2007 YEAR IN REVIEW
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK

ACORN TAKES FLIGHT- Nancy and Katharine Walker of Simi Valley are firstplace winners of the 2007 "Take Your Simi Valley Acorn on Vacation" photo contest. While in Maui this summer with 15 members of the Walker clan, the mother-daughter pair took the opportunity to enjoy their first parasailing experience- and they brought their Simi Valley Acorn along for the ride. The Walkers received a check for $100 for their winning entry.

September

• Liliana, an undocumented immigrant, takes refuge at the United Church of Christ of Simi Valley, sparking widespread debate. UCC is the first church in Ventura County to offer sanctuary to illegal aliens. • Simi Valley Unified School District earns a score of 802 on the Academic Performance Index (API), a standardized test for all students in California. The state target is 800, and 15 of 21 elementary schools in Simi Valley eclipse that figure. • The Santa Susana Field Laboratory bill, SB 990, regarding cleanup of the site, passes 50-22 in the California Senate. • The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and MilitaryConnection.com host the second annual Freedom Walk in the library's courtyard to honor troops and veterans as well as remember the victims of 9/11. Hundreds of residents and their families participate in the walk- though the group is markedly smaller than that in the inaugural event. • Thousands enjoy the 23rd annual Simi Valley Days weekend. This year's theme is "It's great to be a kid!" and several attractions are added to cater to younger fair-goers. • Firefighters fend off the first fire of the season, a 15-acre blaze at the top of Madera Road near the 118 Freeway. • Enrollment figures in Simi Valley Unified School District drop by a total of 327 students, putting the current total at 21,098. • Protesters flock to the United Church of Christ to oppose the decision by the church to give refuge to illegal immigrant mother Liliana. Mayor Paul Miller says he wants UCC to foot the police bill of $39,306 for the extra law enforcement required to keep the peace during the threehour demonstration. • The Runkle Canyon housing development will undergo more geological and environmental testing at the recommendation of the California Department of Health Services. • Two families, the Aguileras and Sillettis, break ground on homes on Royal Avenue at Simi Valley's first Habitat for Humanity project. Since 1983, Habitat for Humanity has built 43 homes in Ventura County. • Simi Valley Elks Lodge No. 2492 serves its annual pancake breakfast for veterans as part of the Wild West Weekend fundraiser. • Simi Valley Town Center hosts its fifth annual Vino Jazz Festival. An estimated $90,000 is raised for the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center Foundation. • The announcement is made that the softball fields at Rancho Simi Community Park, or "Duck Park," will be completely refurbished and protected with fences. The project is a combined effort aided by the city, park and school districts, and the Amanda McPherson Foundation. • Mayor Paul Miller agrees to put on hold his request to bill the United Church of Christ for $39,306 after meeting with UCC pastor June Goudey. The two sides agree to maintain an "open dialogue" regarding the church's decision to provide sanctuary to Liliana. • Lewis Sporting Goods, the first sporting goods store in Simi Valley, is set to close after 35 years. • Protests by residents on Indian Hills Drive help to reduce the number of sycamore trees set to be removed from the residential street from 32 to six. Public works officials say the trees must be removed to repair sidewalks, curbs and gutters damaged by the roots of the sycamores.

IMMIGRATION DEBATE HITS HOME- A protester calls out slogans outside the United Church of Christ in Simi Valley on Sunday, Sept. 16. The church is participating in the New Sanctuary Movement and providing sanctuary for Liliana, an illegal immigrant, and her son, a U.S. citizen, on church property. Save Our State, an anti-illegal immigration group, organized the protest with the goal of making a citizens' arrest. A group of counter-protesters demonstrated with slogans and signs. IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers

October

•With fanfare, the Ghost Tour in Strathearn Park, hosted by the Ventura County Cultural Association and the historical society, returns after a twoyear hiatus. • Midyear crime statistics compiled by Simi police show that major crime is up 17.7 percent, largely due to higher numbers of larceny and auto theft. Police encourage residents to lock up. • Simi Valley High's football team defeats Moorpark for the first time since 1996, with the Pioneers prevailing 14-6 over the Musketeers. • The Amanda McPherson Foundation hosts its fourth annual Amanda "Spreading Our Wings" Walk and Family Carnival at Rancho Madera Park. • The community is shaken as Susan Sutcliffe, beloved mother of two, is fatally shot outside Simi Valley Tire Pros during a shooting rampage by resident Robert Becerra that also seriously wounded two others. Becerra dies from a selfinflicted gunshot wound. Police have not found a motive for the killing. • The Simi Valley Vikings youth football program secures a permanent new home after the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District purchases 57 acres of open space off Tapo Canyon Road. The facility includes two lighted regulation-size sport fields, a playground, basketball courts and a parking lot. • Jack O'Connell, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, makes a surprise visit to Wood Ranch Elementary School. • The Rotary Club of Simi Valley celebrates its 45th anniversary. • Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs Senate Bill 990, a measure that ensures the complete cleanup of Santa Susana Field Lab to the EPA's highest standards. The governor and Boeing Co. also reach an agreement whereby the field lab will one day be donated to the state as parkland. • Willa Dobbs, Sandie Delzer and Gloria Gralow are honored during the third annual Mayor's Dinner and Charity Auction at the Reagan Library. • Members of the City Council, school board, park district and planning commission unveil a bold new vision for the Arroyo Simi, a 12-mile natural water corridor running through the city. • Thousands of firefighters help to stave off rampant Southern California wild fires from entering into Simi Valley. • Grace Brethren Elementary School holds its annual Grandparents' Day. • Simi Valley High hosts the 39th Band Spectacular marching band tournament. Royal hosts its 24th Royal Classic, where UCLA's marching band makes an appearance.

November

• Larwin Co. announces it will halt development on its condominium project on Kuehner Road near Happy Face Hill for at least six months, citing slumping market conditions. City Council members ask the developer to finish landscaping before exiting the site. • Sgt. Bob Brill and Sgt. Darren Muehler are featured speakers during Police Chief Mike Lewis' second annual Police Chief's Luncheon • A concert at The Canyon in Agoura Hills benefits the family of George Michael Selleh, a fallen Los Angeles Police Department officer and 13-year Simi resident. • Tony Snow, a cancer survivor and former White House press secretary, speaks at the Presidential Learning Center at the Reagan Library. • Schools across the district celebrate Red Ribbon Week to discourage the use of alcohol and drugs. • Simi Valley honors its veterans with a variety of events around the city, highlighted by a ceremony at Veterans Plaza in Rancho Tapo Community Park, a service at the Reagan Library and a traditional event at White Oak Elementary. • The police department forms a Youth Services Unit, a team of six officers and one sergeant that work with students, parents and school administrators. DARE and student resources officers now operate under one umbrella.• An audit citing insufficient record-keeping reveals that more than 80,000 artifacts at the Reagan Library cannot be accounted for. The National Archives and Records Administration, which is responsible for overseeing the country's 12 presidential libraries, agrees to complete a full inventory and address storage issues. • Royal High School's football team ends its season on a high note by defeating crosstown rival Simi High, 2821. Royal finished 37 overall while the Pioneers went 4-6. • Simi Valley Hospital nears completion of a $75-million, four-floor tower that will replace much of the current facility. Three floors of the new tower are expected to open in April 2008. • Larwin Co. says it will finish landscaping at its Kuehner Road site before delaying development until at least spring. Six oak trees, previously removed, are replanted on the hillside. • About 200 high school students attend the firstever Teen Night held at the Rancho Santa Susana Community Center. Organizers herald the event as a success. • The City Council introduces an ordinance that requires thorough building requirements for any new commercial or residential construction project in the name of earthquake and fire safety. • Apollo High School hosts its 25th Thanksgiving Feast for the students, their families and the community. • The Ventura County Planning Department deems the Waste Management's landfill expansion application complete.

December

•Park district officials turn down a request by a Ventura County Grand Jury to provide round-the-clock police coverage of parks in Simi Valley and Oak Park. • The City Council forms a new committee, the fivemember Sustainable Simi Valley Committee. • Santa Susana High wins a Golden Bell Award from the California School Board Association. • Two teams in the Simi Valley Vikings football program win Super Bowls in the Gold Coast Youth Football League. • Officials from the United States Environmental Protection Agency urge Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to put Santa Susana Field Lab on the Superfund National Priorities List, which would get the federal government involved in cleaning up the site. • Simi Valley Hospital ends its two-year contract with Medi-Cal, but it will still accept patients who need emergency treatment. • The Simi Valley Planning Commission holds a public hearing on the proposal to build 266 residential units on the corner of Los Angeles Avenue and Madera Road. The project is approved unanimously. • The City Council approves a project to construct 16 townhomes on the corner of Stow Street and Los Angeles Avenue. • The City Council introduces an ordinance to rid itself of obsolete provisions in the Simi Valley Municipal Code. • Simi Valley gang member Richard Anthony Gomez is sentenced to 50 years in prison on an attempted murder charge after he fired into a crowded house party in 2006. • Veterans gather at Veterans Plaza to observe the 66th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. • The Simi Valley Education Foundation announces that more than $72,000 in 85 Enhancement Grants were awarded to 25 local public schools in 2007. • After complaints by residents, the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District revises its plans for the Sinaloa Golf Course expansion by removing designs for an arcade and water park. • Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas speaks at the Reagan Library. • The Rotary clubs of Simi Sunrise and Simi Valley assemble bicycles for families of children who can't afford them. • Skatelab organizes a fundraiser for the National High School Skateboard Association. • The Royal High wrestling team begins its defense of the Marmonte League championship by starting the league season 3-0.