City Council — October 13, 2026

efficiently come in do some filming spend some money and leave without creating a mess. And we're not a permit agency but we collaborate with you and we were thrilled for the city's participation in that I think lastly, we also work on a project we call the Broadband Consortium of the Pacific Coast. Trying to make sure that there is every kind of investment that we can make to close the digital divide. That is, we've learned that there are about 20-25% of Ventura County residents who are not connected meaningfully to the internet. Meaning they neither have or maybe no computer, no internet access. They may have one of those phones but you can't do your homework, you can't do business efficiently that way so we're dedicated to making sure that we're bringing the connectivity and the capacity for people to use the technology.

You can get in touch with us here or here, a Calendly link our phone number. We'd be thrilled for you to share that information. We'll get back to you immediately schedule as Alondra and Vicki mentioned with a professional business advisor Everything we do is confidential, no cost and we'll make sure that we're connecting you to the resources your businesses to the resources so the community thrives to the best of our collective ability. Happy to answer any questions

Yes, so I just wanted to thank you for all you do and I think the most important thing we can do is get your message out to more entrepreneurs and more businesses. Because frankly, I think that's that's the need right there if we can get you know the services you provide out to more businesses. I think they'll take advantage of it and everyone will benefit.

Touche appreciate that. Thank you.

I do, thank you. Thank you Mr. Stensley and thank you everyone for the presentation it was really great informative. Absolutely agree and I just wanted to ask for our city manager process wise if people come in even just inquire not even quite to get a business license yet but just inquiring what are the steps? What do we do? Is it hopefully a regular thing that we're guiding them towards more resources like EDC

So EDC staff did provide flyers and we directed staff to include those on the business renewal process. Debra, was that completed? Did we include the fliers on the business renewal process? So yeah, that was a direction I had provided to staff and so like we still mail our renewal notices and so the flyers that were provided by staff were included there.

Yeah, I'm interested in the discussion about the early childhood education. And I'm wondering with so many failing preschools and I was very involved in one of them that just could not especially competing with public schools and now provide you know the pre-k but there's other preschools that have not been successful. Could someone from that situation, that scenario get assistance in any direction for their

Yes, so in some instances we can make loans the funds that we have for lending to child care providers centers is really to expand capacity. But I hear you loud and clear it's really about stabilizing particularly the post COVID world and a number of challenges It is, as you know, a very challenging business model which is why we're so passionate about it. Providing assistance to operators to figure out making sure they're maximizing the subsidies from various state and other programs. Making sure that their doing the outreach to make sure they're not having any vacancies in their operation. But we appreciate the challenge and there's currently, not get too deep in the weeds but fantastically California is creating universal pre-kindergarten for four year olds but as families are able to put their kids into public school at age 4 is great or age 4 is great this also puts a pressure on home based and child care centers We're now trying to serve more infants and toddlers, which is a very challenging business model.

Higher staffing ratios but the data is I believe Council Member Rodriguez can tell you better than I can. Kids in communities that have access to early childhood quality early child education thrive and the communities do better short-term and long-term parents are able to work more effectively go to school confidently so I appreciate your question it's a challenging business model

I think there was the mention of small loans for maybe non-traditional or those who don't usually qualify. I was wondering if there was any more information that we can share with the public? What's an example of what that could possibly look like?

Well, I'll take a shot and then you can help me out. What we really mean there is, we're not necessarily looking at a particular business model that isn't necessarily lendable. But businesses that are in early stage or for whatever reason are not competitive for securing a bank loan, a commercial credit loan. We're able to use our business advisors to do a more depth run and look at what is the financial projections moving forward, what kind of collateral they may have, what kind of capacity and experience. And then we'll take a higher risk in other words to lend to a business that might not otherwise qualify for commercial credit.

We do that not by being crazy in our risk management, but two things. One, we maintain a professional loan board of bankers who are frustrated sometimes they can't make loans through us. They'll be happy to help us figure out the strategy to get there and maybe even more to the point, we receive or were able to secure an 80% guarantee for most loans we make from the state of California So our ability to manage risk is mitigated by their backstop to a significant share of the loan. That's

great, okay thank you for that appreciate that. Thank

you so much good question.

And then last but before I quit, you asked about access and your staff has been dynamite at making referrals to us as well. So when the team is out in the community talking to business there are agents on your behalf and our behalf sorry

Bruce, thank you so much for the presentation. I know you do great work. Just for the public, I know you mentioned early childhood education and film and other things that you mentioned but the services that you provide is for For anybody that wants to start or wants to expand their business, not specifically the ones that you mentioned, correct?

Absolutely. I took a look we've served about 90 almost 100 firms over the last two and a half years in the city of Fillmore and the diversity across industry sector is pretty amazing in every kind of service organization every kind of restaurant and food service and retail and educational services so our passion really is not necessarily In the industry sector, we try to be open and as Alondra and Vicky mentioned, we have a core of advisors with experience across all aspects of doing business and of different industry sectors. We just want to help the business find a pathway to security, sustainability, resilience, profitability so they stay in business. They may grow but just to retain a business for us is a huge victory. Perfect thank you.

I would like to address your question as well in terms of the loans that we have available. One thing that I think is really important for us to point out is that businesses come and sometimes they've filed for bankruptcy, they've gotten divorced. All of these stories come through our door and so we want to make sure that It's a great opportunity for you to know and be able to communicate to the public that we look at the story. So we not only look at the financials, we also look at the story and we're able to make decisions based on what those two combinations together.

Mayor, I just need to make an announcement. We're having technical issues with our platform for streaming on the website so we want to encourage the constituents that if they would like to stream the meeting to use our backup system which is Facebook or YouTube. We just confirmed with a DAB staff member and it's working and we're going to post something on social media right now as well. Thank you.

Thank you Bruce. Thank you appreciate it.

Moving on to item number 5B, Fillmore Town Theater 110th Anniversary. Welcome Sean. Hello.

Let's see if I can get that off the screen. This was perfectly set up and now I'm going to screw it up. Okay, cool. So we had our 110th anniversary at the Fillmore Town Theater a week ago Saturday and John was there and spoke thank you very much for affirming the importance of the theater one of the programs that is most important to us of course, is the youth theater. And quite frankly it's one of the driving factors for me to actually purchase a theater in the first place because I was involved in youth theater with the Canyon Theater Guild in Santa Clarita.

So in the course of that 110th anniversary, I created a few videos and one of them has to do with the youth theater and I'm going to see if I can play it right now. Is there sound? Okay. There should be. The City Council meeting is being recorded. So this is our fourth year of doing the children's theater. We're doing Annie, we'll do two weekends. The kids are actually in the theater right now rehearsing. They've been rehearsing since the middle of August so I would encourage everybody to come out you know and to support it. One of the unique things about the theater that I wanted to make sure happened was we don't charge for the kids to actually be in the theater I would just like to make a comment. Sean, I think what you're doing is – and I meant every word I said when I was up there at the theatre.

As we go through life, not everyone is the same obviously. We all have our different strengths and weaknesses and going through school of course, the stereotypical kid that wants to do all the academics and they're really into mathematics or really into English whatever, that is not every kid. And I think it's so important to provide an outlet for kids that have other interests. And I think that what you're doing with the theater is so critically important for those kids that need that other outlet because some kids are really into sports, some kids are really into academics but there are a lot of kids that are into band and the performing arts and what you're doing is just so important Looking at the whole spectrum of kids, and you're providing that piece of the puzzle to our community.

So I wanted to thank you for that.

Thank

you. All right. Thank you. Thank you.

Oh sorry. Sure I'll read the proclamation so proclaiming October 2026 National Bullying Prevention Month whereas bullying is unwanted aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance and is repeated or has a potential to be repeated over time causing emotional social or physical harm to another person or group and Whereas bullying can occur in neighborhoods, playgrounds, schools, extracurricular activities and other community settings as well as online through social media messaging gaming and other forms of technology. And whereas bullying affects children and adolescents across the United States can have lasting effects on their emotional and physical well-being and health academic achievement relationships and sense of safety and belonging.

And whereas children and adults And adolescents who experience bullying may face an increased risk of anxiety, depression, sleep difficulties, difficulty concentrating, decreased academic achievement, absenteeism and disengagement from school and community activities. And whereas children and adolescents who engage in bullying behavior may be at greater risk for other harmful behaviors and negative outcomes Demonstrating the importance of early intervention, positive relationships, accountability and prevention.

And whereas children and adolescents who witness bullying may experience fear, anxiety, helplessness and a diminished sense of safety while also having an important opportunity to make a positive difference by safely speaking up seeking help and supporting those who are targeted and Whereas, preventing bullying is a shared responsibility that requires the involvement of students, parents and caregivers, educators, schools, youth organizations, community leaders, businesses, faith-based organizations and residents working together to foster respectful, inclusive and safe environments for all.

Whereas National Bullying Prevention Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness, promote kindness and respect. Encourage safe and responsible behavior online and in person. And empower individuals and communities to take meaningful steps towards preventing bullying. Now therefore, Albert Mendez, Mayor of the City of Thelma, California does hereby proclaim that October 2026 As National Bullying Prevention Month in the city of Fillmore and encourage all residents, schools, students, parents and caregivers. Youth organizations, businesses faith based organizations and community groups to participate in awareness education and prevention activities that promote kindness respect inclusion and safety for all children and adolescents.

Witness thereof, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the official seal of the city of Fillmore to be affixed this 13th day of October 2026 signed Mayor Albert Mendez. Thank you Council Member Bernanke.

Moving on to item 5D proclaiming October 2026 Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Council Member Brogie will read this proclamation.

Proclaiming October 2026 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, whereas 2026 marks 43rd year that National Breast Cancer Awareness Month has educated women and men about And whereas breast cancer impacts the lives of many Americans either directly or through the diagnosis of a family member or friend. There's been considerable progress in diagnosing this disease and improving treatments, yet eliminating breast cancer continues to be a major goal. While overall death rates are declining, breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women. And whereas clinical breast cancers and mammograms are the most effective way to detect breast cancer at an early stage. The American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute and the United States Preventive Services Task Force agree that regular mammograms can greatly reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer.

And whereas women and men can take additional steps to reduce their risk of breast cancer by not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a well-balanced diet, engaging in moderate or vigorous physical activity each day with vigorous activity three days a week and limiting alcohol consumption. And whereas it is important for all Americans to raise awareness of breast cancer by talking with family members and friends about the importance of prevention, screening and early detection. By educating ourselves and working together we will improve our ability to prevent, detect, treat and ultimately cure breast cancer. Now therefore Albert Mendez Mayor of the City of Fillmore California hereby proclaims October 26th as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month And encourages all women and men of Ventura County to learn more about the disease, be proactive in early attention practices and participate in building awareness all year long.

Signed by Mayor Albert Mendez.

Moving on to item 5E proclaiming October 2026 Fire Prevention Month And Council Member Christina Villasenor will read this proclamation.

Okay, thank you Mayor. Proclaiming October 2026 Fire Prevention Month Whereas Fire Prevention Month provides an important opportunity to raise awareness about fire safety and to remind individuals, families, and communities that everyone plays a vital role in preventing fires and protecting lives and property. And whereas fires can occur unexpectedly and spread rapidly making fire prevention preparedness and early warning essential to protecting our homes businesses neighborhoods and community And whereas the City of Fillmore recognizes the importance of fire safety education and encourages all residents to take proactive steps to reduce the risk of fire, including practicing firesafe habits, maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and identifying and correcting potential fire hazards.

And whereas every household should have a fire escape plan, identify multiple ways out of every room, establish a designated meeting place outside the home and practice the plan regularly with all members of the household. And whereas residents are encouraged to test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms regularly Keep heating and cooking areas clear of combustible materials.

Use electrical appliances safely, and never leave cooking unattended. And whereas wildfire preparedness is particularly important for communities throughout California Residents can help protect themselves and their property by maintaining defensible space, keeping vegetation and combustible materials away from structures, preparing emergency supplies, and staying informed about local fire conditions and evacuation information.

And whereas firefighters and first responders demonstrate extraordinary courage, professionalism and dedication in protecting our community and responding to fires, emergencies and natural disasters. Their service often performed under dangerous and challenging conditions is essential to the safety and well-being of our residents. And whereas Fire Prevention Month provides an opportunity for residents, schools, businesses, community organizations and local agencies to work together throughout the month to promote fire safety, preparedness and prevention throughout the City of Fillmore.

And whereas through education, preparation and responsible action we can reduce the risk of fires, protect lives and property and build a safer and more resilient community. Now therefore Albert Mendez the Mayor of the City of Fillmore California does hereby proclaim October 2026 as Fire Prevention Month in the City of Fillmore And encourages all residents, families, schools, businesses and community organizations to participate in fire prevention and safety activities. Review their emergency plans, practice fire escape procedures and take meaningful steps to prevent fires throughout the year.

In witness thereof I have here into the mayor has set his hand and caused the official seal of the city of Fillmore to be affixed this 13th day of October 2026

Item 5F, proclaiming October 2026 California Firefighter Appreciation Month. And Council Member Rodriguez will read this one.

Proclaiming October 2026 California Firefighter Appreciation Month whereas the dedicated men and women of fire service selflessly risk their lives health and safety to protect the lives homes businesses and property Fillmore and surrounding communities. And whereas California firefighters routinely confront dangerous conditions, extreme wildfires, structure fires, medical emergencies, traffic collisions, hazardous materials incidents and other emergency situations with unwavering courage, compassion and professional excellence. And whereas firefighters serve our community not only during times of crisis but also Through fire prevention, public education, emergency preparedness, community outreach and other efforts that help keep our residents safe.

And whereas we recognize the profound sacrifice of firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty and honor their enduring memory courage and commitment to protecting others. Appreciation Month provides an opportunity for our community to express its deeply gratitude to active duty volunteers and retired firefighters, emergency personnel, and their families for their dedication, sacrifice, and continued service. And whereas the City of Fillmore recognizes that the strength of our fire service is reflected not only in the bravery of individual firefighters but also in the support of their family fellow first responders Dispatchers, emergency personnel and community members who stand behind them. And whereas the city of Fillmore encourages all residents to recognize the invaluable contribution of our firefighters and to express appreciation for those who stand ready to respond whenever their community needs them.

Now therefore Robert Mendez Mayor City of Fillmore California do early proclaimed the month of October 2026 as firefighter Appreciation Month in the City of Fillmore and urge all residents to join us in recognizing, honoring and thanking the brave men and women of the fire service who protect our community and serve our region with courage and distinction. And witness therefore to set as a hand and cause of this official seal of the City of Fillmore to be affixed with this 13th day of October 26.

Let me have the chief and guys come up so we can present these proclamation Cedar.

Mr. Mayor, Council and staff we definitely appreciate this recognition. It's deeply appreciated. The men and women of the Fillmore Fire Department always have the community foremost in their mind and thank you for this recognition it's truly appreciated. Thank you.

Come on.

Thank you guys so much for all your service. Members, where's the two? Okay.

Thank you fellas. You guys are very well appreciated, thank you so much. Okay,

Good evening to all. My name is Rito Murillo, I live in 818 Blaine where the asphalt got replaced and unfortunately since then every time when it rains water comes into my driveway. Before that I never had that problem. I've been living there for almost 40 years so I already complained like four times they listen to me they say they're gonna fix it but never have do anything Thank you so much.

Good evening, Mayor and members of City Council. I stand here tonight not just as a resident of Fillmore but as a veteran who swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. When I served, I did so to protect the fundamental freedoms that make this country great including the right to live our lives free from constant government intrusion.

That is why it is deeply unsettling to watch the silent, unchecked expansion of flock safety cameras across the city. These are tools of mass surveillance logging the movements and daily life patterns of honest law-abiding citizens. I did not serve my country only to come home and have my daily movement's tracks catalogued and stored in a private corporation's database every time I drive through Fillmore.

If you want to know exactly where this passivity leads, you only have to look at what happened to our neighbors right here in Ventura County. We already know that an audit exposed how FLOC inadvertently opened up local data. Other cities in the county like Ventura, Camarillo, Moorpark and Oxnard had been forced to scramble audit and completely halt their programs after realizing local license plate data was queried hundreds of thousands of times by unauthorized out-of-state agencies.

And while departments across our county are confronting the reality that these private tech vendors cannot protect our data and respect state privacy laws, this council has maintained a troubling silence. The legal tides are turning and cities pushing these networks forward are now facing severe legal liabilities Just last year, the California Attorney General sued the City of El Cajon for systematically violating state privacy laws through illegal flock data sharing.

This month, the ACLU sued the city of San Diego to force the removal of flock cameras entirely. More importantly, the facade of constitutionality has shattered. In a historic decision, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that warrantless historical flock searches are unconstitutional, striking down evidence and explicitly condemning the technology has indiscriminate mass surveillance.

From federal civil rights lawsuits over wrongful stops to multi-thousand dollar public records judgments forcing cities to scrap their contracts, the legal and financial risks are clear. If you vote to expand this system, you're exposing Fillmore to the exact same litigation. As our elected leaders, you are the first line of defense in protecting our constitutional liberties.

Lack of concern in the face of these tracking systems is a failure of leadership. Public safety is vital, but it should never require an unconditional surrender of our privacy. I urge this Council to break its silence, demand absolute transparency and halt any further expansion of this surveillance network. One more sentence? of this surveillance network until the privacy and constitutional rights of Fillmore's residents can be fully and unconditionally guaranteed. Thank you for your time.

Comments, committee commission and board reports. And I will start. Today I attended the Air Pollution Control Board meeting. There were several items on the agenda but none of which were really worth noting so with that I'll pass it on to my next council member who would like to, Council Member Rodriguez?

So, I attended the League of California Cities Conference out in Anaheim. And so I attended a lot of great workshops that just brought back a lot of information and some of this information I was able to share with some city staff but just to kind of give an idea of some of the workshops that I attended was tools for attracting and retraining businesses Money for finance, economic development, housing and infrastructure projects.

The usage of data and delivery effects services with limited resources. How to create community champions and lastly was a Revitalizing downtown without losing its old town soul. So there was, again really great information it was a few days most of the week from Tuesday to Friday and had a great time connecting with other fellow council members and other Local officials and city staff from throughout California.

And in terms of meetings, it's been pretty light for me. There was some rescheduling from some of the meetings that I attend and looking forward to attending those by the end of the month.

Okay so I also attended the California League of Cities conference down in Anaheim, the 23rd through the 25th. I attended – I'm not going to go through all the different things that I attended but I would like to mention that It wasn't just the meetings that we attended or the sessions. As Mario said, there was also really good discussion on the sidelines and in particular I asked two different police chiefs about flock cameras Um, and their experience with it. And so you know for me it's a part of educating myself about flawed cameras hearing from police chiefs directly as well as hearing from um you know citizens as well. You know my whole thing is I want to understand the technology and understand what exactly uh the pros and cons are. Um you know I have my own personal feelings but you know when I'm educating myself I wanna make sure that I understand it from different perspectives.

So as I said, I met with the police chief from Santa Maria. He gave me his perspective on flat cameras as well as the police chief from Arroyo Grande so they gave me their perspective and I'm going to file that away and make sure that I understand that perspective from the law enforcement side but as I said, I've got my own personal feelings about it I'm not going to make any decisions until I have what I feel is a good understanding of the technology.

So along with my fellow council members and mayor, I also attended the League of Cities Conference in Anaheim. It's always a really great conference and a great way to see what other jurisdictions are doing. The league particularly gives out awards every year and it's basically best practices in everything from land use and zoning, housing community engagement, some really innovative things. So I really look forward to hearing what other cities are doing and it gets the motor going up here and it's always exciting to always go and come back more engaged. It's a great way again to connect with my fellow council members and the city manager, assistant city manager outside of this room in this meeting hall. That's really great.

So, I did not have a Ventura Regional Sanitation District meeting earlier this month. I will have one on Thursday so there's nothing particular to update there however regarding the hospital and Actions and communication that's happening there. The mayor and I are part of the newly formed Fillmore City Council ad hoc regarding the future of Santa Paula Hospital and health services in the Santa Clara Valley, and there is a particular group like you can call it a growing coalition or task force that has formed. It's called the Santa Clara Valley Hospital Task Force. It is something that is separate from the Blue Ribbon Task Force which I think what we'll continue to meet, that particular meeting is organized by the Ventura County Healthcare Agency.

Those meetings happen to take place up at Santa Paula Hospital. This coalition or task force is particularly geared towards Wanting a different outcome than what Ventura Hospital, the Ventura County Health Care Agency is proposing. And that is this task force's immediate objective is no gap in emergency services so just a reminder that three years from now come January 1st 2030 if things aren't changed the county will cease to operate Santa Paula But this task force is looking to keep emergency services in either the current hospital, maybe a form of a micro-hospital. Something that involves keeping an emergency room and some form of a small hospital in the Santa Clara Valley. That is the task.

And for there not to be a gap in services of that. So anyway, the group has just formed. We've had I think two meetings and it's a very complex issue and there are multiple layers of stakeholders but one thing that I think the group does agree on is one, the involvement of our local jurisdictions so they're very happy to hear that on our agenda today, on our consent agenda I believe is a resolution that the City Council here in Fillmore has put forward to what we believe we want to see in emergency and healthcare services in the Santa Clara Valley. The City of Santa Paula also is sending two of their council members as part of their ad hoc committee to this task force, as well as other community groups. So, there's multiple, like I said, sort of different prongs of information we're looking at.

But basically the gist of it is this group is really going to delve deep into the weeds of how we maintain these services here in the Valley. What could be the possible future and is the future that the county has aligned which is the closure of the hospital, can that be postponed? Is there a potential way for there to be a retrofitting of the hospital still? Seismic retrofitting.

Currently, the Santa Paula Hospital isn't a rural hospital by definition but apparently that might be a little gray area in some interpretations so there's probably about 5-10 really key questions that the group has discussed and we're going to set forth to answering those questions Thank you.

I also attended the League of California Cities conference in Anaheim, and I think most of the council members here. We were all in attendance as well as some of our staff members. And definitely it's productive. I won't belabor much more than what any of the others have said so far. But I've attended the conference annually for a long time, and I walk away with information. It's always worthwhile. And the networking that goes on is just amazing. So that for me is half of it. So anyway, so I did that. We were there for three days.

Additionally, I attended the Ventura Council of Governments. I'm a member of that committee representing the city of Fillmore. And its representative, the Chair Council of Governments also known as VCOG is made up of different council members from all over the county. And the last meeting we had was, we had a presentation by our commander Eric Tennyson who is the Ventura County Sheriff Commander but he's also serving as the police chief for Thousand Oaks. He did a presentation on e-bikes, which was just amazing. And all cities are kind of struggling with what to do about the whole e-bike issue.

So he had a great presentation and speaking of VCOG, the next meeting, which is November 12th Eric Tennyson again will be speaking and this time he'll be addressing the whole issue of flock cameras. And he's been doing a very deep dive in communicating with other cities all over the state of California, and so he's going to present his opinion. These VCOG meetings are open to the public.

And the public has an opportunity to make statements just the way you do at City Council meetings. So if anyone wants to learn more about the FLOT cameras, I encourage you to attend that VCOG meeting on November 12th. It's at 3 o'clock p.m. in the Camarillo City Council Chambers. And again, as I said it's open to the public and public has an opportunity to make comments. Camarillo City Hall right?

And then I also attended the What was it what's the other one I said? I didn't attend the meeting, but in the previous ones we've been told they're the ones that are responsible for rebuilding the bridge, the train bridge. And they've been working on it you know for three years now and every time we get partially done as we all know the story then it gets flooded out again.

So I reported at a previous meeting That the bridge was to be completed by October 8th or 6th, which was last week. But I checked ahead of time before I was leaving town and I knew it's going to miss the meeting and found out that it's being pushed back sometime closer to the end of October. So but we're almost done. We're this close having that bridge completed and will have train operation in some capacity back into Fillmore again.