Founded in 1996, Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid is a vibrant, community-based legal aid nonprofit program where people can confer with an attorney or a Social Security disability representative, in a convenient neighborhood setting at 642 Lemon Way in Fillmore every Thursday from 6 - 7:30 pm. A Spanish - English translator is also available. SCV Legal Aid provides advocacy, assistance, encouragement, advice, guidance and support for self-help for the communities of Piru, Fillmore, and Santa Paula. Areas of support include:
• Consumer issues
• Assistance with debt issues
• Landlord-Tenant
• Employment and labor law
• SS Disability
• Small Claims
• Expungement assistance (misdemeanors and infractions)

FAQ's:
Cost?
SCV Legal Aid does not charge for services.

Do I qualify for SCV Legal Aid free assistance?
If you are getting public benefits, are a low-income person, or barely have enough income to pay for your household’s basic needs you will likely qualify for free assistance. SCV Legal Aid is here to support the goals of equal access to justice.

I do not have legal immigration status. Can SCV Legal Aid help me?
Every legal aid clinic has its own rules. SCV Legal Aid volunteers and attorneys work do not get paid and since its inception, does not apply for or receive government funding of any kind. This means we can help. Although SCV Legal Aid does not provide immigration status assistance, no matter your immigration status, in many cases we can provide guidance and support for victims of wage abuse, domestic violence, uninhabitable housing and many other matters.

Are there matters that SCV Legal Aid does not handle?
Yes. There are many areas of law that SCV Legal Aid does not handle or advise, including criminal law, family law or any civil cases in which most attorneys are available, such as wrongful death and medical malpractice.

Where can I go for assistance with family law matters like custody and child support?
The Ventura Family Law Self-Help Center is located at the Ventura Courthouse, 800 South Victoria Avenue, on the third floor, in Room 30 outside of the family law courts.

For more help, there is also the Self-Help Legal Access Center
http://www.ventura.courts.ca.gov/shlac.html

Locations
Ventura: The Ventura Self-Help Legal Access Center is located at the Ventura Courthouse, 800 South Victoria Avenue, on the first floor, in Room 106. For recorded information, please call (805) 289-8724.

Oxnard: The Oxnard Self-Help Center is located in the Juvenile and Probate Courthouse at 4353 E. Vineyard Avenue, Room 206, in Oxnard (El Rio). For recorded information, please call (805) 289-8724.

Bob Crum

If I had a dollar for every time someone said “to get such great photos you must have a great camera” I'd have enough money to buy a bungalow on a Cambria cliff with ocean views from the front porch. Oh, and mermaids for neighbors.

Truth be told, my cameras and lenses are average. No high-end stuff. Anyway, I once read: “It's not necessarily about the camera. Often what makes a good photographer is the... ahem... personality of the person behind the camera.” Ahem... now you know that it's my charisma that make my photos exceptionally fantabulous!

Seriously, it's possible to capture good photos without having to take out a second mortgage to buy a camera. Camera? Who needs a camera when a mobile phone takes great photos!?!? Phonetographers use mobile phones to take snapshots. Some of my friends are phonetographers. Admittedly snapshooters. Sure, snapshots are OK. I even engage in the practice occasionally when I need to email a photo quickly. However, mobile phones provide limited creative control if any at all.

The selection of cameras—dSLR or mirrorless—available these days include many that are affordable by most. Photos from point & shoot or 'compact' cameras are getting really good. Plus they provide creative control when making a photo. Even capture RAW mode photos. If you don't presently have a camera, I encourage you to seriously consider buying one. Think about the excitement of creating a photo rather than taking snapshots!

Can a relatively inexpensive 10 megapixel camera produce respectable photos? Yes! As K. Rockwell wrote: “A guy who breaks a wrist asks his doctor: "Will I be able to play the piano after this heals?" The doctor replies "Absolutely, no problem!" Great, the man says, because I never could play the piano before!”

It's an artist's eye & patience that makes a photo as much as mastery of the camera. Does buying a Steinway Grand piano make you a pianist? Similarly, why think that buying a 50 megapixel camera will make you a better photographer? Cameras don't make photos, photographers do. A camera (not a mobile phone) is a wonderful artist's tool.

Furthermore, your equipment has nothing to do with the all-important composition. The less time and effort you spend worrying about your gear the more time and effort you can spend creating great images. Key word: Creating. Better equipment just makes it easier, faster or more convenient for you to get the results you desire. Don't forget the quality of the lens affects the technical quality of a photo.

Beyond the gear, post processing software is very important. My axiom: No image straight out of the camera is as good as it can be! In digital cameras a computer interprets the data from the sensor to form an image with information regarding exposure and color. Camera engineers are designing some fabulous algorithms but a camera is without eyes. Digital data alone cannot create a photo exactly as my eyes see the scene in real time. Post processing is where I finish creating the photo.

Photo of the week is of whales northbound in the Santa Barbara channel. These huge animals breaching and spouting are thrilling to watch. Whale watching season runs from now through mid-April as they make their northward migration to the feeding grounds off Alaska. For fees and schedules, check with channelislandssportfishing.com, 805-382-1612 or islandpackers.com, 805-642-1393. Cameras UP! Remember, for great photos smile when pushing the shutter button. And don't forget the lens wipes!

Happy photoing.

Send your comments, questions or suggestions to bob@fillmoregazette.com

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ATTENTION COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL VEHICLE OWNERS
The City of Fillmore and the Fillmore Police Department wish to inform owners of commercial and recreational vehicles that, effective March 1, 2018, the following municipal code sections will be enforced throughout the city. While these ordinances have been the law for many years, required signs have only recently been installed. Refer to the Fillmore Municipal Code for complete information. If you have any questions, you may contact the police department at (805) 524-2233.

ATENCIÓN PROPIETARIOS DE VEHÍCULOS COMERCIALES Y RECREACIONALES
La Ciudad de Fillmore y el Departamento de Policía de Fillmore desean informar a los propietarios de vehículos comerciales y vehículos recreacionales que, a partir del 1 de marzo de 2018, se aplicarán las siguientes secciones de códigos municipales. Estas ordenanzas han sido la ley durante muchos años, las señales requeridas se han instalado recientemente. Si tiene alguna pregunta, puede comunicarse con el departamento de policía al (805) 524-2233.

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Fillmore’s Webelo Scout Troop 3400 toured the workshops at Fillmore’s Packinghouse Creative on the evening of Tuesday January 30th. The Packinghouse Creative is a collection of craftspeople working out of the citrus packing house located at 341 A Street in Fillmore.

The tour was organized by Packinghouse Creative member Bruce Johnson, Webelo Den Leader Chano Ibarra, and Assistant Cub Master Jaclyn Ibarra.

Den Leader Ibarra said, “The tour was part of our regular series of adventures designed to teach scouts lessons on a variety of topics. This particular tour focused on teaching scouts about tools and their use, about local history, and about learning what’s happening in their community.”

Bruce Johnson, a professional guitar maker (also known as a Luthier) said, “He had a great time hosting the scouts and teaching them about all the tools he uses to make a guitar from scratch.”

About The Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is one of the largest scouting organizations in the United States of America and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with more than 2.4 million youth participants and nearly one million adult volunteers. Learn more at https://www.scouting.org

About Packinghouse Creative
The Packinghouse Creative is a collection of craftspeople working out of a converted citrus packing house located in Fillmore, California. The Packinghouse Creative is not open to the public does host events and open houses throughout the year. Learn more at https://www.packinghousecreative.com

Bob Crum

I have often mentioned that I capture photos while letting the ISO float. Along comes Doug K of Oxnard asking me to explain how I do that. I can do that. Just not this second. It's a secret.

Remember, ISO is one leg of the exposure triangle. In manual mode, each leg—aperture (Av), shutter speed (Tv) & ISO—are adjustable. They each affect exposure levels. Increasing ISO increases exposure—brightens the photo. Decreasing ISO darkens the photo with Av & Tv fixed. Beware: Fixed ISO often problematic.

As a photojournalist shooting events, time to make camera adjustments is nonexistent. Depending on creative decisions, I'll preprogram shutter speed and aperture. If DOF (Depth-of-Field) is paramount, I'll set aperture at f/11 or smaller. For depicting action, I'll create blur by slowing the shutter speed. In these cases, I'll let ISO float. Also note that I'm creating a desired image affect by camera settings! Creativity rules!

Photoing outdoor events is exasperating. Perhaps one second I'm facing the sun potentially overexposing the photos. Turn around and shadows drive the image dark. A fixed ISO at any value will most assuredly be wrong. No time to adjust ISO for every photo op. Belly dancing with mermaids likely easier!

Because I can't adjust ISO fast enough to assure correct exposure, I simply inhale some “He” (helium) and float it. I mean I put ISO on “automatic”. With ISO on 'auto', the camera's exposure meter will adjust (float) to whatever value it needs to be for correct exposure. Alas... my secret exposed.

However, floating ISO is not without consequences. If the camera's exposure meter takes the ISO value too high because of a fixed aperture and shutter speed, the result is excessive noise. Digital image noise looks like yesteryear's film grain. Analogous to static when turning the hi-fi audio to the maximum level.

Digital noise can be 'treated' in post processing but there are limitations. Even with the best program algorithm, sharpness is sacrificed when aggressively attempting to reduce visible noise. When shooting in low light, I float the ISO so much my digital world is full of noise requiring post processing compromises. The ISO of the wave splashing, previous photo of the week, was extremely high. See any noise in the image? Mission accomplished!

Setting aperture and shutter speed in manual mode not always best. Circumstances often dictate a better method. Flexibility rules. Many times semi-manual is best. If depth-of-field is more important, I'll set the aperture at f/11 (Av mode) and float shutter speed. If it's more important to have rock-solid photos I'll increase the shutter speed and float aperture. For event shooting, I usually float ISO when I fix both shutter speed and aperture. Got it Doug? Don't forget the helium.

The photo of the week is a rare (for me) image of a deer & fox in the same composition. I was previously shooting landscapes with my Canon EF-S 15-85mm lens telephoto lens. Driving, I saw the fox cross the road ahead. Braked at the crossing. Quietly exited the truck camera in hand. No time to change the lens because wildlife waits for no photographer. As I raised the camera and quickly focused on the fox, a deer bolted from out of the woods. Surprise! As the fox crossed in front of the deer 30 yards away, I had only one fleeting chance to capture the photo. In a blink the fox was out of sight & the deer retreated to the woods. I cherish such serendipity.

Happy photoing!

Send comments, questions or suggestions to bob@fillmoregazette.com

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that a jury convicted Jesus Lopez (DOB 1/9/97), of Moorpark, on February 5, 2018, of one count of engaging in prostitution. The trial judge sentenced Lopez to one day in jail and 36 months of unsupervised probation.

On July 21, 2017, Lopez met a woman online and agreed to pay for sexual intercourse. The woman responded, then fled the residence after a disagreement. Lopez chased the woman, demanding a refund. He then called 911 to report that the woman would not refund his money. This case was investigated by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

The District Attorney's Office has a designated prosecutor who handles cases against sex purchasers as part of a coordinated effort to combat human trafficking by prosecuting those who contribute to the demand for prostitution and sexual exploitation.

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.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office has released an amended version of its original press release regarding Anna Maria Ruiz. Here is the link to the Ventura County Star’s Website with the Amended Version: http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/ojai/2018/02/01/ojai-...

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Anna Maria Ruiz (DOB 10/20/1981), of Ojai, pled guilty to 11 counts of Penal Code section 550(a)(1), felony insurance fraud. In addition, she admitted an excessive taking allegation for stealing over $65,000 and an aggravated white-collar crime special allegation for taking over $100,000. This case was the result of an investigation by the Valencia office of the California Department of Insurance.

Ruiz was employed at Identity Management Services Organization in Ventura. From January 2011 to September 2013, she used her knowledge of medical billing to submit 30 fraudulent insurance claims to victim American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus. She received payments of $127,710 for these completely fabricated insurance claims.

Ruiz is scheduled to be sentenced on March 21, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court.

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.

Shortly after 4:30 PM on Wednesday, January 24, 2018, the California Highway Patrol's (CHP) Ventura Communication Center (VCC) began receiving 9-1-1 calls reporting an injury traffic collision on State Route (SR)126 (East Telegraph Road), at Camulos Ranch, east of Center Street. Personnel from the CHP's Moorpark Area office, Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) and American Medical Response (AMR) were dispatched.

Kenneth Lee Coombes, 29 years old, of Castaic, was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado eastbound within the #1 lane of SR 126. Louis Lee, 45 years old, of Lancaster, was driving a Chevrolet 2500 series truck also eastbound on SR 126 ahead of the Silverado within the #1 lane. Anthony Romasanta was driving a Toyota Camry within the #1 lane of westbound SR 126 with one occupant in the right front seat. For reasons still under investigation, the front of the Silverado driven by Mr. Coombes collided with the rear of the 2500 series truck traveling ahead of him. After the initial impact, the Silverado crossed the center divider of SR 126 and collided "head-on" with the Camry traveling westbound. As a result of the collision, Mr. Coombes received major injuries to his lower extremities and was transported by AMR to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital for treatment. Mr. Lee had complaint of pain and was treated by VCFD personnel on scene. Mr. Lee related he would seek his own medical aid. Mr. Romasanta was flown by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Air Squad 6 to Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center for treatment. Mr. Romasanta had major injuries to his upper and lower extremities. The 57 year old female passenger traveling with Mr. Romasanta received fatal injuries as a result of the collision. The identity of the deceased will be released when appropriate by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Caltrans and Ventura County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to the scene to assist with traffic control and partial closure of SR 126. SR 126 was partially closed for approximately three hours and was restricted to one eastbound and one westbound lane until approximately 8:10 PM.

There is no indication at this time that alcohol and/or drugs were a factor in this collision. This collision remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol's Moorpark Area office. Any witnesses are encouraged to contact the CHP's Moorpark Area office at (805) 553-0800.

Pictured are Deputy Greg Lindsay of the Camarillo Police Department (right) and Corporal Dean Cole of the Ventura Police Department, winners of the 2017 CIT Officer of the Year Award.
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The Ventura County Law Enforcement Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is pleased to announce the 2017 “CIT Officer of the Year” recipients.

The 2017 CIT Officer of the Year award was presented to Corporal Dean Cole of the Ventura Police Department and Deputy Greg Lindsay of the Camarillo Police Department. This is the first year that we have had co-selections as CIT Officer of the Year. Dean is a Field Training Officer, a member of the SWAT Team, is currently working as a Communications Supervisor and is an 11 year veteran of Law Enforcement. Greg is currently the School Resource Officer at Rancho Campana High School, an Explorer Advisor for Camarillo Explorer Post #2932 and a 12 year veteran of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Dean and Greg were selected by a panel that included a Behavioral Health member (VCBH), a member from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and a retired Commander from the Oxnard Police Department.

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training provides law enforcement techniques in active listening, de-escalating a crisis and providing appropriate community resources as needed. CIT training is used in domestic situations, and contacts with troubled youth, elderly citizens, and the general public. CIT skills are used to de-escalate crisis situations, not diagnosis mental illness. The successful implementation of the CIT Program in Ventura County has resulted in the reduction of risks and injuries to citizens and officers alike, resulting in increased public support and confidence in law enforcement. The original goal in 2001 was to train 20% of law enforcement. Currently 81% of Ventura County Law Enforcement is CIT trained, and 1554 students have completed Ventura County Law Enforcement’s 40 hour CIT Academy, since 2001.

The names of the nominees for this year’s award are as follows: Deputy Greg Lindsay (VCSO-Camarillo PD), Corporal Dean Cole (Ventura PD), Officer Walter Harper (Santa Paula PD), Officer Nora Starna (Port Hueneme PD), Officer Gene Colato (Simi Valley PD), Deputy David Mancini (VCSO-Fillmore PD), Deputy Marc Riggs (VCSO-Moorpark) and Deputies Justin Czyrklis & Mark Plassmeyer (VCSO-Thousand Oaks PD).

Prepared by: Sergeant John M. Franchi
Media Release Date: January 26, 2018
Approved by: Captain Jeremy Paris

[Publisher’s comments] I’ve had a good conversation with our Postmaster, Bill Thompson. The main issue concerning the re-location, as explained to me, is the safety of his employees. While no accident involving anyone has yet happened, some close calls have occurred over the years. The most damage to the boxes recently was due to a car. This incident was duly reported to the Sheriff’s office. I believe the boxes could be returned to their former location, while safeguarding postal employees, by reconstructing the “island” and placing heavy bollards (steel pipes) on both ends of the box areas. I think complete reconstruction would be best. This would cost money. Who might pay for the work? This is important enough that private funds might be found. Let us know what you think. This is a very valuable postal convenience, at least worth your opinions. You need to speak up!

Bob Crum

Finally! A photographer and ardent reader of Photography Know-How, Alex R. of Thousand Oaks commented on the photo data pertaining to last week’s Photo of the Week. I wondered if anyone would. There's a wealth of information in the photo data about how the photo was captured. But it doesn't tell you the time of day. Should I be adding that?

Alex thought the exposure indicated normal daylight so why was the ISO (6400) so high? Also asked why such a slow shutter speed given when appeared to be ample light. An astute observation.

The time of day was 5:33 pm. The Photographer's Ephemeris (photoephemeris.com) listed the sunset at 5:15 pm. I captured the photo 15 minutes after sunset, the light low and fading fast.

Disappointed that there were no mermaids, I was about to leave when I noticed three large waves heading for the shore. Never saw a photo op that didn't excite me! I had just enough time to reprogram the camera. In manual mode, I opened the lens aperture to its widest, F/5.6 because of rapidly fading light. Furthermore, I slowed the shutter speed to 1/25 of a second. Key factors 1) a wider aperture lets in more light 2) a slower shutter speed provides more time for the camera sensor to gather light. Such are the mechanics.

Time was growing short so no time for exposure trial & error shots. So after programming the aperture and shutter I simply put ISO on auto and let the camera's exposure meter select the most appropriate ISO. The result, ISO rose to a high of 6400 for the exposure. Bingo!

Photography is about creativity. Hopefully descriptions like this illustrate that even programming the camera is part of the creative process. Just as the subject can usually be composed in a myriad of ways, so can the techniques used to capture the composition.

Back home, downloaded the photos to the computer for post processing where the magic happens. First import the RAW image into Adobe Lightroom for essential adjustments like increasing the exposure level. Just before exporting it I took artistic license (which I do often) by adding a touch of vignette to direct an observer's eyes to the crashing wave. You did notice, right?

Exported the tiff image to Photoshop Elements where I used Viveza II, a special sauce NIK plugin to add a little structure. Because the dim light cooled the image, I warmed it slightly. Done! Magic! BTW, photo post processing (editing) is also an enjoyable creative endeavor.

Important news concerning Adobe's Lightroom (LR). A few years ago, Adobe adopted a 'subscription' basis for most of its software. The most popular is the photographer’s plan which includes LR and Photoshop for $9.99 per month. I'm enjoying the benefits of the photographer’s subscription plan.

Subscription benefits aside, many still prefer standalone programs. However, there will not be a LR 7. LR 6 is the last standalone version that can be purchased outside of a Creative Cloud subscription. LR 6 will remain for sale for an undetermined amount of time, but will no longer be updated with camera/lens support, RAW file support from newer cameras or bug fixes. Hence, the program will become less usable over time for serious photographers using the latest gear. Check Amazon for LR6.

Photo of the week is a delicate white rose from my rose garden presented to illustrate that photo ops aplenty are nearby. Speaking of photo ops, I just received my exciting Mono County Eastern Sierra visitor’s guide. Oh my... such fabulous scenery to photograph! Get your guide at monocounty.org. It's free!

Happy photoing.

Send comments, questions or suggestions to bob@fillmoregazette.com

Today, District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced that Gabriel Munoz-Hernandez (DOB 7/1/1998) of Ventura, was convicted of rape of an unconscious person in violation of Penal Code section 261(a)(4) and kidnapping to commit rape or sexual penetration in violation of Penal Code section 209(b)(1).

On February 20, 2017, Munoz-Hernandez contacted the 17-year-old female victim on Facebook. The next day, Munoz-Hernandez met the victim in person and took her to a friend’s home where he encouraged her to drink alcohol. The victim eventually lost consciousness. After the victim lost consciousness, Munoz-Hernandez carried her to a dumpster enclosure nearby where he raped her. An independent witness, who attempted to intervene, was able to capture some of the assault on camera. Another independent witness called 911. Ventura Police officers quickly arrived on scene to find Munoz-Hernandez assaulting the unconscious victim behind the dumpster.

The sentencing hearing is March 6, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 25 of the Ventura Superior Court, County of Ventura. Munoz-Hernandez may be sentenced to 15 years to life in the California Department of Corrections.

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.