On Saturday, May 16, 2009 at about 3:10 P.M, a nine year-old female [Denise Arredondo] Piru resident drowned at Lake Piru.
The young Piru girl was wading in water about 50 yards off shore in the Lake's day use area. She was being supervised by adult family members. Suddenly, she slipped underwater and her family immediately ran through the water to the area she had been playing. They searched for her and Lake Rangers were contacted by her father. She was not wearing a flotation device.
Rangers responded immediately in a rescue boat and started searching underwater. They were assisted by an off-duty Sheriff's Helicopter Paramedic. A Sheriff's rescue helicopter arrived and deployed a rescue diver.
Senior Deputy Shane Matthews conducted a diving search for the missing girl in about 8 feet of water. The visibility was less than 3 inches due to the high winds on the lake. Shortly thereafter, Senior Deputy Matthews found her submerged. He brought her to the surface and began resuscitation efforts with the assistance of rangers and other emergency personnel. She succumbed and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On 3-11-2009, a male subject fired several handgun rounds at a group of individuals standing in the 3900 Blk of Citrus View Drive, in Piru. No one was hit but several of the rounds struck a neighboring house.

Gang investigators later identified the suspect as Fillmore gang member Jose Aguilar, 22 yrs. On 3-20-2009, Gang investigators served four search warrants and arrested Aguilar for attempted murder. Gang investigators also identified the person who drove Aguilar to the shooting scene as Arturo Isarraras, 18 yrs. He was also arrested on 3-20-2009.

On Friday, 5/15/09, the Sheriff’s Gang Unit and several members of the Ventura Police Department served six additional search warrants in an attempt to locate the gun used in the March 11th shooting. Four guns were seized and one person was arrested during the searches. All of the locations searched were the homes of fellow Fillmore gang members. CONTINUED »

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On Wednesday, April 29, 2009, Brandi Walker, a fourth grade teacher at San Cayetano School, took two students to the 2009 NES National Student Symposium in Houston, Texas. Angelica Mercado, age 11, and Taylor Wright, age 9, were chosen to present their robotics project at the symposium. Taylor and Angelica had previously been part of the two robotics teams that competed at the Southern California NES NASA JPL Robotics Competition winning first and fourth place respectively. The teacher and students were flown, free of charge, to Houston, Texas. The girls presented their power point in front of a panel of NASA engineers and scientists. The panel asked the students follow up questions when they were done with their presentation. Following this, the students went to activities where they were able to touch rocks from the Moon and engineer machines to shoot water at a target. The afternoon was spent touring Johnson Space Center, where students were able to see the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, while the astronauts were training, life-size mockups of the US and Russian space shuttles and space station, as well as Rocket Park. The following day, the students were taken to Space Center Houston, where they learned about the history of space flight. An education specialist led them through an activity on building rockets. The girls were then able to test their rockets in a game of Rocket Golf with their fellow rocket engineers. After lunch, a space-suit engineer gave a demonstration and seminar on the space suit. The afternoon finished with a panel of NASA employees speaking and answering questions about their careers at NASA. A closing ceremony was held on Friday evening, in which each student was recognized for their participation in the symposium and given a NASA medal and certificate. This was a once in a life-time experience for the students and teacher who were invited to participate in the three days fully funded by NASA.

The NASA Explorer Schools Project establishes a three-year partnership between NASA and school teams to help fourth through ninth grade education communities improve teaching and learning in science, technology, math and engineering. The project works primarily with diverse groups of students who are underrepresented in these disciplines or who are traditionally underserved in rural or urban parts of the country. The project joins educators, students and families in sustained involvement with NASA's research, discoveries and missions.
The opportunity to participate in the symposium was open to all current NASA Explorer Schools. Students were required to complete a research investigation focused on NASA missions or research interests, including science, aerospace, reduced gravity, robotics, plant growth in space, or living and working in space.

Confusion surrounds much of the controversy between the District Office and School Employees. Issues include a debate over how many employees are needed at the District Office, limited access to public information, uncertainty over administrators’ salaries, and anonymous communications to the Gazette.

At the April 21st Board Meeting, FUTA President Theresa Marvel had accepted the Board’s offer to hear alternate proposals from the public, and handed out a written budget-cutting proposal suggesting that the District reduce the number of top-level administrators, primarily by demoting administrators and reducing the number of work-days in their year. Marvel argued that the District Office was over-staffed, based on her analysis of other districts’ staffing levels. Marvel’s analysis of the number of top-level administrators in Fillmore, Ojai, Oak Park, and Ventura was based on data she gathered from the Ventura County Public Schools Directory (VCPSD), as published on its website. Assistant Superintendent Evalene Townend disputed those numbers, and provided the Gazette with her own lists based on phone conversations with employees of the referenced districts. The Gazette examined Ventura Unified’s numbers as a sample to determine whether Marvel’s analysis was inconsistent with the data provided. Marvel counted only Supervisors, Assistant Supervisors, Directors, and Coordinators, because she was primarily interested in reducing top-level staff. Townend’s lists of District Office staffs listed many more employee at each office, including specialists, secretaries, and clerks. She noted that Ventura Unified had 135 employees at the District Office. The Gazette based its analysis on the VCPSD but counted Managers and Assistant Directors, in addition to the top-level employees that Marvel counted. Marvel’s count of Ventura Unified included 1 Superintendent, 3 Assistant Superintendents, 13 Directors, and 1 Coordinator. The modified count included 1 Superintendent, 3 Assistant Superintendents, 13 Directors, 2 Coordinators, 4 Assistant Directors, and 2 Managers. From the job titles listed on the web site, it was difficult to tell whether some positions were top-level or support staff. In fact, a person listed as “Risk Manager” on the web site was listed by Townend as “Director of Risk Management”. Whether Marvel is correct in concluding that Fillmore is top-heavy with school administrators is a matter for the School Board to determine, but her data is not inaccurate enough to damage her argument. CONTINUED »

Leo Contreras of Fillmore
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Scott Petuoglu of Fillmore
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Miguel Yepes of Fillmore
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unknown skater doing a nose grab.
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Zach Casas of Newbury Park
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Zander Gabriel of Ojai
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Twenty high school skateboard teams descended on the Fillmore Skate Park this past weekend to compete in region #1 of the National High School Skateboard Association competition. This is Fillmore’s 2nd event and they skated very well and placed 6th as a team. Skating for Fillmore was Nick Avila, Leo Contreras, Joey Liu, Scott Petuoglu, and Miguel Yepez. In the individual top 20 scores, Leo Contreras placed 6th, and Joey Liu placed 16th out of 90 skaters. Jeff Stern, Founder of NHSSA built the first ever organization to hold a season of skateboard competitions where high school skateboarders come together as a team to compete against other high schools. Forty teams are competing, with each team made up of 5 of the best skaters from each high school. There are two regions with 20 schools in each region. After three competitions in each region, the top 10 teams from each region will advance to the finals, hoping to win “best skate team” for the season. After the finals, the top 20 individual skaters will have the opportunity to compete at the X Games in a “best trick” contest. Mr. Stern, President of NHSSA, felt a need to get the sport of skateboarding recognized as a legitimate sport. He states, “The talent these kids have is incredible, and I don’t believe the parents or the community understand what it takes to get to the level some of these skateboarders have reached.” Find more information and standings at www.sk8nhssa.com.

The Fillmore Historical Museum is displaying vintage wedding dresses and photos from 1886 to the 1960s, 340 Main Street, Fillmore. Call for hours.
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Beginning on May 15, 2009, the Fillmore Historical Museum located at 340 Main St. in Fillmore will be displaying wedding dresses and photos from 1886 to the 1960s. The display includes a century-old hand crocheted wedding dress, a lovely dress made from a silk parachute, a dress worn by a mother and her daughter, and a 70 year old dress that is modern enough to be found on the fashion runways of today. Courtesy of Mathias Gonzalez, we include the Hispanic tradition of the father of the groom writing the father of the bride, asking for the bride’s hand in marriage. Pictures of the families and a copy of the letter, written in Spanish and translated into English are on display. We invite you to visit the museum and discover the joys of romance and marriage during the time period since Fillmore’s establishment until the mid 20th century.

The Museum has been fortunate that over the years local Fillmore residents have donated numerous of their family treasures to be displayed for all to see. This is your hometown museum dedicated to showing how Fillmore and its surrounding communities of Bardsdale, Sespe and Piru grew and developed.

The restored 1887 depot now is home to many railroad related photos and artifacts. There are tools used by the farming community, photos of the early days and a beautiful mural created by local artist, John Brothers, depicting Central Avenue about 1910. CONTINUED »

The Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting was held May 5, 2009. The audience was smaller than at previous meetings, but the teachers' union (FUTA) President Theresa Marvel attended, as did staff union (CSEA) Executive Board Member Sheila Duckett. The FUSD Board heard a report on the District-level English Learner Advisory Committee, approved the calendar for the 2009-2010 School year, approved a 3-year Technology Plan, and discussed a recent hearing regarding some of the layoffs.

The Board approved the school calendar for 2009-2010. The Board had two choices, and, after expressing regret over the 2nd Quarter ending after Winter Break, chose Calendar B to avoid having a short first semester and long second semester. School will start August 26th (avoiding conflict with this year's County Fair August 5th-16th), and end June 17, 2010. During the discussion, FUTA President Theresa Marvel and Assistant Superintendent Evalene Townend fervently disagreed on whether the calendar development process had differed from previous years' methods. They agreed that FUTA had submitted a list of prioritized elements to be incorporated into the calendar, but Marvel claimed that in past years the calendar had been developed at the negotiating table. Townend said that FUTA's and CSEA's requests had been incorporated to the best of her ability. Marvel said that more teachers disapproved of both choices than in previous years. CONTINUED »

Statement provided by Fillmore Teachers Association (FUTA)

The Fillmore Unified School District Board of Education is currently considering a set of budget reductions recommended by the District Administration to balance the budget deficit that the District currently faces due to the State fiscal crisis. When the Board first started meeting this year at special Budget Study Sessions to begin this process, it was the stated goal of both Board members and the District Administration to keep the necessary cuts as far from children and the classroom as possible. This goal made sense, inasmuch as it is the purpose of the School District is to educate the children of Fillmore, Piru and Bardsdale.

As the Budget Study Sessions got underway, a series of recommendations for cuts were made. Theresa Marvel, Fillmore High School teacher and President of the Fillmore Unified Teacher’s Association (FUTA), which represents the teachers and other certificated employees of the District, regularly attended these sessions and noted which cuts were being recommended. As the weeks passed, and the recommendations mounted, it became apparent to Ms. Marvel that in contrast to the stated goal of the Board and the District, the vast majority of the cuts being recommended directly impacted children and their education. CONTINUED »

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Enrique (Erick) Boelcke (DOB 08/17/44), formerly of Santa Monica, was sentenced to serve five years and four months in state prison for embezzling from his former employer, Santa Clara Organics.
An internet search shows a Fillmore PO Box for Boelcke.
On March 6, 2009, Boelcke pleaded guilty to three counts of felony grand theft. The matter was investigated by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.
Boelcke worked for Santa Clara Organics in Santa Paula for approximately ten years. Eventually, the company entrusted him to run the day-to-day operations of the business, including bookkeeping tasks. In 2007, it was discovered that Boelcke had been stealing from the company since 2003. Boelcke stole cash and company checks. He also used company credit cards for personal gain and paid large amounts of company money to his ex-wife and his ex-wife's business. In total, Boelcke stole $556,995.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Bruce Clark ordered Boelcke to pay $556,995 in restitution to the victim. Property seized from the defendant's home, including cash, computers, electronics and cameras, was also ordered returned to the victim. Since Boelcke took full responsibility for the thefts and exonerated his ex-wife, Diana DeCastro, charges against DeCastro were dismissed.

Ventura, CA. - The Ventura County Public Health Department announced the fifth probable case of swine flu on Monday. This new case is the first case in the east county, identified as a high school student from Newbury Park High School. Due to the contagious nature of this virus, the Public Health Officer, Dr. Robert Levin, has decided to close the high school, for an undetermined amount of time, as well as call for the cancellation of the school's annual prom, set for this Saturday.
Additionally, the Public Health Department announces that the state lab has tested two of the first four cases and has confirmed that they are swine flu. Over the weekend the CDC referred all probable cases to the state lab for confirmation.
The remaining three cases will be tested for confirmation in the next few days.
The Public Health Department wants to remind the community that the virulence of this flu has not clearly been established and the best way to keep yourself healthy is to heed the following guidelines:
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever possible.
• Businesses can increase safety for employees by wiping down commonly used devices such as telephones, daily.
• If you're sick stay home from work or school.

For more information please call Sheila Murphy at 805-677-5274 or 805-637-4955.

Ventura, CA. - The Ventura County Public Health Department today identified a fourth probable case of swine flu. This new case is the third school-aged child, and the second identified as a student at Art Haycox Elementary School. “This is the second student from this school to be diagnosed as having this virus,” said Dr. Robert Levin, Public Health Officer for Ventura County. Dr. Levin called for the closure of Art Haycox Elementary school last Thursday, April 30th, as well as Blackstock Junior High, where a third student attends school. Another case, an adult who resides in Ventura, was identified late Thursday afternoon.
The Public Health Department will conduct an on-site visit to Haycox Elementary School prior to it re-opening next week.
While it has been reported in the media that two nurses who had contact with two of the Ventura County probable cases were hospitalized, an investigation by the Public Health Department found this to be false.
One nurse was hospitalized but was tested twice for swine flu and was negative both times. The second nurse was seen in an emergency room for symptoms unrelated to swine flu and was discharged and sent home.
“Both nurses’ health conditions appear to be unrelated to the swine flu,” assured Dr. Levin. He added, “It is important to correct the perception that contact with individuals with swine flu in Ventura County sickened two nurses and led to their hospitalization. This is not borne out by the facts.”
For more information please call Sheila Murphy at 805-677-5274 or 805-637-4955.

Ventura, CA. - The Ventura County Health Care Agency and the Public Health Department announced late today that it has identified two probable cases of swine flu in Ventura County. The Public Health Laboratory identified the two positive results early Wednesday evening. These are the first cases of swine flu to be identified in this county. Elsewhere in California, 14 cases have been confirmed as well as another 28 probable cases. Swine flu has now affected 91 people in the United States.

According to Dr. Robert Levin, Public Health Officer for Ventura County, these cases are not entirely unexpected, as the Public Health Department has been aggressively seeking out potential cases since the swine flu outbreak was first made public last week. The Public Health Department has been diligently practicing surveillance on patients treated throughout the county with flu-like symptoms, especially those who have had recent travel to or from Mexico.

“This is not a surprise that we would identify swine flu in our county,” said Dr. Levin. “We’ve been expecting it. But it’s not a time for panic, either. We have an adequate supply of Tamiflu available for these patients and are well-prepared to care for them as well as any potential patients who may be in our community.”
This is what is known about the cases identified today in Ventura County:
• An elementary school child from Oxnard became ill at school and was brought to a local emergency room. He has not been hospitalized and is recovering without treatment.
• A middle school child from Oxnard as well, who was seen in a local clinic, was treated with Tamiflu and is also recovering.

In order to minimize the spread of disease, the county health officer asked the superintendent of the two involved schools, Art Haycox Elementary School and Charles Blackstock Junior High School, to close down for approximately one week beginning the April 30. Health officials are asking that any children who attend these schools who develop a fever and flu-like symptoms should see their physician. Also, while these children are out of school, they should avoid group activities.

County health officials today activated the JIC (Joint Information Center) to coordinate information that will be sent to area school districts and community members. Residents are encouraged to use good health habits, such as frequent hand washing, using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, coughing and sneezing into the crook of their arms or into their shoulders, using and then disposing of Kleenex, and staying home from school or work if they are ill.

The county’s Department of Public Health will continue to monitor reports of patients treated throughout the county and will make information available regarding any additional cases of swine flu.

People suffering from flu-like symptoms should seek medical care from their regular health care provider and should stay at home if they are feeling ill to prevent the spread of any illness. Those who feel ill but cannot afford to see a health care provider are encouraged to seek treatment at any county clinic for low, or no cost treatment.

The national Center for Disease Control has advised against any non-essential travel to Mexico, where the swine flu is believed to have originated. Anyone returning from recent travel to any county or country with reported cases of swine flu should monitor their health for 7 days and seek immediate medical attention if they develop a fever along with flu-like symptoms, including cough, sore throat, loss of appetite, fever and fatigue.

For more information about swine flu and the county’s response to this serious health threat, visit the public health website at www.vchca.org/ph. For additional information please call Sheila Murphy at 805-677-5274 or 805-637-4955.

Fire Chief Bill Herrera

“It is with mixed emotion that I announce to the Community of Fillmore, that on April 13th; I submitted a letter to Bill Bartels to step down as the Fire Chief for the City of Fillmore. I want to make it clear that my decision to step down has nothing to do with the city, the council or any one member of the council. I am stepping down for professional, personal and family reasons. I love the Fillmore Fire Department of which I will continue to be a member of and I love being part of this community. The City has treated me with great respect, they have been very flexible with my time and they have allowed me to lead the department in the best way I saw fit. I took leadership of the department at a very difficult time in its history. With the help of some of the most unselfish people I have ever met; our department members, I am proud of the accomplishments over the last year. The department is strong and providing first class service to the citizens of Fillmore. Mr. Pennell and I are working together to create a seamless transition plan for the next Fire Chief; this plan will also include my last official day. It has been an honor to lead the City of Fillmore Fire Department over the last 11 months. I want to thank all the members of the department and the community for all that they give to the citizens of The Last Best Small Town in Southern California. I want to also thank my wife Kathy and my two kids Megan and Joey who over the last year probably gave the most. I love you guys!”