Bob Crum

Anyone keeping count? I am! This is column number 100! I'm proud of this milestone! More importantly, being Thanksgiving, I thank you because without the support of all 2,386,395 readers like you, it couldn't happen! I also thank the Fillmore Gazette for the opportunity to dazzle you with writings of Pulitzer Prize caliber.

Ready for Black Friday? Now that y'all know the benefits of a 'real' camera, you know that you want one! Or you know someone on your Christmas shopping list who would love to receive a real camera.

Cameras and multiple lenses are not essential for successful photography. Present-day point-and-shoot cameras with attached lenses are excellent, and generally cost less. For example, a new P&S just announced is the Sony HX99. For starters, the HX99 is the perfect travel camera. It packs a 28x zoom (24-720mm), 18MP 1/2.3" sensor, 180-degree tilting 3.0" touch screen and 4K/30p video with full pixel readout plus 10 fps shooting with a 155 image buffer and much more. All that fabulous technology for merely $448.00. Incredible! I'd be thrilled to receive an HX99. (hint hint)

For your convenience, I'm presenting some camera buying guides. Though not a comprehensive list, any Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal on the following cameras will surely scratch anyone's photographic itch. I'm not endorsing one over another and the numbers 1-10 are merely separators and do not infer that #1 is better than #5.

Consider for kids: 1. Fujifilm Instax Square SQ10, 2. Nikon Coolpix W300, 3. Olympus Tough TG-5, 4. Fujifilm FinePix XP120, 5. Ricoh WG-50, 6. Canon EOS 200D / Rebel SL2 , 7. Nikon D5600.

Cameras for beginners: 1. Canon EOS Rebel SL2 / EOS 200D + EF-S 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM, 2. Nikon D3500 + AF-P DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR, 3. Canon EOS Rebel T7 + EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II, 4. Canon EOS Rebel T100 / EOS 4000D + EF-S 18-55mm, 5. Nikon D5600 + AF-P 18-55mm DX VR, 6. Pentax K-70 + HD DA 18-50mm f/4-5.6 DC WR RE7, Panasonic Lumix GX80 + Lumix G VARIO 12-32mm MEGA O.I.S., 8. Fujifilm X-A10 + XC16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS II, 9. Sony A5100 + E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS, 10. Olympus E-M10 III + M.ZUIKO 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ.

Compact cameras: 1. Panasonic TZ200 / SZ200 2. Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II 3. Fujifilm X100F, 4. Panasonic LX100 II, 5. Leica Q (Typ 116), 6. Panasonic LX15 / LX10, 7. Ricoh GR II, 8. Sony RX100 VI, 9. Panasonic Lumix FZ2500 /
FZ2000. 10. Sony RX10 IV.

Mirrorless cameras: 1. Fujifilm X-T3, 2. Nikon Z7, 3. Canon EOS R, 4. Sony Alpha A7 III, 5. Panasonic Lumix G9, 6. Sony A6500, 7. Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III, 8. Fujifilm X-T20 camera, 9. Fujifilm X-H1 camera, 10. Sony A9 camera, 11. Sony A7 II camera, 12. Panasonic GH5 camera.

dSLR cameras for photography enthusiasts: 1. Nikon D850, 2. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 3. Nikon D750, 4. Canon EOS 6D Mark II, 6. Nikon D7500, 7. Canon EOS 5DS/5DS R, 8. Canon EOS 7D Mark II, 9. Nikon D500, 10. Sony Alpha A99 Mark II.

Local retailers are Samy's Camera and Hooper Camera. If you are averse to paying sales tax, shop Adorama at https://www.adorama.com or B&H https://www.bhphotovideo.com. Shop only “authorized” retailers. Now you no longer have an excuse to remain cameraless. Just pick one and buy!

Blessings to you and yours this Thanksgiving as you gather with loved ones to celebrate the holiday. Preserve the precious memories with lots of photos to enjoy henceforth!

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

A reported weapon on campus put Fillmore High School on lockdown, Tuesday, November 13th, from noon until 2:45pm. About 50 Sheriffs Deputies searched the students, backpacks, lockers and rooms. No weapon was found. Above, concerned parents gathered across from the school.
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Students were told to shelter in place, many hiding in barricaded storage rooms as shown right.
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The Fillmore Police Department and Ventura County Sheriff’s Office investigated an anonymous tip of a gun on the campus of Fillmore High School. After an extensive search of the campus, no handgun was located and the campus was deemed safe.

On 11-13-18, at 10:50 A.M., the Fillmore Police and Sheriff’s Office was contacted by Fillmore Unified School District administration regarding an anonymous tip received by the school. The tip came through an anonymous reporting system set up by the Fillmore Unified School District. The tip provided very minimal information, saying that there was a gun on campus and someone wanted to hurt a student.

Out of an abundance of caution, and for the protection of the students, district and school administrators decided to place the school into lockdown. More than 50 Sheriff’s deputies worked to verify the information in the tip and ultimately conducted a search of every classroom, student, locker and room at the school. After the three hour extensive search, no firearm was located and the campus was deemed safe.

At the conclusion of the incident, students were released pursuant to school district protocol.

Prepared by: Sergeant Vince Alvarez
Approved by: Captain Eric Tennessen

Courtesy Dan Michel

To many, sitting around a camp fire could be considered living a life of paradise. But to former Fillmore resident, Virginia Michel (FHS class of 45) and her family members, escaping the Camp Fire that was consuming the town of Paradise was anything but idyllic.

She along with her daughters, Candy Woods (class of 65), Holly Peters (class of 77), granddaughter Kacey Woods (class of 72), niece Cindy Sweeney Medley (Class of 68) granddaughter Cally Tidey as well as two nieces and two step-grandsons and their families did just that on Thursday, November 8 as the deadly flames began consuming the town.

Wind-driven smoke and embers turned day into night and clogged escape routes tragically took their toll on many trying to escape the inferno. The death toll stands at 29 souls and 7000 structures lost. Fortunately all of Virginia's family made it safely to a granddaughter's home in Chico but then could only sit and wait for the word on the fate of their dwellings. Several days later the word came that five of the seven family homes were part of the 7000. Holly's home where Virginia lives still stands but is possibly damaged due to the loss of the detached garage. The house belonging to step-grandson Jay Peters was the other survivor. Home owners were told they wouldn't be able to return to their properties for one to three months because of potential toxins.

Dan Michel, Virginia's son and Fillmore resident, said the families seem to be coping as best they can. He added, "I think they're focusing so much on the beginning recovery steps such as dealing with insurance companies and utilities that the gravity of their loss is pushed aside until the wee quiet moments. They were so supportive when my step-son Brian Zell’s apartment building, Hawaiian Village, burned to the ground during the Thomas Fire; we have to be there for them."

Since Virginia and her late husband Lloyd moved to Paradise in the 1980"s according to Dan, the town has dodged some bullets in regards to fires. Judging by the pictures of the smoking remnants in the media, this time it was a bomb you couldn't evade.

Submitted by Brian Wilson

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

Diaz’s poster was among more than 450,000 entries submitted worldwide in the annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest. Lions Clubs International is sponsoring the program to emphasize the importance of world peace to young people everywhere.

The poster was selected for its originality, artistic merit and portrayal of the contest theme, “Kindness Matters”
Fillmore Lions Club President Eddie Barajas said he was impressed by the expression and creativity of the entries this year. “It is obvious that these young people have strong ideas about what peace means to them. I’m so proud that we were able to provide them with the opportunity to share their visions.”

Diaz’s poster will advance through the district, multiple district and international levels of competition if she is to be declared the international grand prize winner,” Barajas said.

One international 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 a special award ceremony. The 23 merit award winners will each receive a certificate and a cash award.

At Tuesday's regular city council meeting, Mario and Vanessa Robledo were selected to be operators of the Fillmore Equestrian Center.

Both the Robledos and longtime Fillmore resident Steve McKinnon proposed plans to manage the center.

McKinnon has lived in Fillmore since June 1982 and has been a boarder at the FEC for over 20 years. He also has a good relationship with the roping club. He is a semi-retired general contractor with 25 years of property management.

Mario and Vanessa Robledo have lived and board (ed) at the FEC. They own several horses and have a 50-acre private ranch outside of Fillmore where they manage horses and have hosted multiple boarders. In addition, they own and operate Robledo Transportation Logistics, Inc. and Prancer’s Village.

The council praised both offers but decided that the Robledo's provided more experience with equestrian issues.

Public hearing: development permit 17-06 - for 133 detached Condominium units by Comstock Homes located in tentative tract
Map 5520 (phase 2) was unanimously approved.

Heritage valley parks subdivision – consideration of easement Agreements with the Ventura county transportation commission
(“VTTC”), the city of Fillmore, and hearthstone was unanimously approved.

Public hearing: zoning ordinance amendment 18-04 (ZOA 18-04) Deleting section 6.04.7220 of the Fillmore municipal code to
Eliminate general plan amendment pre-screening and adoption of Finding exemption from CEQA, was unanimously approved.

Public hearing: zoning ordinance 18-05 (ZOA 18-05) amending Fillmore municipal code sections 6.04.0401, 6.04.0410, 6.04.0496 and 6.04.3415 to clarify family day care and day care center zoning Regulations citywide and adopt findings of CEQA exemption, was unanimously approved.

Public hearing: adoption of zoning ordinance amendment 18-06 (ZOA) 18-06) to permit supportive and transitional housing and
Emergency shelters citywide as required by the general plan And state law and clarify the distinction between group homes
And residential care facilities and adoption of a finding of Exemption from CEQA, motion was unanimously passed.

Public hearing: adoption of zoning ordinance amendment (zoa 18-08) to eliminate development permit requirements and certain Development standards for new commercial uses in existing Structures city-wide and adoption of a finding of exemption from CEQA.

The Fillmore Christian Academy requested a waiver of entitlement fees as they relocate their campus. Council denied a waiver but structured payment of $4,289 in three parts to facilitate the move. This fee covers the costs of the planning department, Willdan Engineering, and the city attorney to review and process the permit.

Requested approval of a contract with Rincon Consultants, in Connection with planning development application review was unanimously approved.