Re-elected FUSD board members were sworn in at last night’s board meeting. (l-r) Returning to the board were Sean Morris, Lucy Rangel, and Scott Beylik.
Re-elected FUSD board members were sworn in at last night’s board meeting. (l-r) Returning to the board were Sean Morris, Lucy Rangel, and Scott Beylik.
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Annual Organizational Meeting of the Board of Education: Election of Officers
The Governing Board conducted an election of officers at the December 18, 2018 Annual Organizational Meeting.
President: Kelli Couse
Vice President: Lucy Rangel
Clerk: Virginia de la Piedra

Presentation and Approval of Single Plans for Student Achievement
The Governing Board received a presentation and approved the Single Plans for Student Achievement for all seven Fillmore USD schools.

Board Policy Updates (Second Reading)
The Governing Board approved Board Policy 0000 Mission, Vision, Core Values and Board Policy 0200 Strategic Goals.

Approve License Agreement with Gourmet Specialties, Inc.
The Governing Board approved a License Agreement with Gourmet Specialties, Inc. for use of a parcel of land at the school farm for the purpose of operating an herb and vegetable farm.

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

 
Air Force Pilot and Flight Instructor Chris Gurrola has been promoted to Major. Joining Chris at the Promotion Ceremony in Columbus, Mississippi, were his wife Cassie, and their four children, Luciana, Joaquin, Annelise and Viviana, as well as his parents, Tim and Amy Gurrola. Chris graduated from Fillmore High School in 2005, then attended college at the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Congratulations to Major Gurrola!
Air Force Pilot and Flight Instructor Chris Gurrola has been promoted to Major. Joining Chris at the Promotion Ceremony in Columbus, Mississippi, were his wife Cassie, and their four children, Luciana, Joaquin, Annelise and Viviana, as well as his parents, Tim and Amy Gurrola. Chris graduated from Fillmore High School in 2005, then attended college at the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Congratulations to Major Gurrola!
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Fillmore Man Sentenced for First-Degree Murder in Vehicular Killing
Eduardo Robles, 30, of Fillmore
Eduardo Robles, 30, of Fillmore

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Eduardo Robles (DOB 10/29/87), of Fillmore, was sentenced to 34 years to life in prison by Judge Ryan Wright. On October 22, 2018, Robles was convicted of first-degree murder of motorist Benjamin Brown and attempted murder of his passenger Jose Gaspar.

On May 31, 2018, Robles was driving his vehicle on Highway 126 when he intentionally rammed the car in front of him, which was being driven by Mr. Brown, in a premeditated attempt to kill his passenger, Mr. Gaspar. The impact of the collision caused Mr. Brown’s vehicle to veer across the highway and collide with a tractor-trailer. This sentencing, as well as Robles’ convictions, followed a jury trial that lasted several weeks and included testimony by numerous witnesses concerning the crash scene, the death of Mr. Brown, the injuries to Mr. Gaspar, and Robles’ own statements about his intent to kill using his vehicle.

The prosecution of this case was based upon an extensive investigation by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the Ventura Police Department and Simi Valley Police Department.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 280 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims.

 
Early Versions of the Bill Would Have Expanded Commercial Logging in Los Padres National Forest and Other Public Lands

Submitted by Rebecca August, Public Lands Advocate, Los Padres ForestWatch

After months of contention over conservation, food assistance, and forestry provisions, Congress yesterday passed a final version of the Farm Bill. Several loopholes that appeared in early versions of the bill would have facilitated massive commercial logging across national forests with minimal environmental review and public input.

Typically reauthorized every four to five years, the Farm Bill directs agricultural programs like subsidies to farmers, food stamps, rural development, and research and marketing. Other programs managed by the Department of Agriculture, such as National Forests, are also included in the bill.

Tucked away in the House version of the Farm Bill, passed in June of this year, were multiple provisions that would have fast-tracked logging and other development in forests throughout the country, including Los Padres National Forest. The Senate passed their own version of the bill containing none of these provisions.

The House bill’s hidden riders would have fast-tracked landscape-scale logging projects up to 10 square miles in size, enabling tens of thousands of acres National Forests to be logged. The bill would have permitted bulldozing new roads up to three miles long in pristine roadless areas, removed restrictions on aerial spraying of herbicides that could pollute waterways and harm pollinators, and encouraged the Forest Service to ignore federal wildlife experts, disregarding decades of established development procedure.

The forestry provisions became a major point of disagreement as the two versions of the legislation were reconciled in conference committee, aggravated by White House tweets about forest management and raking. Ultimately, the House riders that would have affected the Los Padres National Forest — where the Trump Administration is currently fast-tracking two large commercial logging projects — were left out of the final 807-page bill after intense public pressure brought on by conservation organizations such as Los Padres ForestWatch. Hundreds of residents throughout the central coast region wrote their members of Congress to demand that the forest loopholes be removed from the Farm Bill.

“This year, the House launched an unprecedented effort to undermine bedrock environmental laws that have been on the books for decades to protect our forests and encourage robust public input,” said Los Padres ForestWatch Public Lands Advocate Rebecca August. “We will continue to monitor new legislation that could negatively impact local public lands, and work with local congressional representatives to protect the Los Padres National Forest.”

All four Congressmembers whose districts cover the Los Padres National Forest voted in favor of the final version of the Farm Bill. Congressmembers Salud Carbajal (D-24), Julia Brownley (D-26), and Jimmy Panetta (D-20), voted against the House version’s forestry loopholes. Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-23) voted in favor of the logging provisions.

About Los Padres ForestWatch
Protecting the Los Padres National Forest, the Carrizo Plain National Monument, and other public lands along California’s
Central Coast. Join us today at LPFW.org

 
Photo of the Week "Boat #22, Girlie Girl in the Ventura Harbor boat parade" by Bob Crum. Photo data: Canon 7DMKII camera, ISO 12800, Tamron 16-300mm lens @35mm, f/4.5, shutter speed 1/250 seconds.
Photo of the Week "Boat #22, Girlie Girl in the Ventura Harbor boat parade" by Bob Crum. Photo data: Canon 7DMKII camera, ISO 12800, Tamron 16-300mm lens @35mm, f/4.5, shutter speed 1/250 seconds.
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Merry Christmas!
Bob Crum
Bob Crum

Let's suppose for just a moment that you are fed up with your sedentary lifestyle... wasting away watching Netflix? Reruns of Friends put you to sleep? Ready to put some adventure in your life? Hark, photography will enrich your life in ways you can't even imagine. Just sayin'.

After a breathing treatment last Saturday, I elected to view the Parade of Lights at Ventura Harbor. I arrived an hour early this time hoping to find a parking space quickly. I knew which dock I wanted to shoot from so I turned into Parking Area 1. Whoa! A mirage? Right in front of me, a pickup was pulling out of a parking space. I parked without having to create a parking space. Imagine that!

Gear in hand, I slowly walked over to the nearby dock. The dock is positioned at the far east end of the harbor, where I anticipated the boats would make a 180° turn offering several perspectives.

While there were several hundred spectators spread out across the promenade above, I was surprised that no one was on the dock. Could I be so lucky as to have the whole dock to myself? Wishful thinking!

I locked the camera onto the ball head on my tripod at the end of the pier. As I was busy taking a few practice shots, I heard him: “YOU CAN'T ARREST ME... I HAVEN'T DONE IT!” He slowly staggered towards me. I became concerned about what might happen. As he approached, he reached for my camera. I knocked his arm down. He staggered back and it happened... SPLASH!

Even before I knelt to help assist him back onto the dock, help was rapidly approaching. Harbor employees, hearing the splash, came running down the pier and promptly pulled the boozer back up onto the dock. Once on the dock, they wasted no time whisking him away. Excitement aplenty!

As the start time drew nigh, I felt the dock wiggle. Looking back, I saw a large group approaching. They finally stopped about 10 feet away. Fine Christmas carolers all but I did not appreciate their dancing and prancing. As the dock heaved up and down, I grabbed the tripod and hung on. Thank goodness they settled down as the parade began.

As anticipated, my location was perfect. But, as y'all now know, nighttime photography is wrought with conundrums. But this time I brought my tripod. Why? To stabilize the camera when shooting at slower shutter speeds. If I can slow the shutter speed, when appropriate, it will allow a lower ISO. A lower ISO means less noise in the digital image. Less digital noise means less work in post-processing. It helped somewhat. But there's a limit to how slow the shutter speed can go and not get motion blur of the subject. Because every boat moved at different speeds, and lit differently, every shot had to be quickly evaluated and settings adjusted.

Another great stimulating learning experience. Gotta love photography! I'm pleased with the photos I made with the tripod although the parade was underwhelming. C'est la vie.

Photographers, and phonetographers, be READY! Batteries (phone) fully charged? Uncountable photo ops Christmas morning. Note: Facial expressions, jumps of joy, are spontaneous and fleeting. Miss them and they're gone forever! BE READY! It's counter-intuitive but don't get involved in the happening in front of you until after you've got the shot. Then hoot & holler. Again: Make the photo then celebrate! Afterward, consider a Christmas album of awesome photos! I'll discuss photo albums next time. In the meantime, make awesome holiday photos!!!

To you and yours, with love and gratitude, I sincerely wish y'all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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

 
At last night City Council meeting Diane McCall (left) & Lynn Edmunds (right) took their Oath to Office as the new members of the Fillmore City Council.
At last night City Council meeting Diane McCall (left) & Lynn Edmunds (right) took their Oath to Office as the new members of the Fillmore City Council.
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The Oath of Office was administered to Lynn Edmonds, Fillmore's new City Council Woman. Certificates of Election were also presented to Edmonds and Diane McCall. McCall took second place and will return to her seat on the Council. Incumbent Carrie Broggie will not be returning to the Council. According to the Ventura Star, "Edmonds raised far more than her competitors. .... Edmonds also got money from political committees of two unions: the Southern California District Council of Laborers and the AFL-CIO. And she received contributions and endorsements from the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee and the Santa Clara Valley Democratic Club." (Tony Biasotti, Ventura County Star). Neither Diane McCall nor Carrie Broggie sought money outside. Fillmore Mayor Manuel Minjares praised Carrie Broggie for her exceptional work on the Council. This marks the first time in Fillmore election history that outside political parties and associates contributed significant money to the Council race.

 
On Friday, December 7th at approximately 4:50pm, Fillmore Firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire in the 400 block of Central Avenue. Upon arrival, firefighters found light smoke coming from the attic of a single story family dwelling. Crews located the fire to the exterior of the home with slight extension into the attic. The fire was extinguished and no injuries were reported, with assistance from Ventura County Fire Department. Photos courtesy Jordan Castro, Fillmore Fire Department.
On Friday, December 7th at approximately 4:50pm, Fillmore Firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire in the 400 block of Central Avenue. Upon arrival, firefighters found light smoke coming from the attic of a single story family dwelling. Crews located the fire to the exterior of the home with slight extension into the attic. The fire was extinguished and no injuries were reported, with assistance from Ventura County Fire Department. Photos courtesy Jordan Castro, Fillmore Fire Department.
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Fillmore Firefighters responded to reports of a fire in an alley behind the 400 block of Central Avenue. Upon arrival Firefighters found a small 5x5 trash fire. Responders quickly knocked down the fire without threats to any structures. Firefighters then received a second call about a fire in an alley behind the 400 block of Saratoga Avenue. Once on scene they found a 5x15 trash fire which had extended into a tree near the rear of a residence. The fire was put out by nearby locals. Firefighters checked for extension and worked on overhaul, cause of the fire is still under investigation. Photos courtesy Jordan Castro, Fillmore Fire Department.
Fillmore Firefighters responded to reports of a fire in an alley behind the 400 block of Central Avenue. Upon arrival Firefighters found a small 5x5 trash fire. Responders quickly knocked down the fire without threats to any structures. Firefighters then received a second call about a fire in an alley behind the 400 block of Saratoga Avenue. Once on scene they found a 5x15 trash fire which had extended into a tree near the rear of a residence. The fire was put out by nearby locals. Firefighters checked for extension and worked on overhaul, cause of the fire is still under investigation. Photos courtesy Jordan Castro, Fillmore Fire Department.
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Pictured above are the Fillmore Condor’s Cross Country Team Top row, my left (purple) to right: Leah Barragan, Lindsey Ramirez, Diego Rodriquez, Carolina Garcia, Niza Lauerano. Bottom row, my left (white shirt):Ayden Marquez, Paola Estrada, Lucy Zuniga, Emily Arriaga and Abel Arana. Not pictured: Kailey , Kristen and Kirsten Theobald.
Pictured above are the Fillmore Condor’s Cross Country Team Top row, my left (purple) to right: Leah Barragan, Lindsey Ramirez, Diego Rodriquez, Carolina Garcia, Niza Lauerano. Bottom row, my left (white shirt):Ayden Marquez, Paola Estrada, Lucy Zuniga, Emily Arriaga and Abel Arana. Not pictured: Kailey , Kristen and Kirsten Theobald.
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Submitted by Evelio Arriaga

The Fillmore Condors concluded their 2018 cross country season by participating in the USA Track and Field National Cross-Country Junior Olympic Championships on Saturday, December 8th. Fillmore Condors Cross Country is a non-profit organization under Heritage Valley Blazers Inc. Thirteen athletes ranging from ages 7-12 traveled to Reno, Nevada where they encountered various challenging factors in this competition. The first challenge was the cold temperatures ranging in the low 20s to the mid-30s. There was snow that had turned into solid ice in some sections of the trail and this also made it difficult to maintain a good steady pace for the athletes. The last dare that this beautiful trail tested our athletes with, was the altitude of about 4500 feet above sea level. It was difficult to come up with the best strategy on how to properly run the race because our runners do not train for these conditions. Despite all the demands placed, they enjoyed competing at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park.

USATF is the highest level of competition with athletes from all over the U.S. Top eight athletes in each division from Valley Youth Conference joined forces to create an all-star team, The Valley United Striders. The Fillmore Condors which included, Abel Arana, Emily Arriaga, Leah Barragan, Paola Estrada, Carolina Garcia, Niza Laureano, Ayden Marquez, Lindsey Ramirez, Diego Rodriguez, Kailey Theobald, Kistern Theobald, Kristen Theobald, and Lucy Zuniga, who is a first-time cross-country runner and our youngest to advance, were joined by other top runners.

The first race of the day began with the 7 and 8-year-old girls competing in the 2000-meter race. Condors runners were, Emily Arriaga, Kirsten Theobald, Kristen Theobald and Lucy Zuniga. The top runner for this Striders team was Emily Arriaga with a time of 9:27.4 finishing 28th overall, less than 3 seconds away from earning the All-American individual award. Right behind was teammate Kristen Theobald in 35th, Lucy Zuniga 55th, and Kirsten Theobald in 70th. This group of girls were able to earn 1st place and become the back to back Jr Olympic champions.

The second group to run were the 7 and 8-year-old boys. Abel Arana from the Fillmore Condors was part of this group. He finished the 2000 meters race in 9:11.6 earning him the 56th place, helping his team win 1st place in the team competition to become the Jr Olympic champions.

Following, was the 9 and 10-year-old girls, which include Condor runners Paola Estrada, Leah Barragan, and Kayley Theobald. The highest finisher in this 3000-meter race for this team was achieved by Paola Estrada, finishing at 21st and earning the individual recognition as All-American award, which is only given to the top 25 finishers of each race. The next Condor was Kailey Theobald finishing strong at 112th, and Leah Barragan finishing at 118th. It was a very close team race and they missed the podium by one spot finishing as a team in fourth place.

In the 9 and 10-year-old boys race, Ayden Marquez competed hard and finished the 3000-meter race in 92nd place with a time of 13:09.3 helping his team earn a 2nd place overall finish in the competition.

The 11 and 12-year-old girls 3000-meter race was made up of three of our outstanding Fillmore Condors; Niza Laureano who finished 57th with a time of 12:40.6, Lindsey Ramirez placed 108th, and Carolina Garcia finishing in 184th place.

Fillmore Condor, Diego Rodriguez ran the 11 and 12-year-old boys 3000-meter race. Diego was able to finish his race in 11:41.9 earning 33rd place, 7 seconds shy of earning the All-American individual recognition. Diego was the top runner for his team finishing in 5th place.

The Condors are coached by Temo Laureano, Phillip Ramirez, Isrrael Estrada, Evelio Arriaga, Rafael Laureano and Victor Rodriguez. “We are extremely proud of our athletes. They physically and mentally endure so much during the season. We began training in the July summer heat, to the December cold dark evenings with headlamps. They raced with resilience, heart and grit in a harsh and competitive environment.” Condors President Erika Arana, would like to thank the following Fillmore community for always sponsoring our athletes: El Pescador, Baskin Robbins, Bank of the Sierra, Lions Club, Rotary Club and Heritage Valley Blazers Inc. GO CONDORS!

 
Jenna and Heather Furness stopped to enjoy one of the many decorated Christmas trees lining Central Avenue. Schoolchildren, local clubs and groups, churches. businesses and families are all invited to choose a tree to decorate. Show all that the Christmas Spirit is still alive and well in Fillmore - the last, best, small town. Now go decorate a tree!
Jenna and Heather Furness stopped to enjoy one of the many decorated Christmas trees lining Central Avenue. Schoolchildren, local clubs and groups, churches. businesses and families are all invited to choose a tree to decorate. Show all that the Christmas Spirit is still alive and well in Fillmore - the last, best, small town. Now go decorate a tree!
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Ready, Set, Decorate!

Schoolchildren, local clubs and groups, churches. businesses and families are all invited to choose a tree to decorate. Show all that the Christmas Spirit is still alive and well in Fillmore - the last, best, small town!!!

How?

Find an undecorated tree, try to use homemade or recycled ornaments (please no glass, sharp edges or electrical), leave a 'Christmas Card' in permanent marker on the card staked in the pot telling Fillmore who you are and something you want to say...watch over your tree for the next few weeks to see if it needs to be "spruced up" (especially after a rain or winds)... and that's it!!!

When?

Anytime now, as long as the trees are up...

Why?

Because Christmas is about sharing our love with the people around us!!!

Questions still?

email: reginastehly@gmail.com.

Thank you to the Lions Club for setting the trees up and to Rotary Club which will be taking them down.

 
Friday December 14th on Central Avenue (between Main St & Sespe Ave) for Santa’s Stroll down Candy Cane Lane from 5pm-8pm! Lots of Shop vendors to get all of your last minute holiday shopping done... Plenty of Food vendors so don’t cook dinner... Pictures with Santa Claus in Fillmore Towne Theater!
Friday December 14th on Central Avenue (between Main St & Sespe Ave) for Santa’s Stroll down Candy Cane Lane from 5pm-8pm! Lots of Shop vendors to get all of your last minute holiday shopping done... Plenty of Food vendors so don’t cook dinner... Pictures with Santa Claus in Fillmore Towne Theater!
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Photo of the Week "Rudolf yacht in the Channel Islands Christmas boat parade" by Bob Crum. Photo data: Canon 7DMKII, ISO 16000, Tamron 16-300 lens @57mm, aperture f/5.6, 1/80 shutter speed.
Photo of the Week "Rudolf yacht in the Channel Islands Christmas boat parade" by Bob Crum. Photo data: Canon 7DMKII, ISO 16000, Tamron 16-300 lens @57mm, aperture f/5.6, 1/80 shutter speed.
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Nighttime nightmare!
Bob Crum
Bob Crum

Health is still a tad precarious. Loyal readers will recall I'm experiencing the effects of a nefarious bug (disease) that invaded my lungs. On top of asthma and COPD, it makes breathing difficult.

I had to go to Ventura last Saturday for a refreshing breathing treatment. Afterward, feeling a little better, I sashayed over to nearby Channel Islands Harbor. Well, actually I drove. The reason? View the Channel Island Christmas boat parade for the first time. After all, as y'all know, I relish a challenge. Boats fitted with Christmas lights in the dark of night! Challenge indeed! Remember my previous discussion about excess noise when respectable exposure requires an extremely high ISO? Yesireebob, déjà vu all over again.

After driving around for 20 minutes without finding a parking space within 150 yards of the waterfront, I was about to give up and return home. I haven't sufficiently recovered such that I can walk long distances. Then, by happenstance, I came upon a short spur where two porta johns sat about 10 feet apart. An ideal spot being close to the waterfront. However, not enough room for my F-350 to park between them. So, I slowly backed to one of the johns and cautiously started pushing it further back to make room for me to park. I should have first made sure that no one was in it. As I was pushing it, I heard a scream. The door swung open and I saw a lady fleeing the scene! Oops! Before I could apologize, she continued screaming running through the parking lot disappearing into the night. Her porta john ghost story probably went virile. Anyway, after recomposing myself, I parked my truck now that I made enough room.

I don't know how many parade spectators heard the scream, but I grabbed my camera and nonchalantly mosied down to the sidewalk below bordering the waterfront. After a short walk I found a small opening in the crowd and took my position thinking this boat parade better be good!

Naturally it was nighttime, but I didn't expect a nightmare. Adjust either aperture or shutter speed to compensate for bright lights and the boat was either dark or the highlights blown. OK, why not try the “P” (Program) mode and let the camera figure it out? HA! Except for the parking lot lights behind me, it was darker than black. Thus the camera slowed the shutter speed down to 3 seconds to increase the exposure. WHOA! Think blur! Back to manual mode.

A few boats were brightly lit. Others not so much. Because of the enormous differences, I quickly realized that aperture priority mode might be best. Because depth of field was not important, I opened the aperture to the widest setting. As usual, put ISO on auto knowing it would soar to 16000. Anyway, now I only needed to adjust the shutter speed to compensate for the lights, or lack thereof, on each individual boat. I could do this fast enough as the boats approached and passed by. It usually took only two test shots before nailing the best shutter speed. Thank goodness for slow boats!

The photo of the week is one of the boats with bright lights in the boat parade. Santa is on board but standing next to a very bright X. Look closely and you'll see him.

Next, the Ventura Harbor Parade of Lights and fireworks Dec. 14 & 15, 6:30 p.m., 1583 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura. Fireworks at 8 p.m. Remember: auto ISO, aperture priority, shutter speed between 1/60th and 1/320th. Happy photoing.
Send comments, suggestions or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

 

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, together with the California Attorney General’s Office and 24 other prosecutorial agencies, reached a $7.4 million statewide settlement with Minnesota-based Target Corporation in an environmental enforcement action. The settlement resolves allegations that Target violated state laws, and violated injunctive terms from a 2011 stipulated judgment, regarding the company’s handling and disposal of retail hazardous waste. The civil complaint alleges that between 2012 and 2016, Target improperly disposed hazardous waste into landfills. The waste included electronics, batteries, aerosol cans, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and medical waste including syringes, over-the-counter and prescribed pharmaceuticals, as well as confidential medical information from its customers.

Under the terms of the judgment, Target is required to pay $3.2 million in civil penalties and $900,000 for fees and costs. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office will receive $319,819 under the settlement. In addition, Target was ordered to pay $300,00 to fund Supplemental Environmental Projects. Target was also ordered to expend at least $3 million to conduct three annual inspections and

audits of 12 facilities and provide reports to the Attorney General and local prosecutors to ensure ongoing compliance with environmental laws.

The District Attorneys of the Counties of Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Fresno, Humboldt, Kings, Los Angeles, Merced, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Stanislaus, Tulare and Yolo, and the City Attorneys of Los Angeles and San Diego also participated in this action.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 280 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims.
Follow the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office on Twitter @VenturaDAOffice

 
 
Fillmore High Principal John Wilbur addressed the Unified School District Board.
Fillmore High Principal John Wilbur addressed the Unified School District Board.
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Fall 2018 High School Sports Review
Governing Board received a presentation on the Fall 2018 High School Sports Review. Superintendent, Dr. Adrian Palazuelos introduced John Wilber, Principal and CIF Representative, who delivered the presentation.

Fall 2018 Sports Medicine Report
The Governing Board received a presentation on the Fall 2018 Sports Medicine Report. Superintendent, Dr. Adrian Palazuelos, introduced Breanna McLain, Director of Sports Medicine, who delivered the presentation.

2018-2019 First Interim Report Presentation
Governing Board received a presentation on the 2018-2019 First Interim Report. Assistant Superintendent, Andrea McNeill, delivered the presentation.

Public Hearing and Receipt of Initial Proposal
The Governing Board conducted a public hearing and receipt of initial proposal of the Fillmore Unified School District to the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association (FUTA) and second public hearing and receipt of initial proposal of the Fillmore Unified School District to California School Employees Association (CSEA) #421.

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

 
On Sunday, December 2nd from 5pm to 7pm the Fillmore Fire Department hosted their Annual BBQ Chicken Dinner & Toy Collection at the Fillmore Fire Station. Friends and families from the community brought along their toy donations and enjoyed a delicious chicken dinner. All toy donations will be used for the Annual Community Giveaway which will be held Saturday, December 15th. Photos courtesy Fillmore Fire Department.
photos online at www.
On Sunday, December 2nd from 5pm to 7pm the Fillmore Fire Department hosted their Annual BBQ Chicken Dinner & Toy Collection at the Fillmore Fire Station. Friends and families from the community brought along their toy donations and enjoyed a delicious chicken dinner. All toy donations will be used for the Annual Community Giveaway which will be held Saturday, December 15th. Photos courtesy Fillmore Fire Department. photos online at www.
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Last week, at approximately 12:30pm, Fillmore Firefighters responded to a dog on a roof in the 1000 block of Howard Street. Upon arrival firefighters found a German Shepard on the roof of a single story single family dwelling in mild distress. The dog was placed in a harness and lowered down to safety, where it was reunited with its owner. Photos courtesy Jordan Castro, Fillmore Fire Department.
Last week, at approximately 12:30pm, Fillmore Firefighters responded to a dog on a roof in the 1000 block of Howard Street. Upon arrival firefighters found a German Shepard on the roof of a single story single family dwelling in mild distress. The dog was placed in a harness and lowered down to safety, where it was reunited with its owner. Photos courtesy Jordan Castro, Fillmore Fire Department.
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Pictured is the Thomas Fire near Fillmore taken Thursday, December 7, 2017.
Pictured is the Thomas Fire near Fillmore taken Thursday, December 7, 2017.
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Tuesday, December 4th, 2018 marked the first anniversary of the Thomas Fire which ravaged Ventura County, forever changing lives and the landscape of the Santa Clara Valley and so many other communities in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Supervisor Kelly Long, along with officials from Santa Paula and Fillmore, are encouraging local residents to take a moment this week to remember the fire victims and recognize the heroic efforts of our first responders.

The Thomas Fire started on December 4, 2017 just outside of Santa Paula and is the largest wildfire in Ventura County’s history consuming 281,893 acres, destroying over 1,000 structures, including 777 homes and requiring the evacuation of more than 94,000 people. “The Thomas Fire’s impact on the communities in the Santa Clara Valley cannot be understated.” Supervisor Long said, “Lives were lost, personal and agriculture property were lost and damaged, and our schools were forced to close, yet our communities remained resilient. The County continues its commitment to work closely with our local, state and federal agencies including FEMA and the SBA to rebuild properties damaged in the fire.”

This month’s one-year mark provides us a perfect opportunity to reflect on how our communities were impacted, lessons learned, and focus on steps we can take in the future to improve our collective disaster response approach. Santa Paula Mayor Ginger Gherardi stated, “We all witnessed neighbors helping neighbors and our public safety officials - at all levels, met the challenge to keep us safe and informed. It is critical that we acknowledge the impact that the Thomas Fire has had on all of us, assess our response, and chart our path forward”. Recovery efforts continue to this day with most damaged properties cleared of debris and nearly 2,000 properties surveyed with taxes adjusted by the County Assessor, Tax-Collector and Auditors office.

The recent Woolsey and Hill Fires which burned through more than 100,000 acres combined last month, highlight the importance of preparing for this “new normal”. Fire officials from Ventura County Fire as well as Fillmore Fire continue to remind us that wildfires are now a year-round reality in Ventura County. “Every family in the Santa Clara Valley should create a Family Disaster Plan that includes meeting locations and communications plans”, said Fillmore Fire Chief Keith Gurrola. “Residents need to take personal responsibility for protecting themselves, their family and their property and be ready to evacuate in a moment’s notice when a wildfire is on the move.”

Residents are encouraged to sign up for VC Alert at www.vcalert.org for all emergency notifications.

 
The Piru Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, December 8th. The Parade will start at noon, with sign-up at 10am. A festival follows the parade and is over at 6pm. Music - Santa - Booths! (above) This year’s Grand Marshal’s Tomas and JoAnn Torres pictured with their kids.
The Piru Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, December 8th. The Parade will start at noon, with sign-up at 10am. A festival follows the parade and is over at 6pm. Music - Santa - Booths! (above) This year’s Grand Marshal’s Tomas and JoAnn Torres pictured with their kids.
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Submitted by Piru Neighborhood

The Piru Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, December 8th. The Parade will start at 12pm with sign ups beginning at 10am. Festival follows parade and is over at 6pm. Music - Santa - Booths! The Grand Marshals of this year’s Christmas Parade are Tomas and JoAnn Torres.

Tomas and JaAnn’s Bio
Tomas and JoAnn Torres are both proud Piru natives. Tomas grew up the cowboy way of roaming the hills of Piru Canyon as the son of the caretaker of the Piru Dam and enjoyed hunting, fishing and working cattle. While growing up, Tomas participated in local sports activities and was a proud football player for the Fillmore Flashes. JoAnn grew up in a family that ran the local market, Sanchez Grocery, and volunteered their time to the community of Piru. JoAnn began her community work as a summer youth program coordinator at Piru’s Warring Park before she left to pursue her college career that included attending New York University.
In 2009, due to no sports programs offered in the town of Piru, Tomas and JoAnn worked with a group of community members to create Piru Youth Baseball. Later established as Piru Youth Sports (PYS), Tomas and JoAnn work to help coordinate a program that currently serves over 350 youth a year in baseball, soccer and softball as well as adult softball programs.
Tomas and JoAnn both work for the County of Ventura, Tomas almost completing 20 years of County service. Both have participated in Piru Neighborhood Council meetings, and Tomas completed the Piru emergency response program CERT. When not serving their local community, Tomas and JoAnn enjoy camping trips with their three children James, Thomas and Lily Jo and weekend BBQ’s.

 
Photo of the Week "Angler silhouette against a giant smashing wave on the jetty" By Bob Crum. Photo data: Canon 7D MKII camera, ISO 250, Tamron 16-300mm lens @70mm, aperture f/11, 1/1000 shutter speed.
Photo of the Week "Angler silhouette against a giant smashing wave on the jetty" By Bob Crum. Photo data: Canon 7D MKII camera, ISO 250, Tamron 16-300mm lens @70mm, aperture f/11, 1/1000 shutter speed.
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f/11 and be there!
Bob Crum
Bob Crum

You watched the fantabulous Fillmore Christmas parade, didn't you? Sadly, I didn't. First parade I've missed in 15 years! You saw Santa on Fillmore & Western's Santa train didn't you? I didn't. Depressing!

To my chagrin, I have both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Late last Friday afternoon my lungs became extremely congested impacted to the degree that breathing was extremely difficult. I have not been so debilitated in years and to say that it's frustrating is an understatement. When an additional disease invades my lungs, it's like the feeling of suffocation. Rejoice! Even with a very low SpO² (Blood/Oxygen level), I can still write.

Last week’s Photo of the Week, the yellow-crested night heron, brought many questions regarding the extremely high ISO. So, why minimal noise visible in the photo? Below you'll see how I deal with excessive image noise.
First "image noise" is like grain in the days of film. In photos, this noise appears as random speckles and can significantly degrade image quality. A camera's "ISO” speed" describes its absolute sensitivity to light. Higher numbers represent a greater sensitivity. Greater sensitivity is accomplished by amplifying the image signal in the camera, however, this also generates 'digital' noise and so higher ISO speeds will produce progressively more noise. Not good. Unless you want the film look.

As an analogy, take your hi-fi, if you still have one, and turn up the volume to the max without any music. What you hear is digital noise. Now, you're out with your camera, at sunset and it's getting dark. BTW, I almost always have ISO on auto mode because I would never, in good conscious, manually dial up an ISO of 16000. I know the disastrous result!

You see something interesting to photograph - perhaps a rare bird, or a mermaid, also rare! You mash the shutter button. The camera groans as it amplifies the low-light image. In “auto” ISO, the camera takes ISO to the max! BAM! In that amplification process, the digital noise is also amplified... ruining the photo. Or not!

Hark! Many times it's salvageable. These days, photo editing software are excellent programs. I use Adobe Lightroom (LR) first to convert the 'raw' file to a graphic image. LR editing options include “Sharpening” and “Noise Reduction.” When done in LR, I export the image to Adobe Photoshop Elements 14 with NIK Plugins. (I rarely use Photoshop) I use NIK's Define as stage 2 noise reduction. If that doesn't work to my satisfaction, my ace in the hole is called Imagenomics Noise Reduction. It's a powerful plugin which means it's just as easy to make matters worse than better thus requires great care when using it. I used it for the bird photo.

Watch out for that proverbial fly in the ointment. The more noise reduction that's applied, the greater the loss of detail. It's a balancing act. Eventually, you learn just how far to go with noise reduction and still retain sufficient detail.

Without a recent photo for photo of the week, I pulled a favorite from recent archives: The angler on the jetty at sunset. I like it particularly because it allows me to present an important photography adage: 'f/11 and be there!' Be there (anywhere) and many times photo ops magically materialize. As the sun was setting, I walked across the street from Ventura Harbor to the shore. Just curious. Saw the angler. In the background giant waves smashing on the jetty. Still good light with the sun close to the horizon. VOILA! Awesome photo op simply because I showed up. (hint... hint) Get out and shoot! Happy photoing!

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

 
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