Calvery Chapel of Oxnard
On Tuesday, February 16, 2016, Explorer Sergeant Nicholas Bartels was awarded the 2015 Explorer of the Year for the City of Fillmore. Nicholas has been an Explorer for four years and due to his hard work and dedication, he has risen to the rank of Sergeant with Explorer Post #2958. In 2014, he attended a three-week long Explorer Academy, where Nicholas was an active group leader and ultimately earned the Academy Leadership Award. Over the years, Nicholas has contributed over 500 hours of his time to the post and to the citizens of Fillmore through many community service events. He has also been a big contributor to the post’s tactical teams, often serving as team leader for tactical scenarios at the Chandler, LASO, and Arcadia Explorer competitions. Nicholas has also been a liaison between the Fillmore and Western Railroad and the Explorers, setting up training events on the train and coordinating details for the train. While not working with the Explorers, he is an active member of the community by participating in Mock Trial, swim team, Fillmore High School drum major, Interact Club member, Piru School science fair judge, Youth Rotary member, to name a few. Due to his hard work, dedication, and leadership skills, Explorer Sergeant Nicholas Bartels is a well-deserving recipient of the 2015 Explorer of the Year.
Prepared by:
Isela Larin
Citizen Patrol/Associate Advisor

Paul Benavidez, representing the Lions Club, presented samples of proposed fruit label murals to be painted on building walls around town.
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Caltrans District 7 Deputy District Director Ali F. Zaghari gave a presentation on the proposed changes to Highway 126 at Tuesday's Fillmore City Council meeting. The SR-126 Safety Improvement Project also brought many Fillmore residents to the council chamber to speak during Public Comments.

The proposed project will begins at Hallock Drive in Santa Paula east to E Street in Fillmore. Zaghari informed the Council that Caltrans initiated an in-depth safety investigation and study in 2009 after a series of cross-median collisions between 2007-2009. In 2010 an interim project was proposed and completed in 2012 that included the installation of rumble strips and speed feedback signs. Data collected and completed in 2015 showed a reduction in general accident rate but Zaghari explained "rumble strips are the answer." the main problem is the speed of traffic. In 2009 the speed limit was reduced to 55 mph, but the majority of traffic is between 65-70 mph.

What Caltrans is proposing are a number of changes that include a concrete median barrier or a raised median island with visual markers. The change proposal that received the greatest push back was a set of four roundabouts spaced 1.5 miles apart. Their proposed placement going west starting at Fillmore would be Old Telegraph Road, then west of Spalding Drive, the third would be Toland Road and the last location would be east of Hobson Road.

Another change option to the highway includes two undercrossings which would be located near Old Village Road and near Hall/Sycamore Road, and a third change proposed would be left turn lanes at Orcuit Road, Willard Road, Hall/Sycamore Road and Atmore Road.

Zaghari showed the Council a video of a turnabout on State Highway 138 in Palmdale and said the goal is to slow the traffic down saying the "intention is traffic calming." Council Member Douglas Tucker asked if it would slow traffic through town to a standstill and how many accidents had taken place during a 12 month period at the video location.

Mayor Diane McCall asked CONTINUED »

At Tuesday's Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Meeting the Board of Trustees approved the application for a County-District-School Code, which is the first formal step in creating a Fillmore Adult Education Program (FAEP). The funding for the program comes from a $504,409 Adult Education Block Grant the district recently received and not out of FUSD's General Funds. In the past FUSD had offered Adult Education classes, but they were through Ventura College who ran the program. The FAEP is now going to be offered through the District's own program.

FUSD started offering a limited class schedule of Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) and Computer/Tech Literacy at Sespe Elementary since 2015. To meet the growing needs of the community new classes will be offered that include a General Education Diploma (GED), on-line classes to obtain a High School Diploma and carrier technology.

FUSD will be working with other Adult Education Schools in the county including Ventura College. Classes will be taught in the local schools and will have zero impact on FUSD's K-12 Budget.

Anthony Ibarra, Director of Technology, along with two new FUSD Computer Specialist employees Gill San Jose and Robert Ash, gave an update on the District's Technology Services. Ibarra informed the Board that in two years the present network will be far outdated. Presently the system broadband is just barely sufficient with 500 Mbps, (mega bits per second), but will need 4,000 Mbps in 2018 and the Wide Area Network (W.A.N.) which is the district wide connection speed to schools is presently 1 Gbps (gigabyte per second) and will also not be adequate in 2018.

The Local Area Network (L.A.N.) within a school will also be obsolete in 2018 and must have an upgraded network path of travel with the installation of fiber optic solutions that is scalable and support from 1 to 10G speed.

Ibarra informed the Board his department is in the process of setting up a campus network that will replace outdated cables, outdated equipment, install wireless and update the phone system and is expected to be completed next month.

At present only faculty and staff have access to Office 365, but the District will soon be adding students which will allow the students to install the full Office application on up to 5PC's or Macs at home for free.

Ibarra suggested the District start looking for the $2,560,000 needed to upgrade next year to 10G speeds along with a new location for the datacenter that has backup power and the other upgrades needed. Ibarra presented a breakdown of cost for each upgrade: Horizontal Cable $450,000, Network Equipment $900,000, Telephone System $350,000, Wireless $250,000, Servers $150,000, Power Backup $120,000, PA/Bell/Clock Intercom $200,000, Workstations $140,000.

Assistant Superintendent Martha Hernandez briefly presented to the Board regarding the State requirement for a Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) and what it entails. FUSD is in the third year of Program Improvement (PI) and the State of California requires documentation of student improvement and the documented plan the District will use to achieve it.

SPSA forms the basis for all Title 1 funds which is the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act passed in 1965 (currently know as No Child Left Behind) that provides funding to local school districts to improve the academic achievement of disadvantaged students. Districts must submit to their state education agency a plan stating how the funds will improve academic achievement.

In developing the plan the California Education Code requires school districts work together with a School Site Council (SSC) which consists of parents, teachers, administrators and others in developing the SPSA and addressing how the funds are to be used to improve student performance. The SPSA must be reviewed by the SSC annually and updated, and has the decision-making authority, including proposed expenditures of funds.

The implementation of Common Core State Standards has given California school districts additional time to bring their academic achievement out of Program Improvement due to the first pilot year of testing which was not used to evaluate student progress. Where FUSD stands regarding PI will be answered after the spring 2016 testing.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

A message from Detective Chip Cadman:
Farm Watch readers, on Sunday (February 14th), Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the 1900 block of Wooley Road in the unincorporated area of Oxnard, in reference to suspects entering fenced storage yards and out buildings. The Deputies were able to detain and later arrest two suspects for burglary (459 California Penal Code), Juan Carlos Arceo (45 years) and Magdiel Ramirez (26 years). Deputies identified two properties the suspects entered. Stolen property was recovered and returned to the rightful owners. These suspects were associated with a yellow 1997 Ford F250 pickup truck (California license plate #04110E1).

The suspects were interested in welding equipment and batteries from farm equipment. Several farms in this area have previously been the victims of battery thefts. If you own property in this area, please take additional steps to protect your property. If you have been the recent victim of a theft, please contact Sheriff’s Dispatch and request a deputy respond to your location to take a crime report, so we can try and tie these suspects to more crimes. Please look at the below posted photographs of the suspects and see if you recognize them as being on your property. A collaborative effort will help us prevail over criminals.

The following advice is always wise if you suspect illegal activity on your property:
• Call the Sheriff’s Office immediately at 911.
• Be a good witness, note suspect descriptions such as age, height, weight, facial hair, clothing, and shoe type.
• If a vehicle is involved, obtain a license plate number and note vehicle color, body damage, bumper stickers, camper shell, after market tires and wheels, etc.
• Provide the dispatcher with information about the time and last known direction of travel.

Agricultural Crimes Detective Chip Cadman
E-mail: greg.cadman@ventura.org
Office: 805-384-4726
Work Cell: 805-797-6424
Sheriff’s Office Dispatch 805-654-9511
Be alert and stay safe!
Chip

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Fillmore, on Tuesday, February 23, 2016, in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, at 6:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, will consider adopting the ordinance summarized below:

Ordinance No. 857 Rescinding Ordinance No. 16-856 and Adding Chapter 7.40 and Amending Sections 6.04.1615 and 6.04.1620 of the Fillmore Municipal Code, Imposing an Express Ban on marijuana Cultivation, Marijuana Delivery, and Mobile Marijuana Dispensaries and Finding that such Amendments are not subject to CEQA.

Summary: This ordinance will ban marijuana cultivation, marijuana delivery and mobile marijuana dispensaries in the City.

The complete text of Ordinance No. 857 is available for review in the City Clerk’s Office in City Hall, 250 Central Avenue, Fillmore, California. Please contact the City Clerk’s Office at dianai@ci.fillmore.ca.us or (805) 524-1500 ext. 211, if you have any questions regarding this ordinance. Any and all interested persons may appear and be heard.

Written comments may be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office, 250 Central Avenue, Fillmore, California 93015, for consideration by the City Council at the meeting. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the City of Fillmore does not discriminate against persons with disabilities and is an accessible facility. Any person with a disability who requires a modification or accommodation to be able to participate in this meeting is asked to contact the office of the City Clerk at dianai@ci.fillmore.ca.us or 805-524-1500 ext 211, no fewer than two business days prior to the meeting to allow for reasonable arrangements. The City Council Chambers is equipped with a portable microphone for anyone unable to come to the podium. Assisted listening devices are also available upon request.

Dated this 11th day of February, 2016

(l-r) City Manager Rowlands, Council Member Minjares, Mayor Pro Tem Broggie, Mayor McCall, Council Member Tucker and Council Member Neal.
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Tuesday's Fillmore City Council Meeting began with a number of city residents signing up to address the Council during Public Comments. Some came and sat with protest signs held high. One after another spoke on what they considered needs changing in the Council itself. Council Member Douglas Tucker was not in attendance during the Public Comments and arrived at 6:55 p.m., after all the speakers had spoken.

First to speak was Steve McKinnon saying "Words matter" emphasizing the need to be responsible for ones actions and commenting on the pressure and bullying toward the late Fillmore Fire Chief Rigo Landeros by members of the Council. McKinnon called for "certain people to resign."

Next to address the Council was former Mayor, Councilmember and 24 years on the Fillmore Fire Department, Roger Campbell. "We lost somebody special" he told the Council. "The fire department was a big part of my life" and continued by thanking three Council Members, Manuel Minjares, Mayor Pro Tem Carrie Broggie, Mayor Diane McCall and City Manager David W. Rowlands "You did what you could." Campbell was noting that those three Council Members were not to blame for what most consider a tragedy in the untimely death of Landeros.

Next was Kenneth Creason a 38-year resident of Fillmore. "A great injustice has been done" Creason began and reminded everyone how Landeros' dedication to duty assured the community that in case of an emergency "Rigo" was there. "The untimely death of Rigo is a tremendous loss to the community......this city does not need or want bullying of city employees." Creason also called for resignations of council members.

Creason made comment on what was said during the January 5, 2016 Fillmore City Council and Successor Agency Special Goal Setting Session Meeting and questioned why it was not being put into the meeting minutes. The question of what was said was later addressed by Minjares and McCall after the Public Comments were over.

Fillmore resident Veronica Levy began, "I didn't know Rigo, I wish I had. I've never seen such an outpouring of grief by a community." She then suggested the street Sespe Place be renamed, Rigo Landeros Street in honor of him.

Former Council Member Brian Sipes addressed the Council stating he was bullied while serving on the Council and that was what lead him to resign May 15, 2013. Sipes stated he had seen "violent temper tantrum outbursts by Tucker.....I have nothing to gain by being here, all I want is the truth."

Jamie Melagon, like many others who addressed the Council, spoke of the pain that has been brought to the community and stated a councilmember needs to resign.

Tim Holmgren, a member of the Planning Commission, stated, "An amazing spirit has left us.....The community is divided which will leave us in turmoil." Holmgren spoke of healing and the need to come together and ended with, "To Rigo, I just want to say we miss you."

Former Mayor and Councilmember Patti Walker addressed the Council agreeing with Levy on renaming Sespe Place Rigo Landeros Street. She said it would be so appropriate being right in front of the fire station where Rigo loved working.

Last to speak during Public Comments was Ernie Vegas who reiterated what those going before him had stated, ending with "We need to remember Rigo's dedication to the city and the passion he had."

The comments speaker Creason referred to at the January 5, 2016 Fillmore City Council and Successor Agency Special Goal Setting Session Meeting did not have any audio or video recording and there were only three people in attendance, besides the Council Members and city staff.

The City Staff and Council who were in attendance were Council Member Tucker and Rick Neal, Minjares, Broggie, McCall and City Staff Rowlands, Financial Director Gaylynn Brien, Police Chief Dave Wareham, Planning and Community Development Director Kevin McSweeney, Human Resource Director/Deputy City Clerk Diana Impeartrice, Community Services Supervisor Annette Cardona and the last meeting that Chief Landeros had attended.

During the meeting there was a short back and forth between Neal and Landeros. Neal questioned Landeros about some Fillmore Fire Foundation funds and asked if they were suppose to go to the City, to which Landeros responded affirmatively. In a January 11th email exchange with Rowlands, when asked why Landeros would seem to admit that “something was amiss with the funding” by his affirmative answer, Rowlands stated, “Rigo was trying to calm the situation and said the [Fillmore Fire] foundation can provide those funds to the city. However, in talking to him later I said no we are not doing that as nothing improper occurred.”

At the workshop Minjares then interjected, questioning the timing of Neal's question and if the issue was a goal setting issue. He then suggested the issue be addressed at another time. McCall interjected, stating nonprofits have records and they (the Council) could look into the matter later. There were questions of why the comments were not put in the minutes when it was spoken during an official meeting.

During this Tuesday's meeting McCall and Minjares wanted make a clarification to the record on what they remember saying back in January in response to the questioning of Landeros by Neal. Minjares stated he did not feel the question was in the form of a goal, asking Neal if the meeting were the proper place to ask such a question and if it should be part of the goal workshop. McCall remembers stating the question was to a nonprofit and they have records that can be reviewed.

During Tuesday’s meeting McCall brought up the sale of the Fire Chief vehicle, which almost brought her to tears and she needed to compose herself before continuing.

In a related agenda item Rowlands asked for approval in adopting a City Council Code of Conduct toward City Staff. Minjares commented that the resolution would bring clarity on proper conduct once it is in writing. He asked if city staff comments had been taken into consideration and was told "yes" they were part of creating the document. Discussions went back and forth, most agreeing on the merits of the resolution.

Fillmore resident Alex Mollkoy questioned the public clarity of the document stating that most people viewing the meeting on TV or the internet would not have the printed paper in their hands and therefore would not know what the Council was approving. He suggested it be presented to the public, "word for word", what exactly is being proposed or maybe have a presentation on it. Minjares agreed with Mollkoy on presenting it "word for word" and proceeded to read the entire resolution.

What the resolution basically states, beyond the previous Code of Conduct, is a Council Member must discuss problems or issues with the City Manager, Mayor, or City Attorney if it is a legal matter, and not directly with other city staff; basically if puts a distance between the Council and city staff. A vote was taken and all council members approved the new resolution.

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Thursday, February 4th, EVI Emergency Vehicles Incorporated delivered the Fire Department’s new Rescue 91. This vehicle replaces the old rescue that was taken out of service due to mechanical issues about a year ago. Chief Rigo Landeros pushed for this new vehicle to serve not only the citizens of Fillmore but to serve citizens throughout the Santa Clara Valley.

Eighty percent of Rescue 91 was purchase with money from the annual Community Development Block Grant Fund and the other twenty percent is coming from the city’s general fund budget. The CDBG grant program serves the Ventura County area. City staff work together with County staff in planning the use of these funds.

The unit is a heavy duty commercial grade chassis, with a custom box to carry emergency equipment such as the Jaws of Life, over the side rope rescue gear, EMS equipment, back boards, a stokes, building and vehicle stabilization equipment and miscellaneous tools. It will also carry two firefighters along with all the gear they will need for structure and wild land firefighting. Because of the vehicles load capabilities, there is room to acquire and carry additional equipment. The vehicle should last an estimated twenty years.