At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting Fillmore Chief of Police Garo Kuredjian spoke regarding the addition of a second School Resource Officer for the next 2.5 fiscal years. It was approved by Council.

Council Approves Second School Resource Officer

8-A At the February 11th City Council meeting members of the City Council requested the placement of a discussion regarding the possibility of having the agenda translated into Spanish on a future agenda. Councilwoman Lynn Edmonds stated that she would like the City Council to consider having the agenda translated, not the staff reports or other agenda items, and made available at each City Council meeting.

Three transcription services were contacted to determine costs. The average cost would be about $3,000 per year, not including staff costs.

Following discussion, council failed to pass this motion.

8-B Mid Year Financial/Budget Analysis and Fund Balance by Fund Submitted for review is the 1) Mid-Year Financial Report, which is the fiscal year to date through mid-year financial results, and the Financial Forecast through the remainder of the fiscal year for the General, Water, Sewer, Recreation, Community Pool and Street Funds; 2) a summary of the Fund Balance by Fund (Attachment A) starting with FY 2014-15 plus the forecast for the current fiscal year impact on fund balance and the ending fund balance; and 3) request to approve a Supplemental Budget Request.

It was reported that "The overall financial position of the City is stable. Property taxes are down , and sales tax revenue continues to decline. Fortunately development permit revenue is up and is currently offsetting the reduction in sales tax. However, development permit revenue is considered one-time revenue and therefore not a reliable source of revenue to meet ongoing expenses in future years."

8-C The City Council approved the addition of one (1) deputy sheriff position to the existing police services contract with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office in order to add a second School Resource Officer (SRO) for fiscal years 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22.

8-E The City Council is being requested to approve a new contract with Owl Tek, LLC, to provide information technology and film permitting services. This contract will cover a two year time period. The City will have the ability to extend the term for two addition alone-year periods. The decision to exercise an option to extend the contract would require a contract amendment approved by the City Council and notice to Owl Tekat least 90 days before expiration.

FISCAL IMPACT: The base cost of this contract is for 32 hours of services for all services other than the film permitting work at $2,000 per month. Additional hours above the 32 base hours will require the approval of the City Manager and will be charged at a rate of $45 per hour.

The City of Fillmore has been utilizing Patrick Maynard to provide IT Consulting Services since August 15, 2015. Since then, Patrick Maynard is now part of a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), Owl Tek. Owl Tek will continue to provide the City with computer desktop application support; server and work station administrative services; microwave network support; network administration services; assistance with email, security and backup efforts, channel 10 broadcast live streaming, telephone systems, physical security at City Facilities, film permitting, and any additional project that may be added by the discretion of the City Manager as needed for the City’s efficiency and business practice improvement.

Staff is recommending that the City Council: 1. Approve the contract for two years with Owl Tek, LLC, to provide consulting services as stipulated in the scope of work of the contract.

Council unanimously approved the recommendation.

Submitted by Jan Lee.

The Vision 2020 Civic Pride Committee has selected a really fun theme for the Flower Show this year. It is “Fairy Tales and Flowers”. The theme should inspire some beautiful displays of bouquets, arrangements, potted plants and single stem flowers.

Again this year, the Flower Show will be held at the Active Adult Center (533 Santa Clara Street, Fillmore) on May 2nd and 3rd. There will be youth and adult categories. Pull those weeds. Plant those seeds. Nurture those roses and other garden plants. Now is the time to plan to participate in the flower show. Every year, we invite the town to participate and view the flower show. It is so much fun!

The 2020 Civic Pride Committee does numerous things in Fillmore. They plant and maintain many of the planters around town. They also award a Yard of the Month recognition to Fillmore yards. That is how they know many people have gorgeous flowers and plants surrounding their homes. Yes we have many rose entries. But one category is “Any Other Unlisted Flower”. That means anybody could enter at least one bloom to share with the rest of us. You don’t have to be a botanist to grow a flower or plant. Nature does most of the work. Once you take a chance and enter the flower show, you will discover that gardeners are friendly, helpful people. We sincerely hope you will enter something in the flower show this May.

For more information go to fillmoreflowershow.org

Bob Crum

The digital age has infiltrated our lives in many ways--some good, others aggravating. Digital devices from audio recorders, TVs, cameras and of course, cellphones. Ah yes, cellphones, the prolific pocket-size devices that render cognitive-behavioral therapy for the gazillions of people who have a narcissistic personality disorder. And of course, to occasionally make a phone call.

While the plethora of digital devices presents many appealing conveniences, it has also caused yet another photographic demise: The print! Remember prints? We shot some photos on a 36 exposure roll of film, and before we finished the whole roll, we rushed to the one-hour photo facility. After relishing a Starbucks iced dirty chai latte, we dashed back to pick up the prints.

Back at Starbucks, LOOK at Johnny at his first birthday party putting the whole cupcake in his little mouth. OMG, here's a photo of Aunt Julie falling off the picnic table. And one of the cute little puppy, but who is the idiot who named him Wigglebutt? Ah, the wonder of prints!

Photographic prints used to document everything from anniversaries, to birthday parties, to graduations, to family reunions and get-togethers on holidays. Cellphones killed all of that. Phonetographers take snapshots all day to plaster on Instagram and or charm their Facebook (FB) friends and watch to see how many 'likes' their masterpiece collects. What? Only 12 likes? Com'on people. It's a gorgeous photo of my trophy pumpkin! When was the last time you had a print made from a photo you took on your cellphone? Never? I'm not surprised considering that 53% of consumers haven't printed a photo in more than 12 months, 70% don’t have photo albums and 42% no longer print photos at all!

Let's briefly consider technology. You presently back up your photos on hard drives. Good. But did you forget that hard drives crash! Poof, photos all gone. Oh, you are one up on me, eh? You have your photos stashed up in a cloud. Good for you. Wait, are you sure that 'cloud' company is going to be around in 10 years? Or what if they hike the storage price to a point you can't afford? Gotcha! And BTW, have you heard about HEIF? HEIF (High-Efficiency Image File, pronounced 'heef' as in beef) is a new file format. The MPEG group developed it. The HEIF format is used by Apple as a modern replacement for JPEG . But to view a HEIF, you have to first convert it to a jpeg. Egad! Point being that all those great jpegs from your cellphone might not open on state-of-the-art computers of the future. More about this important subject later.

In the meantime, the digital-photography-school.com website sums up the topic perfectly. "While there is joy in taking photos and viewing them digitally, our satisfaction is not properly realized until we have printed our photos. A photo that isn’t printed is like a script that is never performed or a musical composition that is never played. There is still value in the digital photo, just as there is value in a script or musical composition. But the value is mainly the hope that one day the digital photo will be printed and share a bodily life with us – to inspire us, cheer us, and remind us."

If the paper edition is not in color, be sure to check the photo of the week at fillmoregazette.com. The first person who can briefly describe how I made the photo wins one free scoop of Baskin-Robbins ice cream. Happy photoing!

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

At last night's school board meeting, Sandy Butts of Mountain Vista Elementary School, presented the foreign exchange students who are attending Fillmore High School this year.

February 18, 2020 Meeting

Second Interim Report Presentation
The Governing Board received a presentation on the Second Interim Report by Andrea McNeill, Assistant
Superintendent of Business Services.

Approve Memorandum of Agreement for School Resource Officers (SRO)
The Governing Board approved the Agreement with the City of Fillmore.

Approve the 2019-2020 Comprehensive School Safety Plans for Fillmore USD Schools
The Governing Board received a presentation and approved of the 2019-2020 Comprehensive School Safety
Plans for Fillmore High School, Sierra High School/Heritage Valley Independent Study, Fillmore Middle School,
Mountain Vista Elementary School, Piru Elementary School, Rio Vista Elementary School, and San Cayetano
Elementary School.

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

Happy 115th Birthday to Rotary International! Rotary Club of Fillmore and the Interact Club of Fillmore High School will be celebrating the event by doing some community service. Rotary’s motto is: Service Above Self. They will be joining Soroptimist International of Fillmore in cleaning up the bike path. The Soroprtimist will also be hosting the annual treasure hunt for the kids in the community. Both events will take place on Saturday, February 22nd from 9am-10am. We will be meeting in the parking lot of Taco Llama (corner of “A” Street and Old Telegraph Rd.) Please bring a bag for your treasure, wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, cap, gloves and sunscreen. We will provide the trash bags and picker uppers. This FREE event is open to the public. For more information on the Rotary Club of Fillmore and/or Soroptimist International of Fillmore please contact Ari Larson 805.794.7590 or email: petenari55@hotmail.com

Bob Crum

Phonetographers continue their ardent clamor: Photography is dead! Emails received reveal that many have plumbed the pages of a Merriam-Webster dictionary for words such as deceased, defunct, done and bitten the dust to justify their state of mind. But camera companies - Canon, Nikon, Fuji Film and Olympus - didn't get their memo telling them to go out of business.

Hark, phonetographers! Camera companies, obviously operating in a parallel universe, are continuing to produce new and exciting high-tech cameras and tantalizing lenses for "photographers" and photography enthusiasts! Phonetographers, look at what you're missing.

The most advanced Rebel to date, the exciting new Canon EOS Rebel T8i is equipped with a 24.1mp CMOS APS-C sensor, Digic 8 image processor and ISO range of 100-25600. Designed with intuitive recognition technology, this powerful camera also recognizes and remains locked on your subject with its 45-point all cross-type AF system, EOS iTR AF (Face Detection) during viewfinder shooting and Eye Detection AF during Live View shooting. For vloggers or social media aficionados, the EOS Rebel T8i offers 4K 24p video capability and vertical video support, along with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology, making it easy to share everything you capture.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a significant feature of the new EOS Rebel T8i: AF button. Those of you who follow this column regularly know that I use 'back button' focus, not the half-depress of the shutter release button to activate autofocus. The "AF" button on the T8i is a dedicated autofocus button, a huge benefit, IMO.

Nikon’s new long-awaited flagship DSLR has finally arrived. The Nikon D6 is equipped with a 20.8-megapixel sensor powered by a new Expeed 6 processor offering burst shooting up to 14 frames per second. Other features include: 105 cross-type autofocus points, ISO range extends from 100-102,400, expandable up to 3.2 million, 4K/30p video recording capabilities, now with focus peaking and MP4 recording and built-in WiFi. Bluetooth and GPS and 14 customizable buttons. (Y'all know how much I love camera buttons!)

Olympus announces OM-D E-M1 Mark III and a new pocket camera, the PEN E-PL10. The OM-D E-M1 Mark III is the third iteration of this model equipped with a Micro Four-Thirds 20-megapixel sensor that features a new image processing TruePic IX engine.

Forget worrying about shooting in the rain. Being weatherproof and dustproof is a significant benefit! Rain forest photography anyone?

This M1 Mark III handheld can produce a high-res shot by stitching together 16 photos to create a single 50mp image. Wow! Other features include 121 cross-type autofocus points, 5-axis in-body image stabilization, up to 60fps RAW + JPEG capture and Pro Capture mode records frames right before you fire the shutter. And UHD 4k/30p and DCI 24p video. Awesome!

Why are these dynamic camera companies continuing to produce new and exciting cameras if photography is kaput? Hmm. Perhaps new technology makes photography more exciting than ever? And everyone knows that a dedicated camera can create better photos than any cellphone, right?

Even though it's a micro 4/3 sensor camera, the specs of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III are impressive. If it weren't such a hassle, I'd sell all my Canon gear and buy the new OM-D E-M1 Mark III camera and a couple of lenses. It appears to be the perfect camera for my specialty: Mermaid boudoir photography. However, specs are not always translated to shooting in the field so I need first to try out the camera.

Photo of the week is the Rincon made looking west from Faria County park during the recent king tide. High tide indeed!

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

City Planning and Community Development Director Kevin McSweeney gave a brief oral report on the status of several on-going development projects including fast-food restaurants Sonic and Wendy’s.

The City of Fillmore is undergoing a great many housing projects, homes, condos, and apartments. Kevin McSweeney, City Planning and Community Development Director, gave a brief oral report on the status of each of the following development projects:

7.A Development Project Updates
The City of Fillmore is undergoing a great many housing projects, homes, condos, and apartments. Kevin McSweeney, City Planning and Community Development Director, gave a brief oral report on the status of each of the following development projects:
1. Sonic
2. KB Homes
3. Citrus Packing House, 341 A St.
4. People Self Help, 215 Palm
5. Many Mansions
6. Alex Glasscock, 461 Central Ave
7. Iron Horse, Rio Vista Park, Traffic Circles, Levee Bike Path
8. East Bridges (133 units)
9. Iron Horse Rollover I (76 units)
10. Iron Horse Rollover II (90 units)
11. Heritage Groves (160 units)
12. Old Sewer Plant Land Use Options prepared by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students
13. Measure I, Amendment to the North Fillmore Specific Plan

The old Burger King site is expected to be replace by Wendy's.

The City Council requested to have a discussion regarding the potential expansion of residential uses on properties within the Commercial Highway (CH) zone along Highway 126 between “A” Street and Mountain View Street.

The discussion was tabled until the 2021 Housing Element update is underway, as was done for the Many Mansion project site, Citrus Packing Project site, and Balden Towne Plaza Expansion site before the last housing element cycle.

Council was asked to consider authorizing a contract with Data Ticket, Inc. to provide administrative and parking citation processing and adjudication services. The term of the proposed agreement includes the remainder of Fiscal Year 2019/20 plus the next two Fiscal Years, 2020/21 and 2021/22, and an optional one-year extension. It was stated that greater efficiency, better customer service, and a higher ratio of cost recovery can be gained by outsourcing the processing of administrative and parking citations. Council will study the plan further to decide which of three vendors is best for the city. Council is expected to contract with Data Ticket to provide this service.

Enlarge Photo

Courtesy Manuel Minjares Facebook Page

While Fillmore’s homelessness issues are nowhere near the scale that we see in other communities in our county, we do indeed have many that can’t afford housing and have no choice but to live on the streets, under a bridge, in the river bed, or in a vehicle.

The point in time count is exactly what it sounds like, a count of the homeless individuals during one day out of the year. In addition to the importance of knowing the size of your community’s homeless population, the numbers from the count are also used to determine federal funding allocations to address homelessness.

A big thank you goes out to all those all those individuals that participated in the count throughout the county and to those that work everyday to help get our neighbors off the streets.

(left) Supervisor Kelly Long with her District Representative and Fillmore City Council Member Manuel Minjares.

Wednesday, February 5th the Ventura County Healthcare Agency hosted a Town Hall meeting at the Fillmore Active Adult Center. The meeting was well attended, and the Agency along with Santa Paula Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee and HCA officials shared information regarding healthcare services available in the Santa Clara Valley, performance data on the Santa Paula Hospital, and future considerations for the location of the Santa Paula Hospital. Those in attendance were separated into small groups and asked to answer questions regarding Healthcare service needs, then shared their answers for all to hear. The Agency will compile the information from the meeting and will share them at a future City Council meeting for both Fillmore and Santa Paula. The next town hall meeting will be February 18th, at 6pm at the Santa Paula Community Center. Courtesy Supervisor Kelly Long Facebook page.

Walt Gonzales

Walt’s Jewelry has been a fixture in Fillmore for 30 years. Generations of engagements, marriages, birthdays and anniversaries have been celebrated with jewelry gifts from Fillmore’s only jewelry store.

Walt opened for business in November 1989 in the old Vons Shopping Center before moving to his current location on Central Avenue, across from the post office.

“I saw families grow over the years, and enjoyed watching them leave happy with their jewelry and repairs,” said Walt.

“I want to thank all the customers and friends who supported my business for all these wonderful years of gratifying labor. I received a lot of satisfaction offering them my services, accomplishing a job well done.”

The Fillmore Gazette first reported on Walt’s Jewelry in its December 21, 1990 edition. Walt talked about how he started out in Fillmore after Howard’s Jewelers closed on Central Avenue, and how the Persian Gulf War, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, “put a damper” on business.

Walt’s phone number is (805) 990-5010 for any questions, advice or personal communications. Walt is offering a 30% discount on gold jewelry, and a 50% discount on silver. He will close business for good on February 29th, at 2 p.m.

Walt’s Jewelry will be missed!

Fillmore, CA – 2018 Fillmore High graduate Kasey Crawford was honored along with her teammates during halftime at a recent Dixie State University basketball game. Kasey, along with her teammates, were awarded their rings for winning 2019 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Softball Championship. Randy Simkins, the head softball coach said Kasey was "a player to watch in the 2020 season” where the Trailblazer are favored to win the championship and advance to the division 2 world series.”

At Fillmore High, Kasey earned four varsity softball letters, three-time first team All-League selection, garnered second team All-County honors, was two-time MVP, earned a Golden Glove award, and was a four-time academic All-League honoree.

Kasey is the daughter of Eric and Carina Crawford and is currently majoring in general studies.

Bob Crum

Last week I began with the repeated question: "Why do I persevere in promoting the dead medium called photography?" One can presume the question is appropriate, given the increased quality of cellphone cameras to take respectable photographs.

Remember the portrait studios in J.C. Penney, Sears Roebuck and in just about every town in America? All gone except for a few private studios! Besides most professional photo studios going out of business, professional wedding photographers are struggling to survive. To save money, a growing percentage of brides request a relative with a 'camera' to shoot their wedding. Why not, considering the plethora of mediocre photos on Instagram, the population at large is used to so-so photos. Mediocre is becoming the new standard. Also, with the continuing decrease in newspaper subscriptions, the ranks of photojournalists are steadily decreasing.

Photographer Talbert McMullen, says "tastes, attitudes and values are changing as fast as technology. Cheap digital cameras with decent lenses and powerful zooms (and phones with triple cameras) take the worries out of casual photography. Unfortunately, such opportunities give many people the wrong perception of themselves and their abilities. Now they have the DIY attitude: “Why pay someone to do something that I can easily do myself?”

Conversely, the optimistic Phoblographer says, "In my honest opinion, professional photography is far from dead. Instead, I believe professional photography is thriving. Never before have I seen a collective group of people be so excited about the industry they’re working in. Never before have I seen professional photographers be so excited about all of the stunning new things that can be achieved with new cameras and new lens technology. Professional Photography is evolving for sure, but it’s not dying. Not by a long shot." Amen! The same applies to photography enthusiasts!

Remember photo prints? Photographer Tom McDermott concludes: "For now, the pro-studio is all but dead, due to the new national motto, "it'll do". America is all about cheap, equaling mediocrity. The term photograph means "a picture created with/by light". He who controls the way light affects a subject before pushing a button, and the interaction or lack-of, is the photographer, and amateurs armed with the best camera gear will be photographers, but never will they, or their pictures, be of 'professional' standards. As the pros disappear, and the void filled by Best Buy amateurs that charge money, a sad reality will come upon the world in 50 years when there is no real record of families, babies, graduates, weddings, and large family groups that no amateur can capture adequately to create family heirlooms that hang above the fireplaces."

Though it's obvious some forms of photography are no longer viable, there are other forms very much alive. Sports photography for example. Did anyone notice that every Super Bowl photographer was shooting with a dSLR camera? Not one pro shooting with a cellphone! Hmmm. Photography, in many forms, will be performed for decades to come. Count on it!

Photo of the week was made at Faria County Park on the last day of the King Tide, an extremely high tide! I selected this photo because it's an example of what I mentally envisioned as I programmed my 'camera' to achieve the desired result. I wanted to illustrate the power of the water and some blur to illustrate motion. If I had my 4-stop neutral density filter, I could have slowed down the shutter speed further for more motion blur without blowing out the highlights. As it was, I captured the characteristics of the wave as intended, impossible to achieve with, ahem, a cellphone. But you know that, don't you?

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