December 2, 2016

LO C A L

N EWS

December 2-8, 2016

YO U

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INSIDE:

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This Year’s Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide VOLUME 9, ISSUE 49

Giving Back

Local author Josh McDowell to sell collection of artifacts to help underserved children in Pakistan D P L I V I N G / PAG E 24

Josh McDowell, author and Christian minister, will sell many of the items he’s collected around the world over several decades on Dec. 10 and 11 at a Christmas Market at Heritage Christian Fellowship. Photo: Eric Heinz

Traffic Calming Project Planned for Camino Capistrano EYE ON DP/PAGE 3

Mermade Market Returns to City with Winter Show EYE ON DP/PAGE 3

www.danapointtimes.com

Dana Point Turkey Trot Race Results SPORTS/PAGE 29

VOTE FOR THE 2016 BEST OF DANA POINT AT DANAPOINTTIMES.COM

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DP EYE ON DP Dana Point

LOCAL NEWS & IN-DEPTH REPORTING

The Mermade Market is a three-day indoor and outdoor market that sells homemade items from a number of makers. The market is set up in Dana Point off of San Juan Avenue. Photo: Courtesy of Rachel Thurston

What’s Up With...

Five things Dana Point should know this week

Local Artisans and Craftsmen to Sell Wares at Upcoming Mermade Market THE LATEST: The three-day Mermade Market will be returning to Dana Point just in time for the holiday season.

The Mermade Market, which is owned and operated by husband and wife Elise and Drew Capener, will be in the city for its seventh show from Dec. 8-10.

The market is indoors as well as outdoors and includes 45 shop spaces inside with 11 rotating makers outside alongside live music, food trucks, balloon animals and more.

Elise said when she moved to California, she wanted to see more markets with makers in the area.

“There’s a great variety of items so you don’t feel like you’re only seeing baby items, or all home décor; there is literally something for everyone,” Elise said, adding that the market is “super curated” so there’s more of a variety of items offered.

Elise said the market doesn’t usually bring back repeat makers, especially in back-to-back shows.

The hours of operation vary every day; Dec. 8 the market is open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Dec. 9 is 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Dec. 10 is 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Dana Point Times December 2-8, 2016

Elise Capener, Mermade Market owner, and Erin Otsuji, a Dana Point resident, work on decorations for the Mermade Market. The three-day market will open Dec. 8. Photo: Kristina Pritchett

WHAT’S NEXT: The next market is not scheduled until winter 2017. The market is located at 24642 San Juan Ave., Dana Point. For more information about the market, visit mermademarket.com.

—Kristina Pritchett

Traffic Calming Project Planned for Camino Capistrano THE LATEST: City Council is scheduled to review bids for a traffic calming project along Camino Capistrano in December.

Business owners went to the city with their concerns about cars speeding through the area, and the fact that there are preschools and a swim school in the area, where parents often cross the street with their children.

“It tends to be a place where people speed,” said Larry Robinson, a business

owner in the area. “There are parents who come to pick up their kids; they have to sprint across with their child across the street. Traffic can be unpredictable.”

The plan is to create an uncertainty for drivers, said Matt Sinacori, deputy director of public works.

“If drivers have to navigate through, they tend to slow down,” Sinacori said.

From Victoria Boulevard to Sepulveda Avenue, the city plans to have painted stripes that will create narrower lanes for traffic, as well as islands that will draw the driver’s attention. The islands will have cobble rocks and trees.

“There will also be parked cars out there, which is good for traffic calming because it causes friction. If the cars weren’t there, then people would drive a lot faster,” Sinacori said.

Sinacori said the city already had plans to do work along that stretch of road, so this project fits right into the plans.

If the plan doesn’t work, or amenable bids are not received, Sinacori said the city will look at other options. For now, some short-term options include a blinking light beacon, moving a speed radar truck in and out of the area and more patrolling.

year 2022-2023.

WHAT’S NEXT: Construction is not scheduled to begin until the spring and could take three to four months to complete, Sinacori said. The City Council will need to award a bid contract for the work to begin. —KP

WHAT’S NEXT: According to a statement from the city, the process to find a new city manager was expected to begin soon and allow for a selection process that can occur in the beginning of the year. —KP

Trolley Services Expand for 2017 Season THE LATEST: The City Council unanimously approved a cooperative agreement with the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) for grant funds, a contract amendment and additional trolley shuttle services.

During the Nov. 15 meeting, Council voted in favor of approving a cooperative agreement with the OCTA, to approve a first amendment with Professional Parking, Inc. and additional trolley and shuttle services.

The staff report said Professional Parking, Inc. will maintain the same hourly costs for the trolleys, and a reduction in hourly cost for the shuttle service, assuming the projected hourly usage is generally maintained. But, they will need a fifth trolley to maintain the 15 minute or less wait time with the proposed Pacific Coast Highway extension.

In November 2015, the OCTA approved an additional grant opportunity, in which the city approved to apply for funds. The city was successful and was granted $905,968.

To obtain the funds, the city must enter a seven-year agreement through fiscal Page 3

WHAT’S NEXT: The services are scheduled to begin June 9, 2017 and run until Sept. 4, 2017 with generally the same operational hours. The extended route can be viewed online at www.danapointtimes. com. —KP

City Council Holds Closed Sessions Regarding Hiring Consultants THE LATEST: The City Council held a special meeting to discuss bringing in a hiring consulting firm to aid the process of finding a new city manager.

The special meeting took place on Friday, Nov. 18 to discuss bringing in a consulting firm. As of press time Thursday, it was unclear what the Council decided to do.

Doug Chotkevys announced his resignation at the end of October, to be effective Nov. 1. According to officials, the agreement was in lieu of termination.

Since then, Mike Killebrew has been the acting city manager.

Coastal Commission to Discuss Strand Gate Amendment THE LATEST: The California Coastal Commission (CCC) is scheduled to discuss and vote on a local coastal program amendment (LCPA) the city submitted regarding operation times and retractable gates at Strand Beach.

The city submitted an LCPA, which included operational hours to conform with the settlement and gates to help enforce those hours.

According to a CCC report, the Commission staff recommends that the hours requested be approved but the gates be denied. The CCC said a rope or chain is more acceptable.

In July, the Planning Commission held a hearing for the LCPA that would allow the use of fully retractable gates in the Strand community. The proposed gates were retractable and were planned for the mid-strand beach access point, the central strand upper access point and the central strand lower access point.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Commission is scheduled to discuss the subject on Wednesday, Dec. 7 in Ventura. The meeting can be viewed at www.coastal.ca.gov. —KP www.danapointtimes.com

EYE ON DP

This Land Is Your Land

As indigenous rights get national spotlight, Acjachemen confront long-standing battles in South Orange County

BY ALLISON JARRELL, ERIC HEINZ AND MATT CORTINA, DANA POINT TIMES

T

he protests at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North and South Dakota have brought the rights of indigenous people to the national forefront.

As protestors dig in for a long winter of battling the construction of an oil and gas pipeline under their main water source, American Indian tribes across the country are both sending support and people to the demonstrations, and also revisiting and reopening local battles.

There is no shortage of such issues in South Orange County alone for the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation, which runs from San Diego to Los Angeles. We talked to tribal leaders about current issues the tribe is facing, and also took a trip to Standing Rock to see the parallels between the rhetoric and motivation of indigenous people there and in South Orange County.

“We’ve had to sit back and watch our lands … desecrated.”

On a recent sunny November morning, Jerry Nieblas and his cousin, Gigi Nieblas, walked through San Juan Capistrano’s Northwest Open Space, tucked along the north end of town where Camino Capistrano and the railroad come together. The cousins brushed past the dry earth, speckled with citrus trees and shrubs, toward a clearing with a large oak tree at its center.

With two small bundles of tobacco in hand, they made an offering to their ancestors— Jerry lifted a bundle in silence before carefully placing it inside the tree’s trunk.

Jerry and Gigi can trace their lineage back to the ancient village of Putuidem, which was home to the Acjachemen Indians who used to occupy this land. Their five-times great grandmother, Maria Bernarda Chigilia—who was just 14 years old when Mission San Juan Capistrano was established in 1776—lived in the tribe’s mother village, which was essentially the capital of 265 native villages in Orange County. A young Chigilia was taken from the land, and today, Jerry and Gigi look forward to bringing her history to life.

“She saw the coming of the Mission,” Jerry said. “She was relocated off of those lands into the new boundaries of Mission San Juan Capistrano. So she saw the best of our life, and she saw the worst of our life.

Dana Point Times December 2-8, 2016

Jerry Nieblas and his cousin, Gigi Nieblas, can trace their lineage back to the ancient village of Putuidem, where their five-times great grandmother, Maria Bernarda Chigilia lived. Chigilia was just 14 years old when Mission San Juan Capistrano was established in 1776. Photo: Allison Jarrell

“Now her five-times great grandchildren can bring her to life again, and that’s what we intend to do,” he said.

The land not only represents the tribe’s past—it marks an important chapter in the future of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation. This past summer, San Juan Capistrano’s City Council approved funding for a park on a 1.3-acre portion of the land that will pay homage to the village of Putuidem and become a place where tribal members can go to celebrate their culture, their connection to the land, and their traditions.

Building the park means protecting one of the last remaining ancestral sites in San Juan Capistrano and preserving a sacred gathering place for Juaneño/Acjachemen descendants.

Over a year and a half ago, a committee was formed to work on a “wish list” for the park, made up of Juaneño/Acjachemen members and city officials.

Recent political division within the tribe has led to several groups forming after disagreements created rifts during the process to become a federally recognized tribe. In 2007, and again in 2010, the Acjachemen failed to receive federal recognition and are still working toward that goal.

In 2003, some tribal members became politically active and filed a lawsuit, along with the California Cultural Resources Preservation Alliance, against the expansion of Junipero Serra High School onto sacred land—land that was once home to the village of Putuidem. They lost that fight, which tribal member Rebecca Robles described as a “bitter pill.” That area

is now a football field.

Joyce Stanfield Perry, a tribal manager for the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, said each loss of the tribe’s homeland has been “painful and chaotic.” She said, “over the last 40 years, prominent Acjachemen leaders and activists have worked diligently in educating city officials and the public about the unique resource and the importance of protecting Putuidem.”

While Jerry Nieblas is grateful for the opportunity to honor his ancestors on the land they once walked, he also describes the return to the land as an “odd” feeling.

“Mostly, we’ve had to sit back and watch our lands … desecrated,” Nieblas said. “In the scheme of everything, we’ve lost so much. And they’ve given us a little dot in the middle of this land. And I appreciate that, because now it’s up to us.”

Matias Belardes, son of former tribal chairman and activist David Belardes, said the park will allow the story of San Juan Capistrano’s beginning chapter to be told.

He called the partnership of city staff and tribal members “unprecedented.”

“We weren’t always welcomed.”

It’s hard—if not impossible—to write about current issues facing local indigenous tribes without talking about the Mission San Juan Capistrano. It was the Mission builders who first enslaved the Acjachemen people, giving them the ultimatum to live within Mission boundaries and convert, or to live outside, while settlers sapped up all the resources on which the tribes once lived and inundated the area with diseases to which they were not

Page 5

immune.

Mechelle Lawrence Adams, the executive director of the Mission, respectfully declined to multiple requests to talk about the Mission’s current work with indigenous people, as well as concerns those in the community have expressed about the Mission.

Lawrence Adams did provide a pamphlet that highlights the many things the Mission does to preserve and celebrate Juaneño/Acjachemen culture. This includes the display of artifacts, ringing the Mission bells, lectures and more.

However, the fundamental issue with the Mission is that for all the good work it does to preserve Juaneño culture—in fact, it may do more than any other group in the area—it still stands as a monument to oppression. There’s no getting over that, and it’s been written about exhaustively.

And so the question now is: do indigenous leaders believe the Mission is currently doing enough to overcome its past?

Within the Acjachemen community, there are opinions at both ends of the spectrum.

“We weren’t always welcomed, from the time the Mission was established, sometimes even to current days. We’re not that welcomed a lot,” said Jerry Nieblas, who worked 28 years at the Mission before being fired. Nieblas said current Acjachemen people, for all the Mission does, still aren’t integrated into the church’s ceremonies.

And if they are, it’s on the Mission’s terms.

Gigi Nieblas said when her Acjachemen grandmother was cremated, they weren’t (Cont. on page 6) www.danapointtimes.com

EYE ON DP (Cont. from page 5) allowed to bring her remains into the church even though she went to school there.

Perry described the relationship with the Mission as one having peaks and valleys. Perry agreed that she hasn’t always felt welcomed at the Mission, but didn’t blame Lawrence Adams or current administration for that.

Adelia Sandoval, the Juaneño/Acjachemen cultural director, said that she thinks the Catholic church and Lawrence Adams have done a wonderful job managing the Mission. Sandoval said anyone calling for the Mission to return to Juaneño/Acjachemen control isn’t recognizing that the tribe doesn’t really have the wherewithal and resources to manage it on a daily basis.

“Never has a developer come in and wreaked this kind of havoc.”

While progress has been made on the Northwest Open Space park, some Juaneño/Acjachemen tribal members and San Juan Capistrano commissioners feel more work needs to be done in the arena of monitoring the construction sites of new developments in town for important indigenous artifacts.

The focus of these concerns is currently on the former Inn at the Mission site, which sits directly across from the Mission. After grading had already commenced, landowner and developer Bill Griffith dropped his plans for the Inn at the Mission, and has since said developing the previously approved Plaza Banderas hotel at the site is a possibility.

As grading commenced at the hotel site, several commissioners and tribal members became increasingly concerned as excavation went deeper into the earth without report of any items found. The Capistrano Historical Alliance Committee (CHAC) dropped support for the incoming hotel and the current site development and construction earlier this year.

The CHAC letter, written by Jerry Nieblas, asks why full documentation and quarterly reports haven’t been provided on what’s been found at the site.

“We feel that this project, which was once an extension of Mission San Juan Capistrano and is part of our sacred land, has been desecrated because of massive ground penetration, earth moving/shifting and disturbance/compromising possibly two historic horno ovens along with other artifacts,” the letter states.

“We look forward to the city enforcing its policies and requesting a thorough and detailed report from Bill Griffith regarding this project that is filled with many issues,” the letter concludes. “Never has a developer come in and wreaked this kind of havoc on our sacred lands. He needs to be held accountable.”

At the Sept. 27 Cultural Heritage Commission meeting, commission chairman Nathan Banda, a member of the Acjachemen Nation, had similar concerns about the lack of reporting. Citing the city’s Dana Point Times December 2-8, 2016

(Above) Those within Standing Rock are preparing for a long winter by building permanent structures on Army Corps land that will house protesters. (Left Members of the Sioux tribe sit atop horses on a distant bluff overlooking the camp at Standing Rock, North Dakota. Photos: Matt Cortina

Council Policy 601, Banda asked why the commission wasn’t receiving reports from the site’s monitors on what was being found. City staff replied that the developer’s permits did not require such reporting, but Banda countered that according to the city’s policy, reports of anything significant should come in within 24 hours to the commission.

In the past, Banda said, the city had a historic preservation manager, but when she left in 2011, her job was divvied up among existing staff, which has contributed to the lack of reporting.

In an email last week, Senior Planner David Contreras said the site’s archeological reports will be “provided after the completion of grading/trenching activities on the site,” which Contreras clarified to mean after the project is constructed.

Perry served as the Native American monitor for the Inn at the Mission site.

She said all laws and permits were followed, and she doesn’t feel additional reporting is needed at this time.

Griffith said the majority of the items found were related to agricultural operations, as the site had been an ag property for more than 100 years. He said information regarding the monitoring will be made “available to people when it’s appropriate.”

“That causes chaos within our community and our well-being.”

South of San Clemente is the San Mateo Campground areas, which includes the spiritual land of Panhe, an area that is sacred to the Acjachemen Nation.

Recently, activists and members of the nation protested certain procedures of the U.S. Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, which uses San Onofre State Beach for training.

At San Mateo, west of the training zones, the U.S. Marine Corps has been grading and leveling portions of the area in order to prepare for training operations.

Patricia Martz, a Putuidem committee member who has a Ph.D. in archaeology and anthropology, said there have been artifacts found in the area where USMC mitigation efforts have begun, but she claims this has not resulted in an increase of the way the land is valued.

First Lt. Abigail Peterson, deputy director of public affairs at Camp Pendleton, said the USMC is taking National Historic Preservation Act requirements seriously as well as their commitment to the communities surrounding the military base through the Cultural Resources Program.

“Technically, we do have the ability to use any of the lease property for formal military training,” Peterson said, “but with Panhe, that area has not been used in formal military training to date, however, the San Onofre Campground and the San Mateo Archeological District has been used.”

Martz contends that the heavy vehicles used by the Marines in the archeological district have damaged much of the ground down there, which could be sites of archeological significance.

Martz has started a petition to stop the use of the land for training.

“Myself and the Native American tribal communities asked to be able to inspect the site when we heard about this,” Martz said. “We were horrified to see that vehicles had been had been out there and exposed some of the cultural parts of the sites. Our argument is that this is not working, and they’ll be grading down to sensitive areas of the site in no time.”

Page 6

Perry said she doesn’t think the Marines are making an active effort in avoiding culturally sensitive areas in the district.

“When we see where we come from being altered, that causes chaos within our community and our well-being,” Perry said.

Military operations aren’t the only threat to the sanctity of Panhe. Another came in the form of a highway, which was temporarily defeated on Nov. 10.

The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) reached a settlement agreement with various state factions, including the Native American Heritage Commission, to not allow for toll roads to come through San Mateo Campground and San Onofre State Beach.

“The bluffs in the park, the San Mateo State Beach, all of that area is very sensitive archeologically and culturally,” Martz said. “That’s why we were protesting the toll road; it would have directly affected Panhe.”

The TCA is planning alternative routes to the original plans that would have provided plans to build through the San Mateo areas, which could ultimately affect Panhe.

“No matter where that road goes it’s going to impact some cultural properties and sites along the way, and we’ll be in negotiations with TCA to make sure there’s minimal impact,” Perry said.

“We oppose any poison being put into our Mother Earth.”

In October, indigenous leaders held a prayer vigil against Southern California Edison’s (SCE) controversial plans to store about 1,400 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel from San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) as part of the plant’s decommissioning process.

The nuclear power plant went offline in 2012 and has been slated for destruction since 2013. SCE has argued they can’t put the nuclear waste anywhere else at this time because the Nuclear Waste Policy Act does not allow for temporary interim storage of fuel—it must have a permanent home.

“I’m just starting to educate myself on that, and they’re taking this nuclear waste and putting it into the earth in hopes to transport, and we oppose any poison being put into our Mother Earth, period,” said Perry, adding that the Acjachemen have not taken an official position on the matter in writing at this time.

SCE plans to start putting the fuel in storage containers protected by cement casings as early as 2017.

“There has been a great disrespect for many generations.”

A man who calls himself Soldierboy, inside of stove-heated tarpaulin dome at the Oceti Sakowin protest camp in North Dakota, makes one thing clear to the group: We’re at Standing Rock to build a nation.

In fact, the nation already exists. It’s a stretch of land in the Western Dakotas and Nebraska whose boundaries pre-date mid19th-century treaties that have since been www.danapointtimes.com

EYE ON DP broken by the federal government. The nation has rules that, in order to stay in the camp, all must abide by, as they would in any other country. If the rules are not followed, the Sioux will boot out offenders, and they’ll do it, Soldierboy says, their way.

Soldierboy is tall with hulking shoulders that fill out a camouflage fleece. He wears a winter hat and jeans—it’s gusty and 10 degrees in North Dakota—and he addresses a group of protesters or “water protectors” in the dome for the first time because he says he has seen Sioux rules broken within the main camp of protestors in Standing Rock.

Rules that prohibit photography around drum circles and horses; that protect the integrity of the fire; that require elders, women and children to eat first. There are forums for women to air women’s problems, and forums for men to air men’s problems. It’s their rules. That’s what sovereignty means.

And there should be culture shock.

And yet, there are so many positions influencing what the protest camp is becoming that an announcement like that needed to be made. The movement to stop an oil and gas pipeline, the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), from being built under the Missouri River, the area’s water source, began in April, on private land owned by Lakota member LaDonna Bravebull Allard.

That camp has since become the Sacred Stone prayer camp, while across the river, the main Oceti Sakowin camp has been built on Army Corps land the Sioux believes is theirs. Scores of environmentalists, civil rights activists, indigenous peoples’ advocates and more have been drawn to the area. Their numbers can surge to 4,000 people on the weekends, while representing over 300 indigenous tribes from around the world—the largest meeting of tribes in at least a century. Media, too, has been abundant at the camp—the joke is that 3,000 people are at Standing Rock and 2,000 are journalists.

There is a LGBT camp (“Two-Spirit Camp”), a robustly stocked donation center, four mess halls/kitchens turning donated canned goods and fresh produce into meals, medical tents to tend to the hundreds of protectors that come back injured after actions. Rumors of visits from Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie and Mark Ruffalo are passed around the camp, and when a celebrity visit does materialize, or else when a direct action gets photogenic, the internet explodes with posts tagged #NoDAPL, and for an hour the images shock. But they’re also tagged with different backstories and histories, and framed through different lenses, and times a million, it all contributes to the perception that Standing Rock is something other than an effort to rebuild a nation for the Sioux.

What would be the biggest story of the year, if not for the election, is a national, amplified example of what smaller indigenous tribes are fighting for across the country, including the Juaneño/Acjachemen tribe in Southern California.

“There is a commitment for unprecedented unified action … that has been covDana Point Times December 2-8, 2016

ered up by the news media of what we’re actually trying to do here,” said Chief Phil Lane at the SONGS prayer vigil at San Onofre State Beach last month.

Lane is an elder in the Dakota nation, whose father grew up in Standing Rock.

Lane said it was his hope the battle over SONGS became another site for action like the demonstrations in Standing Rock.

A sign at the vigil read, “Standing Rock, California.”

Laura Lafoia Ava-Tesimale, a first nations representative from Polynesia who offered the spiritual message at the SONGS vigil, said there is a direct tie between the treatment of Juaneño/Acjachemen tribes in South Orange County, and the Sioux at Standing Rock.

“There’s been a great disrespect for many generations,” said Lafoia Ava-Tesimale. “For 500 years, everything has been taken from them [the Acjachemen]. Stricken of their dignity, their land, their faith in human rights, their right to water, their sacred burial grounds. The disrespect has gone to new heights.

“With what is happening at Standing Rock, you can see the militarization and the hundreds of combat vehicles coming to battle against peaceful protectors that are doing prayer and taking to ceremony to protect this land and the resources, the water, not just for the indigenous peoples in this land, but for all of us, even the ones who are disrespecting them.”

Flags of some of the several hundred tribes represented at Standing Rock flap in the wind and line the entry to the camp and the border it shares with the road.

The Juaneño/Acjachemen flag does not yet fly, but the tribe is at least represented at the gathering.

Tribal member Rebecca Robles said her 27-year-old son has made the trip, and like many others who are setting up at Standing Rock, has put his life on hold because “he felt he had to be there.”

“Sometimes it’s shocking that the system doesn’t protect us, or there’s such little regard for history. So when there is a win, it’s very important. This is the groundwork for democracy,” Robles said of Standing Rock.

“San Juan’s little park (Putuidem) is a small manifestation of that.”

It’s too soon to say what will happen at Standing Rock. Too many variables: will they reroute the pipeline; will they make it through the winter; will President-elect Trump authorize the Army Corps to grant Energy Transfer Partners, in which our new president has a financial stake, to drill under the river?

And what happens if the drilling is completed—do the environmentalists go home? Does the media leave when there are no more guards and only Indians fighting for theirs?

How far is everyone willing to go?

Likewise, it’s too soon to say what will happen in the myriad fronts of the battle for indigenous land rights in South Orange County. How far, in this community, is everyone willing to go? DP Page 7

EYE ON DP

Business Beat News from Dana Point’s business community COMPILED BY STAFF

A+ Nail Spa celebrated their opening at a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce on Monday, Nov. 14.

Photo: Kristina Pritchett

ing well so far.

“We’re really excited to be in Dana Point,” Weis said. “It’s been better than expected, and we received a really warm welcome from the community.”

Along with selling different brands of beers and wines, the store will offer tastings Fridays through Sundays after the grand opening.

“We will offer the only indoor and outdoor tasting area in Orange County,” Weis said.

Fridays will be beer tastings, Saturdays are for wine and Sundays will provide both.

Weis said the only cost will be five cents.

“It stays with our nickel sale theme,” Weis said.

Currently the store has 20 employees, but they are looking for seasonal employees. —KP

NEW BUSINESS A+ NAIL SPA 24901 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Suite 130, Dana Point. 949.558.5558.

The Dana Point Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of A+ Nail Spa with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, Nov. 14.

The business transferred to Dana Point from their San Clemente location when they heard of the space opening.

“We love Dana Point,” said Tony Truong, owner of A+ Nail Spa. The newly opened studio offers a variety of nail services, including manicures, pedicures, nail enhancements and nail services for kids.

They also provide facials, waxing and more. —Kristina Pritchett

NEW BUSINESS BEVMO! 34215 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point.

949.234.7451.

Though the grand opening of BevMo! in Dana Point is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 8, the liquor store began operating with a “soft opening” on Nov. 17.

District Manager Joel Weis said it’s go-

Amazing Lash Studios celebrated their official open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

Photo: Kristina Pritchett

NEW BUSINESS AMAZING LASH STUDIO 32932 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 9, Dana Point. www.amazinglashstudioorangecounty.com. 949.342.8593.

Amazing Lash Studio recently opened their newest location in Monarch Bay Plaza. On Tuesday, Nov. 29, the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce held a ribboncutting ceremony to celebrate.

Amazing Lash offers eyelash extensions to offer longer, fuller and darker eyelashes.

Owner Christina Geraci said she’s excited to be in the area.

“We want to make women feel confident,” Geraci said. —KP

NEWS BITES COMPILED BY KRISTINA PRITCHETT

Notable Dana Point Locals Join Nossaman Healthcare Practice Notable Dana Point residents Scott Schoeffel and Julie Simer have recently joined Nossaman Healthcare Practice Group as partners in the firm’s Orange County office.

Schoeffel, a Dana Point City Council member, has experience in healthcare provider operations, strategic development and regulation of healthcare delivery systems, state and federal health care regulation licensing and more, according to a statement by Nossaman.

Simer, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the South Coast Water District board, has experience in regulatory compliance, managed care and privacy, as well as the operation challenges facing the healthcare industry, the statement said.

Samantha Fish Added to Doheny Blues Festival Lineup Doheny Blues Festival officials announced Samantha Fish has been added to the festival’s lineup.

Fish will join Robin Trower during the spring festival at Doheny State Beach in May. Fish, a Kansas City blues guitarist and singer, won Best New Artist at the Blues Music Awards in 2012.

The festival will take place in Doheny State Park on May 20 and 21.

To purchase tickets, visit www.dohenybluesfestival.com.

Local Groups Collecting Toys for Holiday Drives A couple of groups in the city are collecting toys to donate to children this holiday season.

Dana Point VFW Post 9934 will be at the Winter Fest this Saturday, Dec. 3, with a box for Toys for Tots. The toys will be donated to families at Camp Pendleton.

The Post asks any donated toy to be new and unwrapped.

The Post will be at La Plaza Park from 12:30-7:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.vfwpost9934.org.

The Dana Point 5th Marines Regiment Support Group is also collecting toys for military families. Drop off locations in Dana Point include: • Dana Point City Hall, 33282 Street of the Golden Lantern • Harbor Grill, 34499 Street of the Golden Lantern • Union Bank, 34177 Pacific Coast Highway • Jacks, 24462 Del Prado • Dana Point Chamber of Commerce office, 34163 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 100 • Coffee Importers, 34531 Street of the Golden Lantern • Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa, 25135 Park Lantern • Dana Point Community Center, 34052 Del Obispo Street • Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching, 34675 Street of the Golden Lantern • Luxe Restaurant and Martini Bar, 24582 Del Prado • Cassanova, 33585 Del Obispo Boxes will be placed around the city until the week of Dec. 12.

Gift cards are accepted for gas stations, Walmart, Toys R Us, grocery stores, movie tickets, fast food, Costco, etc. Gift cards can be mailed to P.O. Box 471, Dana Point, CA. 92639.

For more information, or to make a donation, visit www.danapoint5thmarines.com.

Have something interesting for the community? Tell us about awards, events, happenings, accomplishments and more. We’ll put your submissions into “News Bites.” Send your information to editorial@danapointtimes.com.

EYE ON DP

Community DP Sheriff’s Blotter Meetings

HIT-AND-RUN La Serena Drive, 34100 Block (10:33 a.m.) A caller told police a black vehicle ran into their parked car before taking off.

COMPILED BY KRISTINA PRITCHETT

ALL MONTH LONG

50 Percent off One-Year Dog License

Bring in a coupon—available at www. danapoint.org under the “Calendar” tab—to the San Clemente/Dana Point Animal Shelter during the month of December to receive 50 percent off a one-year dog license. Proof of current rabies vaccination required. 221 Avenida Fabricante, San Clemente.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3

Headlands Nature Walk

9 a.m. The walk focuses on animals and plants that can be found in the Headlands. Dana Point Nature Interpretive Center. 34558 Scenic Drive, Dana Point.

RSVP to dpnaturalresources@danapoint.org or by calling 949.248.3527.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6

City Council Meeting

6 p.m. City Council will meet in Council Chambers. Dana Point City Hall. 33282 Street of the Golden Lantern, Dana Point. www.danapoint.org.

Because I Love You (BILY) Meeting

7-9 p.m. every Tuesday. BILY helps parents find solutions to any crisis they are experiencing due to their children’s (adult or minor) poor choices. 119 Avenida De La Estrella, San Clemente. www.bilysc.org.

Dana Harbor Toastmasters

7-8:30 p.m. Fine-tune your public speaking skills each Tuesday at Capo Beach Church. 25975 Domingo Avenue, Capistrano Beach.

949.492.7181. www.toastmasters.org.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8

Coastmaster (Toastmaster’s)

7-8:30 a.m. Join the members of the Coastmasters every Thursday to improve your speaking and leadership skills. 34451 Ensenada Place, Dana Point. www,coastmasters.org.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10

Whale Walk and Talk

9-11 a.m. The walk will focus on the offshore visitors that can be seen from the Headlands. Dana Point Nature Interpretive Center. 34558 Scenic Drive, Dana Point. RSVP to dpnaturalresources@danapoint.org or by calling 949.248.3527.

Dana Point Times December 2-8, 2016

All information below is obtained from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department website. The calls represent what was told to the deputy in the field by the radio dispatcher. The true nature of an incident often differs from what is initially reported. No assumption of criminal guilt or affiliation should be drawn from the content of the information provided. An arrest doesn’t represent guilt. The items below are just a sampling of the entries listed on the OCSD website.

Monday, November 28 DISTURBANCE Doheny Park Road, 34000 Block (9:14 p.m.) The owner of a business was locked in the cash office. She said she was trying to close the business early and the manager was yelling at her.

VANDALISM IN PROGRESS Camino Mira Costa/Camino Capistrano (4:18 p.m.) A woman told police a man was spray painting an angel in black paint on a communal brick wall. The woman said she could see him from her home.

VANDALISM IN PROGRESS Pacific Coast Highway/Street of the Copper Lantern (3:08 p.m.) Police were called for a man spray painting on a wall.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENT-UNKNOWN INJURY Crown Valley Parkway/Camino Del Avion (8:28 a.m.) A driver in a Mercedes ran a red light and hit a white SUV. The fire department was called.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Zarzito Drive, 33800 Block (4:34 a.m.) Police were called for a man looking at the caller’s vehicle. The man allegedly crossed the street and was looking into neighbors’ vehicles.

SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE Camino Capistrano/ Camino De Estrella (1:33 a.m.) Police were called about a Ford Escape with the rear window broken out.

Sunday, November 27 TRAFFIC ACCIDENT-UNKNOWN INJURIES Pequito Drive, 33600 Block (7:13 p.m.) A white sedan hit a light pole.

DRUNK DRIVING Pacific Coast Highway, 34300 Block (4:28 p.m.) A towing service employee called police after a woman called them and said she swerved and hit a curb. The caller said the woman admitted to drinking and “got belligerent.” The towing service left the vehicle.

BOAT ASSIST Half mile out, 0 Block (3:08 p.m.) Passengers told police their boat had a damaged sail. They were towed inside the Harbor and placed at the station.

VANDALISM Camino Mira Costa/Camino Capistrano (10:06 a.m.) A caller told police there was graffiti in two places.

VANDALISM Eastwind Drive, 25600 Block (10:04 a.m.) A caller told police their car’s mirror was vandalized.

woman screaming.

DRUNK DRIVING Crown Valley Parkway/Pacific Island Drive (12:28 p.m.) Police were called for a man drinking in his vehicle.

The caller said he had a 12 pack with him.

DISTURBANCE Corniche Drive, 0 Block (9:54 a.m.) A caller told police that while they were cleaning the homeowner’s residence, they were hit in the face and asked to leave.

The caller said they didn’t know why.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Pacific Coast Highway, 34100 Block (12:22 a.m.)

Police were called after the caller saw a man “snooping” around their truck. The caller said the man left when they saw him.

STOLEN VEHICLE Big Sur Street, 33600 Block (8:47 a.m.) A woman told police she left her keys in her Honda and the vehicle was no longer there.

Saturday, November 26

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Pacific Coast Highway/Street of the Ruby Lantern (1:39 p.m.) A woman was seen walking around, screaming and running into traffic.

DISTURBANCE Colegio Drive, 33700 Block (8:10 p.m.) A man told police his client hit him.

Thursday, November 24

DISTURBANCE Secall Way, 24700 Block (5:26 p.m.) A caller told police they heard a man yelling for help every few minutes.

DISTURBANCE-MECHANICAL Street of the Golden Lantern/Dana Drive (11:57 a.m.)

Police were called for a neighbor using a chainsaw and being loud.

DRUNK DRIVING Pacific Coast Highway, 34400 Block (3:48 p.m.) Police were called for a driver in a Toyota who was seen driving on the bike trail.

DISTURBANCE-MECHANICAL Ocean Hill Drive/Marina Vista Drive (10:31 a.m.)

Police were called for loud construction occurring at the location.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON IN VEHCILE Street of the Golden Lantern, 32500 Block (2:03 p.m.)

A caller told police they believed someone stole a carload of groceries because the person allegedly left the store quickly and was looking around.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Avenida Las Palmas, 2700 Block (4:38 a.m.)

Police were called for two juveniles breaking into garages and vehicles.

MUNICIPAL CODE VIOLATIONS Dana Strand Road, 34300 Block (11:32 a.m.) A caller told police two dogs were off their leashes and running into the water.

TRESPASSING Ocean Front Lane, 0 Block (12:07 a.m.) A group was escorted off the beach and allegedly entered the community without permission.

Wednesday, November 23

DISTURBANCE Dana Point Harbor Drive, 34500 Block (4:12 a.m.) Police were called for a man burning wood down at the fire pits.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Ocean Front Lane, 0 Block (8:36 p.m.) Police were called for two women trying to jump the fence from the stairs to the beach.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENT-UNKNOWN INJURIES Pacific Coast Highway/Crown Valley Parkway (2:41 a.m.) A single vehicle rolled over and the fire company was called.

MUNICIPAL CODE VIOLATIONS Wind & Sea (2:43 p.m.) Two male teens were seen fishing off the handrail.

Friday, November 25 SHOTS HEARD-NO SUSPECT INFORMATION Selva Road, 34100 Block (11:33 p.m.) A caller told police they heard what sounded like a gunshot.

PETTY THEFT Pacific Coast Highway/Street of the Amber Lantern (8:13 p.m.) A caller told police 12 juveniles were in the store and stealing hundreds of dollars worth of items.

DISTURBANCE Malaga Drive, 33900 Block (7:08 p.m.) Police were called after a neighbor heard things breaking and a Page 11

BURGLARY Victoria Boulevard, 25800 Block (1:39 p.m.) A woman told police that items were taken from her storage unit.

DISTURBANCE La Plaza/Street of the Golden Lantern (1 p.m.) Police were called for three to four men skateboarding. The caller told police there are “no skating” signs posted throughout the park.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Pacific Coast Highway/Crown Valley Parkway (11:09 a.m.) Police were called for someone smoking and drinking near the trolley stop. The woman said she was scared and couldn’t wait for the trolley. www.danapointtimes.com

DP SOAPBOX Dana Point

VIEWS, OPINIONS AND INSIGHTS ed in city citations. In total, city records revealed only 79 citations for unregistered STRs over an 18-month period.

5. The citations issued by the city call for administrative penalties totaling $37,000, but only $17,687 was collected.

One owner accumulated 12 violations and is still apparently operating without a permit.

In short, city enforcement of the STR codes has been sorely lacking.

A COUNTRY AT A CROSSROADS? PAUL LARSON, San Juan Capistrano

Beach Road is home to some of the city's short-term rentals. Photo: File

Letters to the Editor CITY NEEDS EFFECTIVE STR ENFORCEMENT MARK ZANIDES, Dana Point

Despite city claims that its short-term rental (STR) ordinances are working well, public records provided to me by the city, the Sheriff’s Department and the HOA community show this to be incorrect.

1. The ordinances require registration of STRs and prohibit parking and nuisance violations. City records reflect that there have been no citations for nuisances, parking violations, loud parties, etc. even though many clearly occurred. The city admits that it does not even maintain a record of telephoned STR complaints.

2. The city has told residents of Beach Road that it will not enforce any STR violations other than unregistered STRs, and that they should call their own security or call the Sheriff in the event of an issue with an STR. In 2015, Beach Road security reported 624 nuisance violations specifically related to its 40 short-term rental units, and reported 365 more through July 2016.

3. While the city has directed residents to call the Sheriff with STR complaints, it does not monitor STR-related complaints made to the Sheriff. Sheriff’s records reflect that between Jan. 1, 2014 and Oct. 5, 2016, it received 350 calls for service related to only 80 short-term rental units.

One STR unit had 33 police calls and still holds a valid permit. None of these calls was apparently followed up with Code Enforcement, even though many surely would have involved a violation of the STR ordinance.

4. The city casually enforces the code against unregistered STRs. Residents of one community provided proof to me of a total of 211 illegal STRs, but only 47 resultDana Point Times December 2-8, 2016

A country at a crossroads—do we move forward or do we move further into division, discontent and anger? Or, do we look back and look forward? Are those our only options?

It was an interesting and challenging confluence of two national events this month—on Nov. 8 we had an election, and on Nov. 11, we celebrated Veterans Day. One looking back, and the other looking forward.

The Rev. Michael Vaughn, pastor of Community Presbyterian Church of San Juan Capistrano, started the Nov. 13 service in an unusual way. Instead of the usual musical prelude, he began with the following: “We are going to start worship today with a minute of silence, in observance of national and world events. Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 1918, started out as Armistice Day in 1918—a memorial to the human cost of war and the communal expense of peace, a memorial to the millions swept up in what at the time was called the war to end all wars, which did not end all wars.

“The early 20th century and the year 1918 was a time of great culture change.

In Europe, economic, political, national, and religious forces were all in turmoil and conflict. In the United States, a sleepy giant that reluctantly, slowly saw it had responsibility to the world community. This conflict afterwards, called World War I, did not really end; it was fought to exhaustion. Ending not with a real solution—just an armistice, a break, a timeout. A false, unsustainable pseudo-peace which then seeded World War II. Then came a cold war that seeded where we are even now.

“I will also co-opt today for our minute of silence—the elephant in the room—our national presidential election last Tuesday. Whether individually we are pleased or not, we knew we would gather here together today. We are people of faith, people of the book, people of the Kingdom of God, and not people of something partisan. I am confident as we diverse people assemble today, we all in advance intended to pray for our new president-elect, no matter if it was a him or her.

“We live, as you know, in a time of great culture change—economics, demograph-

ics, the purpose and use of institutions: e.g., schools, churches, other organizations. Even the very social contract between us is in flux—some even call it a culture war.

“We need to honor the lives and civil sacrifices of the past and beware of the danger of fighting this cultural, polarized clash to exhaustion or no sustainable solution—not just slather over or just take a break. The social contract of our patriotic duty requires more.

“So, let’s have the minute of silence in healing and memory of those who sacrificed to protect this nation, and also in healing of the current civic rancor among us that must die—not just in order that we can continue to be this great nation, but more so we can faithfully live towards the Kingdom of God.” Regardless of our individual political beliefs, healing our great nation is paramount. Regardless of our individual religious or spiritual beliefs (or even having none), healing is needed. Fighting to exhaustion is not a solution.

We have the opportunity to look back to honor those who have served, and we also have the opportunity to learn from history. We now have a more immediate opportunity to look forward to how we can serve our nation, our world and each other with honor and dignity. We are standing at a crossroads, and are much in need of reflective moments of silence.

THE 241 TOLL ROAD STILL FACES ISSUES T.J. ORR, San Clemente

Thankfully, no one in our household continues to commute to the Inland Empire. However, as the toll road authority now considers alternate routing of the connection between the 241 to the I-5, they are overlooking a major, existing and obvious issue with the 241 connection up north with the 91. Traffic there during the commuting hours is always crawling for several miles.

Unless this congestion is resolved, there is little point to putting even more traffic on the 241 by a new, direct connection between the I-5 and 241 through San Juan or San Clemente, which poses its own issues for each of these communities. An "end to end" solution is needed.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU To submit a letter to the editor for possible inclusion in the paper, e-mail us at letters@ danapointtimes.com or send it to 34932 Calle del Sol, Suite B, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624.

Dana Point Times reserves the right to edit reader-submitted letters for length and is not responsible for the claims made or the information written by the writers.

Page 12

34932 Calle del Sol, Suite B, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624 phone 949.388.7700 fax 949.388.9977 www.danapointtimes.com

HOW TO REACH US CITY EDITOR Kristina Pritchett, 949.388.7700, x113 kpritchett@picketfencemedia.com SPORTS Steve Breazeale, 949.388.7700, x110 sbreazeale@picketfencemedia.com ADVERTISING PRINT AND ONLINE

Lauralyn Loynes, 949.388.7700, x102 lloynes@picketfencemedia.com DISTRIBUTION RACKS, DRIVEWAYS, SUBSCRIPTIONS

Tricia Zines, 949.388.7700, x107 tzines@picketfencemedia.com BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGER Alyssa Garrett, 949.388.7700, x100 agarrett@picketfencemedia.com

PICKET FENCE MEDIA PUBLISHER Norb Garrett

> Susie Lantz (San Clemente)

EDITORIAL

> Debra Wells (San Juan Capistrano)

Group Managing Editor > Matt Cortina City Editor, DP Times > Kristina Pritchett City Editor, SC Times > Eric Heinz City Editor, The Capistrano Dispatch > Allison Jarrell Sports Editor > Steve Breazeale Special Projects Editor > Andrea Papagianis ART/DESIGN Art Director > Jasmine Smith ADVERTISING/MULTIMEDIA MARKETING Associate Publisher > Lauralyn Loynes (Dana Point)

Real Estate Sales Manager > Michele Reddick OPERATIONS Finance Director > Mike Reed Business Manager > Alyssa Garrett Accounting & Distribution Manager > Tricia Zines SPECIAL THANKS Robert Miller Jonathan Volzke CONTRIBUTORS Megan Bianco Maggie Fetterly Jake Howard Debra Holm Tim Trent Victor Carno

Dana Point Times, Vol. 9, Issue 49. The DP Times (www. danapointtimes.com) is published weekly by Picket Fence Media, publishers of the SC Times (www.sanclementetimes. com) and The Capistrano Dispatch (www.thecapistranodispatch.com). Copyright: No articles, illustrations, photographs or other editorial matter or advertisements herein may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, art, photos or negatives. Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

FOLLOW THE DANA POINT T IMES

www.danapointtimes.com

mum of four people per house.

One Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point.

949.234.3200. www.visitdanapoint.org.

Holiday Events

HOLIDAY DIY CARD AND CANDLE MAKING

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Attendees will learn ornamental calligraphy techniques and make a set of holiday cards with ink and color. After a break for lunch, the owners of Makana candles will guide guests through a candle-making class. This class is limited to sixteen students only, so register at www. scartsupply.com. Cost is $125 and includes the candles made at the class to take home.

1531 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente.

949.369.6603. www.scartsupply.com.

HERITAGE HILL VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS FREE PHOTOS WITH SANTA

4:30-7:30 p.m. Bring your cameras and snap a selfie with Santa at the Dana Wharf Courtyard. Photos are free.

El Torito Courtyard. 34521 Street of the Golden Lantern, Dana Point. 949.496.5794. www.danapointharbor.com.

HOLIDAY IN THE HARBOR

4:30-7:30 p.m. Bring the family down to the Dana Point Harbor for a fun afternoon of holiday events, live music, kids’ treats and specials throughout the village.

Mariner’s Village/Alley and Dana Wharf.

34624 Street of the Golden Lantern, Dana Point. www.visitdanapoint.org.

‘MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET’

8 p.m. The Camino Real Playhouse continues performances of the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street. The show runs every weekend through Dec. 18. Tickets range from $27-$37.

31776 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano.

949.489.8082. www.caminorealplayhouse.com.

BOAT RIDES WITH SANTA

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Santa and his helpers listen to holiday wishes on a 20-minute harbor cruise. A $5 donation, which will be given to the El Camino Real Junior Woman’s Club, is suggested. No reservation required. Event also runs Sunday, Dec. 4.

Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching. 34675 Golden Lantern, Dana Point.

888.224.0603. www.danawharf.com.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE ACADEMY

10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sit in on one of two gingerbread house decorating workshops at Monarch Beach Resort. The pastry team will offer tips for decorating with the seemingly endless amount of candy and frosting available. There will also be a special visit from Santa, complete with pictures. Cost is $85 per gingerbread house, with a maxi-

11 a.m.-3 p.m. Relive the holiday customs of yesteryear for one final time as Heritage Hill Historical Park holds their last-ever Victorian Christmas.

The park’s four historic buildings will be festively decorated for the season with live music, dance performances, local craft vendors and food for purchase. Enjoy hands-on activities including Christmas ornament and card making, candle dipping, butter churning, Victorian-inspired crafts and games and cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus.

25151 Serrano Road, Lake Forest.

949.923.2230.

WINTER FESTIVAL AND TREE LIGHTING

Noon-7 p.m. Head down to La Plaza Park in Dana Point for an afternoon of holiday festivities, culminating in a tree lighting ceremony. From noon-5 p.m., there will be visits with Santa, a synthetic ice skating rink, a craft fair, face painting, cookie decorating, entertainment and more. There will also be a toy drive, and anyone who brings an unwrapped toy will be entered into a raffle to win a bicycle from Buy My Bikes. The tree lighting occurs at 5:15 p.m., and a showing of A Christmas Story, with free popcorn and candy, will be held from 5:30-7 p.m.

34111 La Plaza St., Dana Point. www.danapoint.org.

TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY

4:15 - 9 p.m. The annual San Juan Capistrano Tree Lighting Ceremony includes pre-show entertainment, a live stage show and, of course, the lighting of the holiday tree. Elsewhere, there will be free photos with Santa Claus at Los Rios Park, a puppet show and a free Christmas train ride and crafts.

Mrs. Claus will entertain children at the O’Neill Museum, and ZOOMARS will open the gates to their petting zoo at no charge and offer train and hay rides for a nominal fee. Historic Town Center Park.

31852 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano.

949.493.5911. www.sanjuancapistrano.org.

(Continued)

Holiday Events

PINES PARK TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY 4-6 p.m. The city of Dana Point and Capo Cares hosts a tree lighting ceremony at Pines Park. There will be crafts for kids, caroling, handmade wooden ornaments and more. There will also be hot cocoa and homemade cookies.

Pines Park. 34941 Camino Capistrano, Capistrano Beach.

(Continued)

CHRISTMAS AT THE CASA

5-7:30 p.m. Christmas at the Casa is a public holiday celebration featuring festive decorations, live music, carolers, a bell choir, a talking Christmas tree, crafts for children, cookies and refreshments, and a visit from Santa Claus. The bell choir will walk with guests from Casa Romantica to the San Clemente Community Center at approximately 7:30 p.m. for the City’s Christmas Tree Lighting at 8 p.m.

Casa Romantica. 415 Avenida Grande, San Clemente. 949.498.2139. www.casaromantica.org.

SANTA’S VILLAGE BY THE SEA

5-10:30 p.m. Avenida Del Mar and the Community Center turn into a holiday village. There will be the local favorite snow hill, Santa meetings and other activities, all leading up to a tree lighting ceremony at 8 p.m. on the corner of Del Mar and Calle Seville.

100 N. Calle Seville, San Clemente. www.san-clemente.org.

CHRISTMAS AT THE MISSION

5:30-8 p.m. The historic Mission San Juan Capistrano turns into a winter wonderland with carolers, school choirs, real snow sledding and play area, “merry-achi” music, visits with Father Christmas and more.

26801 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano.

949.234.1300. www.missionsjc.com.

YAPPY HOWLIDAYS

11 a.m.-2 p.m. This gathering of canines and their companions provides Fido with the opportunity to be photographed with the “Big Dog” himself, Santa Claus. Guests are asked to bring unopened canned or dry dog food, treats or dog toys to be donated to local pets in need. Proceeds from food and beverage purchases benefit The Canine Companions Veterans Initiative.

The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. One Ritz Carlton Drive, Dana Point. 949.240.2000. www.visitdanapoint.org

CASA NUTCRACKER

7-8:30 p.m. The Orange County Ballet Theatre performs the holiday classic production. The Casa Nutcracker features choreography tailored to Casa Romantica’s intimate Main Salon.

Tickets are $40.

Casa Romantica. 415 Avenida Grande, San Clemente. 949.498.2139. www.casaromantica.org.

LIL ELVES WORKSHOP

10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Playschool is decking the halls for a morning of holiday cheer and excitement. Santa’s elves are in need of extra special help from tiny tots putting crafts and games together. Children will sing holiday songs, enjoy special guest appearances from Santa’s helpers, make gifts for family and friends, decorate holiday cookies and more. Tickets are $20 per child, and registration at www.san-clemente.org is required.

San Clemente Community Center. 100 N. Calle Seville, San Clemente.

DANA POINT HARBOR BOAT PARADE OF LIGHTS

7:30 p.m. The 42nd annual edition of the boat parade kicks off on Friday night. You can join in on the parade by watching from the shore or hopping on a boat with Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching, Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching or The Ocean Institute. The parade also runs on Dec. 10, 16 and 17. www.danapointharbor.com.

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA

9 a.m.-noon. Enjoy breakfast, movies, arts and crafts, and a photo op with Santa himself as he visits Dana Point from the North Pole. Adults are $30, kids are $15.

Laguna Cliffs Marriott. 25135 Park Lantern, Dana Point. www.visitdanapoint.org.

Gift Ideas for Everyone on your List BELLA BAZAAR FAMILY PILLOW $40

Bella Bazaar 34467 Golden Lantern, Dana Point

949.429.6200 www.bellabazaar.com

MUD PIE DRESS $24

Bella Bazaar 34467 Golden Lantern, Dana Point

949.429.6200 www.bellabazaar.com

SMALL RAKU CROSS $10

Bella Bazaar 34467 Golden Lantern, Dana Point

949.429.6200 www.bellabazaar.com

HOLIDAY OFFER $8 a unit for Dysport ® or $9 a unit for Botox® Riviera Laser Studios 34189 Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 201, Dana Point

949.370.3177, www.RivieraLaser.com

14KT GOLD & DIAMOND RING On Sale for $519 Zia Jewelry 31761 Camino Capistrano, SJC

(949) 493-1322 www.ZiaJewelrySanJuanCap.com

GOLF MEMBERSHIP

$2,000-$2,500 Initiation Fee/ $460-$575 Mo. Dues Bella Collina San Clemente 200 Avenida La Pata, San Clemente

949.333.4830 www.bellacollinasanclemente.com

Gift Ideas for Everyone on your List BESTIE SPA DAY GIFT CERTIFICATE Any Denomination

Bow Wow Beautiful Pet Spa 364 Camino Estrella, San Clemente

949.702.3130 www.BowWowBeautiful.com

SERPENTINE IGUANAS 5 ½” to 11 ½” long $340 and Up

Designs By Nature 400 S. El Camino Real, A, San Clemente

(949) 498-8358 www.designsbynature.com

SOCIAL MEMBERSHIP

$250 Initiation Fee/ $50 Mo. Food & Beverage Minimum Bella Collina San Clemente 200 Avenida La Pata, San Clemente

949.333.4830 www.bellacollinasanclemente.com

CAMILLE WOODS ORIGINAL ART “SWIFT JUSTICE” $125

Bella Bazaar 34467 Golden Lantern, Dana Point

949.429.6200 www.bellabazaar.com

CERAMIC MUG $10

Bella Bazaar 34467 Golden Lantern, Dana Point

949.429.6200 www.bellabazaar.com

SATIN OFF-SHOULDER BOMBER JACKET $89

Bella Bazaar 34467 Golden Lantern, Dana Point

949.429.6200 www.bellabazaar.com

DP GETTING OUT Dana Point

YOUR SEVEN-DAY EVENT PLANNER

The List

Club, is suggested. No reservation required. Event also runs Sunday, Dec. 4.

Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching. 34675 Golden Lantern, Dana Point.

888.224.0603. www.danawharf.com.

What’s going on in and around town this week COMPILED BY STAFF

Friday | 02 FREE PHOTOS WITH SANTA 4:30-7:30 p.m. Bring your cameras and snap a selfie with Santa at the Dana Wharf Courtyard. Photos are free. El Torito Courtyard. 34521 Street of the Golden Lantern, Dana Point. 949.496.5794. www.danapointharbor.com.

HOLIDAY IN THE HARBOR 4:30-7:30 p.m. Bring the family down to the Dana Point Harbor for a fun afternoon of holiday events, live music, kids’ treats and specials throughout the village. Mariner’s Village/Alley and Dana Wharf. 34624 Street of the Golden Lantern, Dana Point. www.visitdanapoint.org.

SADDLEBACK HOLIDAY STUDENT ART SALE 5-8 p.m. The 38th annual sale of art made by students at Saddleback College kicks off on Friday. A wide selection of student art for sale includes ceramics, sculptures, paintings, prints and jewelry featuring one-of-a-kind pieces and handmade glass beads. Admission is free. Saddleback College. 28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo. www.saddleback.edu.

21ST ANNUAL YULETIDE EVENT 6-10 p.m. Support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley at their 21st annual Yuletide event. Break out the flannel and plaids and participate in the event’s second annual ugly sweater contest. Tickets start at $175. 30622 Steeplechase Drive, San Juan Capistrano (in the Hunt Club). www.bgccapo.com.

ARTIST RECEPTION: REBECCA HARRIS 7-9:30 p.m. San Clemente artist Rebecca Harris stops by Designs By Nature to share her unique dream catchers. There will be opportunity drawings and refreshments throughout the evening. 400 S. El Camino Real, Suite A, San Clemente.

949.498.8358. www.designsbynature.com.

EDITOR’S PICK Photo: Tony Geria

SATURDAY, DEC. 3: VINTAGE SURF TRIBE & VIBE EVENT 7 a.m.- 2 p.m. Stop by Doheny State Beach to see the largest collection of vintage surf boards on the planet. “The Big One,” as it’s called, is an annual swap meet of classic surfboards, photographs, magazine collections and other surfing memorabilia. There will be talks from surf icons and collectors, as well as raffle items. 34401 Park Lantern, Dana Point. www.longboardcollectorclub.com

THE DISH

CAPTAIN MAURI’S PORTOFINO VEGGIE BURGER

E

ating a vegan or vegetarian diet is good for you (and good for the planet), though it sometimes doesn’t always taste that way. Without the convenience of ubiquitous meat and dairy offerings, those who abstain from animal and animal products are often left choosing between a frozen something or yet another salad, or alas, the veggie burger.

Captain Mauri’s puts a fresh take on the much maligned meat-free staple with a menu of innovative, fresh burger styles. The Portofino was superb; a grain-based vegan patty was sandwiched in a chewy onion roll with tomato sauce, fennel, basil, onion and avocado. What’s best about it is the balance of sweetness from the avocado and tomato and the acidity of the red onion and sauce.

And what brings all these strong elements together is the fennel, which acts as a lifeguard to keep all the flavors in check.

Captain Mauri’s also has plenty of other vegan and vegetarian sandwiches and smoothies, and even sneaks in a few meat dishes for those hold-outs that tag along to lunch. Though if there’s one place to convince them of how good meat-free can taste, Captain Mauri’s is it.

Captain Mauri’s Restaurant.

149 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente. 949.498.9098. www.captainmauris.com.

Saturday | 03

range from $27-$37. 31776 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano. 949.489.8082. www.caminrealplayhouse.com.

LIVE MUSIC: BILLY WATSON 7:30-11 p.m. Listen to live music from Billy Watson at Iva Lee’s. 555 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente. 949.361.2855. www.ivalees.com.

‘SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS’ 8 p.m. The Cabrillo Playhouse puts on Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, the story of a formidable retired woman, who hires an acerbic dance instructor for private lessons.

Runs through Dec. 4. Tickets range from $15-20. 202 Avenida Cabrillo, San Clemente.

949.492.0465. www.cabrilloplayhouse.com.

OCEAN INSTITUTE WHALE WATCHING CRUISE 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Hop aboard the R/V Sea Explorer to see whales, dolphins, sea lions and more. Tickets are $45 for adults, $35 for seniors and active-duty military and $25 for children. Ocean Institute. 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point. 949.496.2274. www.ocean-institute.org.

‘MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET’ 8 p.m. The Camino Real Playhouse continues performances of the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street. The show runs every weekend through Dec. 18. Tickets

LIVE MUSIC: OLIVIA ROHDE 8-11 p.m. Listen to live music from Olivia Rohde at Barnoa Wine Bar. 831 Via Suerte, Suite 106, San Clemente. 949.

388.4378. www.barnoawinebar.com.

BOAT RIDES WITH SANTA 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Santa and his helpers listen to holiday wishes on a 20-minute harbor cruise. A $5 donation, which will be given to the El Camino Real Junior Woman’s

Dana Point Times December 2-8, 2016

Page 21

GINGERBREAD HOUSE ACADEMY 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sit in on one of two gingerbread house decorating workshops at Monarch Beach Resort. The pastry team will offer tips for decorating with the seemingly endless amount of candy and frosting available. There will also be a special visit from Santa, complete with pictures.

Cost is $85 per gingerbread house, with a maximum of four people per house.

One Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point.

949.234.3200. www.visitdanapoint.org.

MEET AND GREET: NAVAJO ARTIST RAY TRACEY 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Award-winning Navajo jewelry artist Ray Tracey visits the White Pelican Gallery in Dana Point Harbor for a meet and greet. His jewelry will be on display, and there will be special sales promotions. Also runs Sunday, Dec. 4 from noon-5 p.m. 34475 Street of the Golden Lantern, Dana Point. 949.240.1991.

WINTER FESTIVAL AND TREE LIGHTING Noon-7 p.m. Head down to La Plaza Park in Dana Point for an afternoon of holiday festivities, culminating in a tree lighting ceremony. From noon-5 p.m., there will be visits with Santa, a synthetic ice skating rink, a craft fair, face painting, cookie decorating, live entertainment and more. There will also be a toy drive, and anyone who brings an unwrapped toy will be entered into a raffle to win a bicycle from Buy My Bikes. The tree lighting occurs at 5:15 p.m., and a showing of A Christmas Story, with free popcorn and candy, will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. 34111 La Plaza St., Dana Point. www.danapoint.org.

TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY 4:15 p.m.- 9 p.m. The annual San Juan Capistrano Tree Lighting Ceremony includes pre-show entertainment, a live stage show and, of course, the lighting of the holiday tree. Historic Town Center Park. 31852 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano.

949.493.5911. www.sanjuancapistrano.org.

CHRISTMAS AT THE CASA 5-7:30 p.m. Christmas at the Casa is a public holiday celebration featuring festive decorations, live music, carolers, a bell choir, a talking Christmas tree, crafts for children, cookies and refreshments, and a visit from Santa Claus. The bell choir will walk with guests from Casa Romantica to the San Clemente Community Center at approximately 7:30 p.m. for the City’s Christmas Tree Lighting at 8 p.m. Casa Romantica. 415 Avenida Grande, San Clemente. 949.498.2139. www.casaromantica.org.

(Cont. on page 22) www.danapointtimes.com

GETTING OUT (Cont. from page 21) SANTA’S VILLAGE BY THE SEA 5-10:30 p.m. Avenida Del Mar and the Community Center turn into a holiday village. There will be the local favorite snow hill, Santa meetings and other activities, all leading up to a tree lighting ceremony at 8 p.m. on the corner of Del Mar and Calle Seville. 100 N. Calle Seville, San Clemente. www.san-clemente.org.

CHRISTMAS AT THE MISSION 5:30-8 p.m. The historic Mission San Juan Capistrano turns into a winter wonderland with carolers, school choirs, real snow sledding and play area, “merry-achi” music, visit with Father Christmas and more.

26801 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano. 949.234.1300. www.missionsjc.com.

LIVE MUSIC: MISSY ANDERSON 7:30-11 p.m. Listen to live music from Missy Anderson at Iva Lee’s. 555 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente. 949.361.2855. www.ivalees.com.

LIVE MUSIC: POCKET TRIO JAZZ COMBO 8-11 p.m. Listen to live music from the Pocket Trio Jazz Combo at Barnoa Wine Bar. 831 Via Suerte, Suite 106, San Clemente. 949. 388.4378. www.barnoawinebar.com.

Sunday | 04 VILLAGE ART FAIRE 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The Village Art Faire is held on the first Sunday of every month and is put on by the Downtown Business Association. Stroll and shop Avenida Del Mar where more than 60 vendors will have arts, crafts and other items. 949.395.7008. www.villagesanclemente.org.

YAPPY HOWLIDAYS 11 a.m.-2 p.m. This gathering of canines and their companions provides Fido with the opportunity to be photographed with the “Big Dog” himself, Santa Claus.

Guests are asked to bring unopened canned or dry dog food, treats or dog toys to be donated to local pets in need. Proceeds from food and beverage purchases benefit The Canine Companions Veterans Initiative. The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. One Ritz Carlton Drive, Dana Point.

949.240.2000. www.visitdanapoint.org DANA POINT HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOLIDAY RECEPTION 2-5 p.m. There will be food, carolers and a slideshow of the Dana Point Historical Society’s 2016 events at this festive celebration. Dana Point City Hall. 33282 Street of the Golden Lantern, Dana Point. www.danapointhistorical.org.

BIG BAND CHRISTMAS CONCERT 2:30 p.m. The Almighty Jazz Band, also known as Jazz 4 Jesus, will present a Big Band Christmas concert at the Community Presbyterian Church in San Juan Dana Point Times December 2-8, 2016

Capistrano. The Almighty Jazz Band is a 17-piece ensemble with an extensive repertoire of music, from swing to sacred to modern big band hits. The concert will be suitable for families and children of all ages. All proceeds from the free-will donations will be used to support the Community Presbyterian Church community concert series. 32202 Del Obispo, San Juan Capistrano. 949.493.1502.

At the Movies: ‘Manchester by the Sea’ Could be ‘Best’

ORANGE COUNTY WINE CRUISE 5:30-7 p.m. Climb onboard a Dana Wharf luxury catamaran for this 90-minute wine cruise around the Dana Point Harbor.

Tickets are $49. Every Friday and Sunday.

See more events online. Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching. 34675 Golden Lantern, Dana Point. 888.224.0603. www.danawharf.com.

BY MEGAN BIANCO, DANA POINT TIMES

B

ecause the Academy Awards “Best Actress” category is looking to be one of the most competitive at the Oscars next season, Casey Affleck is really lucky no one is paying any attention to the “Best Actor” department. All throughout the festival circuit earlier this year, the younger Affleck has been getting tons of hype as the best male performance of 2016 as the lead in Kenneth Lonergan’s new feature Manchester by the Sea. And it is certainly a great, emotional performance that also comes off as his most personal.

Lee Chandler (Affleck) lives a mundane life as a professional handyman around Boston when his older brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler), dies prematurely of a heart attack. Lee visits his hometown in Manchester, Massachusetts, for the first time in a decade and is shocked to discover he’s now the legal guardian of his 16-year-old

Monday | 05 PINES PARK TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY 4-6 p.m. The city of Dana Point and Capo Cares hoses a tree lighting ceremony at Pines Park. There will be crafts for kids, caroling, handmade wooden ornaments and more. There will also be hot cocoa and homemade cookies. Pines Park. 34941 Camino Capistrano, Capistrano Beach.

FREE GUITAR LESSONS 5-6 p.m. Free beginner level acoustic guitar lessons for middle school to college age youth every Monday. Guitars provided or students can bring their own. 1040 Calle Negocio, San Clemente.

949.388.0114. coamusicarts@gmail.com. www.communityoutreachalliance.com.

Tuesday | 06 HALF-PRICE WHALE WATCHING 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Hop onboard this two-hour cruise to see dolphins, whales and other marine life in the wild. $22.50. Half price on Tuesdays but trips are available every day of the week. Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching. 34675 Golden Lantern, Dana Point.

949.496.5794. www.danawharf.com.

OPEN MIC NIGHT 6-10 p.m. Singer/songwriters perform at The Point Restaurant open mic every Tuesday. Bring your instrument and your voice; The Point supplies the sound system. 34085 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point. 949.464.5700. www.thepointrestaurantandbar.com.

Wednesday | 07

‘THE SOUND OF MUSIC’ 7 p.m. The South Orange County School of the Arts (SOCSA) will be performing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Dec. 7-10. Tickets are $15. Porthole Theater, Dana Hills High School. 33333 Street of the Golden Lantern, Dana Point. www.socsarts.org.

REFLECTION OF THE OCEAN CLASSICAL KEYBOARD SERIES 7:30 p.m. Saddleback College’s Dr. Kirill Gliadkovsky performs a piano program of great romantic composers. The audience will experience the intensity and musicality of Gliadkovsky’s performance of masterpieces including those from Beethoven, Schumann and Schubert.

Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for seniors; $10 for students, and children get in free with a paying adult. Order tickets online at www.saddleback.edu/arts.

McKinney Theatre at Saddleback College.

28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo.

949.582.4413.

Thursday | 08

FRENCH CONVERSATION CLUB 2-4 p.m. Every Wednesday. Look for the table with the French Flag surrounded by a group of people speaking French. No cost to join. Café Calypso. 114 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente. 949.493.5228, or 949.369.5482.

RUDOLPH, FROSTY AND FRIENDS HOLIDAY DANCE PARTY 10:30-11:30 a.m. Kids ages 3-6 are invited to dance tap and ballet to fun holiday songs and make ornaments to take home during craft time. There will also be a

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Photo: Claire Folger/Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions

nephew, Pat (Lucas Hedges). While both Lee and Pat grieve in their own ways, we also learn of Lee’s past marriage to Randi (Michelle Williams) and discover Pat’s estranged mother, Elise (Gretchen Mol).

Lonergan has a way of creating pieces on family lifestyles that is genuine and original. This was also explored in You Can Count on Me (2000). Manchester by the Sea is indeed one of the saddest movies to hit theaters this year, but it also has that realistic, if not naturally awkward, comic relief that can sometimes occur during depression. All of the cast is brilliant, but in my mind, it not only has “Best Actor” potential, but also “Best Picture.” DP

performance of what the kids learned in class for parents. Register online at www. theartsprojectoc.com or call 949.276.2787.

The Arts Project of Orange County. 1317 Calle Avanzado, San Clemente.

TEACHER TRAINING: SOIL, SEED AND WATER 3:30-5 p.m. The Ecology Center invites school garden leaders, teachers and volunteers for a free training workshop to equip teachers with hands-on tools, resources and lesson plans to incorporate garden education into the classroom.

32701 Alipaz St., San Juan Capistrano.

949.443.4223. www.theecologycenter.org.

UPCOMING : FRIDAY DEC. 9 DANA POINT HARBOR BOAT PARADE OF LIGHTS 7:30 p.m. The 42nd annual edition of the boat parade kicks off on Friday night.

You can join in on the parade by watching from the shore or hopping on a boat with Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching, Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching or The Ocean Institute.

The parade also runs on Dec. 10, 16 and 17. www.danapointharbor.com.

HAVE AN EVENT? Submit it to Dana Point Times by going to www.danapointtimes.com, and clicking “Submit an Event” under the “Getting Out” tab.

www.danapointtimes.com

DP DP LIVING Dana Point

PROFILES OF OUR COMMUNITY

Giving Back

Local author Josh McDowell to sell collection of artifacts to help underserved children in Pakistan

BY ERIC HEINZ, DANA POINT TIMES

S

ome children in regions of Pakistan are not taught to read and write, nor are they given the basic skills needed to build the foundation of their education.

Instead, some as young as 4 years old are subjected to manual labor, mostly in brickyards. It’s the sum of economic hardship but mostly religious discrimination.

On Pakistani passports, you’re required to state whether you fully believe in the tenets of Islam, tentatively support it or reject it entirely. This isn’t the religion’s leaders’ mandates, but the Pakistani government’s.

Christians are at the bottom of the nation’s religious and social totem pole, which drives them to impoverished regions and workforces.

Roger Gales, the senior pastor of Heritage Christian Fellowship in San Clemente, said wealthy owners of the labor yards purchase the rights to families or groups of people so they can work and provide for themselves. Gales described it as closer to indentured servitude, but he said the laborers see themselves as slaves. There are often cases of human trafficking and reports of severe abuse, starvation and other issues that have humanitarian groups responding.

Gales established a school for Pakistani Christian children that has a predominant enrollment of former slaves.

“We built one school, two stories, and then the government kicked out all the girls,” Gales said. “We built a girls’ school, which is completed and has been in operation for little over a year,” but it needs a second story to house everyone.

Raising funds to build that second story is the purpose of the Christmas Market, which will take place in December at the church.

The church and its congregation raised more than $125,000 to build the first school, purchase children out of slavery and provide for transitional resources.

In the past few years, Gales and a few other associates have purchased thousands of children and their families from the owners to allow them to live at and attend the school.

Gales said there are 1,600 students in the girls and boys schools combined. He said about 75 percent of the student population in last year’s enrollment were slaves at one point.

“I think the most difficult transition is the

Dana Point Times December 2-8, 2016

Roger Gales, senior pastor of Heritage Christian Fellowship in San Clemente, started a school in Pakistan for Christian children, most of whom were slaves to the vast brickyard industry. Photo: Eric Heinz

education gap,” Gales said. “As slaves, they that’s just the way life is there,” Gales said. have no education whatsoever, and they Gales began the eponymous Mariam’s have to integrate into a school with people Fund after a 10-year-old Pakistani girl, who their age who are far ahead of them in the was working in the brickyards. education system. A 10- or 12-year-old is Mariam died from Dengue Fever a week learning to read or write for the very first before she was scheduled to be freed from time. They have to spend time with one-onthe brickyard, according to Gales. The one tutoring before they enter the school.”

World Health Organization estimated cases On a social level, Gales said there isn’t of the disease increased in Pakistan 17 as far a transition. The students don’t face times between 2006 and 2011. stigmatism from being a slave because According to the United Nations, there so many of the other are millions of brick-kiln enrolled students were workers in slavery beslaves themselves. tween Pakistan and India.

The Christmas Market Gales said persecution Paintings of Mariam The sale of the items will take has only increased in reand another student place 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Dec. 10, cent years. It’s a precarihang on the walls of the and noon-4 p.m. on Dec. 11 at ous situation, and Gales Heritage Christian FellowHeritage Christian Fellowship. said he can’t have one ship’s worship center.

For more information about the of his main associates’ school in Pakistan, visit names publicized as his Josh McDowell www.mariamsfund.org. life has been threatened In between the 300 by organizations labeled days he spends traveling by the U.S. government every year, Christian auas terrorists. He met with Gales a few years thor Jack McDowell met Gales through his ago after he fled the country in fear of his neighbor in Dana Point. and his family’s lives.

That neighbor is Larry Rausch, a deacon The location of the school also cannot at Heritage Christian Fellowship,. When be disclosed for fear of either religious Rausch told McDowell about the school in retaliation or disagreements with cultural Pakistan and the efforts by Gale and others customs. to support and fund it, McDowell decided Gales continues to work with liaisons in he would give his life’s collection of items the country and the teachers at the school. from around the world to support building “I know I will go back, but I don’t really the second story of the girls’ school. have any solid plans right now,” Gales said, Those items truly span the globe. There adding that he may try again in the spring. are gold rings, Russian memorabilia, There are local police and federal solstamps from the Cold War and a Kremlin diers who help protect the school. admiral’s hat—about three or four of them.

A few weeks ago, someone bulldozed the There’s a box full of coins with Soviet prowall that surrounded the school, parked the paganda all over them. And then there’s the tractor and left. tea set sitting on a rickety poker table that “The school is going well, but the persecuwas replicated from a 4,800-piece set of Chition against the Christians is constant, and na customized for St. Catherine the Great.

Page 24

Those and thousands of other items from McDowell’s collection will be on sale at the Christmas Market at Heritage Christian Fellowship next week.

McDowell has published more than 130 books about Christian literature and has spent decades running his ministry, globetrotting to help people in need. He said that has been his calling since he delved into Christianity.

He’s been keeping these items in his home for years, which he describes as a small museum.

“These, they took their shoulder bars right off their shoulders and gifted them to us because our work with the military children in Russia,” he said of the Russian memorabilia.

Some of that work included taking rare medicine for operations to children who have been affected by nuclear radiation in Chernobyl. He said he also helped deliver vaccinations to Kazakhstan when they had a polio outbreak.

McDowell has worked with many children throughout the world to help them receive the education and support they need.

McDowell said when he heard about the school in Pakistan, he jumped at the opportunity to help. When he learned what the children endure through slavery, he said it made his blood boil.

“Whatever we do, we do to help young children,” McDowell said. “This will be one of the most diverse of any Christmas markets ever in California.”

The Christmas Market will offer more than 20,000 items, he said. Works of art, sports jerseys and historical pieces will be for sale.

“We’ve (through the ministry) helped women, especially, how to market things to foreigners,” McDowell said. “We bought the first 2,000 items from someone to help them out. I figured I’d buy these items, hold on to them for a few years and then sell them to help the people who really need it.”

McDowell has spent the last 30 years going to Russia periodically but he has visited more than 125 countries.

“We help those who cannot fend for themselves,” he said. “The children and the elderly are the ones who have suffered the most from the transitions in Russia.”

Although he said he wants to help the school as much as he can, McDowell said he doesn’t have any plans to visit it. He said the amount of security it would take is too cumbersome and the costs are unaffordable. McDowell said what he would need to keep him safe there is equivalent to secret service. He said he had to have Navy SEALs travel with him the last time he went to countries in Latin America.

In the meantime, though, McDowell can share all the other parts of the world he’s visited with the San Clemente community next weekend. DP www.danapointtimes.com

DP LIVING GUEST OPINION: On Life and Love After 50 by Tom Blake

India, the First Four Days

A make-do attitude drives the country

T

he word “Namaste” is a Hindu word used as a greeting or salutation. It is usually made with a slight bow, making eye contact, with palms touching, and fingers pointing upward. It means, “I bow to the divine in you.” When people in India say that to you, you feel welcomed and warmth coming from them. It happens nearly everywhere you go in India.

My partner, Greta, and I are on an 18day tour visiting India and Nepal. After being in India for four days, what jumps out the most is the remarkable, make-do attitude of the people.

Greta and I had heard that November is one of the best months of the year to visit. The weather has been around 80 degrees during the day; ON LIFE AND warm but not hot. Blue LOVE AFTER 50 skies every day. While

By Tom Blake the air has been a bit smoky, masks have not been necessary.

We are traveling in a modern, air-conditioned bus and staying in beautiful hotels.

There are 13 of us, all Americans from across the country, plus a knowledgeable guide named Kapil, with a sense of humor, and a driver and assistant driver. Kapil had local contacts in each city we have visited.

Security is tight here. Armed soldiers have been visible at every location where we’ve disembarked the bus. At our New Delhi hotel, our bags were sent through a scanner and we were patted down. There was a guard on the 29th floor of our hotel, where our room was.

The roads are often gridlocked, some with 10 lanes of traffic in each direction.

Tuk tuks (auto rickshaws) and motorcycles dart in and out of traffic, jockeying for position. Horn honking is a way of life, keeping the congested roads safe.

Our first day in New Delhi began with a visit to the Qutab Minar Victory Tower, the world’s tallest minaret, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then, we

learned about Sikh culture at a prominent Sikh house of worship. Some of our group helped roll dough into tortillas in the volunteer kitchen.

The day included a visit to the Gandhi Smirti, the museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, the father of India. He believed in equality of all people. We saw the room where Gandhi spent his last 140 days fasting before venturing out for a prayer service, where he was assassinated on the grounds outside.

On Nov. 8, the people of India unexpectedly received news from the government that banknotes of 500 and 1,000 rupees denominations were no longer a valid currency.

There was too much counterfeit money in circulation. People holding those bills, called “old money,” had to exchange them at banks and post offices for “new money.”

The English-language newspaper, The Indian Express, stated in the next morning’s edition that 23 people had been killed the day before in arguments while vying for position standing in line. ATMs ran out of money.

The people of India, however, have a make-do spirit. I saw tuk-tuks made to carry three people with as many as six riders. Several times we passed open-bed trucks with 30 to 40 people packed in like sardines. The Indian people will survive the money crisis as well, but it will take time.

The highlight of our first few days was enjoying an elephant ride up to the Amber Fort near the bustling city of Jaipur. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Each day is a new adventure in this spiritual land.

Tom Blake is a Dana Point resident and a former Dana Point businessman and author. See his websites at www.findingloveafter50.com; www.vicsta.com and www. travelafter55.com. Email: tompblake@ gmail.com. DP PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, the DP Times provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of the DP Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@danapointtimes.com

Pet of the Week: Sajack

S

ajack is a 9-month-old pup, who is ready to live to good life. Once a timid little guy, he has now grown into quite the character. Sajack enjoys playtime in the yard and making new dog friends. He is a gentle soul and would make a great pet for someone with a quiet lifestyle. If you would like to know more about Sajack, please call the San Clemente/Dana Point Animal Shelter at 949.492.1617, or visit with him at 221 Avenida Fabricante, San Clemente. DP

Dana Point Times December 2-8, 2016

Sajack. Photo: San Clemente/Dana Point Animal Shelter

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SCENE { I N DANA P O I NT }

Turkey Trot Continues for 39th Year

More than 10,000 runners participated

in the 39th annual Dana Point Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving.

The tradition consists of a 10K, 5K and a kids Gobble Wobble. For more photos, visit www.danapointtimes.com.

Sudoku

BY MYLES MELLOR

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3x3 squares. To solve the puzzle, each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9.

Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult. Level: Medium

Last week’s solution:

See the solution in next week’s issue.

DP BUSINESS DIRECTORY

DSaan n Cl a em Poenintet

CLASSIFIEDS Submit your classified ad online at www.danapointtimes.com FOR SALE CUSTOM AREA RUGS You pick style, color and size. Typically made in 2 weeks. Stainmaster nylon, wool, polyester or designer carpet. Carpet showroom in Lantern District of Dana Point. Carpet and flooring remnants also available - all shapes, sizes and kinds of flooring. We sell tile too!

Mike 949-240-1545.

STENTURA 450 STENOGRAPHY MACHINE Excellent condition! $400 OBO Contact Debra @ 949-439-6295

GARAGE SALES FABULOUS MULITI-FAMILY GARAGE/ ESTATE SALE DECEMBER 3 9AM TO 4PM Jewelry, Plants, Pots, Antiques, Furniture, Memrobilia, Rare & Unusual Christmas Decorations. 3000 Camino Capistrano, San Clemente CA 92672. No Early Birds Please.

MULTI FAMILY GARAGE SALE 3004 & 3012 Camino Capistrano San Clemente. SATURDAY DECEMBER 3 - 9AM-3PM sofa bed, vintage secretary desk, clothes, coats, shoes, bar stools, mock iron coffee table, household items, kitchen items, books, vanity light fixtures, girls(5-6) clothes.

GARAGE SALE LISTINGS ARE FREE! E-mail your garage sale to classifieds@danapointtimes.com DEADLINE 5PM MONDAY. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

SERVICES HANDYMAN CHRIS Flat screen TV’s installed, anything Electrical, Plumbing, Finish Carpentry, Drywall Repairs, Mold and Wood Rot issues, Waterproofing, Decks and Patio covers repaired, Doors, Windows, Kitchens and Baths, Water Damage Restoration, Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication and Much More. Phone Chris – 949 510 6645 WOOD DECK REPAIR WIZZARD Wood Rot Repair Certified Specialist, Wood Decks, Balconies, Patio Covers + Outside Stairs Repaired / Replaced, New Decking Systems, All work Guaranteed. Phone Chris -949 510 6645

Do you want to reach 10,000+ people in the Dana Point area every week?

Then you need to be in the Dana Point Times. Call us today!

949.388.7700 ext. 102 Dana Point Times December 2–8, 2016

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LOCALS ONLY BUSINESS LISTINGS ADDICTION RECOVERY TREATMENT

Body Mind Spirit Intensive Outpatient Program

949.485.4979, info@bodymindspiritiop.com, www.bodymindspiritiop.com

ASSISTED LIVING HOME FOR ELDERLY

Assisted Senior Home

949.248.9415, www.assistedseniorhome.com

AUTO REPAIR

Dana Point Auto

34342 Coast Hwy., Unit B, 949.496.1086

CAFE - DELI

Coffee Importers Espresso Bar

34531 Golden Lantern, 949.493.7773, www.coffeeimporters.com

COFFEE SHOP

Coffee Importers Espresso Bar

34531 Golden Lantern, 949.493.7773, www.coffeeimporters.com

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Represent.xyz

949.274.0590, www.represent.xyz

DANCE/FITNESS

Club Salsa Dance Studio

34202 Camino Capistrano, 949.230.0543, www.clubsalsadance.com

ICE CREAM

Coffee Importers Scoop Deck

34531 Golden Lantern, 949.493.7773, www.coffeeimporters.com

INSURANCE SERVICES

Patricia Powers

24551 Del Prado, Ste. 364, 949.496.1900, pat.powers@cox.net

State Farm/Ted Bowersox

34085 Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 204, 949.661.3200, www.tedbowersox.com

Statefarm/Elaine LaVine

34080 Golden Lantern, 949.240.8944, www.elainelavine.net

MUSIC INSTRUCTION

Danman’s Music School

24699 Del Prado, 949.496.6556, www.danmans.com

PET BOUTIQUE

Naked Dog Bistro

424 Forest Ave., LB, 949.715.9900, www.NakedDogBistro.com

SCHOOLS

Capistrano Valley Christian Schools

32032 Del Obispo Street, San Juan Capistrano, 949.493.5683, www.cvcs.org

WINDOW & DOOR REPLACEMENT

Offshore Construction

877.774.1492, www.offshoreconstruction.org

DP SPORTS & OUTDOORS Dana Point

STORIES, SCORES, SCHEDULES AND MORE

Dolphin Report

BY STEVE BREAZEALE, DANA POINT TIMES

For in-game updates, scores, news and more for all of the Dana Hills High School fall sports programs, follow us on Twitter @ SouthOCsports.

Cross Country Teams Excel at State, Boys Headed to Nationals

On Nov. 26, the Dana Hills boys and girls cross country teams showed again why they continue to be among the top programs in the state.

Competing in the CIF State Cross Country Championships in Fresno, the boys team placed second and the girls team took fi fth in Division 1.

The boys packed three runners inside

the top-22 to power its way to a secondplace finish. Junior Jack Landgraf was the Dolphins highest finisher. He looped the course in a time of 15:30.3 for a 12th-place finish. Senior Brandon Hough (15.31.4) was right behind Landgraf in 13th place and senior Thomas Wilfert (15:46.3) placed 22nd. Sophomore Eddie Wagenseller, freshman Carrick Denker and sophomore Simon Fuller finished 42nd, 46th and 52nd, respectively.

As a result of their strong postseason, which also featured a second-place finish at the CIF-SS Finals, the Dolphin boys team will travel to compete in the prestigious Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon on Dec. 3. The Dolphins placed third at the Nike Cross Nationals last season.

Senior Kathryn Kaloroumakis (18:29.3) and sophomore Leila Keyvan (18:32.4) placed 34th and 36th, respectively, to lead the girls squad to a fi fth-place finish.

Sophomore Lauren Soto, sophomore Sarah Meng, sophomore Morgan Geiger and senior Alyssa White placed 47th, 48th, 80th and 84th, respectively.

The Dana Hills boys cross country team placed second at the CIF State Cross Country Championships and will compete at the Nike Cross Nationals this weekend. Photo: Courtesy

The Dana Outrigger Canoe Club team placed fourth in its division at the South American Canoe Championships. Photo: Courtesy

Dana Outrigger Returns after Successful Voyage

BY STEVE BREAZEALE, DANA POINT TIMES

T

he small group of Dana Outrigger Canoe Club members that travelled to Chile to compete in the South American Canoe Championships two weeks ago have returned home, and they are all still beaming with a sense of wonder and accomplishment.

The five-member group of Dana Point and San Clemente residents were invited by the event’s organizers to compete in the elite first division heat at the race as a guest team. Their guest status meant they could not place on the podium, which was open to South American countries only. But the team had a solid race and placed fourth overall. The Dana Outrigger team, made up of amateurs, competed against professional squads from Tahiti and Brazil.

“We certainly got the respect of a lot of

people. We did well, and the boat ran well.

We felt like we made a good showing,” team member John Skorstad said.

For Skorstad, a San Clemente resident, the trip was both encouraging and enlightening. The group now knows it can hold its own against top-level talent, got to experience new cultures, and learned different ways to paddle and navigate the waters by talking with and examining other clubs.

The Dana Outrigger group competed at the event in Chile, then travelled to Easter Island to train alongside the Rapa Nui club team, a well-established group in the area.

From there, they took a trip to Buenos Aires and paddled with local clubs.

The group made plenty of connections over the course of the week, Skorstad said, and are scheduled to compete at next year’s installment of the South American Canoe Championships in Peru. DP

DP Turkey Trot Results DANA POINT TIMES

T

housands of people turned out to take part in the 39th annual Dana Point Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. From serious runners to casual enthusiasts, the popular race offered several different racing options, including a 5K, a 10K, and a one-mile kids Gobble Wobble run.

Here is a list of the top finishers in each race category from this year’s Turkey Trot.

10K Men: 1. Jordan Chipangma 2. Anthony Costales 3. Mac Fleet 4. Tekeske Nekatibebe 5. Juan Paredes Women: 1. Belainesh Gebre 2. Becky Dana Point Times December 2-8, 2016

Wade 3. Jennifer Rhines 4. Sabrina Lopez 5.

Christine Bolf

5K Masters Men: 1. Todd Horton 2. Juan Ramirez 3. Barry Givens 4. Miguel Magana 5. Rick Dodson Women: 1. Julie Ertel 2. Carla McAlister 3. Alison Horton 4. Cathy Weidemann 5.

Elizabeth Sponagle

5K Open Men: 1. Abraham David 2. Carter Christman 3. Ronen Skarsten 4. Derrick Lloyd 5.

John Munyan Women: 1. Raquel Lambdin 2. Catrina McAlister 3. Arielly Conde 4. Samantha Murphy 5. Landen Shanie

L to R: Becky Wade, Belainesh Gebre and Jennifer Rhines celebrate on the podium after running the 10K race at the Dana Point Turkey Trot. Photo: Kristina Pritchett

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DP DP SURF Dana Point

DP SURF IS PRESENTED BY:

SCOOP ON THE LOCAL SURF COMMUNITY

Coming in Hot

SURF FORECAST Water Temperature: 61-65 degrees F

San Clemente surfers look to defy odds and qualify for the WSL Championship Tour

Water Visibility and Conditions: San Clemente: 5-10’ Fair Catalina: 15-20’ Fair-Good Outlook: Small NW swell and SSW swell through the remainder of the week as best spots are topping out around waist high (3’) on sets. Favorable morning conditions with offshore flow. Be sure to check the full premium forecast on Surfline for more details and the longer range outlook.

BY JAKE HOWARD, DANA POINT TIMES

I

t’s not easy to qualify for the World Surf League’s Championship Tour. It’s estimated that there is somewhere in the neighborhood of 23 million surfers on the planet; out of that, a grand total of 32 will qualify for a full-time spot on the Championship Tour.

Consider that a kid coming out of high school with NBA dreams has about a 0.03 percent chance of playing pro ball. But in pro surfing, the chance that one will qualify for the tour plummets to a measly 0.0000014 percent. The side-by-side comparison illuminates two points: First, kids, stay in school. Second, when surfers in our community do join the elite ranks of the WSL Championship Tour, it deserves to be heralded for the nearly impossible accomplishment that it is.

As this story goes to press, the final event of the WSL’s Qualifying Series, the Vans World Cup of Surfing, is taking place at Sunset Beach on Oahu. Indicative of the hotbed of talent that Dana Point and San Clemente is, we’re fortunate enough to have a number of our surfers qualify for the Championship Tour with a big result.

Here’s a quick breakdown of who needs to do what to graduate to the big leagues next year: Of all the local boys, Tanner Gudauskas stands the best chance at qualifying for the Championship Tour. Currently ranked 19th on the Qualifying Series, he needs to finish ninth or better.

“For me, it has been a personal goal to requalify onto the Tour since falling off in 2010, but it has taken me a long time to actually face the challenge head on and give it my 100 percent effort,” said Tanner.

There’s an outside chance that Tanner could be joined on tour by older brother, Pat, who needs to finish second or better at Sunset to qualify. Sitting 30th in the Qualifying Series rankings, he has considerably more work to do if he wants to rejoin the tour. But after spending a few years on tour, he knows what it takes to get the job done.

A surprise name in the qualification conversation has been 18-year-old Griffin Colapinto. Coming off a statement-making third place finish at a contest in Brazil, he kept the pedal to the metal at the recent Hawaiian Pro, where he made an unexpected quarterfinal appearance, earning himself an equal ninth place result. Griffin is currently ranked 26th on the Qualifying Series Dana Point Times December 2-8, 2016

GROM OF THE WEEK

DAVID ECONOMOS

BY JAKE HOWARD, DANA POINT TIMES

Griffin Colapinto, seen here at a Volcom competition at Trestles in June, is poised to parlay his 2016 success into a spot on the World Surf League’s Championship Tour. Photo: Eric Heinz

and needs a fourth place finish or better at Sunset to graduate.

“That was such a big heat with so many big guys, everyone was pretty much on the CT in that heat,” said Colapinto after advancing through his heat on Day Three at the Hawaiian Pro. “I thought I was doing good to start and then I needed a big score and then I just made it happen I guess. …

I’ve got the most confidence in the world right now.”

In the last few years, San Clemente has become a preferred haunt for world tour surfers looking to relocate. Thanks to its proximity to Lower Trestles, the Orange County-based surf industry and the Los Angeles International Airport, it’s an ideal jumping off point. As such, there are a couple transplants worth keeping an eye on.

Last winter, 23-year-old Evan Geiselman, who originally hails from Florida but has a residence in San Clemente, almost drowned while surfing Pipeline. This year, he came back with a renewed sense of purpose and now only needs to finish 17th at Sunset to join the Championship Tour. If he makes it, it will be one of the most inspiring stories in surfing in recent times.

“I didn’t know how I was going to come back from everything that happened last year in Hawaii or even how stoked I would be on surfing competitively,” said Geiselman earlier this fall. “But seeing how everything went this year, I’m not complaining.”

Another one to watch is Keanu Asing.

Born and raised in Hawaii, he spends the

offseason in San Clemente training with his girlfriend, who’s an MMA fighter. Asing’s already on the Championship Tour and could “double qualify” if he wins Sunset.

There’s still a lot of surfing left and anything can happen at Sunset, but with a little luck, San Clemente will have some hometown heroes to cheer for next year on the WSL Championship Tour. DP

SURF RESULTS NSSA SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE OPEN SEASON EVENT #5 54th STREET, NEWPORT BEACH NOVEMBER 19-20, 2016 OPEN MENS: 1. David Economos-San Clemente; 2. Dimitri Poulos-Ventura; 3. Dylan Hord-Huntington Beach; 4.

Jackson Butler-Encinitas OPEN JUNIORS: 1. Kade Matson-San Clemente; 2. Taro Watanabe-Malibu; 3. Nick Marshall-Encinitas; 4. Hagan Johnson-San Clemente

T

here are a lot of talented kids that run rampant on the NSSA scene and never notch a win. But now, David Economos can finally cross his name off that list.

Before Turkey Day stole the show, David bagged his first-ever NSSA win when he ran the table in the Open Men’s division at 54th Street.

“The waves were super grindy yesterday and then firing today,” said David after the big win. “I’m psyched to take the win in the NSSA Open Men’s in Newport.”

All told, it was a big weekend on the podium for San Clemente surfers. Kirra Pinkerton maintained her red-hot form, taking out the Open Women’s division.

And it was Kade Matson, fresh off a Rip Curl GromSearch win, who won the Open Junior’s final.

David has quietly been making his presence felt at surf events in recent months.

He finished runner-up to Matson at the GromSearch, and before that, notched a win at the Sun Diego Board Shops Am Slam. He started testing the waters on the WSL’s Pro Junior circuit this year, and with his trusty Lost Carbon Wrap boards under his feet, we’re sure to see a lot more of him in 2017. DP

OPEN BOYS: 1. Rafael Castro-La Jolla; 2. Hayden Rodgers-Laguna Beach; 3. Brayden Burch-San Clemente; 4. Ben Brantell-San Clemente OPEN MINI GROMS: 1. Jak Ziets-Santa Barbara; 2. Cannon Carr-San Clemente; 3. Makai Bray-San Clemente; 4.

Hudson Saunders-Laguna Beach OPEN WOMENS: 1. Kirra Pinkerton-San Clemente; 2.

Alyssa Spencer-Carlsbad; 3. Samantha Sibley-San Clemente; 4. Ella McCaffray-Cardiff OPEN GIRLS: 1. Alyssa Spencer-Carlsbad; 2. Kirra Pinkerton-San Clemente; 3. Kalohe Danbara-Huntington Beach; 4. Makena Burke-Ventura 4.13 OPEN SUPER GIRLS: 1. Sawyer Lindblad-San Clemente; 2. Caitlin Simmers-Oceanside; 3. Bella Kenworthy-Dana Point; 4. Jenna Clark-La Mesa 5.10

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Photo: Courtesy

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