Top Ten News Stories of 2008

NEW CHAPTER—CSU Channel Islands celebrated the grand opening of John Spoor Broome Library in April. The $62-million library was designed by renowned architect Lord Norman Foster.

It was a year that many Camarillo residents won't soon forget.

Front page stories in 2008 ranged from the tragic Metrolink crash in Chatsworth that claimed the lives of 25 commuters, including two Camarillo men, to the much-lauded grand opening of the John Spoor Broome Library at CSU Channel Islands.

The following is a look at the top 10 stories that have impacted Camarillo since last January.

No. 10 New sports park

In June, the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District awarded an $11.2-million bid to build a 55-acre sports complex at the Village at the Park housing community. The park district board's decision to sod, not seed, the fields bumped the project's price tag up an additional $480,000. The project is the largest and most expensive single parks project in the district's history.

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers NOT HERE!—Residents protest their displeasure with the possibility of an 1,800-inmate prison medical facility to be built in Camarillo. The proposed facility, one of seven slated across the state, is under fire from local residents and elected officials.

No. 9 Teachers' pay raise

Despite a back-and-forth battle over pay that had teachers protesting outside schools and along Camarillo's major thoroughfares, the Pleasant Valley School District and its teachers agreed to a 3 percent raise and additional money toward health benefits in June. While district officials argued statewide budget cuts and declining enrollment made financing raises difficult, teachers contended their pay was below that of fellow educators throughout the county.

No. 8 Local elections

The elections in November led to the reelection of Don Waunch and Kevin Kildee to the City Council. As for the school board, incumbent Suzanne Kitchens retained her seat, while newcomer Warren Harwood also won election to the PVSD board. Audra Strickland (R-Thousand Oaks) and U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (RThousand Oaks) were reelected handily; however, it took until early December before the final counts were tallied and it was officially announced that Tony Strickland defeated Hannah-Beth Jackson to narrowly win the state Senate's 19th District seat.

JANN HENDRYAcorn Newspapers POLLS—A record-breaking number of California voters cast ballots on Nov. 4.

No. 7 Springville

construction boom

Four major construction projects are either underway or in development along the city's south side, commonly referred to as the Springville area. Disagreements over venture capital costs between the group of landowners looking to build a 1,350unit housing development on 170-acres along the 101 Freeway has put plans on hold for the estimated $40-million Springville freeway interchange. The city, which will contribute a total of $19 million for the interchange, said the onand offramp are required if the developers want to build the homes along the freeway between Las Posas Road and Central Avenue. Meanwhile, construction is moving forward on two shopping centers on the south side of the freeway. Of the two, The Promenade, a 255,000square-foot shopping center west of Edwards Camarillo Palace 12, is nearest completion. Financed by the Chelsea Property Group, owner of the Camarillo Premium Outlets, the 40 new retail shops are expected to open their doors by spring 2009. Less than a mile to the west, Selleck Properties has begun grading earth to build 499,000 square feet of shops and restaurants across 45 acres of farmland tucked between the freeway and the Camarillo Airport.

PAY DAY—During a drawn-out contract negotiation, teachers protested outside schools and along Camarillo's major thoroughfares at various times throughout the year. The Pleasant Valley School District and the teachers finally agreed to a 3 percent raise and additional money toward health benefits in June.

No. 6 Murder-for-hire plot

Pamela Fayed

The stabbing murder of Pamela Fayed, a 44yearold Camarillo mother of two, in a Century City parking structure in July has put her estranged husband at the center of an investigation that points to a murder-for-hire plot that's attracted national attention. James Fayed, 45, owner of a Camarillobased gold trading company, was arrested in September and charged with capital murder for his alleged involvement with his estranged wife's death. Police allege James Fayed hired Jose Luis Moya, 47, to plan the murder, which detectives believe was committed by an unknown assailant seen leaving the scene of the crime with Moya, who has since been arrested. The Fayeds were reportedly in the midst of a contentious divorce and were arguing over their business and bank accounts, worth more than $12 million. Their company was also the focus of a federal investigation for illegal overseas trading.

No. 5 The Metrolink tragedy

The September Metrolink crash in Chatsworth that left 25 dead, including two Camarillo men, and more than 130 injured was a tragedy that has since led to state regulations requiring trains to be equipped with an emergency backup braking system to help avoid similar accidents. Although initial reports indicated the train's engineer may have been using his phone for text messaging at the time of the accident and failed to see a red trackside warning signal, investigators said it will be months before they know why the afternoon commuter train slammed into the Union Pacific freight train.

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers EYE OF THE STORM— A sign behind the new Camarillo Library on Los Posas Road states the 77-acres of farmland is slated to become the site of the city's next high school. The proposed high school was at the center of the battle over unification.

No. 4 The John

Spoor Broome Library

California State University Channel Islands celebrated in April the grand opening of the John Spoor Broome Library. Designed by awardwinning architect Lord Norman Foster, the $62million library houses 75,000 bound books and more than 180,000 electronic books, CDs and DVDs. In an attempt to make construction of the 137,000squarefoot library more environmentally friendly, the university used recyclable material for the building's carpet, made use of natural light and refashioned existing structures to be incorporated into the library.

No. 3 The Recession

The full impact of the ailing economy was felt locally this year as financial institutions, the auto industry and major retailers throughout the U.S. struggled to stay afloat following the subprime mortgage meltdown, which led to a credit crunch that sent financial shockwaves from Wall Street to Main Street. While Camarillo schools and CSUCI brace for continued state budget cuts, local companies are cutting back employees and shoring up the bottom line. Most notable was the closing of the Imation plant and the loss of its 140 jobs. Moreover, Camarillo residents faced the repercussion of IndyMac Bank's bankruptcy, saw one of the city's two car dealerships close and continued to manage ever-eroding home prices.

No. 2 Prison medical facility

Camarillo residents learned in June the city was under consideration to be one of seven sites for a high-security prison medical facility to house as many as 1,800 inmates. The seven hospitals, estimated to cost $8 billion, are part of a plan by Federal Receiver J. Clark Kelso to improve healthcare for California inmates after a federal court decision that ruled the state's prison system was so in need of reform it was unconstitutional. Slated to be built on the current site of the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility on Wright Road, the prison hospital has not only sparked a countywide public outcry but led to the formation of two ad hoc committees determined to legally challenge Kelso's plans. Last week, residents learned Camarillo moved from third to sixth place in priority for the construction of a prison medical facility. Although the federal receiver's office is moving forward with the environmental impact report for the medical facility, it's unclear how or where his office will find the money to finance construction costs as California faces a historic budget deficit. The eventual outcome of the prison medical facilities may be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

No. 1 Measure U

Measure U, the November ballot initiative that would have created a unified school district in Camarillo, was the most talked about, debated and controversial issue for the city in 2008. If Measure U had passed, high school students from Camarillo and Somis would have merged with the Pleasant Valley School District to form Camarillo Unified School District. With 51.06 percent voting no and 48.94 percent voting yes, Measure U narrowly failed by 1,926 votes. Between October 2007 and October 2008, the Camarillo Acorn published nearly 100 news articles, letters to the editors, op/ed pieces and candidate profiles which explored the divisive issue. Litigation challenging the California State Board's decision to allow all residents living within the Oxnard Union High School District to vote on Measure U is currently pending, and it's unclear whether the lawsuit will move forward or be dropped. Nonetheless, both sides of the issue are now looking to Superintendent Jody Dunlap and the Oxnard Union High School District to begin construction on the high school slated to be built off Las Posas Road behind the Camarillo Library.