On Tuesday December 7th the Fillmore Unified School Board of Trustees met for a regularly scheduled meeting that included the required ‘Organizational Meeting’ wherein newly elected members are sworn in, outgoing members are recognized and new Officers are elected. The meeting began with the Board recognizing the service of outgoing Board Clerk Liz Wilde. Wilde was elected in 2006 and served one term. Newly re-elected Board Member Tony Prado presented her with a “Students First” award and expressed his thanks to Wilde for her involvement in and support of several actions taken by the Board during her term, which he felt, benefited the District. Prado commented that he holds Wilde as the “Ideal Board Member” because of her dedication and preparation in making decisions. San Cayetano Elementary School Principal Jan Marholin expressed her thanks to Wilde and presented her with a plaque. Marholin commented that “[she could] always count on [Wilde] to be at [all open houses and school events]”. Wilde thanked all those who voted for her and expressed her hope that she met their expectations during her term. Outgoing Board Member Mike Saviers was unable to attend and will be recognized at a future meeting.

During public comment Janet Foy spoke to the Board about the efforts of the Sespe Players to win a $50,000 grant through the “Pepsi Refresh” program. The money will be used to renovate Sespe Auditorium. She emphasized the need for the entire community to vote to make this happen. There are three ways to vote, email, facebook and by text. The same person can vote every day, voting ends on December 31. For more info call Priscilla at 805-794-6228 or www.refresheverything.com/sespeauditorium

The Organizational portion of the meeting began with Prado, the outgoing Board President, appointing Superintendent Jeff Sweeney as Chairperson Pro Tem to oversee the swearing in of the new Board Members and the election of Board Officers. Sweeney administered the Oath of Office to the newly elected Board Members, Lucy Rangel, Dave Wilde and re-elected Tony Prado. Before taking their seats at the Board table the newly sworn in Board Members thanked their family members in attendance with Rangel taking the prize for most family members in attendance. Sweeney then conducted the election of new officers on the Board: President, Virginia De La Piedra, Vice President John Garnica, Clerk Dave Wilde. Sweeney then relinquished the gavel to De La Piedra for her to conduct the remainder of the meeting.

Rangel volunteered and was CONTINUED »

The California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) recently completed remediation work at an oil facility to protect public safety and the environment – in particular, a surrounding orchard.

“The oil facility is located within a large avocado orchard, and the owner was thrilled we were stepping in to take care of the problem,” explained Bruce Hesson, chief of DOGGR’s Ventura office.

DOGGR is part of the California Department of Conservation.

During a routine inspection last January, a DOGGR field engineer noted several deficiencies at the Fillmore site. Owned by Crest Oil & Gas Management Corp., the operation had been shut-in since December 2007. A leaking pipe, a standing mixture of oil and water inside a retaining wall, and two leaking 500-barrel tanks were discovered.

After making numerous unsuccessful attempts to have Crest bring the site into full compliance, DOGGR issued a formal order to perform corrective work on July. 22. When the operator failed to appeal or do the necessary work in the time allowed, DOGGR contracted with M.G. Taylor Equipment Inc. to do the remediation.

Work began in early September. As a spill prevention measure, all the remaining fluid in the idle tanks was removed. Two of the four tanks at the site were disassembled and scrapped. One of them contained thick drilling mud. The contractor had to bring in a “super sucker” vacuum truck to get it all out.

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It’s time again for the 2010 Annual Fillmore Christmas Parade sponsored by the Fillmore Lions Club.

On Saturday, December 4th at 1:00 PM the parade will proceed south on Central Ave. from Second Street to Santa Clara Street.

The parade route will be posted with “No Parking Signs” from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM the day of the parade. The Lions Club requests the cooperation and patience of Fillmore residents for this event to ensure the safety of all involved.

The Parade is open to all groups or persons wanting to celebrate the season with a “themed” entry. Applications are available at the Chamber of Commerce Office, Lobby of City Hall or by contacting Bob Klittich, Parade Chairperson at 524-1224, or Klittich@gmail.com.

There is no cost to enter the parade. Parade check-in is at 11:30 AM on Second Street, in front of the Memorial building.

This is the 10th year the Lions Club has sponsored the Annual Fillmore Christmas Parade. The Fillmore Lions Club’s continues to sponsor the parade in honor of long time member, the late Henry “Hank” Carrillo. Hank urged the Club to assume the responsibility of the parade when it was in danger of losing sponsorship.

Santa Clause is expected to be in Fillmore to wish all a Merry Christmas in time for the Parade. Immediately after the parade Santa will be available for pictures, (if you bring your own camera), at the Fillmore Museum, near the train station.

See you all on December 4th! Bob Klittich, Annual Christmas Parade Chairperson, Fillmore Lions Club.

Good news arrived at Fillmore City Hall Tuesday. The long awaited decision of the 5 member California Board of Equalization regarding the issue of tax sharing has issued in favor of the City of Fillmore.

The City of Industry and the City of Livermore petitioned the Board in October of 2007 to invalidate a contract Fillmore entered into with MTS Consulting LC, Inspired development LLC, and Ryan and Co. concerning Owens and Minor, a Virginia based Fortune 500 company, to share sales tax revenue. Fillmore has won at every legal and procedural step. The plaintiffs filed suit in September of 2008 to have the contract set aside.

That lawsuit is still on appeal by the plaintiffs, but according to City Attorney Ted Schneider this should not prevent Fillmore from receiving the tax money which has been withheld for about two years. Continuance of the appeal remaining in Los Angeles Superior Court is now essentially baseless.

60 days remain for plaintiffs to appeal this final decision of the Board of Equalization, and the funds are expected to be released to Fillmore shortly thereafter. The duration of the existing contract is for 20 years and will produce approximately one million dollars per year during that time. It is expected that Fillmore will receive more than $2 million when the tax revenues now withheld are finally released. These funds may reestablish Fillmore’s reserve.

For years the city’s previous council and city manager, Roy Payne, have received harsh and unrelenting criticism from council members Gayle Washburn, Jamey Brooks, and recently elected Brian Sipes, for entering into this contract. This latest validation of the tax contract reveals the criticism was misplaced and that the contract was entered into by the city only after considerable and careful study by the city’s legal counsel. This outcome is a significant financial victory for the previous council and the city as a whole. More details of this decision will be made available as documentation is received.

The Annual Toy Drive sponsored by City of Fillmore Fire is underway! Unwrapped toy donations are currently being accepted at Fillmore Fire Station 91 located at 711 Sespe Place, Fillmore. All donors will receive a ticket for each toy donated good for one BBQ Chicken Dinner. The BBQ will take place on Sunday, December 19th, 2010 between the hours of 4:00PM – 7:00PM. Dinner will be served at the Fire Station or you may take advantage of our drive thru service. Toys may be brought to the station from now until December 19th, 5-7pm.

In addition to our chicken dinner, Fillmore Fire has teamed up with a few local merchants who offer incentives to those who donate to the toy drive. El Pescador is also receiving toys for the drive and will give a 15% discount to anyone bringing in a new, unwrapped toy by December 20th. Pescador owner Chuy Ortiz can be reached at 805-797-4341 or you may call Evaristo Barajas at 805-889-5385 to pick up toys or new children’s coats. Cash for coats may also be donated to Laura Bartels, Director, Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid, 805-524-1934. You can send checks for children’s winter coats to Winter Coat Fund, c/o Laura Bartels, 540 Sespe Avenue, Suite #2, Fillmore, CA 93015, or to Winter Coat Fund at the Santa Clara Valley Bank, 527 Sespe Avenue, Fillmore, CA 93015 Account #002-112027 or go to wintercoatdrive.com and make a donation using Paypal. Your winter coat donation is tax-deductible if made through the web-site as the Volunteer Legal Service Program has allowed us an umbrella of their 501c(3) status.

Toys and coats will be distributed to Fillmore children on Tuesday December 21st, 3:00PM at the North Fillmore Sheriffs Department Storefront Station located on Lemon Way in Fillmore. Each week hundreds of families in Fillmore struggle to put food on the table and pay rent, leaving many families without money for day to day luxuries. Many of these families are left disappointed when they are unable to provide their children with a new toy during the holidays. With your assistance you can help bring a smile to a child’s face this Holiday Season!
For more information please visit our website at www.fillmoretoydrive.com.

Last year 1,030 coats and toys were handed out to 1,439 kids from 358 families. The Fillmore Fire Department gave out 60 turkeys. Each child who sat on Santa’s lap received a free Polaroid of the moment along with a candy cane.

Make this Christmas a happy one for many children and give!

Please join Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid’s fourth annual Winter Coat Drive. On December 21st we will be giving away new warm winter coats to needy children of the Santa Clara Valley who are standing outside in line in Fillmore to receive their toy from Santa. Please donate either checks or brand new coats with hoods and with tags. There are no “administrative” costs. You send the checks and my teams go and buy the coats. We all feel the effects of this economy and know that there are very financially challenged families who cannot provide warmth for their kids this winter. If you would like to join this community of generosity, you can send checks to: Winter Coat Fund, c/o Laura Bartels, 540 Sespe Avenue, Suite #2, Fillmore, CA 93015, or to Winter Coat Fund at the Santa Clara Valley Bank, 527 Sespe Avenue, Fillmore, CA 93015 Account #002-112027 or go to wintercoatdrive.com and make a donation using Paypal. Your donation is tax-deductible if made through the web-site as the Volunteer Legal Service Program has allowed us an umbrella of their 501c(3) status.
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Dear Friends, Thank you so much for your interest in supporting for our local Coat Drive to raise enough money to put a coat on every child that comes through the line this Christmas in North Fillmore, Ventura County.
This project idea started 5 years ago when I was watching the kids waiting with anticipation to see Santa at the North Fillmore Community Storefront for the Fillmore Volunteer Fire Department toy giveaway. Looking at the line, none of the kids had on coats. My mind judged immediately “Did the children forget their coats? They knew it was cold and that the wait was long.” The line snaked as the little boy tucked into his mother and the realization hit me like the cold wind- the little boy didn’t forget his coat. He doesn’t have a coat.

Please join Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid’s fourth annual Winter Coat Drive. On December 21st we will be giving away new warm winter coats to needy children of the Santa Clara Valley who are standing outside in line in Fillmore to receive their toy from Santa. Please donate either checks or brand new coats with hoods and with tags. There are no “administrative” costs. You send the checks and my teams go and buy the coats. We all feel the effects of this economy and know that there are very financially challenged families who cannot provide warmth for their kids this winter.

If you would like to join this community of generosity, you can send checks to: Winter Coat Fund, c/o Laura Bartels, 540 Sespe Avenue, Suite #2, Fillmore, CA 93015, or to Winter Coat Fund at the Santa Clara Valley Bank, 527 Sespe Avenue, Fillmore, CA 93015 Account #002-112027 or go to wintercoatdrive.com and make a donation using Paypal. Your donation is tax-deductible if made through the web-site as the Volunteer Legal Service Program has allowed us an umbrella of their 501c(3) status.

As Marion Wright Edelman, the founder of the Children’s Defense Fund says: “We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”

When you place a warm coat on cold little shoulders, you know that a warm coat makes a big difference.

Thank You
Laura Bartels, Director, Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid, 805-524-1934.

Doug Basolo, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1968.
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Epigmenio I. “Epi” Torres, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1969.
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Matt Mozley, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1970.
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David Pillado, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1979.
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Loni Larson, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1988.
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Lynn Hasty-Cole, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1985.
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Chris Goodenough, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1996.
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Tory Cabral, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1991.
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Tina Alverdi, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1993.
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Now that the Fillmore High School Booster Club Coaches and Players Banquet and 100th football game between Fillmore and Santa Paula is over it is time to turn to the Fillmore High School Sports Hall of Fame. The ceremony for the inductees was held on Saturday, November 13th and to say the least it was very well attended with approximately 650 in attendance to witness eighty-nine coaches and athletes and eighteen championship teams inducted into the FHS Sports Hall of Fame! The inductees included; seven coaches, eighty-two athletes and 18 championship teams inducted in this first year of what is planned to be a yearly event.

The idea of a Sports Hall of Fame came to Fillmore High School Coach Joe Woods three years ago. It was not until the passing of a former Fillmore High School Graduate and student athlete football player Dean Kenfield, (Class of 1940) that Coach Woods decided it was time to act on his idea. Dean was a classmate of Joe's father and the father of Inductee Vernon Kenfield (Class of 1971). Joe said it was time to get his project started since he had become painfully aware that many of the players from years ago were gone. Joe said he formed a committee and began the project in January of 2010.

In order to be considered for induction into the FHS Sports Hall of Fame there were a number of criteria to be considered by a committee of five; Dick Mosbarger (Class of 1947), John Scoles (Class of 1959), Debbie Basolo-Curnett (Class of 1969), Coach Joe Woods (Class of 1979) and Lynn Hasty-Cole (Class of 1985). For this first round of inductees the years of 1914 thru 2000 would be the years for the nominees to have attended FHS and been involved in any of the sports programs. The criteria to be considered was; Someone other than the nominee had to nominate the person. The nominee had to have graduated from FHS. The nominee had to have graduated from FHS at least ten years ago. The nominee had to have participated in a sports program at a lower level such as Junior Varsity, or at the Varsity level, or played multiple sports at either levels. The nominee's scoring would be enhanced if the nominee had won any sports awards. If the nominee went on to college weight would be given to the nominee's scoring. A scoring enhancement would be given if the nominee played any amateur athletics after graduation. A scoring enhancement would be given if the nominee went on to play professional sports. And, finally a scoring enhancement would be given if the nominee went on to coach any sport.

There were two hundred fifty applications submitted and considered for the years of 1914 thru 2000. Each application was reviewed, one at a time, and it took about ten hours until the final list was complete! Of the final list five were automatic inductees based on their previous induction into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame; Professional Football Player Don “The Blade” Burroughs (inducted 1985), Coach Eugene “Red” Kennedy (inducted 1986), Coach and Athletic Director Richard “Toolie” Palmer (inducted 1989), Baseball Coach Tom Ecklund (inducted 1994) and Professional Baseball Player Kevin Gross (inducted 2002).

The seven coaches inducted into the FHS Sports Hall of Fame were; Mr. J. Wm. Gastrich. Coach Gastrich was the principal at Fillmore High School and started the sports program in 1914. Others were Coach Eugene “Red” Kennedy who coached championship teams in all sports, Coach Richard “Toolie” Palmer coached all sports, Coach Bruce Dempsey football, Coach Tom Ecklund baseball, Coach Jim Fauver basketball and Coach Epigmenio “Epi” Torres, cross country and track coach.

The eighteen teams recognized were: the 1914 Baseball, 1926 Basketball, 1936 Football, 1940 Basketball, 1945 Football, 1946 Basketball,1952 Basketball, 1953 Basketball, 1954 Football, 1970 Basketball, 1975 Baseball, 1976 Baseball, 1977 Football, 1977 Baseball, 1988 Baseball, 1990 Boy's Cross Country, 1991 Girl's Cross Country, and 2005 Boy's Soccer.

The eighty-two honored athletes are: 1915-Harold Mayhew, 1918-Harleigh Baker, 1920-Leroy Goodenough, 1928-Harry Imhoff, 1933-Richard “Toolie” Palmer, 1935-Burtis “Burt” Davis, 1936-Roy Hays and Jack Russell, 1938-Vernon (Slim) Johnson, 1939-Sammy Johnson, 1940-Bob Taylor and R. Wesley Nichols, 1941-Bob Huestis, 1942-William “Bill” Pearson, 1944-Eugene “Gene” Wren, 1946-George Potter, Kenny “K. B.” Rogers, Jim Schleimer, 1947-Bill Cox, 1948-Harold McFadden, 1949-Don “The Blade” Burroughs, 1950-Gerald Hamm, Ron Balden, 1953-Pat Platt, 1954-Chuck Greer, David Goodenough, 1955-Roger Palmer, 1956-Milton Suttle, 1958-Larry Edwards, 1959-Jim Arundell, John Scoles, 1960-Elton Collins, 1961-Bruce Gibby, 1962-Norbert Riesgo, Donovan Main, 1964-Robert “Bob” Ortega, Mike LaRoche, 1965-Mike Marostica, 1967-Jim Ruiz Jr., 1968-Doug Basolo, 1969-Epigmenio “Epi” Torres, 1970-Matt Mozley, Tony Tafoya, David Yanez, 1971-Ralph Zermeno, Vernon Kenfield, Gary Southwick, 1972-Joel Mozley, 1973-Tim Aguirre, 1974-Eric Grove, David “Keith” Gurrola, 1975-Javier “Javy” Aguilar and Steve Dann, 1976-Phyllis Lidamore-Sparks, 1977-Rosa Aparicio, Greg Laird, Kirk Richter, Dan (Yogi) Saldino, Rick Stewart, 1978-Janice Wilkey-Stevenson, Mike Legan, 1979-Kevin Gross, David Pillado, Chip Bowlin, Julie Padelford-Jansen, 1982-Karen Fauver-MacDonald, Matt Suttle, 1983-Steve Hope, 1984-Dan Grove, 1985-Greg Baldwin, John Grove, Lynn Hasty-Cole, 1988-Willie Leighton, Loni Larsen, 1990-Chad VanWinkle, 1991-Tory Cabral, 1992-Niki Shaw-Bell, 1993-Maribella Aparicio-Hernandez, Jaime Arundell-Latshaw, Tina Alverdi, 1996-Chris Goodenough, and 1996-Julie Arundell-Grimstad.
The oldest inductee to attend the Induction Ceremony was Burtis “Burt” Davis (Class of 1935) Of all the inductees selected only three; Principal and Coach J. Wm. Gastrich, Coach Eugene “Red” Kennedy and Player Harleigh Baker family members could not be located to represent the inductee and receive their award. According to Coach Joe Woods the awards can be picked up if he is contacted to make those arrangements by anyone knowing the whereabouts of any members of their families. Each inductee was honored with plaques, with the inductees picture, on the wall of the Sports Hall of Fame located in the Science Building, the inductees name on a perpetual board located in the Sports Hall of Fame and to take home a jacket and plaque recognizing his/her achievement.

There were many generational links of those persons inducted: Some are of the generational links of inductees are; Inductee Richard “Toolie” Palmer (Class of 1933) is related to Inductees Milton Suttle (Class 1956) and Matt Suttle (1982), Inductee Leroy Goodenough (Class of 1920) is the father of Inductee David Goodenough (Class of 1954) and grandfather of Inductee Chris Goodenough (Class of 1996), Inductee R. Wesley Nichols (Class of 1940) is the father-in-law of Inductee Donovan Main (Class of 1962), Brothers Inductees Matt Mozley (Class of 1970) and Joel Mozley (Class of 1972), and Inductee Jim Arundell (Class of 1959) is the father of Inductees Jamie Arundell-Latshaw (Class of 1993) and Julie Arundell-Grimstad (Class of 1996).
Coach Joe Woods would like to thank the following people for their help in the first FHS Sports Hall of Fame event; Committee Members, FHS Sports Hall of Fame Club for building the Sports Hall of Fame and hosting the event, the inductees and families of inductees who submitted the pictures for the slide show of each inductee, Drew and Sherri Ferguson for the many hours they spent preparing the slide show and for the placing of the pictures on the trophies, the FHS Associated Student Body and FHS Alumni Association for their financial assistance that made this all possible, El Pescador Mexican Restaurant for the catering, all the volunteers who assisted along the way and during the event and last but not least FHS Principal John Wilber for his leadership and “go ahead” for this to occur.

As you can imagine CONTINUED »

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Calista Godfrey, a student at Fillmore Middle School has taken the first step to becoming an internationally recognized artist by winning the local competition sponsored by the Fillmore Lions Club.

Calista's poster was among more than 170 entries in Fillmore. There are over 375,000 entries submitted world wide in the 23rd annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest. Lions Clubs International is sponsoring the contest to emphasize the importance of world peace to young people everywhere.

"Peace begins at the roots", Calista said. The poster was selected for its originality, artistic merit and portrayal of the contest theme, "Vision of Peace." The judging was held on November 8 at the Fillmore Middle School.

Mr. Bill Dewey, Lions Club President indicated that he was impressed by the expression and creativity of the student's art. "It is obvious that these young people have strong ideas about what peace means to them. I'm proud that we were able to provide them with the opportunity to share their visions."

Miss Godfrey's poster will advance to face stiff competition through the district, multiple district and international rounds of competition if she is to be declared the international grand prize winner," Mr. Dewey said.

One grand prize winner and 23 merit award winners will be selected. The grand prize includes a cash award of US$5,000, plus a trip for the winner and two family members to the awards ceremony at Lions Day with the United Nations. The 23 merit award winners will each receive a certificate and a cash award of US$500.

Runner-up students were Nick Stehly and Suzanne Arana. All participants are students in Mrs. Doris Nichols' art class at Fillmore Middle School. Mrs. Nichols is commended for her assistance in this annual event.

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Once again the local offices of Troop Real Estate, Inc. serving the entire valley raised funds for their annual TROOP TURKEY-A-THON!

The families selected with the assistance of the Santa Clara Valley Boys & Girls Club received the basics to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal, including a 10- to 12-pound frozen turkey, potatoes, cans of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, a box of stuffing, cranberry sauce and fresh rolls.

With the assistance of the REALTORS from both the Santa Paula and Fillmore offices all of the food was packed, loaded and delivered to both the Santa Paula and Fillmore clubs on Monday morning in plenty of time for the families to receive them.

In its eleventh year the 2010 company wide event will feed more than 13,500 people, and since its start has distributed more than 70,000 Thanksgiving dinners throughout the county.

Troop Real Estate is located at 559 Sespe Avenue, Fillmore, CA. and 586 W. Main St. Santa Paula, CA.

Tuesday, November 23rd is PICK-UP DAY for Grad Nite Live's Thanksgiving Pies at the Memorial Building between 12 noon and 4PM. If we are delivering your pies be sure to be home to receive them between 11 and 4. Thank you so much for your participation in the years Marie Callender's Pie fund raiser.

City of Fillmore

Included in the 2009-2010 budget the currently underway Class and Compensation study for the City of Fillmore began in spring of this year and is being conducted by Bryce Consulting of Sacramento. There appears to be no clear answer to where the idea of conducting the study came from. Mayor Pro-Tempore Gayle Washburn recalls that the Interim City Manager at the time, Larry Pennell suggested the study but Councilmember Steve Conaway commented “it seems illogical to me that a temporary city manager would put a line item in the budget without being guided to do so.” Mayor Patti Walker indicated this is the first time such a study has been done in Fillmore. Generally the idea behind such studies is to provide a clear picture of staffing needs so that employees have clearly defined roles, are paid equitably for the work they do, and that the City is able to hire and retain skilled employees.

Walker recalled that in the past the Council has “heard that Fillmore [employees] are paid less”. This seems to concur with a statement made by Conaway that in the past the Council understood that “Fillmore employees consistently are shown to be underpaid when reviewed properly.” Walker stated that one of the reasons for the study is “to make sure that [City] employees are compensated in a comparable way [to similar cities]”. She continued that the study will help ensure that Fillmore is able to hire and retain skilled employees as needed. Washburn explained that she feels the study “[will be] a useful tool to demonstrate [whether there is] a shortage of staff.” She went on to state that “historically [the city] has had a lot of department heads and workers but there seemed to be a gap in mid-level analyst and technical positions.” Washburn suggested that the study might reveal places where new positions can be created for “current and future employees” with the intention to use more “in house” staff instead of hiring consultants.

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Fillmore Unified School District

All School Board members were present for the regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, November 16th. No action was taken from the closed section, which was reported to include discussion on two expulsion cases. No one was nominated from the Board to the CSBA (California School Board Association) Delegate Assembly.

During standing reports, Board Clerk Liz Wilde reported on the recent meeting with the City of Fillmore regarding the status and process of opening the track up for community use. Wilde commented, “We’re getting closer to getting a solution regarding use of the track… now the issue goes to the City Parks and Rec.” During his report, Board President Tony Prado commented on his attendance at the meeting with the City regarding the Track as well,“[The meeting] was well attended… it was well represented by the community.” Prado commented on the report given by Assistant Superintendent Mike Bush regarding the current situation with the track and football field “he emphasized that it’s important for people to realize that it’s not the old situation we used to have… it’s different now… but we’re doing everything we can to… make sure they (the community) have access, of course that’s been my number one concern that the community have access.” Issues being looked at now are how to monitor and control people going in and out to use the track. Prado commented that it is the intention that not only the “competitive” runners have access but also the “recreational” users. “It’s important that [the City] Parks and Rec take the lead in this area”.

Regarding watching the 100th game between Fillmore and Santa Paula, Board Member Mike Saviers showed a small smile when he said, “I sat in the middle… I was sad but not real sad.” Saviers has ties to Santa Paula but lives in Fillmore as Board Member Virginia De La Piedra good-naturedly reminded him of where his loyalties should lie, “Remember where you live” She instructed. All Board members shared the sentiment of expressing thanks to all involved in the 100th game planning, set up and presentation. Board Member John Garnica shared that sentiment and added the Fillmore Boosters to those deserving recognition for their contribution to the event. Jane Munoz a parent and staff member at Piru Elementary School who is also a member of Band Boosters was in attendance, and reminded the Board about the great performance of the Band at the 100th game. Prado agreed that the Band should be commended. Band Leader Greg Godfrey and show choreographer Colleen Anderson were recognized for their efforts with the band performance. Newly elected and soon to be sworn in Board Member Elect Lucy Rangel was in attendance, and commented on the induction of 82 players into the Football Hall of Fame. “It took four hours to get through all 82 players… it was really wonderful to hear about all of their accomplishments.” Rangel went on to thank Fillmore High School Principal John Wilbur, and staff members Lynn Cole and Debora Curnett for organizing the event.

District Superintendent Jeff Sweeney asked CONTINUED »

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Maria Gonzalez-Santos (DOB 9/23/72), of Simi Valley, was arrested and booked in the Ventura County jail for forgery and fraudulent claims to a health care program. In addition, Sorayda Basbas (DOB 7/31/51), of Oxnard; Enriquita Garnica (DOB 2/04/43), of Fillmore; and Martha Hernandez (DOB 1/18/57), of Port Hueneme, were cited and released on charges of fraudulent claims to a health care program. Investigators from the District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation, Ventura County Sheriffs Department, and the California State Department of Health Care Services conducted the operation in the mid-morning hours. Investigators anticipate that additional arrests will result from the In Home Support Services (IHSS) criminal investigation in the coming weeks.
IHSS is a government program supported by the State of California and administered by the Ventura County Human Services Agency. The program is intended to assist individuals with physical or medical limitations, allowing them to stay in their own home as opposed to being placed into a care facility. The program matches individuals with physical or medical limitations with care providers to assist them with tasks ranging from shopping and meal preparation to skilled medical care. IHSS awards benefits by hours to hire a care provider.
The District Attorney and the Human Services Agency have combined resources to establish monitoring systems in the IHSS program, to detect fraud and conduct timely investigations. Elderly and medically limited clients can be victimized by unscrupulous care providers. A strong fraud detection program is essential to protect the client and the integrity of the IHSS program. The District Attorney and the Human Services Agency are dedicated to helping qualified IHSS clients live safely in their homes.

Since Election Day many voters throughout Ventura County share the same question “Why is it taking so long to finish counting the ballots?” I too had this question and decided to visit the Elections office to see the process for myself. Many might envision a process where ballots are simply put in a machine, quickly counted and results reported. In reality it’s just not that simple. As of the print deadline the counting continues. In Ventura County there are 423,994 registered voters, with 124,423 voters actually going to the polls, and no final count on total ballots cast.

Any member of the public can get a visitors badge and take a tour to observe the process of counting ballots. The Elections Division is part of the office of Mark Lunn, County Clerk and Recorder, located in the lower level of the Government Center on Victoria Avenue in Ventura. There are a few rules, no cell phones, no talking with any elections workers, no cameras and no food or drink around the ballots or machines, and there are three areas that the public is not allowed to enter but that can be viewed through windows. In my opinion it’s a very visible process and I encourage anyone who is interested to check it out. Visitors are also likely to gain an appreciation for those carrying out the tedious but important task of processing the ballots. Many are working long hours (8:00am to 7:00pm) and coming in on Saturdays to get the counting done.

The Journey of a Ballot: First let’s look at ballots filled out on election day at the correct polling place by a voter who does not receive a Vote By Mail (VBM) ballot. These voters are verified and confirmed at the polling place, the completed ballot is put in a secure box, and a cartridge from the polling place keeps track of who has voted in person to ensure they do not submit more than one ballot. Polling place ballots get picked up from the polls on Election Day, and are delivered to the receiving area at the government center. Delivery usually occurs before 9:00pm. First these ballots are hand inspected for any damage, stains or for “incorrect” marks, which if found means the ballot will be counted by hand. The data held in the cartridges from the polling stations is transferred into the system to record that voter’s ballot as received. The system is designed to “catch” a voter who has submitted more than one ballot and keeps track of the method in which someone votes. An undamaged and correctly marked ballot goes directly to the ballot counter, a machine called the “400C”. Four of these machines are in a room off limits to the public but easily seen through two walls of windows. The 400C looks similar to a copy machine with a stack of ballots inserted into a tray on one side pulled through the machine one at a time, and being spit out the other side. There is a computer attached to each machine that records the count. Ballots submitted at the polls get counted first and fastest.

Next are the Vote By CONTINUED »