Anthony Edwards at Airborne Graduation May 24, 2012.
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How many phone calls can I get from one very proud Mother who now has three sons serving in the United States Army? Well she does have one more son left at home so my guess is maybe four! Proud Mother Donna Edwards (Smith) called to tell me that number three son United States Army Private First Class Anthony Edwards, 20 years, has graduated from the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program ( RASP) and Airborne training! He is assigned to the 75th Ranger Regimental Special Troops Battalion (RSTB), Regimental Intelligence Company at Ft. Benning, Georgia. As a Ranger, PFC Edwards will be in the same job classification as his older brother Staff Sergeant Kevin “Buddy” Edwards as a Military Intelligence Analyst (MOS 35F).

PFC Anthony Edwards is a 2011 Fillmore High School Graduate, graduating early in December 2010. He entered the United States Army on June 13, 2011 finishing his Army Basic Training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. After graduating from Basic Training PFC Edwards completed his advanced training at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Arizona home of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center as a Military Intelligence Analyst. In this position he has obtained a “Military Top Secret Clearance.” The intelligence analyst supervises, performs, or coordinates, collection management, analysis, processing, and dissemination of strategic and tactical intelligence. PFC Anthony Edwards prepares all source intelligence products to support the combat commander. Additionally he assists in establishing and maintaining systematic, cross-referenced intelligence records and files and receives and processes incoming reports and messages. PFC Edwards assists in determining significance and reliability of incoming information, in integrating incoming information with current intelligence holdings and prepares and maintains the situation map. He contributes in the analysis and evaluation of intelligence holdings to determine changes in enemy capabilities, vulnerabilities, and probable courses of action. Other duties include the preparation of Order of Battle records using information from all sources and in the preparation of strength estimates of enemy units. PFC Edwards is also responsible for proofreading intelligence reports and assists in consolidating them into military intelligence. He prepares Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) products. Without a doubt for any military combat operation someone in the position of PFC Anthony Edwards plays a critical role on the battlefield.

PFC Anthony Edwards CONTINUED »

Fillmore, it is time to help one of our own and serve a great cause at the same time! Fillmore's own Hermanos Herrera will be playing at the Sespe Auditorium, 627 Sespe Avenue, on Sunday, November 18th at 2pm to help out Fillmore High School English and Drama teacher Josh Overton. Overton has been in a battle with cancer since August of this year. All proceeds will go to Team Overton for The Relay for Life.

Hermanos Herrera is made up of five brothers; Jorge, Luis, Miguel, Juan, Jose, and little sister Rebeca Herrera. They all went to Fillmore High School and were top student athletes. They then all went on to great things at U.C.L.A.

Hermanos Herrera have appeared in the U.S.A. and Mexico. They have appeared on Television National and International programs. They have also shared the stage with such great Superstars Linda Ronstadt, Los Lobos, and Jose Feliciano, and many many more great acts.

Hermanos Herrera plan CONTINUED »

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On November 8th, the Fillmore High School Resource Officer received information that a 15 year old female student was in possession of a firearm. The Deputy contacted the female student in class and discovered the firearm in her pocket. The student was arrested without incident.

The student was booked at Ventura County Juvenile Hall for 626.9 PC (Loaded Firearm on School Campus) and 25400(a)(2) PC (Carry a concealed firearm on a person).

The case is still under investigation by the Fillmore Police Department.

Nature of Incident: Fillmore High Student Arrested with Firearm at School
Report Number: 12-25085
Location: Fillmore High School
Date & Time: November 8, 2012 / 1000 Hours
Unit Responsible: Fillmore Police Department
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S) Female Juvenile Fillmore 15
Deputy Preparing Media Release: Sgt. Anthony Aguirre
Media Release Date: November 8, 2012
Follow-Up Contact: Det. Taurino Almazan 805-524-2235 / email: taurino.almazan@ventura.org
Approved by: Captain Monica McGrath

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).

FINAL ELECTION 2012

FILLMORE City Council
7 of 7 Precincts Reporting

3 New City Council Members Elected
(1) RICK NEAL - 2,063
(2) MANUEL A. MINJARES - 2,037
(3) DOUGLAS TUCKER - 1,507

Defeated Incumbents
Mayor - GAYLE WASHBURN - 1,017
Mayor Pro Tem - JAMEY BROOKS - 922

Defeated Candidates
SANDY PELLA - 977
ALEX MOLLKOY - 549

Total Votes: 9,087

FILLMORE City Clerk
7 of 7 Precincts Reporting

1 New City Clerk Elected
NANCY BLENDERMANN-MEYER - 1,615

Defeated Incumbent
CLAY WESTLING - 1,598

Total Votes: 3,239

FILLMORE City Treasurer
7 of 7 Precincts Reporting
1 New City Treasurer Elected
(1) SHANNON GODFREY - 1,640

Defeated Candidate
GRACE DONAHUE - 1,527

Total Votes: 3,190

El Dorado's attorney Mark D. Alpert made his case to city council members why the part should be subdivided into 302 resident owned lots.
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Charles Richardson stated, “It’s all been a threat over rent control” and that the owner threatened if the residents voted for rent control the park would be turned into a family park; which it now is.
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With standing room only over 50 people, mostly residents of El Dorado Mobilehome Park, attended the Fillmore City Council Meeting on Friday November 2, 2012. Just about all had come to voice their opposition to the Park’s subdivision/vesting map hearing.

The legal battle between the City of Fillmore and El Dorado Park began on March 5, 2009 when the owners of the park applied to subdivide the one 37.5 acre lot consisting of 302 mobile home spaces into 302 resident owned lots and the City denied the application. On September 28, 2009 a lawsuit was filed by the owners of the park. Later a survey of park residents was conducted, which was required by law, showing they overwhelmingly oppose the conversion.

At the May 9, 2012 City Council meeting a proposal was made to the Council by the park owners to settle the court case, giving the residents some concessions that included five year leases offered to all residents with rent increases being equal to the change in Consumer Price Index (with a minimum of 3% and a maximum of 8% along with an application for a 10% rent credit to low and very low income households). This was rejected by Council Members Jamey Brooks, Eduardo Gonzalez and Brian Sipes with Mayor Gayle Washburn and Council Member Steve Conaway agreeing to the settlement.

At the time CONTINUED »

About the time I was sitting down in the front patio area of retired city clerk for the City of Fillmore Shirley Spitler's house to talk with her about her display of the American Flag and a Support Our Troops banner, a news article, written by Robert Burns of the Associated Press, was arriving at my, and many of your homes. As Shirley and I sat on her white wicker patio furniture and I admired her fountain with a collection of ceramic turtles playfully perched at the fountain’s edge that article sat waiting for me to read in disbelief . The headlines, “One per day dying in Afghanistan” was sobering enough, but the article content was about more than that . It named names of fallen soldiers and it placed Americans in an awful light of complacency. The article said that the, “…war impact fades for some, but not for families.”

That is right, for most Americans the War in Afghanistan is no longer thought about . But for those of us living in Fillmore and Piru, fathers, mothers, and other family members who have loved ones in that war right now, we think of the war every day . We wish for our loved ones safety and a return home to a better life . I know as I am talking with Shirley that she is not one of those Americans who has forgotten the sacrifices of our currently serving military as well as those who have served and have earned the honor to be called a Veteran. Shirley honors our currently serving members and Veterans every day with her display of the American Flag and Support our Troops banner .

If you drive by 850 Oliver St. you will see two flags flying over the garage. One is the American Flag and the other a Support Our Troops banner. Both are on display 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is a practice started by Shirley's late husband Robert “Bud” Spitler many years ago. As Shirley looked fondly at the Flag and Banner she told me it was about time to buy new ones because they have begun to fade.

Shirley told me her first husband and the father of her three children, Marion Woods, served in the Navy stationed in the Philippines during the Korean War. He was killed in a car accident in 1966 at the age of 31. Two years later she married her second husband, Fillmore Native, Robert “Bud” Spitler, who had been an Army Air Corps P-38 pilot in Italy during WWII. Bud Spitler was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross as a Lieutenant in 1944 while serving with the United States Army Air Corps (now the United States Air Force) when leading his squadron of P38s over Austria while escorting heavy bombers, rescuing his comrades in a stricken and crippled P38, driving off vicious attacks of the enemy and then directing an entire formation to safety. Shirley told me Bud had many interesting stories of the time he served including flying home on one engine after an operation and flying so low over Japanese fishermen that their small fishing boats would capsize. Since Bud passed away five years ago Shirley has continued with the display of the American Flag and Support our Troops banner.

It is for all American Veterans and closer to home Veterans like United States Korean War Veteran Marion Woods and United States Army Air Corps WWII Veteran Robert “Bud” Spitler that Shirley Spitler continues the tradition of flying both the American Flag and the Support Our Troops banner. Shirley Spitler is not one of those Americans described in the article as, “Americans in an awful light of complacency .” Thank you Shirley for your patriotism and honoring those men and women who have and are serving the United States of America. They are truly our American Heroes!

FILLMORE City Council
7 of 7 Precincts Reporting
3 New City Council Members Elected
(1) RICK NEAL - 2,063
(2) MANUEL A. MINJARES - 2,037
(3) DOUGLAS TUCKER - 1,507
Defeated Incumbents
Mayor - GAYLE WASHBURN - 1,017
Mayor Pro Tem - JAMEY BROOKS - 922
Defeated Candidates
SANDY PELLA - 977
ALEX MOLLKOY - 549
Total Votes: 9,087

FILLMORE City Clerk
7 of 7 Precincts Reporting
1 New City Clerk Elected
NANCY BLENDERMANN-MEYER - 1,615
Defeated Incumbent
CLAY WESTLING - 1,598
Total Votes: 3,239

FILLMORE City Treasurer
7 of 7 Precincts Reporting
1 New City Treasurer Elected
(1) SHANNON GODFREY - 1,640
Defeated Candidate
GRACE DONAHUE - 1,527
Total Votes: 3,190

Douglas Tucker:
In my opinion the council should deal with disagreements and criticism with professionalism, accountability and integrity. Each city council representative will have their own perspective; this is why it is so important for them to listen to each-other and the community prior to making decisions. I have received a lot of negative comments about how the council treats persons expressing their opinions only to have their comment refuted 1 council member at a time. The Council needs to treat everyone with respect and dignity. They need to ensure that they are fair when the public speaks including with time allotments and how the council responds to speakers.
If two or more council members disagree then agree to disagree and take the conflict to the closed session for resolution or simply vote and move on to the next agenda item. A council should truly have the best interests of the community at heart, they should be fair, have a code of ethics and conduct and they should most importantly put aside their personal differences and truly represent us the Fillmore citizens. If this is accomplished, the new media, citizens and each council member will unit and we can focus on the problems we face today and ensure we have solutions for our future. We may not always agree, but isn’t that one aspect of the U.S.A. that makes us the best nation in the world, our freedoms should be embraced not taken advantage of.
Douglas Tucker
Candidate for Fillmore City Council

Rick Neal:
Getting along with CONTINUED »

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Each Year, the National FFA Organization is proud to honor the FFA members who show the utmost dedication to the organization through their desire to develop their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. That honor, the American FFA Degree, is bestowed up on a select group of individuals for years of academic and professional excellence. The American Degree is the highest level that can be achieved as an FFA member. Attaining the American FFA Degree requires a solid commitment to agriculture and FFA, and is earned by less than one percent of FFA members.

Aaron Largen and Riley Wright, FFA members representing the Fillmore FFA Chapter in California were selected to join that exclusive list and were awarded the American FFA Degree at the 85th National FFA Convention & Expo. The convention is known as the largest student gathering in the United States and occurred October 24-27, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Fillmore FFA Chapter is under the direction of Ag Advisor, Joe Ricards.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Writen by U.S. Attorney’s Office

October 26, 2012 - Southern District of California

Fourteen individuals were charged following a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)-led investigation into the theft of over $1 million from Citibank using cash advance kiosks at casinos located in Southern California and Nevada. According to an indictment unsealed earlier today, the defendants stole the money by exploiting a gap—which required multiple withdrawals all within 60 seconds—in Citibank’s electronic transaction security protocols. FBI agents assisted by the Glendale Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department arrested 13 of the defendants in the Los Angeles area Wednesday and Thursday.

According to court documents, the alleged scheme worked as follows: defendant Ara Keshishyan recruited conspirators who were willing to open multiple Citibank checking accounts. He then supplied his co-defendants with “seed” money, which was deposited into the recently opened accounts. After the money was deposited into the checking accounts, Keshishyan and his conspirators would travel to nearly a dozen casinos, including the Morongo, Pechanga, San Manuel, Agua Caliente, Chukchansi, and Spa Resort casinos in California; the Tropicana, Wynn, Bicycle, and Whiskey Pete’s casinos in Las Vegas; and Harrah’s in Laughlin. When inside the casino, the conspirators, including Keshishyan, used cash advance kiosks at casinos in California and Nevada to withdraw (all within 60 seconds) several times the amount of money deposited into the accounts, by exploiting the Citibank security gap they discovered.

The indictment alleges CONTINUED »

City of Fillmore

Some Agendized Items:

*El Dorado Mobile Home Estates Vesting Tentative Parcel Map for a Mobile Home Resident Ownership Conversion of an Existing Mobile Home Park.

*Request City Council to Adopt Resolution Authorizing the Acting City Manager, Finance Director and City Attorney to Examine Sales and Use Tax Records.

*Request City Council to Review and Approve the Executive Search Services Agreement for the City Manager and City Finance Director Positions.

*Receive and File – Comment Letter on County of Ventura Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Grimes Rock, Inc. Expanded Mining Facility Project.

SANDRA PELLA:
At this time, the city council has not sent out an RFQ to American Water. The council is acting in a prudent manner by entering into negotiations with American Water in an attempt to reduce maintenance and operational costs for the water treatment plant. Contracts are often negotiable, and considering the financial status of the city, the council is being proactive. The American Water contract was awarded in 2006, two years before the incumbents took office. Although incumbents Gayle Washburn and Jamey Brooks adamantly opposed the water treatment plant contract, they are now bearing the brunt of criticism for decisions made before they were elected, and the impact of those devastating decisions to the community. Four out of the five sitting council members favor negotiating the American Water contract, and if necessary, are open to RFQ’s from other vendors if an agreement can not be made.
The negotiations with American Water should be conducted in a respectful and business-like manner. It is proper business etiquette to allow the company holding a contract to make a proposal. American Water has serviced the city as agreed, and the action to negotiate is not a reflection on the company’s performance. They have also generously contributed chemicals to the community pool, and deserve to be commended for assisting the city with the cost of operating the pool. In its dealings with American Water, the council must be concise in communicating what amount of contract reduction is necessary, and allow sufficient time (perhaps 30 days), for American Water to either approve or disapprove the terms before considering other possible RFQ’s to competitive vendors.

GAYLE WASHBURN:
For clarification, there has CONTINUED »

James Alvarez Jr.

In September of 2012, a Thousand Oaks resident placed a personal advertisement on Craigslist, seeking male companionship in the unincorporated area of Piru.

The suspect and the victim exchanged text messages and e-mails then met in Piru late one evening. At the conclusion of their meeting, the suspect stole the victim’s cell phone and portable GPS unit and fled.

The victim reported the crime to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Fillmore Police Department detectives investigated the matter which led to the suspect being identified as James Alvarez of Fillmore. The victim later identified James Alvarez from a photo lineup.

At the time of the crime, James Alvarez was already a fugitive from justice, having an active warrant charging him as a felon in possession of a firearm, in addition to several other misdemeanor warrants. Alvarez was considered armed and dangerous. Based on the Craigslist investigation, Detectives knew Alvarez had returned to the Fillmore area.

On October 16, 2012, CONTINUED »