Follow-Up Contact: Sgt. Jason Robarts (805)947-8108
Approved by: Captain Reilly

SACRAMENTO - Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and state health officer, announced today the first confirmed influenza death of a person under the age of 65 reported for the 2014-2015 season. This fatality of an adult resident of Southern California is a somber reminder that influenza can be a serious and often deadly disease. Influenza activity remains at a regional level in California.

“Flu activity is beginning to increase statewide, including reports of hospitalizations and severe disease,” said Dr. Chapman. “We are early on in what could be a severe flu season, and I encourage everyone who has not yet gotten a flu vaccination to do so. The influenza vaccine remains the most effective way to protect yourself from the flu.”
Influenza is already widespread in 43 other states and there have been 21 pediatric influenza deaths nationwide so far this influenza season.
CDPH continues to monitor flu activity statewide and the availability of vaccine and antivirals, as well as hospital capacity. Influenza-related deaths in people under 65 years are reportable to CDPH.

Dr. Chapman also notes that in addition to getting vaccinated, it's important to practice good hand washing and other good health habits. People who are ill should take actions to stop the spread of germs such as:
• While sick, stay home and limit contact with others
• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing
• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based rub
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Those at highest risk of severe influenza – the elderly, pregnant women, infants, or people with other health conditions – who show flu symptoms should contact their physician immediately in order to get the most effective treatment for influenza. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue.

Visit a flu vaccine location near you to get immunized. Some local health departments may also offer free or low-cost immunizations.

For more information on influenza and other respiratory disease surveillance reports visit: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/data/statistics/Pages/CISPDataArchive.aspx.

Sacramento – California Department of Public Health has been notified of seven confirmed cases of measles in patients from five different locations within California it was reported today by Dr. Ron Chapman, CDPH director and state health officer. Two Utah resident cases have also been confirmed and three additional California residents are also suspected to have measles and are under investigation. All confirmed and suspect cases reported visiting Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Park in Orange County, California sometime between December 15th and December 20th, 2014.

Based on information from current cases, it is likely that a person infectious with measles was at one of the theme parks on these dates. People can be infectious with measles for 9 days. Measles typically begins with fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes and within a few days a red rash appears, usually first on the face and then spreads downward to the rest of the body. Measles is a highly infectious, airborne disease.

“If you have symptoms, and believe you may have been exposed, please contact your health care provider,” said Dr. Chapman. “The best way to prevent measles and its spread is to get vaccinated.”

Measles has been eliminated in the United States since 2000. However, large measles outbreaks have occurred in Western Europe, Pakistan, Vietnam and the Philippines in recent years. Travelers to areas where measles is endemic can bring measles back to the U.S., resulting in limited domestic transmission of measles. Disney and other theme parks in California are international attractions and visitors come from many parts of the world, including those where measles is endemic.

Two doses of measles-containing vaccine (MMR vaccine) are more than 99 percent effective in preventing measles. Measles vaccines have been available in the United States since 1963, and two doses have been recommended since 1989. If you are unsure of your vaccination status, check with your doctor to have a test to check for measles immunity or to receive vaccination.

The California confirmed cases reside in five local health jurisdictions (Alameda, Orange, Pasadena, Riverside, and San Diego) and range in age from 8 months to 21 years. Six cases were unvaccinated for measles (2 were too young to be vaccinated), and 1 had received appropriate vaccination (two doses of MMR vaccine). Several large contact investigations are ongoing.

Health care providers treating patients with fever and a rash should consider measles, and ask patients about travel to international destinations and domestic venues that are popular with international travelers.

More information about measles can be found on the CDPH website.