Roberto Munoz, a senior at Fillmore High School, took first place for a third year in a row at the Fillmore Lions Club Speaker Contest.

On Monday, February 6 the 75™ Annual Lions student speaker contest was held at the scout house with over 50 Lions, speakers, friends and family present.

The topic on which they spoke about was “What could the America of yesterday teach the America of tomorrow?"
Roberto Munoz wins his third Lions Club speech contest in a row. Robby, a senior at Fillmore High School, he will move on to speak against other winners of Lion's Club contest at the zone 8 contest probably in Camarillo. The date and exact place were not available at this time. Robby won $75 and will move on in his quest to win over $21,000 in college scholarships. Robby has applied to Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, U.C. Berkeley among other schools. Bill Edmonds, Lions Club speaker contest chairman, credits F.H.S. drama teacher Josh Overton and English teacher Jennifer Fitzpatrick for the success of the contest this year. Five of the speakers were from Ms. Fitzpatrick’s sophmore English class. The other speakers were Nick Johnson, Marissa Dorantes, Darian Binkley, and Wesley brecheen and Jovanny Bravo. All are tenth graders except for Wesley who is a ninth grader.
The judges for the contest were the Rev. Dr. Harvey Guthrie, Dr. Cynthia king and Pat Alto. Rev. Guthrie and Ms. Alto were former speaker contestants and winners themselves. Dr. King is an instructor at Cal State Channel Islands.

Cecelia Cuevas

Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments. M. Cecelia Cuevas, 48, of Fillmore, has been appointed to the 31st District Agricultural Association, Ventura County Fair Board. Cuevas has been a senior financial advisor for Merrill Lynch since 2004. She was director of development and communications for the American Red Cross of Ventura County from 2002 to 2004 and development director for the Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence from 1997 to 2002. She has served as mayor pro-tem for the City of Fillmore from 2006 to 2008 and city councilmember from 2000 to 2006. Cuevas is the immediate past president of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Cuevas is a Democrat.

Boardmember John Garnica presents Jan Marholin with a Certificate of Appreciation at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Tuesday’s Fillmore Unified School Districts (FUSD) Board Meeting went into great detail about the needed changes to start next year. The District has been failing and needing improvement for 10 years. Along with discussing the Common Core Standards also on agenda were recognizing Jan Marholin for her years of work with the District, the hard facts of the school budget, a report on the Math Task Force, and during public comment someone spoke on the morale the teachers at FUSD.

The required level of performance for all California schools will be changing and that couldn’t come too soon for FUSD, which has seen a decline in its academic achievement for the past 10 year. The changes called the Common Core Standards (CCS), which California adopted in August of last year, are expected to improve academic achievement and help students learn the knowledge and skills needed to succeed after graduation. The CCS is a national education standard that will provide appropriate benchmarks for all students throughout the country regardless of where they live. This new approach replaces No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which left most decisions up to the individual states in determining what needed to be taught, how they should test, and what levels of achievement determines proficiency. State’s standards varied significantly and NCLB was not effective in many states. The new CCS is consistent and much more rigorous than what students were expected to achieve with NCLB. CCS stresses language and math skills with changes in focus and concepts of how to achieve success. The new standards require classes such as history, science, social studies, technical subjects also take part in teaching the students language skills in addition to what they learn in English class. California has added an additional 15% to its standards which include such subjects as penmanship for grades 2-4, phonics, word analysis skills in grades k-3, operations and algebraic thinking in grade 2. Assistant Superintendent Michael Johnson described the standards as “…teaching fewer concepts but in greater depth.” Another change is that students are not to just sit and listen to the teacher; they are encouraged to talk more with the expectation of improving their communication skills. For every two minutes a teacher speaks the students are expected to speak one minute.

FUSD is taking a step forward by implementing the CCS into the next school year’s teaching curriculum and not waiting until 2014 when it will be required. In addition FUSD’s Task Force, which is being designed this year, will be ready to assist in applying the teaching standards. The Task Force goals are to create standard pacing guides that each grade uses throughout the District, no matter which school a student attends. All students will be required to learn exactly what others in their grade are studying. Both staff and faculty are working hard to have both the CCS and the Task Force pacing guides ready to be used next semester. Johnson commented that he was told, “No one in the County [Ventura] is doing a whole school district to address the Common Core Standards.”

Dr. Ellen Green, principal of Fillmore Middle School (FMS) along with Jeremy MacMahan and George Fisher, gave a report on the Math Task Force and the new classes to be available. FMS will offer geometry next year for student wanting to move forward with math. Students taking the class and receiving a passing grade will have their work counted toward the three years of math requirement for college acceptance. Green said grading policy, tests and quizzes will be the same across the campuses with an emphasis on checking to make sure the student understands,… “because math is like building blocks and all aspects must be understood. The Middle School has a tremendous opportunity to do something; our students will start to appreciate math…. I’m so proud to be part of the changes.” Study guides will be published on the school website along with online testing. There are 40-50 students now taking Algebra at FMS who will be ready to move forward with geometry when it’s offered.

Johnson said the rigor of what’s expected of the students has increased greatly. To address those students who, during the transition, are not up to speed, a bridge program will be set up that will work with them for three hours a day, for 20 days.

There will also be some changes for those students who do not pass the exit exam. The exam is given in the 10th grade and those that do not pass are allowed to retake it until they pass. But some who have continued to fail and never pass are still allowed to walk during graduation. FUSD Superintendent Dr. Alan Nishino announced that this practice will not be permitted starting 2016 (which are now 8th graders); all students who have not passed the exit exam will not be allowed to walk in the graduation’s ceremony.

Michael Bush discussed the financial problems the District is facing. Governor Brown’s proposed 2012-13 budget reductions could add up to $2,771,410 which will have a very negative impact of FUSD. There will be no cost of living raises this year. FUSD teachers have already received 10 furlough days from 185 days to 175 days. Nishino stated, “It’s even worse than I’d anticipated. One and a half million this year and if the tax initiative doesn’t go through it will be even worse…. I think we’re at a crossroads of what education will be.” Bush went on to explain the expected tax increase is to pay off the State’s debt and if passed it will not benefit the kids or schools.

Lisa Fluke, a teacher at FUSD for ten years, addressed the School Board with what she said is a lowering of morale among teachers at FUSD. Fluke stated that the new Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent have helped put some exceptional tools in place for the teachers, and the teachers “…seem to be excited to help improve our schools and teaching methods. This would all be very wonderful, if not for the way their message is delivered to the faculty.” She went on to say, “There is a lack of respect and appreciation from these administrators at a level that I have never experienced. I cannot tell you how many teachers I have heard say they have never felt so devalued or disrespected. These are teachers that have taught for 20 or 30 years. My concerns started with the first committee meeting of the year I attended. Mr. Johnson led an inspirational meeting, showed an inspiring 60 minute piece and discussed some very motivational changes he intended to put into place. I was excited and ready to give 100%. At the end of his presentation, he told us there would be those that would not be onboard. He told us there was a plan for those teachers too. He then used the term ‘insubordinate.’ I have heard that term used as a method to get compliance more in the last eight to nine months than I have in my entire life. There are many teachers that would love to speak up, but fear the repercussion…It is disheartening to see so many teachers feeling beaten down…I am hoping that the school board members will find the time to go into the schools and talk with some of the teachers.”

Jan Marholin, who resigned at the end of last year to take a job as CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clarita, was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation and clock in recognition of her eight years as the principal of San Cayetano Elementary School. Jan Lee, who replaced Marholin, was also welcomed by the Board and staff as the new principal.

Due to safety concerns the Board approved San Cayetano School request for an eight foot high ornamental iron security fence costing $24,468 that will extend where presently there isn’t any fencing. Ten thousand of the cost will be paid out of monies that were leftover from the modernization fund and the remaining to be paid by an insurance reimbursement.

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Sespe Creek is getting a great deal of attention these days. In addition to the Ventura Watershed Protection District putting in a new levee, Upland Rock at Sespe Creek is also working on removing the large amount of collected debris blocking the channel under the east Sespe Creek bridge located on Highway 126.

Sespe Creek, which originates above 5,000 feet elevation in the Los Padre National Forest, drains a major portion of the Sierra Madre Mountains and 342 acre of Sespe Wilderness into the Santa Clara River. The name Sespe can be traced to the Chumash Indian village, called Cepsey or Sek-pe in a 1791 California land grant. It was important to the native tribe, which foraged and hunted along the creek. Sespe Creek is the largest of the 30 tributary creeks running into the Santa Clara River, which is the longest relatively natural river remaining in Southern California.

The Sespe is 51 miles long and joins the Santa Clara River in Fillmore through an east and west channel that both cross Highway 126. But, according to James Sandoval, owner of Sespe Materials (the company that mined the creek for many years), a significant flood years back diverted the water’s flow to the east channel. Sandoval, at the time, wanted to restore the flow to the west channel, but a Fillmore homeowner refused him needed access to do the work. Sandoval said, “It has been at least 20 years since the west channel has flowed.”

The County of Ventura has designed and mapped out all rivers and creeks that flow within its boundaries which includes Sespe Creek. But in the past decade, several fires have burned hundreds of acres of the dense chaparral around Sespe’s watershed and the creek has been laden with considerable sedimentation which fills in many of the deep pools that the lower Sespe is known for. The debris and sediment deposits under the Highway 126 west Sespe Creek overpass (which is long and wide enough to accommodate two lanes in each direction plus and ample median and shoulders) are preventing a proper flow and shifting the streambed in both left and right directions of the designated map. This is also causing flooding of the ranches along its banks. Some areas of debris, which includes sand, rock and vegetation, have reached over nine feet high with the creek itself 14 feet above grade.

One of the main culprits causing problems is the non-native plant Arundo, which has taken over large areas of both Sespe Creek and the Santa Clara River. A tall perennial, cane-like grass that resembles bamboo, Arundo is an invasive species that during flooding rhizomes break off and travel downstream where it continues to invade due to its aggressive growth and ability to survive. Once Arundo is established the area requires continual costly cleanup and maintenance because it creates a fire hazard, flood hazard, sedimentation, and erosion. The plant collects at bridges, drainage pipes and other flood control structures, causing compromised functioning and in some instances structure failure along with degrading the natural resources. As the plant spreads the areas stop functioning as native systems. The entire ecological cycle of the riparian system is impacted which includes the habitat that plants, birds, fish, animals and insects rely on.

A number of agencies (Cal Trans, Ventura County Watershed Protection Dept., California Fish and Game, just to name a few) have a responsibility for keeping the Sespe water flowing properly, but because of the expense involved it is not a high priority. To Fillmore it is a safety issue, which is a high priority. Flooding creek waters can move boulders as large as 20,000 lb creating dammed up areas and flooding, but it is also a danger to bridges or any other structure in the way. The trusses supporting the Sespe Creek overpass have already sustained damage in the past due to buildup and were repaired by Sandoval. Because of the financial state of both the State of California and Ventura County, the funding for cleaning out the creek is put at the bottom of the list. Many municipalities have started looking to partner with private companies to help offset the costs.

This is where Mike Grabowski and Rocky Dreher, owners of Upland Rock steps in; opening up the Sespe Creek channel helps the environmental habitat by extracting the marketable material (boulders, gravel and sand) for sale to local businesses, and helps lower the costs to those responsible municipalities. But, growing environmental concerns and opposition to mining have had an impact on the mining industry and a loss of local mining business in Ventura County. Rock and sand materials have for years been transported from mining companies extracting materials from the deserts of Palmdale and Lancaster; but transportation adds to the cost of those materials. Today’s approach to mining is more environmentally friendly but there is still a need to supply the growing demand for materials at a cost the consumer and taxpayer can afford. Having Upland Rock as a local supplier brings down transportation costs of the materials used to build our local roads, bridges, building, homes and numerous other applications.

Taking on such a project is not a simple task due to the numerous municipalities involved and all the regulations. Biological monitoring is required prior to disturbing the site as well as a biologist on site, at a cost of $1,000 per day, while work is being preformed.

The confluence of Sespe Creek with the Santa Clara River provides an important connection to upland systems and migration of the wildlife that depend on a free flowing waterway. Any disturbance of the creek brings environmental issues of protecting a number of endangered species such as the Arroyo toad, California Red-legged Frog, California Condor, Southern Steelhead Trout, songbirds Southwestern Willow Flycatcher and Least Bell’s Vireo. Currently, most of the creek is closed to fishing due to efforts to reestablish a Steelhead run.

Before Upland Rock could proceed with the cleaning out the creek an extensive list of engineering and environmental studies had to be prepared and approved. These included: Conditional Use Permit approved by the Ventura County Resource Management Agency; Reclamation Plan and Financial Assurance Bond approved by the California Department of Conservation, Office of Mine Reclamation; Section 404 Permit approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Special conditions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service were incorporated into the project to reduce the impacts to steelhead trout that migrates up the Santa Clara River to spawn in Sespe Creek and other critical habitat; Lake or Streambed Alteration Agreement approved by the California Department of Fish and Game, which includes a Mitigation, Re-vegetation and Biological Protection Plan; Water Quality Certification approved by the California Regional Water Quality Control; Encroachment Permit approved by the Ventura County Watershed Protection District; Encroachment Permit approved by the California Department of Transportation; Permit to Operate approved by the Ventura County Air Pollution Control Board.

Each of these municipalities with their own concerns and regulations rarely communicate with each. To get all the agencies “talking” to one another Upland Rock hired Sespe Consulting added an additional 40% to the projects operational costs.

Regulations require the work can only be done when the water is 75 degrees or above (the water in Sespe Creek can warm by 20 degrees over the course of the day) and the creek’s flow is low, leaving few days or hours to work on the project, usually the only months when work can be done is November through December.

Snow pack and year-round running springs supply the stream with a constant flow. Historically the highest crests have been January through March with February 10, 1978 recording the highest at 22.40 feet and the lowest level on record was 3.44 feet on September 1, 2004. Upland Rock started the project the week before Thanksgiving and was given 15 days to complete it with a one week extension for just cleaning up and no mining.

In addition to all of the agency approvals, environmental mandates require that the water may not be disturbed by the project. To accommodate this, railroad cars, which are strong enough to care a heavy load, were stripped of their siding and the undercarriage used to create bridges over the streambed to carry the 35 ton equipment needed to extract the rock and sand. Also no chlorinated water may be added to the creek, only the creeks water may be used to wash the materials and equipment, so pumping equipment for that purpose needed to be brought in and used.

The vegetation along the creek consists of typical riparian species such as Willow and Cottonwood which Upland Rock carefully harvests and propagates into containers for replanting when the work is completed.

During the Nov-Dec 2011 phase over 100,000 cubic yards of material was extracted, but with the creek still being 14 feet above grade, a great deal of material needs to be extracted in the future. Upland Rock will be returning in December of this year to start phase 2.

This is not the first time the debris has been cleaned out. Sandoval, who also owns Blue Star Materials in Moorpark, had done the cleanup from 1992 through 2010. Last year Upland Rock took over the remaining six years of a 25 year Conditional Use Permit originally issued to Sandoval and will continue the cleanup for the permit’s remaining five years, as long as the price of rock and sand make it financially feasible. The cost for Upland Rock to take over the project was $150,000. If Upland Rock had not taken over the project from Sandoval and had to start from the beginning the costs would have been between $200,000- $500,000 and probably not something the company would have considered taking on.

On Saturday, January 14, 2012 Brian Ball, a 2003 graduate of Fillmore High School, competed in his first Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, TX. On race day 123 athletes were registered to run and out of that group 114 showed up at the start. Only 85 runners completed the race. Brian finished in 39th place with a time of 2:17.38. He is the training partner of 2004 silver medalist and 2009 New York City Marathon Champion, Meb Keflezighi who won the Trials and will compete in his third Olympics. Brian has been training for the last three years in Mammoth Lakes, CA.

Brian started his running journey in high school as a sprinter/middle distance runner competing primarily in the 200 and 400-meter events. He ran cross- country his senior year to get in shape for track season. He was the number three or four man on a team that won league and got second at the state meet.

During college at BIOLA University, he ran cross- country and track. He was injured his first track season but began his second year running the 800/1500. His final two seasons he competed in the 5k and 3000-meter steeplechase. He was a six time NAIA All American (3 years cross country/ 3 years track) while at BIOLA.

After a successful college career, he still had the desire to compete and felt he hadn’t reached his potential. With the encouragement of his parents, he headed off for Mammoth Lakes to train in altitude. Not knowing anyone, he trained alone for a month before he saw some of the Mammoth Track Club runners and was invited to a work out. Josh Cox, Olympians Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi and Dan Browne a former Westpoint graduate and current Major in the US Army accepted Brian into their group. He has trained primarily with Meb and Dan the past three years with the help of former Hall of Fame Coach at UCLA, Bob Larsen. Bob has coached Meb since his college days at UCLA. Brian feels very blessed to have Meb and Dan as friends that share his Christian faith and a common interest in running. They have become his mentors.

For the past 14 years, the Chandler Police Department has hosted a Tactical Explorer Competition. The event has become so popular that the number of Explorer Posts that can participate is limited to 65. Explorer posts throughout the Country travel to Chandler to compete.

Three Explorer Posts from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office competed this year: Headquarters Station Post #2902, Camarillo Post #2932, and Fillmore Post #2958. The Explorer Scouts participated in a variety of pseudo SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) scenarios.

The Explorers from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office were awarded the following trophies. Post #2902: 1st Place – Tug o’ War, 1st Place – Marijuana Field Raid, and 5th Place – EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) Response; Post #2932: 5th Place – 10 Man TK-4 (Armored Vehicle) Pull; and Post #2958: 4th Place – Rapid Response (Active Shooter) and 2nd Place – 3-Mile Run, which is an individual event completed by Armando Fidal.
Enforcement Career Exploring is open to young men and women ages 14 (and completed the 8th grade) through 20 years old with an interest in learning more about careers in the field of Law Enforcement. Law Enforcement Exploring provides educational training programs for young adults on the purposes, mission, and objectives of law enforcement. The program provides career orientation experiences, leadership opportunities, and community service activities. The primary goals of the program are to help young adults choose a career path within law enforcement and to challenge them to become responsible citizens of their communities and the nation.

Each Explorer Post is affiliated with a law enforcement agency and Learning for Life, which is a branch of Boy Scouts of America. Many law enforcement agencies support the Explorer Program it provides an opportunity for youths to have a positive impact on their communities as well as develop future peace officers and good citizens and leaders.

For more information about the Explorer Program for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, please contact one of the following Advisors: Headquarters – Deputy Sara Valenzuela (805) 654-2364, Ojai – Deputy Quincy Knowlton (805) 646-1414, Fillmore – Senior Deputy Mario Aguilar (805) 524-2233, Camarillo – SST (Sheriff’s Service Technician) Todd Eskridge (805) 388-5129, Thousand Oaks – Senior Deputy William Hutton (805) 497-2351, and Moorpark – Deputy Claudia Holden (805) 532-2700.

Council members sat in a large circle with audience members at the "Town Hall" style meeting.
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(top to bottom) Former Fillmore City Manager, Roy Payne, and current City Manager, Yvonne Quiring. Editor's Comment: "Roy built the city for 20 years; Yvonne stirs the ashes. If Roy and Bert Rapp were here again, and the Katzenjammers gone, Fillmore would rise again from those ashes."
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Unlike most Fillmore City Council meetings, this one, held Tuesday, was much more relaxed and used a roundtable setting with the Council Members seated among those in attendance. Many spoke of the comfortable atmosphere and thanked Councilmember Brian Sipes for suggesting it.

There were a number of items on City Council/Town Hall Meeting agenda which included the: Sespe Creek Levee, the Business Park, Redevelopment Agency/Budget, the high school running track, Economic Development, and VC Alert System (see “Ventura County replaces and upgrades reverse 911 system” – front page).

Peter Sheydayi and Norma Camacho from the Ventura County Watershed Protection District (VCWPD) gave a presentation on future plans for addressing the FEMA 100 year flood hazard zone in Fillmore and bringing the standards up to meet today’s required federal flood protection. The contributing factors impacting Sespe Creek that make the new upgrade necessary are; peak flow rates have increased by 35% compared to the original levee design, shift in the dominant alluvial channel in the active streambed from west to east fork, active channel subject to resetting after major storm events, long-term sediment deposition and local erosion.

There are two sections of the flood area that do not meet today’s higher standards and require improvement. This includes having a minimum of three feet freeboard (safety factor) above the Base Flood along the length of the levee and an additional one foot within 100 feet of structures—such as bridges or wherever flow is restricted. All systems must also have closure devices that are structural parts of the system during operation and no appreciable erosion of the levee embankment can be expected during a Base Flood. The existing levee was completed in 1981 and the largest flood on record to pass through occurred on January 10, 2005 and reached the peak. Research has shown that the levee below Old Telegraph would be overtopped during a large storm event.

To bring it up to standards the project will take 30-45 days at a cost of $1,528,000 which would normally be paid by the City. But with the financial problems the City is dealing with there aren’t funds available for the project. Fillmore City Manager Yvonne Quiring spoke to VCWPD and explained the hard financial situation the town is facing. The VCWPD did the town a service and applied for a $2.8m grant to cover the project, which also includes restoring any damage done during the project. When the project is completed FEMA will do a revision of Fillmore’s flood plane map. Council Member Jamey Brooks told the representatives, “On behalf of the homeowners I’d like to thank you.”

Rod MacDonald with KDF Communities spoke to the Council on the need to bring businesses to Fillmore. He said of the lack of undeveloped commercial property in the County, due to the Save Our Agricultural Resources Act (SOAR), Fillmore has a great deal of land that is still available at half the price of other towns like Valencia. MacDonald said Fillmore needs to establish itself as an industrial area adding, “Fillmore is untested on Hwy 126 and has tremendous opportunity…. with a workforce that is available.” MacDonald went on to say, “Fillmore is the most beautiful area I’ve seen in Southern California……what it doesn’t have is jobs….you need to put the flag up and say you’re business friendly…we don’t need a lot of bureaucracy or push back.” He reminded the Council that the City reached out for this project and paid for the Environmental Impact Report adding it was a tremendous endeavor by the City; the City realized jobs were needed here. MacDonald also spoke of the need for continuity and what a great loss it was when of Bert Rapp resigned along with so many of those who had knowledge of Fillmore’s past and present development projects including the Business Park. Continuity is important, he told the Council.

Former City Manager Roy Payne spoke in regards to the Business Park, saying that Fillmore is ahead of the game this time since everything has been approved and stated, “I am confident we are ready to move forward.”

Bruce Stenslie from the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura (EDCV) addressed the Council and also spoke of the need to attract more business to Fillmore and what the EDCV has to offer such as financing loans. They are also working on expanding the film industry outreach in the County and have a new website http://venturacountyfilm411.org/.

Quiring gave an updated presentation on the budget and what is known of Gov. Brown abolishing all Redevelopment Agency (RDA) and the required liquidation of all its assets. According to Quiring and many others it was done by Brown in retaliation of Prop. 22 which was passed by voters and took away the States ability to siphon off revenue generated from the RDA’s.

She gave a breakdown of where Fillmore’s General Fund receives monies and where that money goes. The largest source of revenue is property taxes which brings in $1.9 million. The remaining sources are: sales tax $670,000, fees for services $468,000 (approx. $200,000 development related), Franchise fees $331,000, license and permits $14k, grants $99,000, Transportation Occupancy Tax, fines and forfeitures $62,500.

The services provided by the General Fund are: Police/Sheriffs $3.1 million, Fire Dept. $785,000, Parks $100-$150,000, Recreation and Pool subsidy $100,000, Finance/City Attorney/City Manager/City Council, Community Development (Planning), Public Works (streets, trees, sidewalks).

Quiring explained the four main issues that have had a devastating impact on Fillmore’s finances: Expenses have risen faster than revenue, medical insurance costs went up 13%, cost of Police increased $250,000 in the past two years, and pension costs rose (employees are picking up increased costs this year).

The net impact to the General Fund after dissolving the RDA is not yet known. But the most pressing problem is that the General Fund received $864,000 from the RDA in the past. Instead, about $500,000 will be available, which is $364,000 less this year.

The City has cut $2.9 million and used its reserves in the last two years to balance the budget while today the General fund has seen a decrease of 40%. This year’s budget was balanced using $620,000 from the General Purpose Reserve with roughly $916,000 remaining. The RDA is paying $376,000 for salaries and benefits and $488,000 to the General Fund in transfers; the total comes to $864,000. The projected City deficit for fiscal year 2013 is $1.4 million. This would have a dramatic impact on Fillmore.

The cuts, if the City does see the $1.4 million deficit, would be to all non-supporting recreation programs: graffiti removal, police or contracting with another agency, fire services or let County provide protection, closing parks, no street repair, no tree trimming, reduced Code Enforcement and closing the pool.

Another item that brought a number of speakers to address the Council with their concerns was the installation of an access gate to the Fillmore High School running track. John Scoles told the Council there are many residents interested in the track and they are looking to the Council to solve this problem which has been an ongoing plea for 3 ½ years. He asked that the City go forward with the $8,000 financing of the access gate and agree to be reimbursed later by those using it. Mayor Gayle Washburn replied, “It boils down to funds, we don’t have the funds.” Scoles said there is a substantial number that would support the financing of the track. The revenue would come from the $25-$50 yearly dues runners would pay and the Sunrise Rotary Club would help with fundraising. Scoles stated, “I’m 70 years old, I’d like to use the track before I’m 73.”

Cindy Blatt representing the Rotary Club said they would take the lead to raise the funds and solicit other clubs to join in the fundraising. “Our goal is to raise the funds…that’s our commitment, and to start I’ll donate $100.”

Joan Archer spoke on how the issue of the track has been “bounced back and forth between the School Board and the City Council for over three years without resolution until recently when the school board approved a public access gate which they will install at an agreed upon location after the City pays for it. The next move is up to the City.” She went on to say that over the last three years the Aquatic Program has resulted in a deficiency of about $385,000 and that the city should reevaluate that program in light of the City’s financial situation. Archer stated that there isn’t a profit and loss analysis for the Lap Swim Program, which she stated an estimated 14-16 people participate in annually and although participants pay $4 per session, a pool manager and two lifeguards must be on duty at a combined rate of $38 per hour. “After learning what the revenue received from the Lap Swim Program was for the last three years, estimating the hours the pool was open during that time, and calculating the combined staff hourly rate of pay, I was able to determine that the operation of the program has resulted in a deficit of at least $16,000 over the last three years. If the City cannot afford a one-time expense of $8,000…that more than 150 citizens say they want, how can the City operate a Lap Swim Program…that has already cost the City at least $16,000 and is scheduled to reopen next month?” Archer asked the council.

Fire Captain Rigo Landeros announced the new VC Alert system that began this month replacing the Reverse 911 system. The new system will alert registered participants by email, text, cell phone, home phone, work phone, facsimile or instant messaging. There are three ways of registering: online at www.vcalert.org or calling 805 648-9283 or by mailing in the form that’s available at City Hall. In addition to emergency information those registered can receive messages regarding crime alerts, road closures, public meetings or other community events. They can choose the location to be contacted and receive information about their home, parent’s home, workplace or child’s school.

A correction to the January 10, 2012 article which stated the vote for the Council seat given to Eduardo Gonzalez was 3-1 with Sipes voting No. The correction is the vote was unanimous with all Council Members voting Yes for Gonzalez.

Fillmore Fire Captain Rigo Landeros speaks to the Fillmore Lions Club regarding upgrades for the Reverse 911 System.

It has been announced that Ventura County, CA (and its nine municipalities, including the City of Fillmore, City of Camarillo, City of Moorpark, City of Ojai, City of Oxnard, City of Port Hueneme, City of Santa Paula, City of Thousand Oaks and City of Ventura) has replaced its Reverse 911 system with Everbridge SmartGIS. The County selected Everbridge for its performance, near infinite scale and interactive communications capabilities, which allow County officials to reliably gain situational intelligence from their more than 800,000 residents. In addition, Ventura introduced its new “VC Alert” citizen Web portal, powered by Everbridge SmartRegistration™, to provide residents with an advanced opt-in that will allow them to personalize which alerts they receive from city officials.

The next generation emergency and incident management solutions developed by Everbridge offer interactive communication capabilities that inform constituents and empower them to be part of the incident response and resolution lifecycle, thereby helping public safety officials make better decisions.

“With Everbridge, we now have a way to interactively communicate with our citizens, and allow them to quickly inform us regarding their specific need for assistance, so we can most efficiently manage our available resources during an incident,” said Patrick Maynard, Program Administrator, Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, Office of Emergency Services.

Malcolm Lloyd Jackson (1917-2012)

Malcolm Lloyd Jackson passed away on the morning of January 15th, 2012, as the result of a fall at home on January 2nd. Malcolm celebrated his 94th birthday on December 10th, 2011.
He was born in 1917, in Sneed, Oklahoma. He spent his early years growing up near Ardmore, Oklahoma. His first trip to Fillmore, California, was in 1924, arriving on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena on New Year’s Day, in the midst of the Rose Parade. He often recalled his disbelief that there were that many people and cars in all the world. After just one year his parents and he returned to Oklahoma. Then at the age of seventeen he returned to California on his own in the midst of the Depression years.
After a few years at various labor jobs, he was hired by the State Department Of Transportation to act as the blaster on the Hwy 33-Maricopa Hwy improvement project. Evidence of his drilling and blasting can still be seen along the lower portions of the Maricopa Hwy. Near the end of the project, a large boulder struck Malcolm on the side of the head crushing his skull. He was off work for nearly two years. He rehabilitated himself by using the time to explore the eastern Sierra High Country by pack horse and on foot. Upon returning to work he entered the oil industry as a wireline technician. He retired from Sun Oil in 1976 to work full time at his vocation of gunsmithing. He had already become famous among shooters from all walks of life, business people, movie actors, politicians, judges, and just plain folks. The shotguns he made for trap shooters and the rifles he built for target shooters and hunters have become much sought after. He also repaired literally thousands of guns. All of that becomes almost a footnote to the stories he told, the life lessons he shared and his view of the world through eyes that saw everything as either right or wrong. His ability to communicate with generations of young people became legend.
Malcolm Jackson had many more true friends than most people. Over 400 friends attended his 75th birthday event and again on his 90th birthday from such diverse places as New Jersey, Alaska, Montana, Oregon, and Nevada. He was loved far more than this written account can possibly portray.
Malcolm was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Annabelle Marie, in 1998, and his daughter Christina Jackson Warring in 1984, and great grandsons Logan and Parker Farstad.
He is survived by his daughter Linda Ann Durand, grandchildren Holley Hammond (Chris), Mandy Farstad (Spencer), Kevin Warring, Brian Warring, Pierre Durand (Maria) and Mario Durand. Also, son and daughter Larry and Jeannie Carpenter. Also surviving are great grandchildren Payton Christina Hammond, Kiefer Farstad, Jadon and Kiera Durand.
Special thanks to caregivers Helen Riesgo and Liliana Vazquez.
Malcolm was a founding member of the Piru Sportsman Club and also a founder of the Piru Petroleum Club. He was, as well, a Life Member of the National Rifle Association since 1948.
In Lieu of flowers, Malcolm asked that donations be made to the Piru Petroleum Club, P.O. Box 178 Fillmore, CA 93016.
Graveside services, open to all, Monday January 23rd at 11:00am, Bardsdale Cemetery. Shuttle service will be provided by Wm. L. Morris Chevrolet from the lot located at 211 Central Ave (North of Hwy 126). There will be a shuttle at 10:00am and 10:20am with return service directly following the service.

Tuesady night, Jeff Nigro, CPA, with the State of California, presented the Fillmore Unified School District with a “clean audit” and explained the new format and the States’ findings. Each year the State does an audit of FUSD which is part if the educational code requirement; it begins in spring and ends in December, and takes approximately 300 hours.
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Ali Widmar spoke to the Board of the run around she received when trying to address the use of the running track, at Tuesday’s board meeting.
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The main topics of discussion at the January 17, 2012 Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board meeting were the cost of education and what funds are available after the State announced the proposed cuts. The FUSD is dealing with what schools throughout the state are facing – a $248 million cut in school transportation funding; the first state in the nation to completely eliminate transportation funding. Also Governor Jerry Brown is proposing to eliminate funding for the new Transitional Kindergarten program.

The proposed cuts take effect the second half of the academic year. Brown is calling for a new “weighted-pupil” funded formula which allocates funding to schools based on each school’s needs. Those schools with higher poverty or greater number of English learners receive greater funding.

The Transportation Funding cuts will hit hard for those school districts with a large percentage of low income students like FUSD. Many of the families do not have transportation to take the children to school and pick them up.

Another program on the chopping block is the Kindergarten Readiness Act which was signed into law on September 30, 2010 by then Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger. It pushes back the date by which children must turn five to enter kindergarten from December 2nd to September 1st. For children with birthdays that fall between Sept. 2 to Dec. 2 and are too young under the new cutoff date to enter regular kindergarten, a Transitional Kindergarten has been established. But just as schools are starting to phase in the new program, Brown is proposing elimination of funding for the classes. At the December 7, 2011 board meeting, FUSD Alan Nishino announced the start of the program with such enthusiasm only to face its elimination less than two months later.

Dr. Michael Bush, assistant superintendent, informed the Board that as a result of the California Supreme Court ruling eliminating all of the State’s Redevelopment Agencies (RDA), the FUSD will no longer be receiving a percentage of the revenue generated from Fillmore’s Redevelopment Agency. When addressing the Governor’s stated goal of eliminating the RDAs to aid funding education and schools, Bush added, “It is very unlikely we will not see any new revenue……a lot of it’s a shell game.” To which Nishino stated, “It doesn’t benefit us.” Nishino went on to say the Governor is using the kids to get his tax increase passed on the November ballot and was “very problematic…..to use our kids as a pawn bothers me.” Bush said that it won’t be clear how greatly this will affect the district until around June 30th.

Jeff Nigro with the State of California presented the FUSD with a “clean audit” and explained the new format and the states findings. Each year the State does an audit of FUSD which is part if the educational code requirement. It begins in spring and ends in December and takes approximately 300 hours.

Ali Widmar spoke to the Board of the run around she received when trying to address the use of the running track. Widmar said she has a disability that is helped by having the use of a soft track. When informing the Board of all the people she spoke with and the continued non-answered responses, those in the room laughed.

The Board approved a field trip for approximately 25 students from Piru’s 6th grade to the Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre. The date of the trip is May 15-18 and will cost $7,356. The students will sleep in cabins, share KP duty in the dining hall, learn to take 3 minute showers, go on hikes and have the chance to learn activities such as boating, archery, crafts, games, etc. After breakfast each day, plus one evening they will go on educational walks where they learn about wildlife biology, botany, geology, astronomy, nocturnal animals, and Chumash culture.

All individuals and groups who want to use the all weather track at the high school please attend the City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 6:30 PM., for public comments at the beginning of the meeting. A group has been working with the City Council and School District for nearly 3 1/2 years to secure community rights to use a track once accessible to the public but closed to us after the all-weather track was built with community financial support. If you believe that this is an important community issue, this is the time to so advise the City Council, for while the District Board is responsible only for the District, the City Council is elected to serve the needs of the entire community. If you believe that the track is a community asset and access to it is vital to public health and safety, please attend and let the City Council know of your support.

Fillmore Firefighters sift through the remains of a residential garage fire that occured early monday morning in the City of Fillmore. No injuries were reported at the fire was contained to the garage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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At 4:43am the City of Fillmore Fire Department was responded to a reported structure fire in the 300 block of Bard Street in the City of Fillmore. Upon arriving at the location, first in units reported heavy smoke and fire contained to a detached garage. Firefighters were able to make quick work of the fire by using forcible entry techniques to gain entry into the structure, allowing them an opportunity to extinguish the blaze before it spread to adjacent structures. The fire was reported out at 4:58am. Three occupants were asleep inside the nearby home when the fire first ignited however they were able to evacuate safely resulting in no injuries at the scene of the incident. The cause of the fire remains under investigation however it appears that heavy fire loading contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. Damage was contained to personal property and the structure and is estimated at $16,000. Issued by: Patrick Maynard, Public Information Officer Follow-Up Contact: Rigo Landeros, Fire Chief 805-844-7109

City Clerk Clay Westling swears in councilmember Eduardo Gonzalez.
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Fillmore Fire Chief Rigo Landeros, State Farm Public Affairs Official Greg Sherlock, and Asst. Fire Chief Bill Herrera hold a $5,000 check, presented to the Fillmore Fire Dept. for the C.E.R.T. program and equipment and training. The grant was presented by State Farm Insurance.
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Mayor Gayle Washburn thanks Glenda Jay for exemplary efforts at city hall.
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Two important items were on the January 10, 2012 Fillmore City Council’s agenda. One was the decision of who would fill the vacant council seat left when Councilmember Patti Walker resigned. The second was what to do with the Fillmore Redevelopment Agency after the recent California Supreme Court decision upheld legislation that abolished redevelopment agencies throughout the State.

There were four applicants vying for the seat on the Council. They included Alex Mollkoy, Adrian Grimaldo, Eduardo Gonzalez and Barbara Cavalli. One by one the four applicants were given 20 minutes to answer four predetermined questions and one additional question chosen by each Councilmember. The four standard questions asked were; Why do you want to be appointed to the City Council? What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the City of Fillmore in the next year or two? What do you feel needs to be done to maintain and enhance the City’s economic health? What approach would you take as a Councilmember to balance the budget or address budgetary issues? The additional questions asked were whether the candidate could commit to the time needed to serve and complete the term, leadership, if the applicant could put aside their self-interest, why the Council members should support them, and what the candidate wanted to comment on that the Council hadn’t covered.

Cavalli responded to the question of why she wanted to sit on the Council by stating her love for the City and her ability to make level-headed decisions. Gonzalez answered the question with his education and business experience having done hundreds of budgets. Grimaldo’s answer was, “I’m young and not afraid to say what’s on my mind.” Mollkoy answered with, “I have a strong desire to serve the community.”

Each Councilmember then gave their opinion on who had impressed them, when Councilmember Jamey Brooks quickly motioned that Gonzalez be appointed to which Mayor Gayle Washburn seconded. There was a pause and the other two Councilmembers Steve Conaway and Brian Sipes said they wanted more discussion with Conaway motioning for Mollkoy to be nominated, but no one would second Conaway’s motion. Then in a 3 to 1 vote with very little discussion, Washburn, Brooks and Conaway voted to give the seat to Gonzalez; only Councilmember Brian Sipes voted against it.

The second big item on the agenda was whether the City should become a “Successor Agency” to the Fillmore Redevelopment Agency. In a presentation City Manager Yvonne Quiring gave the pitfalls that the City may face if it decides to give control of Fillmore Redevelopment assets to the State and relinquish control. Quiring informed the Council that the State requires cities to meet enforceable housing units and there would not be any money if housing responsibility went away. Also that the State legislation regarding this component was not well written and contains conflicting provisions.
The situation began when Governor Brown took office and targeted funds historically earmarked for Redevelopment Agencies (RDA) to help fill the States multi-billion-dollar budget deficit. The California Legislature then adopted two companion bills - ABX126 which dissolved the RDA’s and an alternative bill, ABX127, which was an exemption from dissolution and left the ability to keep the RDA’s if cities and counties agreed to make a “ransom” payment (Fillmore’s ransom payment was to be $1.9m this year and approximately $400k every year thereafter) to fund education, transit and fire districts. The law was upheld by the court and passed on June 29, 2011, stating that RDA’s would be eliminated on Oct. 1, 2011 but the court delayed the date to February 1, 2012.

This legislation did not go over well with the RDA’s throughout the State and on July 18, 2011 the California Redevelopment Association and the League of California Cities filed a suit with the California Supreme Court arguing that Proposition 22, which was passed by California voters, prohibited the Legislature from eliminating the roughly 400 RDA’s and the State from using RDA funds.

On December 29, 2011 the California Supreme Court ruled on the suit and found that ABX126, which dissolved the RDA’s, did not violate Prop 22 and was a valid exercise of the Legislature’s authority stating that because the State Legislature authorized the creation of the RDA it has the power to eliminate them. And in an opposite decision in that same suit, the court also ruled that ABX 127 asking for the “ransom” did violate Proposition 22.
The court ruling requires RDA’s close down by February 1, 2012. Cities and Counties must choose by January 13, 2012 to take over the RDA’s as “Successor Agencies” or Gov. Brown will appoint a three-member panel to handle the task. As Successors, cities will become the owner of the housing and property now owned by the RDA and will assume the functions, powers, duties and obligations of the agency, including the responsibility to carry out any projects that have previously been approved and also be responsible for winding down the RDA and repaying the agency debt. But since the law was passed the agencies have been banned from issuing or expanding any new debt or making loans, entering into new contracts or amending them, renew or extend leases or other agreements, selling assets or buying land, approving any program, project, or expenditure, transfer of funds out of the Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund. Basically all RDA ability to function has been halted. Also, the validity of bonds or other obligations issued or entered into after January 1, 2011 could be reviewed for up to two years after the action.

Each Successor Agency will be under the jurisdiction of an oversight board and must put together a payment schedule for the RDA’s liabilities/obligations which must then be signed off on by the county auditor-controller and finally the State Finance Department. The RDA’s will be audited to determine the amount of tax-increment revenue that each RDA had been collecting and any property tax funds remaining after repayment of debt will be distributed to local government agencies in proportion with their usual share under state law. The Successor can receive funds of no less than $250k for administrative costs or up to 5% of property tax for 2011-2012. It is not known at this time if there will be any more layoffs due to this new predicament the City finds itself in. The RDA is very meshed into the workings of the City and handled by many of Fillmore City staff, from Account Clerk to the Finance Department and City Manager.

What is considered an “obligation” may also come into question. Projects and loans approved in 2011 by RDA’s will be in limbo until there is a clearer understanding of of the definition of “obligation”.
How redevelopment originally functioned was the agencies collected the incremental property tax growth in areas that were designated “blighted” and used the increased tax revenue to back bonds sold to fund economic development and affordable housing. This continued increase in tax revenues created by their projects went to fund more projects. The RDA’s were required by the State to use 20% of the revenue for affordable housing development with the remainder used to develop infrastructure projects and business. At the beginning of the year when Brown gave the RDA’s the ultimatum of paying or dissolving their agencies, Fillmore decided that the 20% set aside funding was going to go to the State to pay the ransom, but now that there isn’t a choice, that portion of local property taxes that once funded the RDA’s Housing (Low/Moderate Housing Fund) will eventually go into the State for disbursement.

After listening to the presentation, Brooks responded, “We don’t have a choice.”
In response to the courts ruling the 400 RDA’s throughout California are drafting a bill to extend the February 1 deadline and asking it be pushed back to April 15, 2012.

In other business, Conaway asked that the Council discuss the terms of the City Manager’s contract which is set to automatically renew for two more years employment. Sipes asked if this practice was done in the past with other City Managers and Conaway responded, Yes. Sipes then said that going back to his notes he saw nothing like that happening. Conaway then reminded Sipes that none of the other contracts contained an automatic renewal clause. Washburn, Brooks and Gonzalez stated, “I do not support a review.” Conaway then went on to remind the other Councilmembers that if it is not reviewed or considered, the City Manager’s contract will automatically extend for another two years. The other members were fine with that.

Johana Gracia, a Fillmore Middle Middle School student, has taken the first step to becoming a state wide recognized artist by winning the local competition sponsored by the Fillmore Lions Club. This year's theme was “Children Know Peace”. Johana’s work was selected from the work of students in Mrs. Doris Nichols' art classes, supervised this year by Mr. Eddie Angel.

Johana’s poster has been forwarded to the local Lions District for further competition in California. Her creation will be one of over 370,000 posters in the United States. Each are seeking the Grand Prize of $5,000. There will be 22 merit winners who will receive a cash award of $500.

The runner-ups were Grisele Castro and Christiana Del La Mora. Johana received $25 as the winner and Grisele and Christiana received $15. Judges Colleen Chandler and Ken Mittan were impressed by the many fine posters submitted. They also want to encourage all students to participate again next year.

Congressman Elton Gallegly
Serving the 24th Congressional District encompasses most of Ventura County and inland Santa Barbara County.

Simi Valley, CA - With his wife, Janice, standing at his side, U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties), the longest serving U.S. representative in Ventura County history, told a small group of close friends Friday night that he will not seek re-election and will retire at the end of the current Congress.

“Janice and I want to thank everyone who has been with us through more than 30 years of public service,” Gallegly said. “Serving in Congress and representing my home for 25 years is the greatest experience I could have ever asked for. Working with our country’s leadership on a daily basis in striving to move toward a better, stronger and more vibrant America for more than two decades has been a dream come true. The decision to step aside at this time did not come lightly. But in the end, Janice and I decided now was the right time to begin the next chapter in our lives. We are truly blessed to have our health, our family, and so many, many friends that we look forward to spending more time with.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to have served our communities and our country for the past 25 years and I look forward to continue to do so for the next year.”

Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten said:
“I am saddened at the prospect of a Congress without Elton Gallegly. He has been a true friend to law enforcement who went to Washington to serve his community and our great nation. His legacy will be that of a principled and committed patriot who served his constituents, not special interests, and helped make our community, and indeed America, safer and stronger.”

Mike Sedell, Simi Valley’s City Manager and Gallegly’s first Chief of Staff from 1986-1990, said:
“Having known Elton for over 30 years, first when he was elected mayor, then as his first chief of staff, and finally for the past 21 years as a close friend, I can attest first-hand to the fact that few if any elected officials in this country are more dedicated to the concerns of their constituents on a 24/7 basis, 365 days per year.

“Elton has always been humbled by the trust that voters placed in him and has worked tirelessly to continue to deliver excellent constituent services, to be responsive to all of the communities that he represents, and to take very seriously each of the many thousands of votes that he has cast on behalf of those who elected him. While I am saddened that he is leaving Congress, as a friend I know that he will do well in the future and will continue to involve public service and family in all that he does.”

Arthur Finkelstein of Arthur J. Finkelstein and Associates said:
“I have done political analysis for Elton Gallegly since his first congressional campaign. I know that he remains very strong and, in my judgment, would be the favorite to win in either district. The base of his support is unusually solid.”

Gallegly is Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement and will continue in the next year to work with his colleagues to help businesses create jobs for Americans and to protect Americans from its enemies, foreign and domestic.

A native Southern Californian, Gallegly settled in the Ventura County community of Simi Valley in 1968.
He entered public life in 1979 with his election to the Simi Valley City Council and, in 1982, became the City’s first directly elected mayor. He held that post until he ran for Congress in 1986 when the incumbent ran for the Senate. Outspent 2-1, Gallegly’s local ties gave him a landslide victory in the 1986 primary over Tony Hope, son of comedian Bob Hope.

Elton and Janice have four children and 10 grandchildren.