City Attorney Ted Schneider explains the issues of El Dorado Estates to the council at Tuesday night’s meeting.

There wasn’t an empty seat in the council chamber as the May 8, 2012 Fillmore City Council began. It was a joint meeting with the Council and the Film Commission with a number of items on the agenda, but most in attendance came to hear the Council’s decision on the El Dorado Estates conversion proposal.

Other items were the downtown palm trees being removed, weed abatement, the one third retail requirement for the Central Business District, appeal to the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and important financial issues.

Assistant City Attorney Charmaine Buehner gave a presentation on the City’s legal standing and the judge’s rulings in the case of El Dorado Estates vs. City of Fillmore. The City has prevailed in three rulings, yet that has not resolved the situation. The Petitioner/Plaintiff El Dorado Estates continues to sue, leaving the City with a legal bill of $236,000 to date. This all began on March 5, 2009 when the owners of El Dorado applied to subdivide the one 37.5 acre lot consisting of 302 mobile home spaces into 302 resident owned lots. There was a great deal of back and forth between the City and El Dorado as the application process began with the City not being satisfied with what was submitted. That brought on a threat by the owners to sue the City. On September 28, 2009 a lawsuit was filed by El Dorado and a legal battle began.

The owners of the park lifted the age restriction (morphing from a senior only to family park), which is something not subject to City approval and beyond the City’s reach. But this decision brought concerns for the safety of families with small children due to the lack of a safe play area and the additional parking needed for larger families. There is concern that these issues have an environmental impact.

The City objected to CONTINUED »

Nick Medina, a 2007 Fillmore High School graduate, got his first professional role as Vissarion Belinsky in the Shotgun Players version of Tom Stoppard’s “The Coast Of Utopia: Voyage”. The play ran from March 14, 2012 to April 29, 2012 with a total of 34 performances.

Nick gained the role as V. Belinsky while interning at the small Berkeley, California theater group, Shotgun Players and auditioned after being coaxed by director Patrick Dooley as a joke, not thinking anything would come of it. Well, something did come of it, to his surprise he was cast in one of the starring roles.

The “Coast of Utopia: Voyage” is the first in a three - play trilogy and is a dense play about Russia’s struggle for freedom set in the 1833 to 1844 era. Nick, being one of the youngest cast members, did a fantastic job. The Berkeley Daily Planet released a review of the play on April 20, 2012 and had this to say “…One performance stands above the rest: Nick Medina as V. Belinsky, the impoverished, less-educated revolutionary and literary critic, in the midst of aristocrats. Shy and awkward, ragged and a little dumpy among these lithe patricians, when he is aroused his rhetoric about the Revolution is entrancing and makes one want to rise to the Marseillaise. Medina knows how to play Stoppard: he directed a production of his “Travesties” as few years ago”. Another review from For All Events by Richard Connema said, “Nick Medina gives an electrifying performance…”

You may remember him CONTINUED »

Joshua Magallon, Fillmore, 24

On May 3, 2012, the Fillmore Police Gang Unit with the assistance of the Sheriff’s Gang Unit served a search warrant at the residence of Joshua Magallon. The Fillmore Police Gang Unit received information that Joshua Magallon who is on California Youth Authority State Parole for Assault with a Deadly Weapon was in possession of firearms. The investigators recovered a stolen handgun, a large amount of ammunition, and evidence of Magallon selling Methamphetamine. Magallon was also under the influence of a controlled substance.

Joshua Magallon was booked into the Ventura County Jail for numerous weapons and narcotic charges, as well as a parole hold. Magallon is not eligible for bail at this time.

Gang Search Warrant / Recovery of Weapons and Illegal Narcotics
Report Number: 12-9792
Location: 1300 Block of Waterford Lane, Fillmore, CA
Date & Time: May 3, 2012 / 7:30 am
Unit Responsible: Fillmore Police Gang Unit / Sheriff’s Gang Unit
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
Joshua Magallon Fillmore 24
Deputy Preparing Media
Release: Sgt. Anthony Aguirre
Media Release Date: May 3, 2012
Follow-Up Contact: Sgt. Anthony Aguirre 805-524-2235 / anthony.aguirre@ventura.org
Approved by: Captain Monica McGrath
CHIEF OF POLICE
CAPTAIN MONICA MCGRATH
SHERIFF
GEOFF DEAN

SFC Zavala and COL Wolff

SFC Gilbert T. Zavala, served with Task Force 71, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, during OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM in the Helmand Province, Gereshk, Afghanistan. On the morning of 20 OCT 2008 at 0830, while serving with a combined Special Operations Task Force, Afghan Security Guards and Afghan National Police were attacked by a three sided ambush while conducting a Combat Reconnaissance Patrol in the Helmand Province, Afghanistan. SFC Zavala's entire convoy came under direct fire initiated by a mortar round and for 30-40 minutes the convoy was under intense volumes of fire from RPG's, recoilless rifles and mortar fire while dispersed in a Wadi north of the Helmand canal in the Loy Mandah region. The Special Forces TM SGT's vehicle was receiving accurate PKM machine gun fire along with multiple Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) rounds narrowly missing the Civil Affairs vehicle. Upon receiving the command over the radio, SFC Zavala started to move his vehicle to higher ground to try to gain fire superiority and after moving about 50 meters his vehicle received a direct hit in which the RPG which penetrated the vehicles armor. The blast peppered the interpreter with shrapnel and knocked SFC Zavala and SFC Montenegro unconscious. SFC Montenegro, the Team Medic, was the first person to regain consciousness and he then revived SFC Zavala. IOT regained control of the vehicle. Unable to talk and having trouble hearing due to the concussion of the blast, SFC Zavala opened his door to let out the smoke to allow oxygen into the vehicle since the RPG blast initiated the fire extinguisher system. After establishing visual contact with the SF TM SGT, SFC Zavala drove the CA vehicle north about 100-150 meters to get out of range of any incoming rounds. Upon stopping the vehicle, SFC Zavala was immediately attended to for injuries sustained from the explosion. After receiving aid, SFC Zavala then jumped into the turret of his vehicle and noticed the 50 Cal machine gun was damaged, then moved to the M240 machine gun and returned fire towards the enemy positions that were still firing onto the CA and SF TM SGT vehicles with RPG's and PKM fire. After the enemy fled, SFC Zavala then jumped out of the turret and ran to the other side of his vehicle to assist in the treatment of casualties and removed them from the vehicle to prep for MEDEVAC. For his injuries, SFC Zavala is therefore awarded the Purple Heart.