November 2nd you will be able to vote for TWO City Council candidates

Question #7: The Cities of Bell, Maywood and Oxnard have been under scrutiny recently. What measurers can the city council take to avoid corrupt practices in city government?

David Lugo: I believe the City Council should adopt a Code of Ethics policy if one is not already in place that would give parameters on what is expected of each Council person and explain the consequences if they should not comply with those codes. Second on matters where outside bids are taken for certain projects in the City of Fillmore and one has business partners or friends in that company or has worked for that company in the past they should be excluded from that process. We as a small city for the most part have very honest people serving our community and that is what makes Fillmore a great place to live but we can not ever under estimate the things that are going on around us so we must police ourselves every now and then and not be afraid to question on things we don't feel right about, community involvement is the best way to prevent corruption also I think. "Your Voice"

Alex Mollkoy: I believe that the city council must continue to work jointly with the city departments to make public information more open and accessible to the citizens of Fillmore. We need to continue with internal and external audits in order to keep our system of checks and balances in working order. More than ever before, information is available online at the city’s website and at City Hall. I commend everyone involved with disseminating the information on-line and at City Hall. I believe that we can still increase the flow of available information and make it more easily accessible to all. The city council must continue to encourage the citizens to become more proactive in the processes of city government; this too is part of our checks and balances system. In order to avoid corrupt practices in city government; we must as the city council strive to work together with one another and all the city departments to create an honest open environment with which we can all co-operate for and in the best interest of the public.

Brian Sipes: To prevent corrupt practices it is critical that the community stay vigilant to ensure our tax dollars are spent wisely. It is also important to have trust in your City Council members and know who is funding their campaigns. I encourage all to contact the City Clerk’s office to view campaign finance reports to determine who their candidate is working for. This is the people’s government, not special interests.
I have been a proponent of having the municipal budget online for public review. This is now possible and I urge all citizens to review the budget and salaries of employees and elected officials. If elected I would go further in empowering the citizens. I would create a citizen task force committee to go through the budget. This process would give our community the ability to offer solutions for potential cost savings in difficult economic conditions.
As a private citizen, I have attended all public budget meetings and workshops. For many years I have been an advocate for accountability and transparency. If elected, I will continue to support allowing five full minutes for oral communications. I would also like to propose an annual “Town Hall Forum" that would be primarily focused on a Q&A session with our elected officials and City staff members. The public would have the opportunity to express their concerns and suggestions pertaining to City issues.
If entrusted to be a City Council member, I will never forget who my employers are. They are the voters and taxpayers.

Adrian Grimaldo: Everybody needs to vote. Each and every individual has to take responsibility for his or her actions. To lay lame and forget about this process only makes it easier to pass unethical agendas. It's through the peoples' vote that makes all the difference. A better future starts with a better understanding of city issues, processes, and development. Bell occurred because the community gave up their civic duty to vote. If you care about your future, then you will register to vote and do what is right.
I propose having a new website built for Fillmore residents. Imagine hopping onto your computer and being able to instant message council members or city employees on the fly. This network will list a schedule of passed agenda's, future city events and current developments. This system will be an open source network where people can blog solutions. Every department will be responsible in addressing blogs on their development keeping the community informed. We will then be able to keep e-files updated and hopefully give the people a better understanding of what's to come. It's time to tear down any communication barriers that are left. Bell happened because people of power abused their privileges. The only way to stop this from happening again is to get involved. Make a difference this November and do your civic duty and vote!

Patti Walker: The cities of Bell, Maywood and Oxnard have been under scrutiny recently. What measures can the city council take to avoid corrupt practices in city government?
It’s important not to do business behind closed doors. For instance, a builder requests moving his buildings closer together so more units can be built, which is an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance. The request needs to come before the Council to debate in public the pros and cons of the amendment. Staff implements policy measures set by the council; staff does not make policy.
Making policy available for the public use is important. As I’ve seen in similar sized cities, I’d like the planning guidelines displayed in pamphlet form for easy access and made available through the City’s website. These guidelines outline the various department’s required expectations. Making them available precludes problems and questions from delaying a project. Having the information available allows someone looking to build a porch for instance, to be able to walk up to the display, find the packet of information relating to porches and get on with the project.
It’s extremely necessary to have legal counsel that’s informed on not only the law, but fully engaged with the matters being debated under City Hall’s roof. A city attorney cannot be asleep at the wheel. Their presence is required to assure the goals of the council are legally meet. The attorney needs to have a solid working relationship with the manager who is the one individual charged with bringing the policies forward.
Close examination of City Hall should not be feared but welcomed. Each one of us, regardless of position, needs to follow the law.

November 2nd you will be able to vote for THREE School Board candidates

Question #7: With academic performance so low, and one campus in jeopardy of being taken over by the state, how do you plan to increase student performance?

Kimberly Rivers: To improve student achievement there is no quick fix or single thing that will work for all. Improvement will come with incremental and important changes that begin with the culture of expectations. First, I think the District must ensure that 100% of the staff expects ALL students to succeed. Second, we need to keep what works, and change what doesn’t. According to current stated policies “ultimate accountability [rests] with the Board” for all of the Districts programs and operations. The role of the Board is to evaluate and approve programs it supports or suspend and remove those failing to meet Board expectations. This is why it is vital to student achievement that the Board has the leadership and courage to examine and evaluate all departments and programs to assess what is working. Where a deficiency is found, the Board must lead the way in providing support and development to that area or if needed make a change. Any evaluation must include input from the entire community. Third, encourage new ideas and QUESTIONS. Every staff member, student, parent and community member must know that they can ask any question, bring any idea to ANY member of the Board or District staff and they will be valued. This District’s greatest resource is people. The Community. Imagine if everyone was on the look out for new ideas for our students, if everyone knew they would be welcomed in providing input and help. Imagine that. www.votekimrivers.com.

Tony Prado: Students throughout California are subjected to yearly testing. We have API, the Academic Performance Index, AYP, the Academic Yearly Progress report, and PI. Program Improvement. These state and federal titles are designed to give the community are designed to give the community an accountability report on the progress of students in the District. The manner in which they measure succsess or failure has become very controversial as to whether it really gives an accurate measurement. When non-English or limited English students are forced to test in English-what would you expect the outcome to be? FUSD has a high percentage of these students who bring down our scores. The goal is to make these students proficient in English but not at the expense of other students who are highly successful at FUSD. Just look at our graduation rate and those going on to higher education.
Increasing student performance is my number one goal. Three of our schools have gone through a "Curriculum Audit". This report, completed by the County Schools Superintendent"s Office reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the schools. These schools are in the process of implementing the recommendations. The schools are showing tremendous improvement.
Consider: - every student would have an individual learning plan so no student will remain unattended as they go from grade to grade with below-basic skills. - instructional coaches and Master Teachers to regularly observe classroom practices and work with teachers to improve their skills. - schools would start an hour later to allow time for a before school intervention class for Reading and Math improvement. - increase outreach and counseling for families whose child has below basic skills.

Lucy Rangel: With academic performance so low, and our Middle School in jeopardy of being taken over by the State, there are some ways to increase student achievement. Some of these are: 1. Improve attendance. Students can't learn if they aren't in school. Recognize or reward students for good attendance.
Counselors and administrators need to work with the families of frequently suspended students to keep them in school. 2. Create a link for each teacher on the school's web site. Teachers can post homework, due dates for projects, information on field trips, fundraisers, etc. This is an excellent way to communicate with parents. 3. If a student turns in late work, accept it. It is better to have a student learn from completing an assignment and earning an F than not turning it in and getting a zero. 4.
Since secondary teachers can have 170 or more student contacts each day, each teacher could become a "coach" to a homeroom team of about 30-35 students. They would motivate, inspire, and build self esteem and rapport with these students for the entire year. 5. The principals can collaborate with the administrators from Mountain Vista and San Cayetano Schools where teachers and staff are committed to character education.
I strongly believe that a student's character development and citizenship are equally as essential as their academic performance. If students feel good about themselves, and they know that you care, you will be amazed by the performance and effort they give you!

Dave Wilde: School performance is the responsibility of the site administrator and ultimately the district superintendent. There are lots of ideas being put into place around the country that have proved to be
successful. Principals and superintendents should be constantly searching for those strategies that may fit the needs of our students. No one in the district should be shy about making changes to instruction when needed.
The past six years I've had the luxury of working with Teacher Support Services at the Ventura County Office of Education, and we constantly hear what research says about student learning.
The number one constant with student learning is teacher effectiveness. We should ensure that all site administrators are properly trained to assess teacher effectiveness during classroom instruction, and when adjustments are needed be able to make that happen.
Site principals and the district administrative staff must continue to encourage teacher collaboration. Department, and grade level teachers must continue to identify deficiencies in student learning, assist colleague who are experiencing difficulty, make adjustments in instructional practices, and encourage parent participation to promote student learning. We have a lot of great teachers in this district that have the ability to make that happen.
Fillmore school sites are now looking at a program that will allow parents to check on theirs child's academic progress at any time on the internet. I think this practice would be a great step towards fostering parent awareness and involvement. Many districts already have this program in place.

Mark Austin: In order for student success and low achievement scores to be raised, students need to understand the importance of obtaining an education, be motivated and interested in the subject matter, and be held accountable by both their parents and the District. I believe that the issue of low achievement scores is not just the District's problem to resolve, but is a communitywide issue that is based on a multitude of things. My strategy, with assistance from other Board members, would be to look for ways to accomplish this task by forming a communitywide group consisting of all the major stakeholders.
These would include representatives from the City Council, business community, family and youth community groups, school board members, parents, classified and certified staff, and administrative staff. This communitywide group would be assigned to develop a strategy to solve our school performance issues and to design a method to ensure student success and increase achievement scores. votemarkaustin.com

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Mike Issa Grair

On October 10, 2008, Mike Issa Grair, 64, was found shot to death in his sport utility vehicle, which was parked behind a vacant building located on the northwest corner of Los Posas Road @ Lewis Road in the City of Camarillo, Ca. It is estimated that Mr. Grair was shot sometime between 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM.

For the past two years the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau has aggressively investigated the murder of Mr. Grair. Detective’s have interviewed in excess of 100 persons and still have no solid leads.

In April of 2009, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department held a press conference in which Mr. Grair’s family offered a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for Mr. Grair’s death.

October 10th marks the 2 year anniversary of Mr. Grair’s death. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and the Grair family desperately need you help to solve this senseless crime. The $100,000 reward is still available.

Please contact Detective Sergeant Todd Inglis, Detective Dan Hawes, or Crime Stoppers with any information regarding the death of Mike Grair.

Todd Inglis Desk – (805) 477-7032 Dan Hawes Desk – (805) 477-7042

Ventura County Crime Stoppers – 1-800-222- TIPS (8477)
http://www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org/index.aspx

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Recently we have had residents of Fillmore stop by the Police Station to make their Police Expo donation. There is only one problem. There is no such "Police Expo" and we would never call you at home to make a donation to the Sheriff or Police Departments.

This is the makings of a scam by some crooks in the area who preying on the kind nature of our Fillmore and Piru residents. These bad guys ask you for a modest donation in cash or check for police and they offer to pick up the checks at your home or you could even leave it under the"Mat." We often hear of residents giving their hard earned money and savings to bogus police charities. We want to make sure this does not happen to you!

The police department will investigate your tips on such bogus charities. Remember, do your research before you give money to any charity that you are not actively involved with. Make sure they are a federally registered non-profit. Don't just ask them, the Police Department will help verify for you. Email Sergeant Dave Wareham dave.wareham@ventura.org or Police Chief Tim Hagel tim.hagel@ventura.org and we will check for you. Please email us or call us at 805-524-2235 if you have received similar calls for "Police Charities."

Update:
We have found the organization doing the police donation phone calls. They are based out of Los Angeles. We are investigating their authenticity, regardless, our position still doesnt change and we do not recommend citizens giving money to them.

Fillmore City Manager Yvonne Quiring

In an effort to clear up the confusion surrounding the surprise (September 28) public reading of the city employees’ no confidence letter, comments were requested from Mayor Walker and four council members. Only Councilman Jamey Brooks refused to comment. Brooks’ refusal could be seen as a manifestation of his commitment to open government.

Due to a mix-up in phone and email efforts, the Gazette was unable to interview City Manager Yvonne Quiring directly. She did submit two comments as follows: In terms of Lathrop, “The Council conducted a thorough background process, including a trip to Lathrop and selected me to carry out their vision.”

And in terms of the letter [Vote of No Confidence] —“Right now we have budget challenges, labor negotiations and a class and comp study as well as an election cycle. Given the uncertainty, it is understandable that nerves are frayed and employees are worried. I remain committed to healing these divisions and working through these challenges.”

Fillmore Mayor Pro Tem Gayle Washburn commented that she “[may have] been the only one” to not know that this letter was coming. And even though she has heard comments from community members that the presentation of this letter could “be a political event… designed to discredit the Mayor and City Manager”, Washburn still recognizes that “these are serious allegations and concerns… which the Council needs to address as soon as possible.” Commenting on what is happening now she stated “as we speak, the Council is scheduling [a meeting] to determine the process” that will be used as the Council investigates the employee complaints.

Washburn went on to CONTINUED »

Nurse Martha Romero RN (above) presented the statistics for FUSD showing that it has 1.5 registered nurses for about 3818 students. The California School Nurses Organization has a recommended ratio of 1 nurse for every 750 students.

On Tuesday October 5 the Fillmore Unified School Board of Trustees met for a regularly scheduled meeting. Board President Tony Prado and Board Vice President Virginia De La Piedra were not in attendance. Board Clerk Liz Wilde conducted the relatively short meeting.

Brief reports were presented by Board Member John Garnica regarding the great football game at Homecoming, and Wilde about the dedication of Sierra High, a Junior Varsity Volleyball game, and the Fillmore High School Boosters club. Wilde has received comments from those planning the 100th Year game between Fillmore and Santa Paula “[that it’s] pretty much been handled by Fillmore… if you know anyone in Santa Paula they could sure use some help.” The Board heard from District Nurse Martha Romero RN who presented the Health Services Annual Report. Romero’s report was aimed at giving the Board a better idea about “what a day is like in the [health] office.” She presented the numbers of students who received the state mandated hearing and vision tests and those that were referred to further medical assessment. Romero stressed the importance of the nursing staff for keeping kids healthy and in school. The current staff is made up of two registered nurses, one who works full time and one part time, not only because of their role in caring for the students who need regular daily care due to chronic illness, but also for the unexpected sometimes emergency situations that arise. The district nurses work to make sure that all site office staff, and teachers are trained to assist students who may need their care should the nurse not be on campus during an emergency. Romero presented the statistics for FUSD showing that it has 1.5 registered nurses for about 3818 students. The California School Nurses Organization has a recommended ratio of 1 nurse for every 750 students. Although Romero commented that very few Districts are able to meet that recommendation.

The Board then voted to CONTINUED »

During my most recent counter-terrorism training mission to the Middle East, I had the honor of meeting a courageous and innovative individual.

Her name is Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, ESQ. Nitsana is the founder of the non-profit Shurat HaDin (English translation: The Israel Law Center). Western Intelligence agencies and countries, including the United States, have benefited in their fight against Radical Islamic terrorism because of the dedicated work of Mrs. Darshan-Leitner and the Israel Law Center.

Mossad officials (The Israeli Intelligence Institute that is the equivalent of the CIA in the U.S.) stated because of the legal activities of Nitsana and The Israel Law Center, terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip has been reduced by as much as 60%.

Established in 2003 and based in Tel-Aviv, Shurat HaDin has become the world leader in fighting terrorism through civil lawsuits and other legal action. Shurat HaDin works together with western intelligence agencies and volunteer attorneys around the world to file legal actions on behalf of victims of terrorist acts.

Following the model pioneered by the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center a non-profit legal center that over the last four decades has successfully confronted and shut down racist groups across America,Shurat HaDin represents hundreds of victims in cases against Islamic terrorist groups and countries that are state sponsors of terrorism such as; Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Palestinian Authority, Iran, Syria, and the financial institutions that act as front organizations for these terrorist elements finances.

Shurat HaDin’s main goals are:
-Stop the flow of terror CONTINUED »

Interested parties who wish to become a write-in candidate can do so. The write-in nomination period opened on September 6th (technically the 7th as the 6th was a holiday), and will close on October 16th; a notice concerning the write-in period is posted on the Fillmore city’s website. The same candidacy provisions apply, i.e., 20 valid signatures of registered voters are required to become a certified candidate, and FPPC forms need to be completed and filed with the City Clerk’s office. The candidates name will not appear on the ballot and would need to be written in by a voter at the polls.

On October 28th, the CSEA will be hosting a forum at the Sespe Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. We will be putting a list of questions together for them. Come join us and ask where your children’s monies are bring spent. There are three positions opened. Nominees are: Tony Prado, Mark Austin, Kim Rivers, Lucy Rangel, and Dave Wilde. For information contact gamapiggie@yahoo.com.

Response to Brian Sipes’ Ventura County Star interview [“Five candidates seeking two seats on Fillmore City council” 09/27/10]:

SIPES’ INTERVIEW, VC STAR: “Sipes said the current City Council is grappling with what he characterized as the overspending of past councils, including the approval of the city’s new water recycling plant. Fillmore Public Works Director Bert Rapp has put the price tag at $70 million, to build the plant, related components, and a recycled water main throughout the city. Sipes believes the cost could have been considerably less, which might have averted sewer rate increases that the council adopted earlier this month.

“In 2006, we as citizens brought up numerous issues with the plant in respect to increases to our rates,” he said. “The City Council at that time refused to take our concerns seriously. And now we’re paying dearly for it.”
Sipes said the City Council chose to finance the plant with state bonds, as opposed to state revolving loans, at least part of which could have been erased with federal stimulus funds.

With the tacit blessings of a majority of the city’s property owners under Proposition 218, the council on Sept. 14 adopted an initial $2-a-month increase in sewer rates, raising a property owner’s bill to $82 a month, to help offset the costs of the plant. On July 1, 2011, and continuing each year until 2014, the sewer rates will increase by 5 percent plus the inflation rate.”

RESPONSE:
Use of the State Revolving Loan fund would have increased rates $4.00 per month, due to 20 year payback of loan. The goal is to have the lowest monthly rate as possible. It was considered and rejected. Now Mr. Sipes can stop saying “I don’t know why it wasn’t considered”.

The new Sewer Plant work was advertised nationally, competitively bid and the least cost vendor was selected to do the work. Mr. Sipes has buried his head in the sand and refuses to acknowledge the truth on this matter because it does not serve his political purposes. Mr. Sipes cost saving idea was to put the new plant near the Santa Clara River without flood protection (to save money) and to pump the sewage from the new business park up to the new plant thereby increasing costs forever.

Delaying the project to study his and Gayle Washburn’s Google research on uncertified impractical and in some cases experimental concepts may have delayed the project to the point it could not meet the State Mandated Time Schedule Order which would have started the meter on Minimum Daily Mandatory Fines. If he followed Gayle Washburn’s lead he would not have competively bid the work at all and would have single sourced the work. Mrs. Washburn stood before the Santa Paula City Council, just like a salesperson, and got involved with their affairs now their sewer bill is $77.12 plus $0.58 per unit of water starts Sept 1, 2011 (see attached table) and the city doesn’t even own the plant. The construction bid price was $57M but if Santa Paula gets tired of high operating costs and wants to own their plant it will cost them $85,000,000 to buy it plus pay another $1M operations termination fee. Wait till that bill is added to the rate they are paying now.

Concerning “Obama-money” Brian Sipes fails to mention that Fillmore, and Santa Paula for that matter, did not qualify as economically disadvantaged communities because the median incomes were too high. Piru qualified and got an $8M grant. Fillmore did get a $3M Prop 50 grant for water recycling. Brian won’t tell you but Santa Paula did not get any grants.

For all the time he sits in council meetings one would think that he would be able to present facts and truthful information, but that just doesn’t seem to be his style.

Brian states that his voice wasn’t heard. The truth is every time he speaks at Council Meetings his comments are in the minutes. He’s in a lot of City Council Minutes. He says “past councils” didn’t listen to him or others. Does he not remember, or does he just not want you to remember, the numerous sewer workshops specifically the one with the panel of experts which answered every single question posed to them. All concerns were not only heard, but addressed with answers being provided. No Brian, if anyone is not listening it is you. You failed to listen then and you fail to listen now.

November 2nd you will be able to vote for TWO candidates

Question #6: Should the city financially assist the completio of the business park? Why/why not? Do you agree or disagree with the financial and contractual decisions made concerning the new wastewater plant?

Patti Walker: The City provided assistance by lending money to drill and cap Well #9. The Council voted to approve the formation of a Community Facility District (CFD) for the sale of bonds to cover the infrastructure. In addition, the Council approved requested changes in the building conditions to align them to the requirements to the Floodway section of the Fillmore Municipal Code .
In my opinion it would be wasteful of staff resources to further study and discuss borrowing of a substantial sum of money from the CA I-Bank. The loan would have been paid back from the CFD, but the General Fund was the collateral. The evening this item was debated, the Council moved to foreclose on property that had defaulted on its CFD causing a loss of revenue to the City. Also, the applicant had given no thought to repayment of a requested loan from the Redevelopment Agency, nor had there been discussion with other property owners to garner support for the loans.
The cost for the wastewater plant is enormous. Too costly for our community. Regardless, we will have to live with that decision for too many years. It’s true that it’s easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission, but when making decisions that have such a huge financial impact on the entire city, the community should have been asked to support the project prior to making the financial obligation on the plant. If that had been accomplished, the City may have seen buy-in by the community.

Brian Sipes: I am a strong advocate of collaboration. I also believe in the free market system. But, government can only do so much. And, the free market system will determine if the business park is viable. I am hopeful and I fully support the concept of a business park. This community needs jobs, services and goods. While some assistance can be justified, the City has already gone above and beyond in assistance for the business park.
The City used taxpayer funds to purchase land for the sewer plant from the developers for $2.6 million. The City also chose to locate the sewer plant at this site to anchor the business park and assist the developers in paying for the levee, roads and other infrastructure. Other locations already owned by the City may have been more cost effective for the ratepayers but would not have helped the business park. In addition, the City Council loaned $750,000 to drill Well #9, which was required before development could proceed.
Being a fiscal conservative, I disagreed with the decision by our prior Council to finance our sewer plant with municipal bonds instead of state loans with half the interest cost. As far as the contractual decisions, if I were on the Council at that time, I would have proposed that the contract not be approved and signed before the taxpayers could vote on rates. I would have proposed a re-bid which is what Piru and Santa Paula did. Those are actions that could have helped Fillmore.

November 2nd you will be able to vote for THREE candidates

Question #6: What do you perceive as the most important issues for the School Board, and the District? What policies would you work to change, add or subtract? For example, 20% of a student’s grade is determined by the AR program. How would you handle objections from parents in regards to the AR standards? Should the program be modified (and how?) or remain unchanged? Why?

Tony Prado: The most important issue facing the Board and the District is money. The federal, state and local economies are in bad shape and will continue to be in bad shape until tax revenue increases. All district employees deserve salary increases, all our educational programs need an infusion of money and our facilities need upgrading. The District is working hard in educating our students with less money. Not knowing what monies to expect from the state has put the District in a position of guessing how much to cut from their budget as has been the case the last two years
Grading issues of teachers at each school site becomes the responsibility of the principals. Board members should not attempt to micromanage grades. When parents have a concern about grading systems of a teacher or a school site, parents should contact the teacher first, then the principal and then the superintendent. If the concern continues then it should be brought to the attention of the Board. The Board then will discuss the issue. A majority of the Board members will determine a course of action.
AR is having a positive impact in our District. More students are reading! In our District 2nd language learners are a high percentage of our students and its helping them learn English, other students are learning to be better readers and writers. Personally, I do not believe AR should be 20% of a students grade. Remember, vote for Tony Prado.

Lucy Rangel: Some important issues are: earning back the trust of parents, staff, and the community, future budget cuts due to lack of funding, and evaluating the effectiveness of programs to raise student achievement.
I would like to address the current change at the high school regarding the Accelerated Reading program as I have had a number of parents contact me regarding this issue. We have had this program in our district since the late1990’s. Most of the research has been done in the elementary classroom, where it has proven to be successful. However, there are limited studies regarding AR use with high school students. It is at this level where most parental concerns have been voiced now that AR will count for 20% of a student’s English grade. Since AR is a supplementary and not a core program, I understand the concerns of these parents.
If I could make any change in this program, I would use AR as an incentive. Once students scored proficient or advanced on their standardized tests, and they maintained this level, they would have several options. They would be allowed to read any book they were interested in (with parent approval), and not have to take a test. The other option would be that if they read an AR book, took a test, and received a passing score, then they could earn extra credit points. Forcing students to read for pleasure can become counteractive for high school students, especially if they are already good readers.

Mark Austin: An important issue facing the School Board and District will continue to be providing a quality education, while experiencing ongoing budget constraints. This issue will require a strong School Board in the coming months, as it is likely that additional budget reductions may be needed. Another issue facing the School Board and District is the continued failure to meet the State Academic Performance Index (API) and Federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards. While some progress is being made to meet the API and AYP standards, my belief is that this is not good enough, and that we are failing to provide our children a quality education.
The Accelerated Reading (AR) Program may be an opportunity to improve a program that could substantially improve the quality of education. The AR Program’s primary objective was to promote reading, which has been shown to increase academic achievement. However, what has occurred within the District has become quite the opposite of positive in many cases. Children are circumventing their reading assignments by watching movies done on the assigned book. Other students have gone so far as to have their peers prepare the written assignments on the reading assignments. In other words, the AR Program is not working as intended. In my opinion, this program needs to be re-examined by the School Board and modified to attain its objective of promoting reading. www.votemarkaustin.com.

Kimberly Rivers: The greatest challenge our Districts faces is providing a first class education to ALL students. Too many students are being suspended and not enough are graduating. Our District must have a program in place for families struggling to keep their kids in school that let’s them know every child, even the so called “problem” kids are welcome in our classrooms. Not only is this the legal duty of our District, but also I believe it is a basic requirement for public education.
Second, wherever I go in the District I talk with people who feel heard, while others feel their ideas will never be heard. A promise I can make is that my door will be open to everyone; students, parents, staff, residents, you are all stakeholders in our District. Only with input from everyone can we define and create a path to a first class education.
I understand the AR program is intended to encourage reading. I have heard from families and teachers that the excessive reading assignments and detail orientated quizzes are causing students and parents to be resentful of reading, leading some students to pretend they have read a book and trade quiz answers. For some, reading has become distasteful. Clearly the AR program needs to be evaluated for effectiveness. I believe that with input from parents, teachers and students the program can be modified to not only encourage reading, but to encourage a love of reading that is so vital to creating life long learners. www.votekimrivers.com.

Dave Wilde: The budget issue is huge. We have to do what we can reduce the threat of staff layoffs. Teachers and support staff are what make the difference in a student's education. Funds must be made available for instructional materials and instructional staff preparation. An addition to the budget issue is the student environment and safety. With decreasing funds we must continue to do what we can to guarantee students a safe and positive learning environment.
The second question is not about policies in general, but specifically the high school AR program. Parents, teachers, and student responses have not been decisive. Most high school teachers feel they are preparing students to be successful readers in what ever future challenges they face. That is their job. The 20% issue is designed to impress students with the importance of reading. When the percentage was 10% many students failed to complete their AR assignments, and the hope was that 20% might change that. Is it right? I don't know yet. If students still fail to complete their reading assignments another plan should be implemented. The board should not be making decisions about the AR program, otherwise they could be accused of micromanaging the district. It is the high school that has that responsibility. If there is a significant number of students and parents who have concerns about the program they need to continue meeting with the high school to reach an agreement. The board's input should be a last resort.

As part of the Ventura County Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program, the Environmental Health Division (EHD) is providing the following precautionary information for the public. Rainfall that is significant enough to result in runoff can flow into storm drains, channels, creeks, and rivers that empty onto the beaches of Ventura County. In general, 0,2 inches (2 tenths of an inch) of rain may be enough to create significant runoff conditions.

There is a potential for storm water runoff to carry disease causing bacteria to the beaches and into the ocean water. In addition, storm water runoff can transport physical hazards such as partially submerged tree limbs and logs into the ocean that could result in serious physical injury. Contact with this runoff water will result in an increased risk to human health and should be avoided for at least 72 hours after all rainfall activity has ended.

EHD is advising the public to avoid body contact with all storm water runoff and ocean water at all Ventura County beaches. Any items that may have come in contact with runoff or ocean water should also be avoided. If contact occurs, wash thoroughly with soap and water.

Any shellfish on or from Ventura County beaches may have also been exposed to this contamination and should not be eaten.

This advisory is in effect for all Ventura County beaches as a result of the recent rainfall and will remain in effect for 72 hours (3 days) after all rainfall has ended. Results for specific beaches are also available on the EHD hotline (recorded information), 805/662-6555, and on the EHD Web page at: http://ventura.org/rma/envheahh/prograrn$/tech^serv/ocean/index.html

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Today at about 9:00 am, an elementary school student reported to police that he was on a sidewalk in North Fillmore. Note: It is a late-school day. He stated that an unknown male in his 20's approached him and tried restraining him. The student states that he broke free and ran inside of a house. He called 911. The student reports that the adult male fled on foot.

The youth describes the male suspect as unknown race, tall, 20-ish , dark hair.

We have Detectives interviewing neighbors and deputies canvassing the area.

The schools have been notified.

There are no other witnesses. No known suspects etc... No persons injured.

The School District is working with the police to notify all parents in the City via the School District automated parent notification-telephone system and fliers.

Any tips call 805-524-2233.

Capt. Tim Hagel

Fillmore City Manager Yvonne Quiring

There was a shake up at City Hall on Tuesday that only a few had expected. The City Council had scheduled the annual evaluation of both City Manager and City Attorney to take place during a closed session of the Fillmore City council on September 28th at 5pm. Another joint meeting was scheduled later that evening at 7pm with Fillmore Unified School District at Fillmore High School cafeteria. But when an unexpected bombshell was presented at the beginning of the 5pm session, the closed meeting was canceled and the meeting remained open.
The shakeup began when Scott Lee, a former Mayor and City Council Member, read the Council a letter signed by thirty-two of the City’s thirty-seven fulltime employees. It read: The Management and Represented employees of the City of Fillmore are writing this letter to inform the Council of its displeasure with City Manager Yvonne Quiring, …. the employees have no confidence in Ms. Quiring’s leadership, and our concern for the general welfare of the City under her direction.

It went on to state that the employees are being micromanaged, belittled, intimidated, given unclear direction, harassed, fear retaliation for informing Council of the current status of their working environment and that her contradictory management style consist of speaking kindly before a group of employees, then holding closed door meetings wherein staff is unfairly berated bringing the morale of the entire City Hall to a now intolerable low.
Quiring was hired October 2009 and previously worked for the City of Lathrop. Lee also informed the council that the represented employees of the City of Lathrop also presented a vote of no confidence in February of 2008.
Those signing on to the letter were: Public Works Director, Community Development Director, City Engineer, Building Official, Assistant to Finance Director, Recreation Supervisor, Assistant Planner, Human Resource Officer, Confidential Accountant Tech, Accounting Supervisor, Planning Teck/Clerk, Financial Assistant/Treasurer, Public Works Supervisor, 12 Public Works employees, Fiscal Assistant/Treasurer, 3 Fiscal Assistant employees and 4 Facilities employees.

This unexpected reading left the Council with little time left to address the scheduled evaluations, so they were postponed until later, giving the Council the needed time to discuss this new information.

The City Council then adjourned and proceeded to join the Fillmore Unified School District for their joint 7pm meeting at the high school cafeteria. All Fillmore City Council Members and all Fillmore School Board members were in attendance with the exception of School Board Member De La Piedra.

About 35 people attended the joint meeting which began with honoring the nonprofit Child Development Resources (CDR). Mayor Patti Walker presented a proclamation recognizing CDR 30th anniversary celebration and service to the community. CDR Board Member Frank Millar accepted it on their behalf. Millar then went on to announced CDR’s third annual “Celebrate the Child Event” to be held on Sunday October 10th 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at the historic Camarillo Ranch and invited everyone to attend. During the event attendees will enjoy a variety of delicious multicultural foods and participate in child-friendly hands-on activities. Log onto WWW.CDRV.org for more information.

Next up was the public comment time with new running track being the topic of discussion. Many who spoke voiced their desire to have the track opened up to the public and year round use. Fillmore resident Joan Archer brought to the Board and Council’s attention that the citizens of Fillmore had access to the old track and that she didn’t recall disclosure of the restriction in using the newly built track prior to the vote on the bond issue that ultimately resulted in taxpayers dollars paying for the new track.

Archer told the Council that youth fitness programs and facilities are abundant in the City but adult fitness isn’t and could be improved by the use of the track. She went on to say the track is a safe venue to promote public health and fitness, and rather than using it to promote just the youth health and fitness the track could be a combination of city school and volunteer resources. Archer ended her comments with “I believe that the City Council and School Board constitute a small group of thoughtful, committed people who can find a more effective resolution of this issue than has been found thus far.”

A representative of Fillmore Youth Condors Cross Country spoke of the desire for his group to use the new track. The Condors are a non-profit club comprised of young runner’s ages 5 to 16. All are members of the Southern California Youth Track & Field Conference with a goal this year to qualify to run at the AAU Junior Olympic Championships in Orlando, Florida.

Maribella Hernandez and Manuela Twitodell, both members of a runners club, expressed their desire to extend the use of the track to the citizens of Fillmore, adding that because the track is all-weather it could be opened in the winter and would be of such value to those dedicated to running. Twitodell stated the use of the track, “Gives a wonderful profile to the city.”

Council Member Brooks stated he is “…pushing for the public to have as much use as possible” and Council Member Washburn agreed replying, “I hope we can get as much use as possible.” The School Board went on to state, “The students should come first” and voiced their concern of how many groups might be using the track. The School Board also reminded those in attendance that this is a different situation than using a dirt track and the cost of repair and upkeep is considerably more with this track. Also discussed was the cost of liability if someone should get hurt along with the cost of security. A Fillmore resident rebutted the School Board’s concerns over liability with, “These were the same concerns talked about with the other parks in town. We cannot let this prevent us from moving forward; this is no greater liability than a skatepark.”

It was suggested that the public could have access to the track between 6pm and 10pm, to which the School Board responded that that would have an added cost of lighting the track, especially during the winter when it gets dark earlier. The City Council scheduled a meeting for October 20th to discuss the issue and the future use of the track with members agreeing it would require at least two or three meeting to resolve the issue of the tracks future use.

The pool was also on the agenda and a question of whether the City of Fillmore would have the available funds needed to meet a legal requirement of three trained lifeguards on duty while the pool is open. Closing the pool was a possibility if the needed funds could not be found. Presently the school district is using the pool for 3-one hour classes each week.

The discussion of the November 12th football game between Fillmore and Santa Paula, which marks the 100th football game between the two towns, brought smiles to all those in attendance with many looking forward to the event with great anticipation. Use of the train to bring Santa Paula residents was suggested to alleviate some of the extra parking that will be needed and security was discussed. Other activities were suggested such as honoring the oldest participant of the rival games who was in attendance. This is an event that so many will be looking forward to, so be sure to mark it on your calendar.

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“I tell you to act upon the orders of Allah…to defeat them (the U.S. and other Western targets) through suicide attacks so that you may be successful before Allah.” -- Usama bin Laden

Homicide Bombers pose one of the most extreme problems law enforcement faces in the 21st century. The homicide bomber essentially becomes a human bomb, who selects the time, place, and situational circumstances of the attack. For Radical Islamic terrorists, human bombs are one of the surest methods of hitting an intended target as well as being simple and low cost operationally.

In Radical Islam, the Arabic word Shahid, which means witness, is used as an honorific to describe Radical Muslim Homicide Bombers who have died while murdering others fighting in Jihad.

The phrase, Suicide Bomber, is not accurate, the Homicide Bomber’s intent is not to solely commit suicide, it is a terrorist act intended to cause the highest possible amount of innocent casualties and as a form of 4th Generation Psychological Warfare to frighten the public through random acts of violence in an attempt to gain extensive publicity for their Radicalized Islamic agenda.

Suicide is a CONTINUED »

Fillmore Unified School District

On Tuesday, September 21 the Fillmore School Board of Trustees met for another regularly scheduled meeting. Member John Garnicas was not present. Coming in from closed session Board President Tony Prado first opened and then closed the public hearings related to the board approving resolutions regarding “The Sufficiency of Textbooks or Instructional Materials for the School Year” and adopting textbooks and materials for the “Structured English Immersion Program”. No comments were made by the public on this topic, or during the general public comment period.

Prado presented Sespe Elementary Kindergarten teacher Norma Vasquez with the first “Students First” award of the year, for her “dedication and outstanding work at Sespe School.” Vasquez thanked the Board and commented, “I’ve always thought of it as part of the job…it’s for the students. And community. For all of us.”

The Board Student Rep Sean Chandler reported on the preparations for homecoming, which will take place on Friday, October 1. The event kicks off with a parade, then a football game against Bishop Diego High School from Santa Barbara, followed by a dance at the school. The floats are being built in the theme of “Cartoons” and will be displayed on Second Street during and following the game.

During Board reports CONTINUED »