The Bardsdale Cemetery will hold it Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 27th at 11AM.

The Ceremony will start with a fly-over by the 805th Navion Squadron.

The featured speaker this year is Captain Douglas W. King, Civil Engineer Corps, Chief Staff Officer Naval Base Ventura County. Capt. King is a Seabee Combat Warfares Specialist, Warranted Contracting Officer and Acquisition Professional Community member. He has been awarded the Navy Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (four awards), Navy Achievement Medal and other awards. He is married and has 3 daughters.

The Reverend Bob Hammond of St. Stephens Anglican Church will give the Memorial Service and special music will be provided by the Bardsdale Methodist Church Choir and Cub Scout Troop 3400.

Also assisting in the ceremony will be VFW Post 9637, Boy Scout Troop 406, Cub Scout Troop 3400 and Bob Thompson. The Boy Scouts will put out the flags on Friday, May24th and they will be picked up by the Bardsdale 4H on Tuesday, May 28th.

A special thank you to Garcia Mortuary for furnishing the doves to conclude the service and to the P.E.O. for furnishing cookies.

The Board of Trustees of the Cemetery District: Gabe Asenas, President, Lynda Edmonds, Secretary, Rita Rudkin, and Kathryn Wren Gavlak would like to invite the community to this special event.

On Friday, May 17th, at around 1:30 a.m., a crash was reported on Telegraph Road at Claremont Way in Ventura. When police arrived on scene they found a vehicle had crashed into the traffic signal pole with five occupants inside. Fifteen year old Cecilio Ortiz Garcia, Jr., who was sitting in front right seat of the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. The 21-year-old male driver was taken to the VCMC in critical condition, and the three other 15-year–old male passengers were also taken to the hospital in serious condition. All five were from Fillmore. No other cars were involved in the crash. Police say alcohol and speed were contributing factors.

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Henry Mata (DOB 6/13/1951), of Fillmore, was sentenced by Judge Anthony Sabo to the California Department of Corrections to 310 years to life. On April 17, 2019, a jury convicted Mata of molesting four children. Specifically, Mata was convicted of one count of oral copulation on a minor under the age of 10, one count of digital penetration on a child under the age of 10, seven counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14, five counts of forcible lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14, and one count of annoying or molesting a child. Additionally, the jury found true special allegations that Mata committed lewd acts involving substantial sexual conduct upon multiple victims.

In April 2016, the first of four victims came forward to Ventura County Sheriff’s detectives stating Mata committed numerous lewd acts upon her in his Fillmore home when she was eight years old. After an investigation, Mata was arrested and charges were filed. Shortly thereafter, three additional victims came forward with information that Mata molested them numerous times between 2004 and 2014 while they were between the ages of 6 and 12. Two additional victims testified that Mata committed lewd acts upon them in the 1980s when they were between the ages of 7 and 10 years old. The crimes against the individuals who were victimized in the 1980s could not be charged as they were outside the statute of limitations. All victims were related to Mata.

Fillmore Unified School District

May Revise Presentation
Information was presented to the Governing Board by Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Andrea McNeill.

Fillmore USD English Language Arts Adoption Process and Tentative Timeline
Information was presented to the Governing Board by Assistant Superintendent of Education Services, Micheline G. Miglis

Approve Fillmore Unified Preschool Program Self-Evaluation
Contractors are required to submit a Summary of Finding of the Program Self-Evaluation to the California Department of Education by June 1 of every year.

Personnel Recommendations
The Governing Board approved all personnel recommendations including new hires, promotions, resignations, retirements, and leaves.

Bob Crum

The following contains a tech tip and a modicum of dismay. The technical is blur redux. The dismay relates to curmudgeonly phonetographers taking me to task.

Last week's column motivated two cantankerous phonetographers to write. Henry K. opined that my carnival "sunstar" photos were showing off. Henry! Yes, I do enjoy incorporating the sunstar effect when presented the opportunity. Not particularly easy to accomplish, but when I succeed, I believe it adds image impact. Sunstars also illustrate creative options of traditional cameras and difficult to get with cellphones except by accident. Is that showing off? OK, I'm guilty. He also dared say that my ego is bigger than the Ferris Wheel. Well, Henry, I prefer magniloquence enhanced braggadocio, with a pinch of elegance.

Phonetographer Jay W. wrote to correct me, telling me that what I call a cellphone is a smartphone. Wait just a minute, Jay W. My digital device that you call a smartphone makes & receives phone calls via cell towers. Sends & receives texts via cell towers. Streams videos via cell towers. Since it can't do any of that without cell towers, I maintain that it's a cellphone and not a smartphone. BTW, if it were smart, it would know better than to "drop" calls. If it were smart, it would know that I don't need a telemarketer calling to tell me that beautiful Russian women are eager to become American brides. A smartphone would know I don't marry spies! So you see, Jay W., since it's useless without cell towers, it's a cellphone!

Now the technical: Blur. In my previous column, I mentioned that when shooting a fast-moving ride, blur to illustrate motions is created by merely decreasing the shutter speed. However, I didn't mention that another interesting effect is obtained with a faster shutter speed and pan with the moving subject, i.e., follow the moving object. This technique blurs the background keeping the subject sharp.

What if you get blur but don't want it. First, consider cutting back on strawberry margaritas. Also, a tripod restricts camera movement and reduces blur. Another remedy is to increase the shutter speed. Also, proper camera hand-holding technique can make a difference. Tuck in your elbows and support the lens from underneath with the free hand. And don't sneeze when pressing the shutter button!

Sometimes I can play with a type of blur creatively by varying lens aperture. When I open the lens, I can (depending on the lens) blur a distracting background. Bidda-bing, bidda-boom... bokeh! Bokeh means background out-of-focus (blurry). Conversely, to have everything from front to back in focus, increase the depth-of-field by closing the lens aperture.

Composition can make or break a photo. As a world renowned photojournalist, well, at least known wildly, er, widely, around Fillmore, experience teaches how to compose for an interesting photo. Example: Like other photographers, I shot parades, marathon runners, bicycle races, etc., from the sidelines. Boooooring. So, last year I photographed the start of the Rotary Club's 5K-10K race from the middle of the road. I was almost run over but nothing venture-nothing gained. But shooting from the middle of the road with a herd of runners rushing at me is exhilarating. So, guess what? OF COURSE, I again shot from the middle of the road while spectators yelled: BOB, get out of the way! Again I was almost run over. Survival is sweet! This year I used a Tokina ultra-wide 11-16mm lens. Do you think the reward is worth the risk?

Photo of the week: Start of the 5K-10K race. Notice a little blur as fast runners passed by me?

Send comments, questions or suggestions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Stop by the Humane Society of Ventura County on June 8 and help celebrate its 87 years of nonprofit service to the animals of Ventura County.

The HSVC’s Open House & Birthday Bash will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, at its Ojai shelter facility, at 402 Bryant St.

Get a behind-the-scenes peek at its facility, participate in the barking or meowing contest, tour the kennels, meet the staff, and learn about different volunteer opportunities. Visitors also will have the opportunity to meet Dr. Christina Sisk, the HSVC’s new director of veterinarian services, and tour the state-of-the-art spay and neuter clinic. Bring the whole family to enjoy refreshments, participate in a treasure hunt, make bandanas for your dogs, and learn more about how you can make a difference in the lives of animals in need.

The HSVC’s Humane Officers will be on hand to give a look at the responsibilities and duties involved in protecting animals throughout the county, and Ma and Paw Kennel will be there, providing information and answering questions about rattlesnake avoidance for you and your dogs. And the folks of Firefly Ceramics will be back with their Tiles for Tails program, where participants paint tiles to be permanently displayed at the shelter, for a $25 donation.

Of course, a visit to the shelter would not be complete without the main attraction — the animals. “There will be a full house of critters available for adoption,” said Greg Cooper, director of community outreach for the HSVC. “You never know when you are going to meet your new best friend.”

“The Humane Society of Ventura County has a rich history strengthening the bond between humans and their pets throughout the county,” Cooper said. “Our annual Open House & Birthday Bash is an opportunity to celebrate our community’s achievements in making Ventura County a leader in animal compassion and welfare.”

In hosting this popular longtime event, the HSVC offers special thanks for the support of its community partners: IDEXX, Bliss, Firefly Ceramics, Stephen Adams Photography, Ojai Ice Cream, Lucy in the Sky, Artemis, Ma & Paw Kennel, Starbucks Ojai, Vons Ojai, and Sam’s Club Oxnard.

AT A GLANCE:
What: Humane Society of Ventura County’s annual Open House & Birthday Bash
When: Saturday, June 8
Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: HSVC Shelter. 402 Bryant St. in Ojai
For more information: Call 805-646-6505.