September 10, 2021

SEPTEMBER 10-16, 2021 | VOLUME 14, ISSUE 37

L O C A L

N E W S

Y O U

C A N

INSIDE: Special Section

U S E

Never Forgotten

South County Residents Recount Harrowing Stories During and After 9/11 E Y E O N D P/ PAG E 6

The American Flag at Poche Beach, which straddles the border of San Clemente and Capistrano Beach, was initially raised 20 years ago, shortly after the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. Photo: Shawn Raymundo

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Editor’s Pick: Maritime Festival

Panga Boat Washes Ashore at Strand Beach, People Seen Fleeing

Cost Analysis for Desalination Presented to SCWD Board

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South Coast Water District has had a small-scale desalination facility in Dana Point since 2008 and owns the property of lots off Stonehill Drive. Photo: File

What’s Up With...

reverse osmosis membranes at high pressure.

“We would use slant well technology,” Shintaku said in May. “It’s very popular.

This is the preferred intake method by regulators and the California Ocean Plan Desalination Amendment.”

The intake would consist of roughly 93% ocean water and 7% brackish groundwater. The slant wells would be located on Doheny State Park. SCWD officials say the Doheny site is a geologically optimal location for a slant well.

SCWD has overseen a smaller-scale desalination facility in Dana Point since 2008. The 126 reverse osmosis membranes on-site treat water from San Juan Creek. While the water from San Juan Creek only has salinity of about 2,100 parts per million (seawater has roughly 35,000 ppm), Shintaku has previously stated the current facility offers a solid foundation for SCWD to expand its desalination technology.

SCWD owns the property of lots from its current desalination facility off Stonehill Drive.

While the SCWD Board of Directors voted to certify the environmental impact review study in June 2019, the Doheny desalination project has not yet been given the green light. Officials are currently exploring other due-diligence

TOP NEWS DANA POINT SHOULD KNOW THIS WEEK

Cost Analysis for Desalination Presented to SCWD Board

BY LILLIAN BOYD, DANA POINT TIMES

Ocean desalination has been named as one of the South Coast Water District’s top priorities—even more so as California undergoes an unprecedented water shortage.

In 2008, a Pilot Ocean Desalination Project was first initiated at Doheny State Beach, and the facility operated successfully for 21 months between 2010 and 2012. Subsequent to this effort, the District has proceeded with planning for an Ocean Desalination Facility.

On Thursday, Aug. 26, the SCWD Board of Directors authorized general manager Rick Shintaku to exercise an extended agreement with GHD Inc. for ocean desalination program management and project development through June 30, 2022, in an amount not to exceed $275,000.

Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

GHD has served as the District’s program manager for ocean desalination through fiscal years since 2016. GHD will be responsible for maintaining scheduling, coordinating with the District, program controls, tracking project costs, developing scopes of work and overseeing task orders issued to execute elements of the desalination program, attending meetings, and other duties, as required.

As far as operation, Shintaku has previously stated that the most cost-effective way for desalination at a large plant is reverse osmosis. Fresh water comes out while brine gets screened out. The brine, in this case, will be comingled with the wastewater outfall that extends two miles out into the ocean. Ocean water is being pulled in and run through these Page 3

studies, assessments and configurations for the most cost-effective route toward desalination.

“The bottom line is SCWD needs partnerships. Partnerships will significantly reduce the cost impact to SCWD customers,” Shintaku told Dana Point Times in January. “This decision needs to be balanced with the water reliability needs that South Coast Water District customers want and need to be best prepared for drought and emergencies, such as a significant seismic event, which could result in SCWD cutting back approximately 80% of drinking water supplies for 60 days or more during these emergency interruptions.”

In October 2019, the board held a Special Board meeting in which Richard Svindland, President of Cal-Am Water, presented a peer review of the cost estimate of the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project prepared by GHD. At the meeting, there was significant board discussion regarding potential cost impacts to SCWD customers, resulting from the revised unit cost of project water.

Subsequently, the SCWD contracted a financial consultant to develop a Financial Model that estimates cost ranges of project water. In early 2020, the board approved an agreement with Clean Energy (Cont. on page 4) danapointtimes.com

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Panga Boat Washes Ashore at Strand Beach, People Seen Fleeing

BY LILLIAN BOYD, DANA POINT TIMES

A Panga-like boat washed ashore at Strand Beach in Dana Point on Tuesday evening, Sept. 7, before more than a dozen of its occupants were seen running from the vessel and across the sand.

Officials with United States Border Patrol in San Diego confirmed Wednesday that 15 people were seen exiting the boat and heading toward the switchback pathway away from the beach. Reports of the incident first came to Orange County Sheriff’s Department at around 7:30 p.m.

“Deputies went to the top of the hillside, and a Harbor Patrol boat from Dana Point Harbor responded,” said Sgt. Todd Hylton, a spokesperson for OCSD. Hylton added that the first priority was to ensure no one was injured, then to see if there were illegal activities. A helicopter also responded to the incident.

One surfer, KJ Mahoney, told Dana Point Times he was almost hit by the vessel as it neared the shore.

Deputies searched the boat, which had no vessel markings or identification, Hylton said. No one from the boat had

(Cont. from page 3) Capital to complete the above analyses.

In late 2020, finalization of the Water Cost Analysis was postponed pending the outcome of the District’s Rate Study.

The SCWD asked Clean Energy Capital to research updates to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MET) Local Resource Program (LRP), along with updating MET rates and projections. A postponement of the Water Cost Analysis also allowed the District to consider options developed and refined as presented in the Integrated Water Resources Plan (IWRP) workshops, which occurred from August 2020 through July 2021.

In June 2020, SCWD ratepayers, through a formal customer survey process conducted during what a district staff report stated to be a “financially uncertain pandemic period,” have indicated a significant positive impression of this ocean water desalination project and monthly monetary acceptability level for this project. According to that survey, 72% favor the project after understanding it; 78% were willing to pay an additional $5 per month to build the project; and 76% were willing to pay an additional $7 per month to build the project.

On Thursday, Sept. 2, David Moore of Clean Energy Capital presented the findings of the firm’s water cost analysis. If the project were approved, the desalination plant would produce up to 5 million

gallons per day (MGD) of potable drinking water in Phase 1 and up to 15 MGD as a potential Phase 2 Regional Project.

Clean Energy Capital explored the financial viability of a 5 MGD Project with partners, where the District would take a 2 MGD share. The analysis will also show the viability of a standalone, smaller 2-MGD Project without partners, where the District would take the entire 2-MGD share.

If the project were approved, the residential cost increase per month would be $2.38 for a 5-MGD project and an increase of $7.20 per month for a 2-MGD project.

The 5-MGD project would cost a total of $126 million. Ideally, shareholders would split the costs, and water would be provided to multiple districts. If SCWD goes at desalination alone, the 2-MGD project would cost $71 million.

Shintaku added that South Coast Water District and most other water districts in south Orange County depend on water from the Colorado River and northern California for about 90% of their supply, making them vulnerable to drought shortages and service interruptions from earthquakes. In Orange County alone, import pipelines cross five earthquake faults.

As to which avenue SCWD will pursue, it largely depends on loans, grant funding and whether other agencies will be willing to split the costs.

Guest Speakers and Beach Cleanup Events for Surfrider Announced

Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

Fifteen people were seen fleeing from a Panga-like boat that washed ashore at Strand Beach in Dana Point. Photo: File

been located, as of press time, and the investigation was turned over to Border Patrol agents.

BY LILLIAN BOYD, DANA POINT TIMES

Surfrider Foundation’s South Orange County (SFSOC) chapter has announced upcoming events to include beach cleanups and special guests to speak about Dana Point being designated a Whale Heritage Site.

At the chapter meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 14, SFSOC will host Donna Kalez and Giselle Anderson, who will speak about Dana Point being designated a UNESCO Whale Heritage Site. The two local whale-watching industry moguls will discuss the new initiatives they working on and what it means to all of Orange County and the millions of visitors and residents hosted annually in Dana Point.

The event is free and open to all ages.

The meeting will be held at the OC Sailing & Events Center, 34451 Ensenada Place, Dana Point, at 6 p.m.

International Coastal Cleanup Day is Sept. 18, and SFSOC will host a cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon. This annual event will be co-hosted with OC Parks. Parking vouchers will be provided to volunteers upon check-in at the vehicle access at the top of the hill. Bring your own reusable glove or garden glove and reusable Page 4

water bottle. Volunteers are asked not to use latex gloves or single-use water bottles. Everything else will be provided.

Future beach cleanups will be held in San Clemente from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Oct. 16, Nov. 20, and Dec. 18. Cleanups will be held at Aliso Creek Beach on Oct. 2, Nov. 6, and Dec. 4.

In light of recent guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the surge of COVID-19 cases and Delta variant infections nationwide, SFSOC has made a decision to require that all individuals who wish to volunteer be fully vaccinated (meaning it has been 14 days since you received your final vaccine dose) and provide proof of vaccination.

This decision was made after very careful consideration, and with the safety of Surfrider Foundation chapter staff, volunteers and the public in mind, states SFSOC. For additional information or concerns regarding this requirement, reach out to Kia Stora, volunteers@ southoc.surfrider.org. A scanned or photographed copy of your COVID Vaccination Record Card can be emailed to derkeneff@southoc.surfrider.org. danapointtimes.com

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Former Firefighter Recounts Experience Assisting First Responders at Ground Zero

BY SHAWN RAYMUNDO, DANA POINT TIMES

L

ike millions of other Americans, Gary Walsh was fixated on the news on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

A pair of airliners had crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. As smoke billowed from the upper levels of the burning buildings, hundreds of New York’s first responders leapt into action, working to save thousands.

Alongside his wife, Walsh watched as Building 2, or the South Tower, began to collapse. As a captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department at the time, Walsh knew that hundreds of firefighters had just lost their lives while trying to rescue others.

“I knew where I would be if I was in that situation; you know, we would be going up those buildings to rescue people,” said Walsh, now 64 years old and a retired San Clemente resident. “To me, I knew, I had this sickening feeling in my gut, and of course it all came true.”

A total of 343 New York City firefighters and paramedics died as a result of the terrorist attack in New York City that day. In total, the events of 9/11 claimed the lives of 2,977 people—2,753 in New York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

It was the deadliest assault on our nation’s soil.

This Saturday marks the 20-year anniversary of the day’s tragic events that unfolded after 19 men hijacked four commercial airplanes, using them to murder nearly 3,000 people—a plan orchestrated by Osama bin Laden, the leader of the terrorist group al-Qaida.

While the country mourned and faced one if its darkest hours in its history, it also saw shining moments of heroism and humanitarianism.

“There was a huge sense of mission to avenge all of this and clean it up, and redetermine that we weren’t going to let this bring our country down,” Walsh said.

“We’re not just going to take this and say there’s nothing we can do.”

GETTING INVOLVED Walsh, who had a 29-year career with LACoFD, was formerly a police officer before changing careers. He said he made the switch because firefighting was more in tune with “the way I wanted to commit myself to public service.”

In the days immediately following the deadly attacks, Walsh, being here on the

Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

Retired Capt. Gary Walsh of the Los Angeles County Fire Department shares photos of his stint assisting New York firefighters, rescue crews and other first responders at Ground Zero in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Photos: Shawn Raymundo

West Coast, felt helpless. He wanted to be in New York, assisting in the rescue efforts or helping in any way he could.

Talking with colleagues, it was apparent that he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“After a couple of days, I went back to work and started talking to some of the other captains in nearby firehouses at a drill we had. All of us were just bugged,” Walsh recalled. “We all kept saying we have to do something.”

The Southern California firefighters, however, were told that they weren’t needed, nor was there a mission for them out there. To many of those first responders who were trained to rescue and help those in need, sitting on the sidelines wasn’t an option, and neither was waiting on FEMA and the fire department to authorize aid teams.

“Some of the other guys I had been in contact with there at my department, we all said we know if this happened here in LA, there would be 500 guys from New York showing up here to come help do something,” Walsh said. “That’s just the way we are; we respond and we do stuff.

We find ways to help. So, we just decided let’s go out there and figure it out ourselves.”

Without the department’s official blessing to go to New York, Walsh and four other LA County firefighters planned to travel to the East Coast on their own time and dime.

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“We didn’t even know where we were going to stay, we didn’t know exactly what our mission was going to be, but we knew there was a mission there for us; we just had to go find out what it was going to be,” Walsh said.

The band of five LA County firefighters—Walsh, Jeff Duran, Tom Ewald, Craig Ross and Ted Garcia—landed in New York on one of the first airlines to resume flight operations in the wake of 9/11. There, one of the group members contacted a Brooklyn firefighter he had met during a nationwide firefighters’ sporting event.

“We drove over to Firehouse 252 out of Brooklyn. We arrived at this place, and again, we still didn’t know where we were going to be or what we were going to do,” Walsh said. “We brought sleeping bags, thinking we might need to sleep on sidewalks.”

At the firehouse, Walsh noticed that 252’s fire engine was gone. It had been destroyed, he said, in the devastation at WTC. But even worse, Walsh and the others were told, five firefighters from the 252 squad had lost their lives.

When the firefighters of 252 asked the West Coast visitors what they were hoping to do, Walsh and Co. said they wanted to provide any type of support that was necessary.

“We told them, we’re just here to support you guys, whatever you need us to do; if you want us to come out and

help you, yes, that’s what we’d like to do, go find survivors out there at the World Trade Center, bring you water or equipment,” Walsh said.

The LA County crew even offered the Brooklyn firefighters to go to their homes and help with any projects they may have had, knowing that they’d be spending much of their time in the coming weeks at Ground Zero.

“We’ll do whatever you guys want us to do; you tell us what your needs are,” Walsh’s group had offered the 252 Firehouse.

“They were so taken aback by this, they just said, ‘Well, where are you guys going to stay?’ and we said, ‘Well, we don’t know; we’ll figure that out,’” Walsh recalled.

With the 252 crew unable to run calls out of the firehouse because they didn’t have an engine, they were primarily working at WTC in two shifts—a day shift and a night shift. The firehouse dormitory would be free to use, so the 252 firefighters insisted that Walsh and the group reside there for the time being.

RESCUE AND RECOVERY As a thank you for giving them use of the dormitory, Walsh’s group offered to cook the Brooklyn firefighters meals and even clean their firehouse.

However, it had only been a day that they were there before the 252 crew asked the LA firefighters to join the rescue efforts at Ground Zero. Each morning, an FDNY van would come by the firehouse to pick up Walsh and the rest of the group, taking them to Lower Manhattan.

“Our first time driving up there, it was just so surreal,” Walsh recalled, further noting that “it was such a surreal scene, because there’s a big cloud kind of still over, with the dust still in the air and everything, even days later.

“And as we got closer, you begin to notice everywhere around Lower Manhattan, everything is covered in dust; it’s like this grayish effect,” he continued.

“Everything is just gray, because of all the dust, all the debris; and there’s debris everywhere, the trees and up on fire escapes.”

Walsh also recalled seeing people on the street holding up signs with photos and descriptions of their loved ones who hadn’t been accounted for yet. They were holding out hope that rescue crews would be able to find those people alive, danapointtimes.com

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trapped somewhere under the rubble.

“We came across the corner, I took one look at that cement pile of stuff and thought, ‘I don’t think anyone is going to survive this,’ and I think the next day it was announced that it was changing from a rescue to a recovery operation,” Walsh recalled.

The LA crew, Walsh said, had expected to find a lot of bodies amid the debris.

“But we didn’t find anything,” he said.

While working at what was referred to as “the pile,” Walsh said, crews would dig and dig, but on occasion, they’d find only a shoe or a tie. A few times, he added, the partial remains of a firefighter would be found.

“We’d stop all operations out there while we removed that part in the most dignified way we could,” Walsh said.“That’s why in pictures, you’ll see people standing and saluting while a crane lifted it, and it was generally just a small body part.”

FORGING BONDS Day in and day out, Walsh explained, the LA County crew would work at “the pile,” helping the New York City crews.

“Those guys are very strong,” Walsh said of the New York first responders.

“What grit, they were so determined to find their brothers.”

After a shift, they’d return to the firehouse, where they listened to the 252 firefighters share stories of their fallen comrades.

“It was amazing how many of these guys had close ties to somebody who had died that day … every one of them: ‘Oh, that was my father-in-law, or my brother or the best man at my wedding,’” they would describe to Walsh. “Every one of them seemed to know somebody who passed away. So, we just listened to the stories … different stories that reflect back on ‘Oh, remember when he did this or did that?’”

Being there for the 252 Firehouse, Walsh said, allowed both crews to grow close to each other. The five Los Angeles firefighters would even join 252 crew members whenever they attended funerals for many of the New York firefighters who died on 9/11.

“They really appreciated that,” Walsh said. “We got really tight with these guys, and we’ve been part of their (memorial) ceremonies for quite a while. Since then, 2001, they invite us back every year.”

During one of the earliest memorial ceremonies, Walsh said, he was gifted a small metal cross by the 252 crew. Only about 45 crosses were made.

The metal for the crosses had come from a beam recovered at Ground Zero. It was that beam, researchers believe based on DNA evidence, that had pinned the five fallen 252 firefighters.

“They surprised me by giving me one of those crosses. It was one of the most cherished things I have,” Walsh said, adding: “That was kind of their way of Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

A small metal cross created from a beam that’s believed to have pinned down five Brooklyn firefighters during the attacks at the World Trade Center on Sept.

11, 2001, was gifted to Walsh during a 9/11 ceremony at the 252 Firehouse in New York.

saying, we recognize all you’ve done.”

Over the years, the bond had continued to stay strong, as Walsh has kept in touch with the guys from 252. Some have flown to Southern California and stayed at his home. And in 2013, they also came out to attend Walsh’s retirement party.

Walsh admits that he hasn’t been back to Brooklyn since the 10-year anniversary.

But with this being the 20-year mark, Walsh and most of the guys he went with in 2001 will be making the trip to participate in 252’s ceremony on Saturday.

“They’ve indicated that this is their last big one, just because of the 20-year mark, and because, frankly, a lot of the firefighters who were there at the time have passed away,” he said. “I think they told me like 90% of those firefighters who are on the job now weren’t on the job in 2001.”

A FIREFIGHTER’S COVENANT After returning to Los Angeles, several firefighters looked to Walsh and his team for advice on ways they could also help.

He noted that in the wake of 9/11, hundreds of Southern California firefighters made similar trips to assist the New York City firefighters.

Asked what his biggest takeaway was from working at Ground Zero, Walsh, who previously sat on the city’s Public Safety Committee, said the experience was a lesson in community service and the commitment all firefighters make with the people they’re sworn to help.

“Your community counts on you, and you need to answer the bell when it rings. That’s our covenant,” he said.

“When people tell you that there’s nothing for you to do, do what you believe you should do,” he later added.

“Take risks, and be kind and be helpful for others. When something happens, think about ‘How can I help?’”

To learn more about the tragic events of 9/11, as well as to look up victims’ names, find ways of commemorating the 20th anniversary and even donating to The Never Forget Fund, go to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum website at 911memorial.org.

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NEWS BITES

COMMUNITY MEETINGS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

COMPILED BY STAFF

Dana Point Financial Review Committee 4 p.m. The Dana Point Financial Review Committee will hold a regular meeting.

Dana Point Public Works Conference Room, 33282 Golden Lantern Street, Dana Point. danapoint.org.

DP | SI Craft Fair Returns to

Dana Point in Support of Gender Equality Soroptimist International (SI) Capistrano Bay is hosting its third annual Craft Fair on Saturday, September 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Dana Point Community Center, 34052 Del Obispo Street, Dana Point.

The Soroptimist organization aims to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment. Soroptimist is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on foundation grants, private donations and corporate support to help local Soroptimist clubs provide service to women and girls in their communities.

SI Capistrano Bay is part of the Soroptimist Desert Coast Region, which stretches from the deserts of Imperial County to the coast of Orange and San Diego Counties. The northernmost clubs lie in the southeastern area of Los Angeles County.

SI Capistrano Bay and the Soroptimist Desert Coast Region work to support programs that advance women in their education and careers.

Soroptimist International, which consists of Soroptimist International of the Americas, Soroptimist International of Europe, Soroptimist International of Great Britain & Ireland and Soroptimist International of the South West Pacific, is a global volunteer movement working together to transform the lives of women and girls. Its network of more than 75,000 club members in 130 countries and territories works at a local, national and international level to educate, empower and enable opportunities for women and girls.

For additional information, visit sicapistranobay.com. Judy Brandmeier is the organizer of the craft show and can be reached at 949.291.0990.

DP | StillWater Co-Founder

Has Big Plans for BeachFire Bar & Grill Like a bee to honey, restaurateur Edgar Carbajal lives for the thrill of entertaining his customers.

“Hospitality is my passion,” said Carbajal, who has been in the restaurant business ever since moving to the United States from Mexico as an 18-year-old in 1997. “Live music, great food and entertainment—that’s what I live for.”

After coming to the U.S., Carbajal Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

Dana Point Planning Commission 6 p.m. The Dana Point Planning Commission will hold a regular meeting. Dana Point Council Chambers, 33282 Golden Lantern Street, Suite 210, Dana Point. danapoint.org.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

BeachFire’s new owner and operator, Edgar Carbajal. Photo: Norb Garrett

landed his first job washing dishes at Hennessey’s in Dana Point. He spent 15 years there, eventually becoming a bartender. He later had a brief three-year stint in Seattle.

Fast-forward to 2021, and after a successful, hard-earned career in the area restaurant scene, Carbajal is embarking on his second area restaurant launch in the past 10 years—this time acquiring the BeachFire Bar & Grill in Downtown San Clemente, along with partner Dustin Ramsay.

He has big plans to reignite the iconic dining spot on Avenida Del Mar. “Through live music, great food and entertainment, we’re going to bring back the ‘Fire’ to BeachFire,” he said.

He plans to leverage some of his learnings from his first restaurant launch in 2012, when Carbajal and a few partners bought the Renaissance in Dana Point and renamed it StillWater Spirits & Sounds. He completely revamped the menu and bar list while adding live music, instantly transforming StillWater into one of the area’s hottest spots for dining and entertainment.

“We are going to take BeachFire’s San Clemente style and give it a fresh, reinspired take on coastal cuisine,” said Carbajal, who lives in San Juan Capistrano with his wife, Nina Scarnici, and their dog and cat. “We’re going to ‘bring out the Fire’ when it comes to delicious food that will mirror a new, vibrant drink menu.”

Aside from improvements to the menu

and bar list, Carbajal will be expanding the live music offerings, as well as moving the stage area further back into the restaurant to allow for more space and dancing around the bands and a less-cluttered (and loud) bar experience.

“I want this to be the neighborhood hangout,” said Carbajal, who along with partner Ramsay plan on keeping the existing staff. “My goal is to make (BeachFire) the go-to place again. I see the opportunity, and I’m so excited. I know it’ll be a home run.”

BeachFire Bar & Grill is located at 204 Avenida Del Mar in San Clemente. For more information, call 949.366.3232 or go to beachfire.com

DP | Registration Open for

FAM Hunger Walk Local nonprofit Family Assistance Ministries (FAM) is encouraging people to register for a walk happening next month that will help the hungry and needy in the community.

The 34th annual Hunger Walk will be on Sunday, Oct. 17. The walk is 2.5 miles and starts at 2 p.m. from the San Clemente Community Center. It will end at the Pier Bowl with a party and live music by local band Jim Plays Dan. Registration costs are $30 for adults, $10 for kids of high school age and younger, and $5 for pets on leashes. Children ages 3-and-under are free.

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Because I Love You (BILY) 6:30-8:30 p.m. The organization Because I Love You (BILY), which helps parents navigate through whatever parenting challenges they may be facing (e.g., failure to launch, drug abuse, disrespect), will continue conducting its weekly meetings on Tuesdays via Zoom video conference.

For detailed instructions on how to participate, email bilysanclemente@gmail.com.

Visit fam.securesweet.com to register or for more information.

DP | Nonprofit Celebrates 40 Years of Helping Children Assistance League of Capistrano Valley (ALCV) is rejoicing over its 40th anniversary. The nonprofit has aimed to help kids through community programs since its founding in 1980.

ALCV has returned $5.3 million back to the community, the organization said in a news release.

“Last year, ALCV members gave over 13,173 volunteer hours to help children and families in our community despite our challenges with the pandemic,” ALCV President Joyce Helland said. “Our volunteer-run Bargain Box thrift store here in San Clemente allows us to pass along proceeds directly back into our local community supporting children in need.”

The nonprofit has given out clothes, shoes, and school supplies for kids going back to school; awarded grants to local middle schools; and provided scholarships to single parents attending Saddleback College and graduating seniors from military families. danapointtimes.com

SOAPBOX

Letters to The Editor

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

HOW TO REACH US SENIOR CITY EDITOR Lillian Boyd • 949.388.7700, x113 lboyd@picketfencemedia.com

ON ‘CALIFORNIA’S ROAD TO THE RECALL ELECTION’ CHALONE WARMAN, San Clemente Lillian Boyd’s biased reporting mischaracterizes Recall Newsom supporters as “anti-vaxxers, militia members and conspiracy theorists,” while she carefully omits any list of Newsom’s incompetent policies which led to the recall.

Placating the demands of a major donor, California’s teachers union, led to the disastrous decision to shut down the public schools for over a year.

His dutiful obeisance to another major donor, the prison/guard union, is leading to the release of 63,000 dangerous prisoners, including nearly 20,000 who are serving life sentences, while California homicides have jumped by 31% overall and 58% in LA County.

His misguided environmental policies have created water and electrical shortages, skyrocketing housing costs and uncontrollable forest fires.

Other craven Newsom policies have increased gas prices to the highest in the nation, increased homelessness by over 17% since 2017, and ordered a lockdown that destroyed tens of thousands of small businesses throughout the state.

None of these are partisan issues. They are self-inflicted wounds directly attributable to Gavin Newsom’s policies.

REPUBLICAN RECALL HECTOR HERNANDEZ, San Clemente It was interesting to read the many different views on the recall effort. I didn’t read how only 1,495,709, or 12% of the votes for the 2018 governor race, were needed to recall a duly elected governor.

I also never read “why” Newsom is being recalled. Well, here is the official Proponents’ Statement of Reasons: “The grounds for this recall are as follows: Governor Newsom has implemented laws which are detrimental to the citizens of this state and our way of life. Laws he endorsed favor foreign nationals, in our country illegally, over that of our own citizens. People in this state suffer the highest taxes in the nation, the highest homelessness rates, and the lowest quality of life as a result. He has imposed sanctuary state status and fails to enforce immigration laws. He unilaterally overruled the will of the people regarding the death penalty. He seeks to impose additional burdens on our state by the following: removing the protections of Proposition 13, rationing our waDana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

SPORTS Zach Cavanagh • 949.388.7700, x110 zcavanagh@picketfencemedia.com ADVERTISING Lauralyn Loynes • 949.388.7700, x102 lloynes@picketfencemedia.com DISTRIBUTION Racks, Driveways, Subscriptions Inna Cazares • 949.388.7700, x111 icazares@picketfencemedia.com GENERAL MANAGER Alyssa Garrett • 949.388.7700, x100 agarrett@picketfencemedia.com For additional information on California’s recall election, a full list of candidates and the top contenders, as well as a resource for voting options, visit danapointtimes.com. Photo: Pexels

ter use, increasing taxes and restricting parental rights. Having no other recourse, we the people have come together to take this action, remedy these misdeeds and prevent further injustices.”

I do not count myself in the “we the people” department of what smells to be a lying, racist-oriented recall.

RESPONDING TO ‘COVID-19 AND RECALL’ CRITIQUE ALBA FARFAGLIA, San Clemente To Mr. Jim Smith of San Clemente— Fact Check: Public health experts dispute the notion that migrants entering the southern border are largely responsible for exploding COVID-19 cases across a large swath of the country.

Instead, experts point to the more transmissible Delta variant and relatively low vaccination rates as primary causes of this latest wave. It’s also worth noting that some of the Republicans blaming the surge on migrants have banned mask mandates and pushed back against policies requiring vaccines.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is the one who stated this at a press conference approximately one month ago, and Florida is a hotspot today for the Delta variant.

Replacing Gavin Newsom, an experienced governor of a state of about 40 million people, with a man of no experience in government, a radio talk show host like Mr. Elder, would result in a disaster for California.

Regarding Mr. Smith’s referring to the airlift in Afghanistan as a “fiasco,” nothing could be further from the truth.

It is the largest airlift in U.S. history: 122,000 people rescued, many of them refugees, which we in the United States of America will welcome with open arms.

After all, Mr. Smith, we are a nation of immigrants and refugees.

OPPOSING THE RECALL CAROL MONTGOMERY, San Clemente Gov. Gavin Newsom is leading California through devastating wildfires, a global pandemic, and a gun violence epidemic, where more than 100 are people shot and killed every single day. Since he took office, Gov. Newsom has been a consistent and fierce champion for gun safety.

Along with historic funding for California’s community-based violence intervention and prevention grant program, he has signed bills aimed at reducing gun violence—from regulating untraceable do-it-yourself firearms known as “ghost guns,” to prohibiting law enforcement’s use of chokeholds, to allowing enforcement of out-of-state gun violence restraining orders.

California stands to lose so much if this recall passes, including our gun safety champion. Please don’t sit this election out—the consequences of the recall passing could be devastating to California.

Please vote no on the recall by Sept. 14.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY Have something you’d like to say? Email your letter to lboyd@picketfencemedia.com no later than 8 a.m. on Monday morning. Dana Point Times reserves the right to edit reader-submitted letters for length and is not responsible for the claims made or information written by the writers. Limit your letters to 350 words or less.

Please send with your valid email, phone number and address for verification by staff. Your address and phone number will not be published.

The Dana Point Times and Picket Fence Media do not publish content that is defamatory.

PICKET FENCE MEDIA CEO/FOUNDER Norb Garrett EDITORIAL Senior City Editor, DP Times Lillian Boyd City Editor, SC Times Shawn Raymundo City Editor, Capo Dispatch Collin Breaux Sports Editor Zach Cavanagh Columnists Fred Swegles Tom Blake Special Projects Editor Andrea Papagianis-Camacho

ADVERTISING Associate Publisher Lauralyn Loynes (DP) Advertising Sales Debra Wells (CD) Laura Gaffney (SC) ART + DESIGN Art Director Jasmine Smith Graphic Designer Chelsie Rex OPERATIONS General Manager Alyssa Garrett Group Operations & Production Coordinator Inna Cazares

Copy Editor Randy Youngman

FINANCE Accounting & Finance Manager Tricia Zines

Social Media/ Digital Coordinator Kolette Morehead

CONTRIBUTORS Megan Bianco, Jake Howard, Eryka Forquer

Dana Point Times, Vol. 14 Issue 37. The DP Times (danapointtimes.com) is published weekly by Picket Fence Media, publishers of the SC Times (sanclementetimes.com) and The Capistrano Dispatch (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 2021. All rights reserved.

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Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

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THE WORLD TITLE RACE COMES TO TOWN 2021 WORLD CHAMPIONS TO BE DECIDED AT LOWER TRESTLES AT INNOVATIVE NEW RIP CURL WSL FINALS

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or the first time in the history of professional surfing, the 2021 world title will be decided in a single day of action called the Rip Curl WSL Finals—and it’s all going down at Lower Trestles.

Based on their end-of-season rankings, the top five men and women on the World Surf League’s Championship Tour have made the cut and will have a shot at the title.

The No. 1 seeds include four-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore from Hawaii and two-time world champion Gabriel Medina, who hails from Brazil.

For the women, rounding out this inaugural class will be seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore, Brazil’s Tatiana WestonWebb, Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons and France’s Johanne Defay.

And for the gentlemen, 2019 world champ Italo Ferreira, coming off an Olympic gold medal, will be looking to defend his title (there was no world champion crowned in 2020 due to the pandemic). He’ll be joined by Brazilian countryman and San Clemente resident Filipe Toledo, California’s Conner Coffin and Australian rookie sensation Morgan Cibilic.

The pressure couldn’t be higher nor the stakes greater for this one-day, winner-take-all showdown.

For decades, Lower Trestles has been considered one of the world’s most high-performance waves, and with its perfect left and right A-frame peak, it’s an ideal location for Moore, Medina and the best surfers on the planet to throw down.

Everyone should get ready, because Rip Curl WSL Finals’ new format and a new vision of how surfing’s world champions are crowned will be showcased right here in our backyard on one day in a competitive window spanning from Sept. 9-17.

Home Sweet Home San Clemente-based Rip Curl Eyes Epic Finale For Rip Curl North America president “Rip Curl is a pure surf company,” said Dylan Slater, the stars are aligning over Slater. “We believe in our surfers and San Clemente and Lower Trestles, where believe in crowning a world champion. all eyes in the world of surfing will focus This year is a major evolution (in how a from Sept. 9-17—when the World Surf world champ in surfing is crowned), and League hosts its Rip Curl-sponsored seawe decided to be a part of that vision and son finale and crowns world champs for be a part of that history.” both men and women.

Three male team riders in the finals “Rip Curl in the U.S. started here in San will be rocking Rip Curl wetsuits: Gabriel Clemente—Trestles is even Medina, Conner Coffin and in our original wetsuit logo,” Morgan Cibilic. said Slater, who moved the The new format and coniconic surf brand’s headtest window will allow for Rip quarters and its 70 employCurl to host numerous events ees to San Clemente from during that week, including Costa Mesa in September beach cleanups, autograph 2020. sessions at Rip Curl’s newly “So, it’s fortuitous that upgraded flagship store in (the move to San Clemente) South San Clemente (at 3801 aligned with the fact the South El Camino Real) and a WSL Finals will be here,” live mural painting by local Slater continued. surfer and artist Jeff Lukasik.

Rip Curl North America president This year’s format is Rip Curl will also use the Dylan Slater. Photo: Norb Garrett brand-new, featuring the opportunity to launch its five top-ranked men and women surfing in new E7 Flashbomb Heatseeker wetsuit. a one-day contest to crown a champ. The “It’s the pinnacle wetsuit that combines WSL will pick the one day with the best flexibility with warmth,” Slater said. “We’re wave conditions to hold the new format, utilizing the event and platform to celeensuring that a world champ is crowned at brate multiple parts of our brand.” the finals. (See page 15 for details.)

— Norb Garrett

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Rip Curl WSL Finals

WHO to WATCH

Photo: © WSL / Heff

There will be a total of 10 surfers at the Rip Curl WSL Finals—five men and five women.

But before we get into whom to keep an eye on, it’s going to be important to understand the format of this unique event.

Slated to take place in one day of action during primetime Lowers season, it’s going to go down like this: The No. 1-rated male and female surfers at the end of the 2021 WSL Championship Tour—Gabriel Medina and Carissa Moore, respectively—will both receive a bid directly into what the WSL is calling the Title Match, which will consist of a best-of-three showdown to determine the world champ.

“The Brazilian Storm”—Medina, Italo Ferreira and Filipe Toledo—are the obvious favorites.

Medina has been the surfer to beat all season long. He’s won at Lowers in the past and will be fresh and focused when he hits the water for the Title Match.

That said, Ferreira’s coming off a gold medal performance at the Olympics and will be looking to defend his 2019 title. Plus, local shaper Timmy Patterson, who makes Ferreira’s boards, will know exactly what he should be riding.

Meanwhile, Toledo lives in San Clemente, has won at Lowers and may be the best pure performer in the draw. If he can put all the

All of the other surfers will be seeded into the bracket based on their rankings. At the beginning of the day, which will start with the women, the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds will surf one heat against one another.

The winner of that match will move on to face the No. 3-ranked surfer. From there, the winner advances to face the No. 2-ranked surfer. Whoever is still standing will earn a spot in the Title Match against the top seed, either Moore or Medina. The world title will be decided by the first surfer to win two out of three heats.

So, whom should you keep an eye on?

For the men, the surfers who comprise

pieces together, he’s going to be really dangerous and could go on to win his first world title.

The two outliers are California’s Conner Coffin and Australia’s Morgan Cibilic. Growing up surfing NSSA events at Lowers, Coffin, who’s from Santa Barbara, has a ton of experience here and will be feeling comfortable in what constitutes his home waters.

Rookie Cibilic has been defying expectations all season long and could be a huge spoiler at Lowers. He’s been hanging around town for the last couple of months and has the right at Lowers pretty wired.

For the women, stopping No. 1 seed Moore is going to be a huge challenge. She’s been on another level all year long, and with Olympic gold around her neck, she has all the confidence in the world.

That’s not to say she’s not beatable. In fact, all but one of her losses on the Championship Tour in 2021 came at the hands of Rip Curl WSL Finalists Stephanie Gilmore, Johanne Defay and Tatiana Weston-Webb—and she’s lost twice to Gilmore and Defay, which is a crazy stat considering how dominant the Hawaiian has been this year.

Gilmore, who comes in at the fourth seed, will be looking to claim her record-breaking eighth world title. Fresh off a win in Mexico last month, she’s got the momentum and energy to go the distance.

Between Gilmore and Moore, the two most dominant women in pro surfing over the past decade, they’re sitting on a collective 11 world titles and know what it takes to get to the top.

But for Sally Fitzgibbons, Defay and WestonWebb, the vision of claiming their first title will serve as plenty of fuel for their competitive fire.

The waiting period for the Rip Curl WSL Finals runs from September 9-17. The event will take one day to run, with the surf deciding which day.

How Trestles Became Epicenter of Progressive Surfing in America From Phil Edwards in the ’50s, to the heady Vietnam years, to today’s Rip Curl WSL Finals, Trestles has always held an important place in high-performance surfing BY JAKE HOWARD

F

or the better part of 70 years, Trestles—or The Trestle—has loomed large in local surf lore.

Decade after decade, the pristine watershed with its multitude of wave-riding options has served as an epicenter for state-of-the-art, progressive surfing. From the very first surfers to frequent the area to the crowning of the WSL World Champions here in San Clemente this month, Trestles has always been a draw to the best of the best.

“Miki (Dora) and I spent one summer together at San Onofre, and we’d look up at the point and ask these old guys what it was like up there,” recalls Phil Edwards, surfing’s supreme stylist in the 1950s and

Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

’60s.

“They’d say, ‘Oh, well, we went back up there in ’38 and Peanuts Larson got this big wave … blah, blah, blah.’ Anyway, Miki was 16, and I was 13. He had a car, so we drove the car up there and walked through the railroad tracks and around the swamp, and that’s how we started surfing The Trestle,” continues Edwards, placing his “discovery” with Dora around 1951 or 1952.

“We didn’t tell anybody, so we had it all to ourselves for a while; it was kind of neat. I graduated high school in ’56, so it would have been before that,” adds Edwards.

Edwards originally hailed from Oceanside, but it was at Trestles and nearby Doheny and Killer Dana where his well-deserved reputation as the epitome of good surf style was born.

“He was the first guy to sleep under the bridge at Doheny,” jokes his wife, Mary.

It didn’t take long for word to get out about the quality of surf on offer at Trestles.

Located at the far southern end of San Clemente at the mouth of the San Mateo Creek, the migratory sandbars and cobblestone points of Uppers, Lowers and Church provided an ideal location for the area’s best surfers to hone their talents, test their equipment and escape the everyday rat race in a truly beautiful Southern California beach setting.

But the utopia couldn’t last forever.

In 1969, President Richard Nixon established the “Western White House” at La Casa Pacifica (originally built in 1926 by one of San Clemente’s founding fathers, Hamilton H. Cotton) on the bluff above the aptly named Cotton’s Point.

With the Vietnam War raging, surfing at Trestles was quickly forbidden for security reasons. There are plenty of stories about

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surfers sneaking out for a few waves anyway and having their boards seized by the military police, but it was Surfer magazine’s founder and publisher, John Severson, who really went toe-to-toe with Nixon.

The feud between the two—one, a proponent of free expression and the counterculture movement; the other, a hard-to-love politician—famously went back to some photos that Severson had snapped of Nixon on the beach and sold to Life magazine.

White House attorney John Ehrlichman eventually invited Severson over to try and broker a peace between the leader of the free world and the leader of the heady surf scene.

“He was one tough cookie,” Severson, who passed away in 2017, wrote in his memoirs. “I tough-cookied him right back.”

“When Nixon was in town, there were armed guards on the beach and a big Coast

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2021 Men’s Final FIVE 1

GABRIEL MEDINA

2

BRAZIL

ITALO FERREIRA

3

BRAZIL

43,400 PTS

FILIPE TOLEDO

4

BRAZIL

31,660 PTS

CONNER COFFIN

5

UNITED STATES

30.735 PTS

MORGAN CIBILIC AUSTRALIA

25,355 PTS

25,270 PTS

2021 WOMen’s Final FIVE 1

Carissa Moore

2

HAWAII

37,770 PTS

Tatiana Weston-Webb BRAZIL

34,715 PTS

3

Sally Fitzgibbons AUSTRALIA

33.000 PTS

4

Stephanie Gilmore* AUSTRALIA

32,035 PTS

5

Johanne Defay FRANCE

32,035 PTS

Photos: © WSL / Heff, © WSL / Diz | *Awarded tiebreaker over Johanne Defay for greater average heat score.

Guard boat outside the break, along with a flock of helicopters cruising above,” recalled former U.S. Surfing Champ Corky Carroll in a 2016 story in the Orange County Register.

Carroll was one of the few surfers given permission to access the area after he wrote a letter to the Secret Service explaining that he needed to surf Trestles to continue training.

“I would check in on the beach and paddle out to perfect big summer south swells either all alone or with Rolf Aurness. Rolf’s dad was the actor James Arness (dropped the “u” for television) and he had a home there, so they could also surf,” continued Carroll.

By 1972, the Trestles area was reopened for surfing. Ultimately, Nixon proved not to be the complete evil villain he was portrayed as. After original talks to create a California State Park fell apart around 1970, the plan was shifted south to San Onofre.

Thanks in part to Nixon’s appreciation for this pristine bit of coastal wilderness, on Aug. 31, 1971, a 50-year lease was signed by the state and the U.S. Marines, who control the land as part of Camp Pendleton.

That lease was set to expire this year, but it was extended for three years while the State

Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

of California, the Marines and local interest groups figure out what’s next.

In terms of surfing, Trestles enjoyed a golden era in the ’70s and ’80s, when crowds were still relatively light and just getting down to the beach was more of a mission than it is today (yeah, I’m looking at you, e-bike riders).

By the second half of the ’80s, the surf industry was booming, and Trestles became one of the de facto hubs for area pros and photographers. With surf companies and magazines based in San Clemente, Uppers and Lowers offered the perfect spot to, once again, hone talent, test equipment and help the sport progress to the next level.

In 1989, Christian Fletcher, a young San Clemente radical who was pioneering aerial surfing, won the Body Glove Surfbout at Lowers. Banking $30,000 for the effort, it was the first shot across that bow that wave-riding was about to take another huge leap forward.

Then, in 1990, a young, fresh-faced kid from Florida named Kelly Slater made his professional debut at Lowers. He famously signed what then was the biggest contract in pro surfing history on the beach, and then went on to win the Body Glove Surfbout.

Thanks to Fletcher in ’89 and Slater in ’90, Lowers’ reputation as the hotbed for progressive surfing in the United States was cemented. By the early 2000s, it was a stop on the WSL Championship Tour, drawing the best surfers from around the world every year.

In 2004, the contest, then called the Boost Mobile Pro, enjoyed all-time, classic Lowers conditions. It started off with 3- to 5-foot surf before a swell dubbed the “Monster Down Under” served up sets that topped out in the 10-foot range.

Eventually won by Australian Joel Parkinson, who beat 11-time world champ Slater in the final, it was one for the history books.

“It is one of my favorite places in the world,” says Slater, who got Parkinson back in 2012 as he notched his 50th career world tour victory and third win in a row at Lowers.

And now, the Rip Curl WSL Finals will crown the 2021 world champions at Lower Trestles, where the top five men and women on the leaderboard will be featured.

At this point, the smart money to win the title is on what’s been dubbed “The Brazilian Storm.” Anchored by world champs Gabriel Medina and Italo Ferreira, as well as San

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Clemente transplant Filipe Toledo, the crew represent the leaders of a high-flying, hard-charging generation of surfers from Brazil who are pushing the sport yet further forward.

“I love this wave; it’s a large part of why I moved my family to San Clemente,” says Toledo. “There’s so many possibilities at Lowers.”

In the mid-2000s, Surfrider Foundation released a study breaking down the economic impact that the Trestles area has had on surfing and the local community.

The findings were revealing. In 2008, it reported that there were more than 330,000 “surf visits” to Trestles during the year, which contributed $10 million to the local economy.

More than a dozen years later, those numbers have surely grown, as surfing is coming off its Olympic debut and is more popular than ever.

Whether you’re a top-flight pro or regular old local getting your daily fill of waves, there really is something for everyone down at Trestles—and, oh, the stories we could tell.

danapointtimes.com

A VERY BRIEF HISTORY OF PRO SURFING AT LOWERS There’s a lot more to winning at Lowers than just surfing well

I

t’s the morning of the final,” Kelly Slater famously uttered en route to his 1990 professional debut at Lower Trestles.

The moment was captured in a Quiksilver video called Black and White, and it basically served as the launchpad for the Florida surfer’s now-storied career. It was, after all, on the beach at Lowers where he signed what then was the biggest contract in pro surfing history and then went on to win the contest.

What you don’t hear nearly as much about—but definitely should because it ties directly into state-of-the-art surfing today—is that in the previous year, local boy Christian Fletcher beat the establishment at Lowers, courtesy of his brash, unapologetic approach to both abovethe-lip and power maneuvers.

The godfather of aerial surfing, the unseeded Fletcher won a cool $30,000 for the effort, beating North Hollywood’s Joey Jenkins, Cardiff’s Colin Smith and San Clemente’s Noah Budroe in the final.

Local icon Dino Andino, father of Kolohe

Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

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Andino (who just represented the United States in surfing’s Olympic debut in Tokyo), finished the event in fifth.

Thanks to Fletcher in ’89 and Slater in ’90, today, a top-level pro contest at Lowers is career-defining.

Over the decades, we’ve seen world champions such at Carissa Moore, Mick Fanning and Andy Irons all post huge victories here. Moore calls it one of her favorite waves in the world. She’ll be setting her sights on winning a fifth world title at Lowers this month.

The last WSL Championship Tour event to come to the cobblestone point was back in 2017, when it was a Brazilian sweep, as Filipe Toledo and Silva Lima topped the podium.

And now, 30 years after Slater exploded onto the scene at Lowers, it’s back.

Perhaps the biggest competitive moment Lowers has ever seen is about to unfold. The Rip Curl WSL Finals will crown the 2021 men’s and women’s world champions, and it is fair to say that never before has San Clemente enjoyed a victory celebration like what’s about to go down— and that’s saying a lot!

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GETTING OUT

Editor’s Pick

Point Restaurant and Bar, Blue Lantern Plaza, 34085 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point. 949.464.5700. thepointrestaurantandbar.com.

SUNDAY | 12

The List

LIVE MUSIC AT STILLWATER 5 p.m. Enjoy live music performed by Funk Station (old school funk, soul and R&B). StillWater Spirits & Sounds, 24701 Del Prado, Dana Point. 949.661.6003. danapointstillwater.com.

What’s going on in and around town this week

WEDNESDAY | 15

DANA POINT TIMES Photo: File

Get a curated list of the weekend’s best events sent straight to your inbox every Friday! Sign up for The Weekender at danapointtimes.com/weekender

FRIDAY | 10 SAN ONOFRE PARKS FOUNDATION POP-UP SHOP 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The Historic Cottage and Visitor Center showcases local history, flora and fauna at this original 1934 ranger’s cottage. A rotating exhibit features the history of San Onofre. Stop in to the San Onofre Parks Foundation’s Pop-Up Shop to say hello, do a little shopping and learn more about the history of the local state parks at San Clemente and San Onofre State Beaches. Historic Cottage and Visitor Center is located within the San Clemente State Beach Campground at 225 Avenida Calafia, San Clemente. 949.366.8599. admin@sanoparks.org. sanoparks.org.

ONLINE TOUR OF MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO 3 p.m. Mission San Juan Capistrano is offering online guided tours of its historic grounds every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Learn about the history and see the charming grounds and gardens of this South Orange County landmark.

Cost is $45 for up to four devices, and the Zoom tour lasts up to an hour. Reservations must be made at least 72 hours in advance. Check the Mission website for exact hours. 949.234.1300. missionsjc.com.

‘THE FUTURE IS FEMALE COMEDY SHOW’ 8 p.m. Enjoy “The Future is Female Comedy Show” at Knuckleheads. See the most talented comedians you never knew existed from L.A., Orange County and Las Vegas. This free, star-studded show has one of the most diverse comedy lineups.

Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

FRIDAY-SUNDAY | 10-12 OCEAN INSTITUTE ANNUAL MARITIME FESTIVAL 4-10 p.m. The Maritime Festival kicks off a weekend of events at 4 p.m. with the traditional Cannon Battles. Watch the vessels Bill of Rights, Irving Johnson, Curlew, Exy Johnson, American Pride, America, and R/V Sea Explorer in action. Enjoy craft beer and seltzer from Eight Breweries, live music from American Idol’s Casey Abrams, plus mermaids and pirates at the Sails n’ Ales event, starting at 6 p.m. For a full schedule of Saturday’s and Sunday’s events, visit oceaninstitute.org. Ocean Institute, 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point. 949.496.2274.

Knuckleheads Sports Bar, 1717 North El Camino Real, San Clemente. 949.492.2410. knuckleheadsmusic.com.

LIVE MUSIC AT THE POINT 9 p.m.-midnight. Come out and enjoy the Bad Influence, a rock and pop band. The

SYMPHONY ON THE GO! 6-6:45 p.m. The Pacific Symphony’s mobile community concert experience is touring Orange County and coming to Dana Point for a free 45-minute popup concert. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy. For more information, contact the City of Dana Point Recreation Division at recreation@danapoint.org or call 949.248.3536. For more information about the Symphony on the Go! program, visit pacificsymphony.org/tickets/symphony-on-the-go. Entrance into the park area is through the tunnel at Salt Creek Beach parking lot. Paid parking ($1 an hour) available at Salt Creek Beach parking lot, 33333 Pacific Coast Highway.

AT THE MOVIES

‘The Protégé’ Barely Stands Out on Her Own

BY MEGAN BIANCO

If the pandemic era didn’t exist, something like Martin Campbell’s latest action flick, The Protégé, would have probably just been dumped in theaters at the end of summer, with hardly anyone even noticing it was even in theaters.

And some of that is true, as it got a late August theatrical release. But at the same time, I saw just as many ads and trailers for The Protégé as I did the new Marvel blockbuster.

The title character, Anna Dutton (Maggie Q), is an exceptionally trained and skilled secret assassin who moonlights by day as a vintage bookkeeper in London. Her life is turned upside down when her mentor, Moody (Samuel L. Jackson), and a handful of other people in her professional life are killed one night.

Rather than go into hiding, Anna vows revenge for Moody, and along the way, she gets mixed up with another assassin, Michael Rembrandt (Michael Keaton). When she finds the

Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate Films

bad guys are abroad, Anna is forced to revisit her past in Vietnam, the same location where Moody rescued her after she was orphaned as a child.

The Protégé is one of those forgettable action movies that’s right between being legitimately good and being so bad it’s unintentionally amusing. Campbell knows his stuff when it comes to blockbusters, as he is the man behind two of the best James Bond efforts: GoldenEye (1995) and Casino Royale (2007).

The cast is decent, with Q reminding us she

Page 19

can fit right into the action heroine role nearly a decade after leading the CW’s Nikita (2010-13), while Keaton and Jackson do their usual schticks.

Unfortunately, as far as the screenwriting goes, the plot and especially the dialogue of The Protégé are very schlocky and pedestrian.

This is also probably one of the more visually gruesome releases you’ll come across lately.

The fights and explosions are well-directed and shot, but the clichés and unmemorable characters hold The Protégé back from being intriguing. DP

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BUSINESS DIRECTORY

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE Call Lauralyn Loynes at 949.388.7700, ext. 102 or lloynes@picketfencemedia.com

Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

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ACUPUNCTURE Axos Acupuncture Inc Jeff Hyung S. Choi 27462 Calle Arroyo Ste A San Juan Capistrano, 949.248.9899 axosacupuncture.com drjeffchoi@gmail.com ATTORNEY

Rosen Law Offices, P.C. 34118 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 5, Dana Point, 949.335.0020, snrosenlaw.com

AUTO REPAIR

Dana Point Auto 34342 Coast Hwy., Unit B, 949.496.1086

BODY MIND SPIRIT Create a life Plan to attain the life and relationships you ideally want & deserve 665 Camino De Los Mares, Ste. 104, San Clemente (949)248-7377 Billmartinphd.com

Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

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INSURANCE SERVICES

LOCALS ONLY BUSINESS LISTINGS CAFE - DELI

Coffee Importers Espresso Bar 34531 Golden Lantern, 949.493.7773, coffeeimporters.com

COFFEE SHOP

Coffee Importers Espresso Bar 34531 Golden Lantern, 949.493.7773, coffeeimporters.com

ICE CREAM

Coffee Importers Espresso Bar 34531 Golden Lantern, 949.493.7773, coffeeimporters.com

State Farm/Elaine LaVine 34080 Golden Lantern, 949.240.8944, elainelavine.net

PLUMBING

A to Z Leak Detection 1001 Calle Recodo, San Clemente, 949.481.7013, atozleakdetection.com

Bill Metzger Plumbing 1001 Calle Recodo, San Clemente, 949.492.3558, billmetzerplumbing.com UPHOLSTERY AND WINDOW TREATMENTS Jeddy’s Interiors 34118 Pacific Coast Hwy Suite 2 Dana Point, CA 92629 949-240-9569 www.jeddys.com Want to be featured here?

Call 949.388.7700, ext. 102

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PUBLIC NOTICES TO ADVERTISE: 949.388.7700, EXT. 111 • LEGALS@PICKETFENCEMEDIA.COM PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: Harry J. Musante, Jr. CASE#30-2021-01218526-PR-LA-CJC To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will and or estate, or both, of Harry J. Musante, Jr. A Petition for Probate been filed by Theresa Kaufman in the Superior Court of California, County of Orange.

The Petition for Probate requests that Theresa Kaufman be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

The Petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: a. Date: October 28, 2021 Time: 2:00 P.M. Dept: C08 b. Address of Court: 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701. SEE ATTACHMENT 2 – REMOTE APPEARANCE BASED ON COVID-19 (2) If you plan to appear, you must attend the hearing by video remote using the court’s designated video platform; (2) Go to the Court’s website at http://www.occourts.org/media-relations/ probate-mental-health.html to appear for probate hearings and for remote hearing instructions; (3) If you have difficulty connecting to your remote hearing, call 657-622-8278 for assistance.

If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (Form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner: Robert V. McMahon, Law Office of Robert V. McMahon Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

401 Glenneyre Street, Suite E, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 Phone: (949)497-3181 Published in: Dana Point Times, September 10, 17, 24, 2021

SUMMONS

PUBLIC NOTICE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. 30-2021-01218263 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Gonzalo Celis Gutierres Jr. aka Gonzalo Celis Gutierrez Jr. filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present Name A. Gonzalo Celis Gutierres Jr. aka Gonzalo Celis Gutierrez Jr. Proposed Name A. Gonzalo Celis Galaviz THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court of the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objective is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING a. Date: 10/27/2021 Time: 08:30 a.m. Dept.: D-100 b. The address of the court is: REMOTE HEARING A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: Date: August 30, 2021 JUDGE LAYNE H. MELZER, Judge of the Superior Court Published: Dana Point Times September 10, 17, 24, October 1, 2021

Published in: Dana Point Times September 10, 17, 24, October 1, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE

or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: MARY ELEANOR HART CASE#30-2021-01212013-PR-LA-CJC

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 11/03/2021 at 10:30 a.m. in Dept: C08, located at 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701.

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will and or estate, or both, of Mary Eleanor Hart.

If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Wallace Hart, Jr.. in the Superior Court of California, County of ORANGE. The PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Wallace Hart, Jr., be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

The PETITION requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

The PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice Page 22

You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (Form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner: John Nuelle, Esq., Schelle Nuelle LLP, 269 W Bonita Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711 (909)285-0074 Published in: Dana Point Times September 10, 17, 24, 2021 PUBLIC NOTICE City of Dana Point NOTICE OF VACANCY Planning Commission Notice is hereby given that one (1) position, with a term expiring March 31, 2023, on the City of Dana Point Planning Commission is vacant. In order to be eligible for appointment by the City Council, applicants must be registered voters and residents of the City of Dana Point. Applications can be obtained from the Office of the City Clerk beginning Thursday, August 19, 2021 at 33282 Golden Lantern, Suite 203, Dana Point, California 92629 danapointtimes.com

PUBLIC NOTICES

CLASSIFIEDS

TO ADVERTISE: 949.388.7700, EXT. 111 • LEGALS@PICKETFENCEMEDIA.COM

Submit your classified ad at danapointtimes.com or by calling (949) 248-3501. Applications can also be downloaded from the City’s website www. danapoint.org. In order to be considered for appointment by the City Council, applications must be filed no later than Friday, September 17, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. in the City Clerk’s Office at the address noted above.

Shayna Sharke City Clerk Dated: September 10, 2021 PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20216614130 1A. 20176487087 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: CALIFORNIA PATIO 32601 CALLE PERFECTO SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA 92675 Full Name of Registrant(s): FRANK JAMES BANDERA 23852 VIA MONTE COTO DE CAZA, CA 92679 This business is conducted by an individual.

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: 05/01/1981. /S/FRANK BANDERA This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 08/25/2021.

Published in: Dana Point Times Sep 3, 10, 17, 24, 2021 PUBLIC NOTICE Order to Show Cause For Change of Name Case No. 30-2021-01214982 To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Niki Teresa Cesareo Silva; filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME A. Niki Teresa Cesareo Silva PROPOSED NAME A. Happy Cesareo Silva The Court Orders that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court of the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objective is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

Notice of Hearing Date: 10/06/2021 Time: 08:30 a.m. Dept.: D100 Other: Remote Hearing. The address of the court is Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive, Santa Ana, CA 92701. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county.

Date: August 10, 2021 JUDGE LAYNE H. MELZER, Judge of the Superior Court Published: Dana Point Times, August 27, September 3, 10, 17, 2021 PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20216612897 Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: FROSTING AND BATTER 562 TRAVERSE DR COSTA MESA, CA 92626-9262 Full Name of Registrant(s): HEATHER D. WATTERS 562 TRAVERSE DR COSTA MESA, CA 92626 This business is conducted by an individual.

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A /s/HEATHER WATTERS This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 08/11/21.

Published in: Dana Point Times August 20, 27, September 3, 10, 2021

FOR SALE AUTO - FOR SALE 2010 Honda Accord - dark gray - 75,000 miles. Good gas mileage, 4 cylinder, in good condition. $8,500.00 OBO Call (714)349-4626

GARAGE SALES GARAGE SALE LISTINGS ARE FREE Email your listing to info@danapointtimes.com.

GARAGE SALE - SEPTEMBER 11 8 to 11 am. 218 Ave. Cabrillo, San Clemente. Lots and lots of women’s and juniors clothes. 1 antique nightstand

PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20216612866 The following person(s) is doing business as: LEHRBASS GENERAL CONTRACTORS 526 S. BEECHTREE CT. ANAHEIM, CA 92808 Full Name of Registrant(s): KERRY STEVEN LEHRBASS 526 S BEECHTREE CT ANAHEIM, CA 92808 This business is conducted by an Individual.

The registrant commenced to transact business under the Fictitious Business Name or Names listed above on: N/A KERRY LEHRBASS/s/KERRY LEHRBASS This statement was filed with the Orange County Clerk-Recorder On 08/11/2021 Publish: Dana Point Times August 20, 27, September 3, 10, 2021

GARAGE SALE - SEPTEMBER 11 7 am to 2 pm, 110 Avenida San Diego, San Clemente. Big Sale. Baby clothes, new crib, clothes, jewelry, furniture

OTHER MULTI-SKILLED TEACHER/ NANNY/COOK PLUS Available October 3rd. Traveling Teacher seeking a Work/Trade4Rent in the Dana Pt. area starting 10/3. Homeschooling, nanny care, cooking & gen. Home Mgmt. Contact: Kauni22@yahoo.com

WANTED WANTED: COIN COLLECTIONS San Clemente coin collector is buying coins and currency.

Paying top dollar for old coins and currency Free no obligation appraisals Example Silver Coins 1964 and before Dollars $18.00 & up Halves $7.50 Quarters $3.75 Dimes $1.50 Buying pennies, proof sets, etc.

Call or Text Dave 847 769-3590

PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20216612198 The following person(s) is doing business as: RUM SHOP PUBLISHING 32776 SAIL WAY DANA POINT, CA 92629 Full Name of Registrant(s): JAN MEYER 32776 SAIL WAY DANA POINT, CA 92629 This business is conducted by An Individual.

The registrant commenced to transact business under the Fictitious Business Name or Names listed above on: N/A JAN MEYER/s/JAN MEYER This statement was filed with the Orange County Clerk-Recorder On 08/03/2021 Publish: Dana Point Times August 20, 27, September 3, 10, 2021

HELP WANTED OUTLETS AT SAN CLEMENTE OPEN JOB POSITIONS CUSTODIAL: The Outlets at San Clemente is currently seeking to hire Full-Time Custodians to help maintain the overall cleanliness and appearance of the entire shopping center. Full-time benefits include paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, short term and long-term disability insurance, life insurance and 401k.

Great atmosphere, teamwork, and benefits.

SECURITY: The Outlets at San Clemente is currently hiring Full-Time Security Officers who will take initiative and ensure a safe and positive shopping experience for our employees and shoppers. Full-time benefits include paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, short term and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and 401k. EXPERIENCE IS A PLUS! Guard Card Required. Great atmosphere, teamwork, and benefits.

MAINTENANCE: Building Maintenance Lead-Full Time Energetic, outgoing, and personable candidate who has the will and drive to succeed would be the ideal applicant for Maintenance Lead. The applicant will exemplify the personality of what it takes to work in the retail industry.

Qualifications: High School or equivalent (required) Maintenance Experience Valid driver’s license Can operate Scissor Lift, Boom, Forklift.

Must have experience with electrical, plumbing, carpentry, lighting, a jack-of-all trades!

Great pay and Benefits!! Visit outletsatsanclemente.applicantpro.com to submit an application

Complete your required legal or public notice advertising in the Dana Point Times.

EMAIL legals@picketfencemedia.com CALL 949.388.7700, ext. 111

Page 23

danapointtimes.com

DP LIVING

GUEST OPINION | On Life and Love After 50 by Tom Blake

Senior Cohabitation: Moving In Is Easier Than Moving Out

R

ecently, two senior women emailed regarding difficult cohabitation situations with men they are dating. Both women admit to ignoring red flags in the early days of their respective relationships.

Jeanne wrote that she met a man on ourtime.com in 2015. In 2018, she allowed him to move in with her.

Jeanne said, “His landlady knew he and I were dating; she called to tell me that he might ask to move in with me.

She kicked him out of her house because of ‘lifestyle differences,’ namely that he was a hoarder and had boxes piled high in his bedroom.

“The landlady was right; he did ask to move in with me. It was easy; just open the door and let him in. I admit I ignored some red flags.

“I thought he would weed out the boxes before moving in. But, no, the boxes came with him and into my garage and house.

He has more stuff in a neighbor’s garage.

“He is very quick to anger. Incessant talker and takes over conversations and hates being interrupted or countered.

Two wives left him; apparently, they hated being lectured to and his always wanting to be right and having it his way.

“He refuses to get rid of the bicycle, motorcycle, and kayak. He isn’t going to use them, as he’s in his late 70s and out of shape.

“His flaws are too much for me; they killed my love for him. I didn’t like the person I had become—yelling and fighting back or shutting myself in my bedroom.

“We don’t have a written cohabitation agreement. He says that I can’t kick him out, and the only way he will leave is if I sell my house. Maybe I had better ask my lawyer! Getting him to move out is nearly impossible.”

Beth (not her true name), 70, wrote: “Sixteen months ago, I started dating an older gentleman (79). We met on match. com at the beginning of COVID-19. We missed the dating process because of COVID shutdowns.

“We walked often, and I cooked for us and cooked for him before I went home.

We face-timed every night we weren’t together. He’d call eight times a day, asking when I would come to his house.

Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

He asked me to marry him early on, but I said no.

“He wanted me to move in, but I said no. He started to fail physically, losing his balance and falling occasionally. I started going to doctor appointments with him. I went from girlfriend to caregiver in a few short months. I was cooking and cleaning with no days off for ON LIFE AND LOVE three months while

BY TOM BLAKE staying at his house.

“He was very demanding of my time.

He had brain surgery. I had to shower him.

I started pushing back and told him when he got well, I was returning to my home.

He asked me to stay another month.

“One day while he was on the phone, I packed and left. I felt guilty for leaving, but knew no time would be a good time to leave. I am so burned out, and I’ve decided to just enjoy my life.”

Tom’s seven lessons learned from these two situations.

BEFORE COHABITATING: 1. Heed red flag warnings 2. Trust your instincts 3. Get to know the person well 4. Don’t rush your decision

Photo: Burton Burt/Federal Writers’ Project with Los Angeles Public Library

FROM THE ARCHIVES This photograph shows Dana Point

on June 21, 1939, as seen from Doheny Palisades, with railroad tracks running alongside the length of the coast.

Every week, Dana Point Times will showcase a historical photo from around the city. If you have a photo you would like to submit for consideration, send the photo, your name for credit, as well as the date and location of the photo to lboyd@picketfencemedia.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.

5. Agree to a written exit plan before the move, in case it doesn’t work out ADOPTABLE PET OF THE WEEK

6. Don’t do it to just to save money

Roland

7. Remember, moving in is easy; moving out is difficult.

Tom Blake is a retired Dana Point business owner and resident who has authored books on middle-aged dating. See his website at findingloveafter50.com. To comment: 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.

Page 24

DANA POINT TIMES

This handsome guy is Roland, a 2-yearold Doberman Pinscher now available for adoption. Due to his sweet and silly personality, his walkers often call him a “lovable goofball.” Roland is looking for an active family with older children and space for him to run and play. Could this happy fellow be the one for you?

If you are interested in adopting Roland, please visit petprojectfoundation.org to download an adoption application form.

Completed forms can be emailed to animalservices@scdpanimalshelter.org, and you will be contacted about making an interaction appointment. danapointtimes.com

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

DOLPHIN REPORT

BY ZACH CAVANAGH, DANA POINT TIMES

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

Trabuco Hills beat Dana Hills in the trenches, negating the Dolphins’ running game while the Mustangs rushed for more than 300 yards. Dana Hills plays at Aliso Niguel on Friday. Photo: Alan Gibby/Zone57

Bowled Over Trabuco Hills’ 300-yard rushing game gives Dana Hills first loss

BY ZACH CAVANAGH, DANA POINT TIMES

T

he Dana Hills football team knew it was going to be an uphill battle last week with about 10 players out due to injuries and COVID-19 protocols, but what really beat the Dolphins on Friday night, Sept. 3, was the downhill-rolling boulder that Trabuco Hills unleashed.

Trabuco Hills senior running back Drew Barrett ran for three touchdowns and 323 yards on 29 carries, as the Mustangs wore down and broke through the Dolphins for a 28-17 win in a nonleague game at Dana Hills High School.

“It’s skill against power,” Dana Hills coach Tony Henney said. “When you’re the skilled guy, you can’t make any Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

mistakes, because the power is going to be consistent. (Barrett) is a tough runner, and after the second or third series, they (Trabuco Hills) realized they could impose themselves a bit, and the more we had to tackle him— big, thick kid—it was going to be harder and harder for us.”

Dana Hills (1-1) next plays at Aliso Niguel High School on Friday, Sept. 10.

Aliso Niguel moved to 3-0 with a 41-0 win over Bellflower on Friday. The game will be a reunion of sorts, as previous Dana Hills head coach Phil Skinner is now an offensive line coach for the Wolverines.

Against Trabuco Hills, the Dolphins had another strong game in the air, with senior quarterback Bo Kelly completing 25 of 35 passes for 323 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Senior receiver Omarjaye Black caught 10 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown, and senior receiver Owen Chambers caught five passes for 92 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown.

Dana Hills was also strong in its pass defense, as the Dolphins held junior quarterback Will Burns, who threw three TDs in the Mustangs’ opener over Katella, to 6 of 15 passing for 39 yards, an interception and three sacks.

Ultimately, Dana Hills lost this game in the trenches, as Trabuco Hills (2-0) sacked Kelly four times, almost completely negated the Dolphins’ running

attack—Dana Hills ran for 20 yards total—and Barrett broke off a pair of 60-plus-yard rushes in the second half that swung the game.

“I told our kids the only thing that could fix their 28 points and their sacks against us is a full year in the weight room for us,” Henney said.

In the third quarter with Dolphins defenders dangling off his arms, Barrett ran 60 yards to set up Trabuco Hills inside the 10. Barrett ran in the 2-yard score to put the Mustangs back ahead, 14-9.

Trabuco Hills had a short field on its next drive, and Barrett again set up the Mustangs with a 28-yard run to open the drive. Burns ran in a 5-yard touchdown to extend the lead, 21-9.

Dana Hills didn’t go quietly, as Kelly stepped up his game, and Black broke a play. Kelly got the ball to Black on the left side, and Black eluded an ankle tackle to sprint up the sidelines for a 37-yard score. The two-point play was converted, and the Dolphins were back within a score, 21-17.

Dana Hills got the defensive play it needed with an interception by Jacob Georgia on Trabuco Hills’ second play of the ensuing drive, but the Dolphins’ effort was snuffed on a fourth-down attempt at the Mustangs’ 17.

Then Barrett broke Dana Hills’ back with a 68-yard touchdown run to put Trabuco Hills up 11 points, 28-17, with just over three minutes to play. DP Page 25

CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS OPEN SEASON RANKED While there is some new leadership around the Dana Hills cross country program after the departure of head coach Craig Dunn from the boys side, the Dolphins are still among the better teams in Orange County and the CIF-Southern Section.

The Dana Hills girls are ranked No. 3 in CIF-SS Division 2 under head coach Nic Smith. The Dolphins boys are ranked No. 4 in CIF-SS Division 2 under new head coach Sandy Mesa.

Dana Hills opened its season with its first invitational in nearly two years, as the Dolphins ran in the Cool Breeze Invitational at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena on Friday, Sept. 3.

The Dana Hills girls ran under the lights in the featured race, the “Sundown Showdown,” and the Dolphins opened in strong form. Dana Hills finished sixth as a team, with Allura Markow once again leading the way. Markow, now a junior, finished 14th overall with a time of 17:26 on the 3-mile course.

Sophomores Cooper Murphy and Paige Scheer finished at 18:11 and 18:20, respectively, and freshman Annie Ivarsson ran a time of 18:41.

Sophomore Tessa Anderson closed out the scoring five runners at 18:42.

The Dana Hills boys also ran in the featured “Sundown Showdown,” but the Dolphins were competing without four of their returning varsity runners. Dana Hills finished 22nd as a team, with junior Jack Jones the top finisher at 16:01 in 73rd.

Sophomore Garrett Woodruff was close behind Jones at 16:11. Junior Derrick Grassman finished in 16:36, just before sophomore Mike Ayala at 16:38. Freshman Evan Noonan was the fifth scoring runner at 16:41.

The Dana Hills varsity next runs at the Mt. Carmel Invitational in San Diego on Sept. 18 before the Dolphins host the Dana Hills Invitational on Sept. 25.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL READIES FOR LEAGUE PLAY The Dana Hills girls volleyball team has continued an up-and-down start to its season, but the Dolphins need the struggles to be worth it, as they open up South Coast League play next week.

Dana Hills opened this week with a strong win over Corona del Mar in four sets on Tuesday, Sept.

7, but the Dolphins came back the next day to be swept at Foothill on Wednesday, Sept. 8.

Dana Hills plays in the Dave Mohs Tournament at Edison High School in Huntington Beach on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 10-11, and then the Dolphins have one last nonleague tuneup at home against Laguna Beach on Monday, Sept. 13. Laguna Beach won a five-set thriller on Aug. 24.

Dana Hills opens league play at Aliso Niguel on Thursday, Sept. 16. DP danapointtimes.com

DP SURF

Five Surfboards That Changed the Game

GROM OF THE WEEK

BROCK MCDONALD

Origins of a Few of Surfing’s Most Important Boards

BY JAKE HOWARD, DANA POINT TIMES

T

his week, the Rip Curl-sponsored WSL Finals are coming to Lower Trestles, and with a very promising swell forecast, we’re going to see the men’s and women’s world champions crowned right here in our own backyard.

Local shapers Matt Biolos and Timmy Patterson have been hard at work dialing in the equipment for a handful of the surfers, including Carissa Moore, who will be on Biolos-shaped boards, and Italo Ferreira, who will be on Patterson’s creations.

Of course, it’s taken the better part of a century of refinement and evolution for surfboards to get to the point they’re at today. So, before the show gets underway, here’s a quick rundown of five surfboards that absolutely changed the game and shaped the present: JOHN KELLY’S HOT CURL In 1937, pioneer John Kelly was attempting to ride a large swell on the south shore of Oahu. The boards of the time didn’t have much rocker in them and lacked fins. After being pounded all morning courtesy of rudimentary equipment, a bedraggled Kelly, along with friend Fran Heath, went home determined to do something about it.

“I took this ax and set the board up on two sawhorses, and I said, ‘Hey! I’m goin’ to whack this board and however deep this ax goes, I’m going to cut that much off the side,’” Kelly noted in a 1989 interview.

Kelly, who died in 2007, added: “I took my drawknife and recontoured the board to the point where the ax had gone in.”

The “vee” shape that Kelly created allowed the board to hold an edge in the face of the wave and gave the surfer the control to make the drop.

NAT YOUNG’S MAGIC SAM In 1966, Australian Nat Young showed up for the World Championships in San Diego with a secret weapon.

Armed with a 9-foot, 4-inch self-shaped board featuring a fin engineered by George Greenough, the board featured a narrower nose and wide point lower passed the center of the board. It also featured a rolled bottom and narrow, flat nose.

“It was incredibly thin and just sunk underneath you,” Young recalled in a Surfer magazine article.“They’re not great noseridDana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

Brock McDonald. Photo: Courtesy of the McDonald Family

BY JAKE HOWARD, DANA POINT TIMES

Nat Young at the 1966 World Surfing Championships in San Diego, riding his famous Magic Sam model. Photo: Courtesy of Ron Stoner/SHACC

ers unless you’re real tight in the pocket.”

MIKE HYNSON’S DOWN-RAIL One of the effects of the Shortboard Revolution of the late ’60s and early ’70s was that surfers were better able to flirt with the barrel.

The Endless Summer star-turned-shaper Mike Hynson developed the down-rail design.

“I remember Herbie (Fletcher) was around, and someone else, too, and I gave it to them to take it out and their jaws dropped. It was that much of a change,” Hynson recalled in a Surfer magazine interview.

The design allowed the shortened, tucked-under rail to release more, providing the board with more maneuverability in critical sections of the wave.

MARK RICHARDS’ TWIN FIN In 1976, Mark Richards was surfing in the Coke Surfabout at Narrabeen near Sydney.

Hawaii’s Reno Abellira was also surfing in the contest and had come equipped with a short, stub-nosed fish shape.

The board featured a twin-fin setup, and Richards seized on the potential.

Single-fins were still the dominant

design of the era, but they had their limitations. The “Wounded Gull,” as Richards was known, wanted to fly.

SIMON ANDERSON’S THRUSTER It’s kind of crazy to think that since Simon Anderson demonstrated to the world what a surfboard with three fins is capable of in 1981, the design has changed relatively little.

Anderson rode the board in the ’81 Bells Beach Classic and won it. He rode a similar design later in the year at Pipeline Master and won that contest, as well.

The Thruster had arrived.

The board allowed for a tighter-turning radius, more maneuverability, more drive and more speed control. After 40 years, the three-fin setup is still the de facto fin configuration on surfboards around the world.

Jake Howard is local surfer and freelance writer who lives in San Clemente. A former editor at Surfer Magazine, The Surfer’s Journal and ESPN, today he writes for a number of publications, including Picket Fence Media, Surfline and the World Surf League. He also works with philanthropic organizations such as the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center and the Positive Vibe Warriors Foundation. DP

Page 26

There are few things that fire us up more than siblings supporting and cheering each other on. That’s exactly how 7-year-old Brock McDonald was selected for this week’s Grom of the Week—his older sister, Avery, nominated him for the honor.

A couple weeks back, Brock enjoyed his first Western Surfing Association (WSA) contest at San Onofre’s Trail 6 and ended up winning the Under-9 division.

“He got a 9.5 in his first heat, which is higher than I have ever scored in a contest,” explained Avery, who’s also been featured here as Grom of the Week.

“Had the time of my life at my first WSA contest,” shared Brock on his newly set-up Instagram page.

There are no shortage of brother and sister duos out there who have taken the surf world by storm. Perhaps most notably is Hawaii’s Mason and Coco Ho. “It’s such a special thing,” shared Mason.

“We push each other, we laugh together, we watch out for one another; we’re so lucky to be able to be surfers together.”

The prime surf season for Southern California is upon us, there’s a ton of surf in the forecast, and no doubt Brock and Avery are going to be on it. DP

SURF FORECAST Water Temperature: 66-68 Degrees F Water Visibility and Conditions: 3-5 Outlook: Surf on Friday and Saturday stays in the waist to chest high range, (3-4’), then a fresh South/southwest swell fills in on Sunday, with chest to head high waves, and sets to a foot overhead, (4-5-6’). Friday and the weekend have light/variable winds in the early mornings, followed by primarily light+ afternoon onshores.

danapointtimes.com

Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

Page 27

danapointtimes.com

Dana Point Times September 10-16, 2021

Page 28

danapointtimes.com