Fillmore Unified School District

Every seat was filled in the board meeting room as people came out to support two Power of One honorees at Tuesday night's December 1 meeting of the Fillmore Unified School District Board.

Under the Power of One heading, the board recognized Amelia Ramirez and Dena Wyand for their service to the district. Sespe School Principal Rose Hibler introduced Ramirez. “Ramirez offers comfort to students, parents and staff with her positive attitude,” Hibler said. “She always asks what do we need to do to get it done. She is the pulse of the school.”

Wyand was introduced by Middle School Principal Todd Schieferle. He said she has been on campus since the opening of the school, where she started as a sixth grade teacher. Now she is a counselor. “She is very organized and she has a can do attitude,” he said. Assistant Principal Tricia Godfrey said, “She handles advisory and makes us better all the time.”

Superintendent Jeff Sweeney said he's received a letter from the County Board of Education concerning a public hearing on the proposed Charter School in Piru. The hearing is set tentatively for January 12 or 13 at 6:00 p.m. On January 25 at 6:00 p.m. the County Board will either grant or deny the petition for the Charter School.

Superintendent Sweeney asked Fillmore High School CONTINUED »

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that a jury has found Gerardo Resales Villa (DOB 6/11/76), of Fillmore, guilty of killing Miguel Gallardo while driving with gross negligence, and while under the influence of alcohol. The jury also found true the special allegations that Villa personally inflicted the great bodily injury which led to the deaths of Guillermo Aguiniga, Juan Gallardo, Raul Fletes, and Horacio Sanchez. Villa was also found guilty of driving with a suspended license due to a prior driving under the influence conviction.

The driving that led to the deaths of the five victims occurred during the early morning hours of September 13, 2008, on Guiberson Road, between Piru and Fillmore in Ventura County. While driving with approximately twice the legal limit of alcohol and with methamphetamine in his system, Villa drifted over the center line of the two-lane road and struck a utility pole, killing all of the occupants instantly while Villa survived virtually unharmed. Villa was determined to be the driver of the vehicle after a thorough investigation by members of the California Highway Patrol, Moorpark Office.

Sentencing is set for January 8,2010, at 8:30 a.m., in Division 25. Villa faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison.

What a great tribute the “Military Banners Program” has become to the men and women of Fillmore currently serving in the military. The immensely popular Banners have now been placed on Central and Sespe Avenues and the available spaces have rapidly been filling with new Banners almost monthly. I, for one, almost daily go to town and rarely do I not take a trip by my son's Banner to acknowledge his service. I know of a few other parents and family that do the same with their loved ones Banner. I also make it a point to acknowledge the others as I travel past theirs and note that some of the young men and women have had Banners placed by their family, but have not had an article written about their service. Some of them I know and others I don't. I curiously wonder about what they do within their respective branches of the military, who their family are and maybe I wonder a little about this brave person who chose to serve all of us. If for some reason the family of those American Heroes and Fillmore/Piru son's and daughters felt it is to late to have an article put in the Fillmore Gazette, it isn't and I would be proud to gather the information and photograph and share their story with the rest of the community. My contact information runs weekly in the Fillmore Gazette.

On Monday, November 23, 2009 at 9:00 AM five more banners were CONTINUED »

Fillmore Fire Department

The Annual Toy Drive Sponsored by City of Fillmore Fire is underway! Unwrapped toy donations are currently being accepted at Fillmore Fire Station 91 located at 711 Sespe Place, Fillmore. All donors will receive a ticket for each toy donated good for one BBQ Chicken Dinner. The BBQ will take place on Sunday December 13th, 2009 between the hours of 5:00PM – 7:30PM. Dinner will be served at the Fire Station or you may take advantage of our drive thru service.

In addition to our chicken dinner, Fillmore Fire has teamed up with a few local merchants who offer incentives to those who donate to the toy drive.

Dr. Rubino of Healing Solutions Chiropractic is now offering new patients a FREE chiropractic adjustment when you bring a toy to his office valued at $20.00 or more! Please visit Dr. Rubino at his office located at 348 Santa Clara Avenue in Fillmore.

Curves for women is offering free CONTINUED »

Our family had a real treat this year for Thanksgiving Dinner. We adopted two young United States Air Force Airmen to join us for our Thanksgiving Dinner. The idea came to us four years ago when a family adopted my son Phillip while he was stationed at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago, Illinois. Phillip told me it was a great experience having dinner off-base with a family. He also said being able to call us at home when the “Host Family” offered their phone to call was the best part. I knew then our family would like to be a part of just such a program, but it was not until last year that I knew how to be a part of it after reading an article in the newspaper.

The article introduced United States Navy Construction Mechanic Petty Officer First Class (CM1) Michael G. Robb, a Naval Military Training Instructor at the Naval Construction Training Center onboard the Seabee base in Port Hueneme (NBVC). He said that every year, a number of local citizens in Ventura County volunteer to provide a home-cooked meal for sailors who are far away from home for the holidays. This included the Thanksgiving and Christmas meal. CM1 Robb hoped that Ventura County families were willing to open their hearts and homes and help our service members while they are away from their families due to their military service!

I responded to the article by emailing CM1 Robb, michael.g.robb@navy.mil, and CONTINUED »

Today FEMA announced that all of the changes on the Santa Clara River Valley are on hold until the completion of the Santa Clara River Watershed Flood Insurance Study in 2012. The 1,500 property owners in Fillmore will no longer be required to purchase flood insurance by January 20, 2010.

During this Flood Insurance Study, all residents along the Santa Clara River Watershed will have an opportunity to participate in the public comment period. This additional time will provide an opportunity for the Ventura County Watershed Protection District and the Cities to pursue options to address these issues.

“The Ventura County Watershed Protection District is continuing to move forward with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to identify the deficiencies with the Sespe Creek Levee and move as quickly as possible with retrofit work to make it certifiable,” stated Bert Rapp, Director of Fillmore Public Works.

“This is at least a three year process and could take up to ten years depending upon funding availability.”
FEMA still encourages residents potentially at risk of being in the flood zone to purchase flood insurance at the low preferred rate while the study is being completed.

Councilman Steve Conaway was visibly upset at Tuesday night’s Council meeting over the way the Boys & Girls Club was suddenly closed without warning or explanation.

Tuesday night’s City Council meeting began with the surprise announcement that the Santa Clara Valley Boys & Girls Clubs have closed. Councilman Steve Conaway left the dais, to speak as a private citizen, expressing his anger and disappointment with the news of the sudden closure. Conaway said there had been no dialogue with the club’s CEO, Doug Caldwell, and “any other city officials, such as the city manager.” He strongly expressed concern that the closure would have on the community.

A letter was sent to “Club Parents” dated November 24, saying the club would close November 25th. The decision to shut down will affect the Santa Paula Clubhouse, North Fillmore (Neil C. Schmidt Clubhouse), Fillmore Clubhouse, Rancho Sespe Clubhouse, and Las Piedras Clubhouse. No reason was given for the closures.

Conaway also noted the effect it will have on afterschool care. He stated that other communities have resources to fall back on that Fillmore does not.

“Some of our underprivileged families have paid ahead. I’m just saying, it speaks for itself,” said Conaway, intimating the dubious way the clubs were closed.

Councilmember Laurie Hernandez and Mayor Patti Walker both CONTINUED »

The letter below was sent to “Club Parents” on November 24, 2009
“Dear Club Parents, Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley will be ending daily programming at Santa Paula Clubhouse, North Fillmore (Neil C. Schmidt Clubhouse), Fillmore Clubhouse, Rancho Sespe Clubhouse, and Las Piedras Clubhouse effective Wednesday, November 25, 2009.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley regrets this action very much because our goals are to serve children and provide them with positive programs and activities. Club leaders are aggressively studying the best way to reevaluate our efforts in the Heritage Valley Community.
Thank you for your understanding of this difficult situation. We are hopeful that this will be a temporary closure as Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley has every intention of providing services to our communities' youth in the future.
Sincerely, Doug Caldwell, Chief Executive Officer, The Place For Kids”
No explanation was given for the surprise closing. A source has told the Gazette that a meeting was held on Wednesday to discuss the closure.

The Gazette received word from The Boys & Girls club on Wednesday afternoon that the Boys & Girls Clubs will be in operation on Monday, November 30th, 2009. Why the letter was sent out and what the future ramifications will be are unknown.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

22 year old (Victim)Sergio Juarez of Santa Paula said he had been in front of La Unica market on Old Telegraph at about 11pm Saturday, he was alone.
A male suspect approached him and demanded money.
Juarez turned to run off and the suspect attacked him with a knife.
Juarez ran away and the suspect fled.
Juarez went to Santa Paula hospital for knife wounds. He was listed in good condition.
The suspect is a Hispanic male, young looking / late teens to early twenties, short, with a shaved head.

City of Fillmore

Last Wednesday, November 11, 2009, a settlement agreement was signed between the City of Fillmore and Richard McKee, President Californias Aware, ending McKee’s lawsuit against the city. The Agreement contains the three items McKee demanded:

1. A public admission of the City Council's "errors;"

2. A 2-hour Brown Act retraining for the City Council offered by the City Attorney and McKee at a special meeting before the end of the year; and

3. Payment of McKee’s attorney fees and costs, totaling $6,000.

In return, McKee will dismiss the lawsuit.

McKee brought suit claiming the Fillmore City Council violated the Brown Act. Under the settlement, the city will issue a written statement admitting that Brown Act violations were committed at the August 25 council meeting.

The Ventura District Attorney’s office investigated CONTINUED »

Principals of four elementary schools updated the Fillmore Unified School District Board of Trustees on the academic progress of their schools Tuesday evening, November 17, 2009.

Talking about academic achievement, Piru Principal Leticia Ramos reported that their California State testing went up 52 points and they exceeded the statewide target for 2009. She noted that students are using computer lab time and she said there is a migrant homework assistance program, run by a teacher and a staff member which helps 10-to-20 students. She also talked about after school tutoring and professional development for teachers. “I'm putting together some assessments and benchmarks,” she added. “It's wonderful to work with such a wonderful staff.”

Ramos discussed parent involvement. She said they've had great feedback and participation on the School Site Council and the school farm now has three goats. They are planning a school farm day and a school beautification day. Parents are offering roses and other plants for the campus.

Jan Marholin, principal of San Cayetano School said CONTINUED »

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There are many risks associated with storing prescription drugs that are not part of a current drug therapy. The prescriptions may be outdated and not effectively treating the symptoms. In addition, if prescription drugs are being stored and no longer needed, there is possibility that the drugs could be stolen or mistakenly taken by others.

The Fillmore Police Department works in conjunction with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department to dispose of your unwanted medications in a safe manner. The program is free to our residents.

If you have prescription drugs that are outdated, no longer needed or you just do not know how to dispose of, please bring them by the Police Station, Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M to 5:00 P.M.

“The Fillmore Police Department’s goal is to make households safer by reducing the likelihood of accidental ingestion of old medications and do our part to help our city maintain a high quality of recycled water."

Sespe 4-H announced a Sock-Box collection for homeless, battered and needy women. Boxed will be located around town in different business. Watch for locations to be announed in the Gazette.
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Councilman Steve Conaway makes a cash donation to a Sock-Box, sponsored by Sespe 4-H.
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Fillmore City Council and Fillmore Redevelopment Agency met Tuesday night.

Oral Communications began with Fillmore Police Capt. Tim Hagel announcing a prescription drug turn-in program. Unwanted, unused and expired prescriptions can be dropped into a receptacle at the sheriff’s station, Monday-Friday, 8AM-5PM. They will be disposed of at the crime lab free of charge. One benefit will be that the drugs will not affect the city’s sewage recycling center, said Hagel. He thanked Sgt. Dave Wareham for his work in bringing the program to Fillmore.

Ray Harper and Michele Morgan of RDF Communities gave a brief update on the Business Park. Harper said they are importing dirt to raise level of the park, which will provide1,300 construction jobs, and 2,600 long term jobs, doubling the employment base in Fillmore, according to Harper. Morgan stated that they worked with Caltrans and the Sheriffs Department to mitigate any problems.

Sespe 4-H President Toni Ruiz announced community service, “Sespe Socks” -- a sock collection program to benefit battered and homeless and needy women. The group will provide sock-drop boxes around town for collection of new socks. Box locations will be announced in the Gazette. Councilmember Steve Conaway suggested cash donations also, making a donation along with several others. Sespe 4-H leader Sue Maynard thanked council for the opportunity to announce the program.

Proclamations were presented to several business owners and representatives for their CONTINUED »

On Monday, November 9th, 2009 the Fillmore Unified School District board rejected a petition to convert Piru Elementary School into an independent charter campus. Petitioners said they plan to appeal the decision to the Ventura County Board of Education. Representatives of the Charter initiative said they would release a response to the decision of the Board in the near future.

Following is Superintendent Jeff Sweeney’s response to the charter conversion, presented to the audience at Monday’s meeting.

Board Resolution No. 09/10/09 Denying the Petition for Piru Charter School

BACKGROUND
On or about September 16, 2009, petitioners for the Piru Charter School submitted to the Fillmore Unified School District (“District”) a charter school petition for the Piru Charter School.

Pursuant to Education Code 47605, the Governing Board CONTINUED »