January 3, 2014

YOUR NO. 1 SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS, SPORTS, EVENTS AND MORE J A N U A RY 3 - 9, 2 0 1 4

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VOLUME 7, ISSUE 1

A Meeting of Mayors South Orange County leaders discuss regional issues E Y E O N D P/ PAG E 4

The newly selected mayors from San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano, pictured (L to R) Tim Brown, Lisa Bartlett and Sam Allevato, respectively, met with Picket Fence Media staff on Tuesday, December 17 to discuss issues facing south Orange County. Photo by Brian Park

Short-term Vacation Rental Applications Due to City January 15

It’s History: Looking Back on Dana Point’s Road to Incorporation

December Sees Record Numbers of Gray Whales

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www.danapointtimes.com

Photo by Denielle Conley/DolphinSafari.com

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LOCAL NEWS & IN-DEPTH REPORTING

CITY AND BUSINESS CALENDAR SATURDAY, JANUARY 4 Craft Fair and Farmers Market 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Admission is free, for this weekly market at La Plaza Park, 34111 La Plaza Street. The first Saturday of the month, hours are extended to include a craft fair, highlighting locally made goods. Call 949.573.5033 or visit www.danapoint.org for information about becoming a vendor.

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D a n a Po i nt

Nature Tour 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m. The Nature Interpretive Center, 34558 Scenic Drive, hosts this two-hour,

docent led walking tour, exploring the ecology and natural history of the area. Advanced registration is required. For more information, call 949.542.4755.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8 CUSD Board of Trustees Meeting 7 p.m. The Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees meets at 33122 Valle Road. Go to www. capousd.org for the meeting’s agenda.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 7 City Council Meeting 6 p.m. Dana Point City Council will reconvene after a holiday break for its first meeting of 2014. Stick with us at www.danapointtimes.com for a look at the night’s discussion.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9 SCWD Board of Directors Meeting 6 p.m. The South Coast Water District will meet at Dana Point City Hall, 33282 Golden Lantern. Track district news on Twitter @SouthCoastWater.

DANA POINT’S TOP 5 HOTTEST TOPICS

What’s Up With...

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…Rancho Mission Viejo?

THE LATEST: Capistrano Unified School District leaders will consider naming the first K-8 school campus proposed in the Rancho Mission Viejo development at a meeting Wednesday, January 8.

The CUSD Board of Trustee meets at 7 p.m. at the district offices, 33122 Valle Road in San Juan Capistrano.

Trustee Jim Reardon suggested naming the school for the late Richard J. O’Neill. A local philanthropist, California Democratic Party chairman and prominent Orange County landowner, O’Neill and his family are largely credited with the development of the county’s ranchlands.

Starting in the ’70s, the O’Neill family ranch was carved out for the developments of Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, Rancho Santa Margarita and the 14,000-home Rancho Mission Viejo community, just east of San Juan Capistrano.

Members of the O’Neill family have not yet said whether such an honor would be accepted. Other monikers being considered include naming the school for nearby roads or pastures.

WHAT’S NEXT: Residents are moving into Ranch Mission Viejo’s first of five planned development areas, Sendero. With about 1,200 homes, it will be one of the Ranch’s smaller villages.

An influx of nearly 4,500 students is expected once the development is complete, but only about 400 students are expected to come from Sendero. A K-8 site has been identified in the second planning area and is estimated to open in 2016. For now, students will attend Ambuehl Elementary School, Marco Forster Middle School and San Juan Hills High School.

FIND OUT MORE: For the full agenda, visit www.capousd.org.—Andrea Papagianis Dana Point Times January 3-9, 2014

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…SONGS Nuclear Fuel?

THE LATEST: Federal regulators will receive information Monday about storing used nuclear fuel and the possibility of expediting the process of transferring nuclear waste from cooling pools to dry storage.

Members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hear a brief on the safety of storing nuclear waste in cooling pools January 6 at the agency’s Maryland headquarters.

The safety of spent nuclear fuel in pools at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, situated 12 miles south of Dana Point, has been a topic of debate since majority plant owner Southern California Edison’s June decision to close the plant permanently. San Onofre stopped energy production in January 2012 after a small radiation leak and abnormal wear in the plant’s two reactors was found.

Safety concerns prompted the San Clemente City Council’s recent decision to ask federal regulators to remove nuclear waste from the site. But currently, with no federal repository for such waste, San Onofre’s nuclear fuel could be stored at the location indefinitely.

WHAT’S NEXT: The federal hearing will look at accelerating the moving of fuel from cooling pools to dry cask storage units, which are considered less vulnerable to environmental disasters.

FIND OUT MORE: Visit the federal agency’s website, www.nrc.gov and track San Onofre developments at www.danapointtimes.com.—AP

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…Short-term Vacation Rentals?

THE LATEST: Owners of short-term vaca-

tion rentals in Dana Point and Capistrano Beach have until Wednesday, January 15 to apply for an operating permit with the city of Dana Point.

Debate over the practice’s legality was at the forefront of discussion in the city for years. With city code being silent on the matter, such rentals were considered illegal by the city but went unenforced. In April, the Dana Point City Council adopted an ordinance to allow and regulate rentals of less than 30 days.

Now, vacation rentals are considered businesses and must be in compliance with certain health and safety codes to receive a permit. The rentals will also be subject to the city’s 10 percent transient occupancy tax. The tax is already applied to hotels and campsites and it is the city’s largest source of revenue.

WHAT’S NEXT: The permitting process requires submittal of an application, payment of a $150 permitting fee and a safety inspection prior to issuance. While agents may represent property owners, the city requires all applications to be signed by an owner and notarized.

FIND OUT MORE: Go to www.danapoint. org to download the permit application and inspection checklist.—AP

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…Flu Vaccinations?

THE LATEST: County health officials have said peak influenza season has not yet arrived and it is not too late to get vaccinated.

The Orange County Health Care Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the flu vaccination for everyone six months and older. According to the county and federal agencies, the vaccine is important for infants, young children, pregnant women, adults over 50 and people with chronic medical conditions.

Flu vaccine is available from medical

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providers throughout Orange County. To find a local vaccine provider, visit flushot. healthmap.org. Information about community sites offering free vaccinations is available at www.ochealthinfo.com/flu.

WHAT’S NEXT: Orange County is offering free flu shots each Thursday through January 30 at HCA’s Family Health Clinic, located at 1725 W. 17th Street in Santa Ana. The clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

FIND OUT MORE: Contact the HCA Health Referral Line at 800.564.8448.—AP

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…Social Host Ordinance?

THE LATEST: Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, December 17 rejected a proposed law that would have penalized adults, living in unincorporated areas, who allow underage drinking at their homes.

Four of five supervisors turned down the proposal, dubbed the “social host ordinance,” which was advocated by Supervisor Todd Spitzer, law enforcement officials, youth substance abuse and responsible drinking advocates.

The ordinance would have penalized people who knowingly host or allow a party with underage drinking. It would have levied a $750 fine for the first offense and upped subsequent offenses with penalties of $1,000 or up to six months in jail. Only the incorporated cities of Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo and Orange have such ordinances.

WHAT’S NEXT: The board will meet for the first time in 2014 on Tuesday, January 14 at 9:30 a.m. in Santa Ana. FIND OUT MORE: Track county news on Twitter @DanaPointTimes.—AP www.danapointtimes.com

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A Meeting of Mayors Local leaders discuss regional issues

By Andrea Papagianis, Brian Park and Jim Shilander Dana Point Times

S

outh Orange County faces a number of challenges in the coming year and in the decades ahead.

Some are basic, like how people living in the area will get from place to place and how they’ll receive affordable water. Other challenges are thornier. How best to manage growth in areas that are largely built out? How should cities balance the desires of residents with the business community?

And what roles should local governments take in making these things happen?

The newly elected mayors of Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano—Lisa Bartlett, Tim Brown and Sam Allevato, respectively—gathered last month with members of the Picket Fence Media staff to discuss these and other issues facing the area.

What followed was a candid discussion of the challenges facing all three cities, how each is responding to its own unique issues and how much each could learn from the other.

PAVING THE WAY Thousands travel through the area every day on their way to San Diego or Los Angeles along Interstate 5.

However, unlike other areas of Orange County, there are no free alternate routes around the region.

The county Board of Supervisors recently named a contractor for the completion of Avenida La Pata, between San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, which could provide an alternative route between those cities. The project is scheduled to break ground in March.

Over the next several years, I-5 will also undergo a major overhaul. As part of an Orange County Transportation Authority improvement project, the freeway will be widened and a high-occupancy vehicle lane will be added.

Later this year, the project moves south, ultimately culminating in the reconstruction of the Avenida Pico interchange in San Clemente, which will not likely be completed until 2017.

San Juan has also seen the effects of construction throughout the last year, as Caltrans continues work on its two-year, $86.2 million project to reconfigure the Ortega Highway interchange. The change was necessitated to brace the interchange for projected population growth and increased travel in the coming years.

“That interchange was built in 1959, when there were 2,000 people living in San Dana Point Times January 3-9, 2014

The mayors from San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point and San Clemente, pictured (L to R) Sam Allevato, Lisa Bartlett and Tim Brown, respectively, met with Picket Fence Media staff at Olamendi’s Mexican Restaurant in Capistrano Beach to talk about issues facing south Orange County. Photo by Brian Park

Juan Capistrano and probably half of that in Dana Point and maybe 5,000 in San Clemente,” Allevato said. “You had an interchange that was woefully inadequate, but I’ve been on the City Council going on my 10th year and I’ve been dealing with it ever since … just to get the thing built.”

Allevato said San Juan’s experience over the last year showed the importance of preparation for the effects construction can have on local businesses.

“The City Council two years ago started the Economic Preservation Committee, and we partnered with Caltrans as much as we can, and OCTA as much as they’re able, to help us and all of our businesses,” Allevato said. “We meet every Thursday to design ways of bringing more business downtown.”

Caltrans, as a state agency, is limited in what it can do to help cities mitigate the economic effects of road construction. Meanwhile, OCTA can help with outreach efforts, and has, in the last year, encouraged Metrolink riders to come to San Juan for events by offering specials.

San Juan also created an emergency sign ordinance allowing businesses to add extra signage. Despite city efforts, there have still been issues. Allevato highlighted instances where businesses have seen a decrease in patronage and revenues during construction.

“There is a lot of planning you can do, a lot of proactive business things you can do to help sustain these folks during construction,” Allevato said. “But it has definitively had an impact on businesses.”

Both Brown and Bartlett said they hope their cities can learn from San Juan’s experience.

“An emergency sign ordinance is very intelligent and I’d like to see something very similar in San Clemente if it becomes a problem,” Brown said.

A proposed extension of the Transpor-

tation Corridor Agencies’ extension of the 241 Toll Road has been a major topic of discussion throughout the area in the last decade.

In 2013, an extension to just outside San Juan Capistrano was rejected by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Board. The TCA is appealing the decision. The board also voted in 2013 to redo its agreement with the state, allowing the agency to collect tolls until 2053 on its existing roads, but potentially limiting its ability to collect tolls south of its current Oso Parkway terminus.

Bartlett chairs the TCA’s Foothill Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (241) board. She remains an advocate for the extension, despite the recent setbacks, citing its necessity with the construction of Rancho Mission Viejo.

“That Tesoro extension, that five-anda-half miles from Oso Parkway to Cow Camp Road, is an essential component of the mobility pattern for the entire area,” Bartlett said. “We really need to get that project moving forward.”

Allevato, who also sits on the Foothill board, has much the same feeling but cited a need for an alternate route in case of disaster.

“I look at it, in a lot of ways, as a public safety issue. We have one major arterial going through south county. We’re the funnel for everything,” he said. “I just feel it is one more artery that has to be opened up to relieve the congestion.”

Brown said his concerns were primarily with what was best for San Clemente.

“As much as I love regional transportation questions, is it good for my city?”

Brown said. “I don’t think any of us would be happy if they decided to pave over our city center because it was good for the rest of California. That’s what happened in San Clemente in the ’60s. They ran right over the city center and bifurcated our town.”

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OUTWARD, ONWARD AND UPWARD With the three cities being relatively built out, municipal bodies have turned to creative planning strategies to promote growth—both residential and commercial—within each respective city, while striving to preserve each locale’s identity, balancing wants of residents with the financial needs of businesses.

In some ways the cities are grappling with the same issues of building upward, parking residents and visitors, conserving historic character and maintaining views, but each have a set of rules completely differing from the next, decidedly guiding the direction its development takes.

“Each city is so different,” Brown said.

“What works in San Juan would not apply well in San Clemente, and what works in San Clemente won’t apply well in Dana Point, because each was born separately and so differently, in a different time, with different developers and different priorities.

“It’s almost as if you hit the city limit and you’re like ‘Great, we share Southern California, but all bets are off in terms of everything else,’ because we are playing the hands we are dealt,” he added.

In San Clemente, Avenida Del Mar boasts shops, restaurants and free parking, but downtown growth is limited by small lot sizes and a three-story height restriction.

It is something city planners, leaders and residents have spent the last four years debating, as changes are being made to San Clemente’s 20-year planning document. One alteration reflected in the city’s General Plan, which could have council approval by early 2014, is a twostory limitation in the city’s center.

“We are all atoning for the sins of the past in a lot of ways,” Brown said. “There was a whole series of planning decisions made in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s that have had an incredible impact on our quality of life. We have streets with no sidewalks, buildings with no parking and we are just grappling with the reality of what we are dealing with.”

While at the forefront of discussion in San Clemente, planning rules were set by Dana Point in its Local Coastal Program and approved by the California Coastal Commission. The LCP grants Dana Point the case-by-case ability to OK projects within the Coastal Zone without further consent.

But projects in the Coastal Commission’s appealable jurisdiction and those requiring amendments to the city’s LCP—like the county’s Dana Point Harbor revamp, the city’s Town Center revitalization and a development of the Dana Point Headlands—still required state approval, presenting some inherent challenges, Bartlett said.

Other large-scale developments, like a proposed five-story hotel near Doheny State Beach, fall just outside the appeals zone, providing a hot topic of conversation www.danapointtimes.com

EYE ON DP for residents and planning commissioners over height limits, massing and just how far a developer can push the envelope.

“You need to develop strict standards, strict guidelines and adhere to them,” Allevato said.

This past year saw San Juan take a major step toward improving its relations with current and prospective developers.

Following a complete overhaul of the citizen committee and commission structure, the City Council held its first-ever public interview process to fill all five Planning Commission seats.

During interviews with potential candidates, council members asked what could be done to make the city’s development review more efficient and eliminate a “Ping-Pong process,” where applicants often took their plans back and forth between the commission and its subgroup, the Design Review Committee. Later, the council voted unanimously to do away with the DRC in an effort to remove at least one more layer of review, simplifying the development process.

“In the past we had a design by committee where we actually had people argue about the radius of a curve on a Spanishlooking building,” Allevato said. “And here you have a property owner who has hired all these professionals on an hourly basis in these meetings that is costing them money, it is costing them time, and time is money when you are a builder.”

But in all three cities, balancing the monetary wishes of a developer or business with those of preservation, traffic and aesthetics of the community often times collide.

“More often than not … If the developer and community are not in sync, you have to figure out a way to reconcile differences,” Brown said.

THE WATER STRUGGLE For more than half a century, city and state leaders have been working to protect California’s water supply for future generations.

In south Orange County, where the overwhelming majority of municipalities rely on imported water, city leaders and water experts have kept a close eye on the goings-on at the state level but have taken their own steps to make sure residents have a reliable source of fresh water.

San Clemente, which imports nearly all of its water from outside sources, has embarked on one of the largest infrastructure projects in the city’s history to expand its recycled water system and treatment facility. The $25 million project will expand the city’s current system out to business parks, located in the ranchlands east of Interstate 5, and is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2014.

Dana Point, through the South Coast Water District, is also heavily reliant on imported water to service its more than 33,000 residents.

In addition to purchasing water, the SCWD has tapped into San Juan Creek with its own groundwater recovery plant, Dana Point Times January 3-9, 2014

which produces more than 834,000 gallons of potable water daily, providing for approximately 15 percent of the district’s overall need. Plans to add an additional well to support the plant could boost its daily output to 988,000 gallons, or 18 percent of the supply.

Both cities are also part of a regional partnership in the Doheny Desalination Plant, a project to build a facility at Doheny State Beach that could pull in up to 30 million gallons of ocean water a day, treat it and produce about 15 million gallons of potable water, providing for about 25 percent of the area’s needs.

San Juan Capistrano was an initial investor in the project, but their future participation is up in the air.

Although Metropolitan Water District of Orange County still considers the city a partner, in 2012, San Juan declined to provide funding for the project beyond their initial $660,000 investment.

Within the city, the debate over water has been a controversial one that has sparked a lawsuit, a complaint that could lead to a multi-million dollar class-action

Court judge ruled in favor of the CTA and declared San Juan’s water rates illegal because they violated Proposition 218, state law that requires rates to be relative to the cost of service. The city has since appealed the decision, and statewide, many cities and water agencies that also used tiered water rates are closely watching the case.

FUTURE GOVERNANCE FOR RANCHO MISSION VIEJO Residents have begun moving into the first of Rancho Mission Viejo’s five villages that when complete, with more than 14,000 homes, will rival the size of Rancho Santa Margarita.

The developers behind Mission Viejo, Santa Margarita and the unincorporated Ladera Ranch and Las Flores communities are on what they’ve dubbed their “last ride,” building up nearly 6,000 acres of land east of San Juan. While homes in the development’s first village are being occupied, the rest of Rancho Mission Viejo will be built out over the next 20 to 25 years.

But questions surrounding the area’s

Residents have begun moving into Sendero, the first of five villages in the 14,000 home Rancho Mission Viejo community, located east of San Juan Capistrano. Photo by Brian Park

lawsuit and an ongoing recall effort against Allevato.

San Juan Capistrano is one of the few cities in the region with its own water source, through its Groundwater Recovery Plant.

At its best, the plant could produce up to 5 million gallons per day, enough to provide half of the city’s needs during the summer and entirely during the winter.

“The more water that we can produce locally at a cheaper rate, the better position we’ll be in,” Allevato said.

However, save for its first full year of operation in 2006, the plant has failed to produce its intended output and city officials have since scaled back their expectations. The plant’s rising maintenance costs and low output have drawn the criticism of many residents. The city’s water rates, too, have been challenged.

The Capistrano Taxpayers Association, a local taxpayers’ rights group, sued the city over its tiered rate structure in August 2012. The group has long argued that importing water through MWDOC would be cheaper for the city and ratepayers.

In August, an Orange County Superior

governance, accessibility and educational facilities are being asked sooner, rather than later.

When it comes to the area’s governance, decisions regarding Rancho Mission Viejo’s options are in their infancy.

The Local Agency Formation Commission, established 50 years ago by the state, handles boundary changes, including incorporations and annexations of cities and special districts. Orange County’s LAFCO board is comprised of several local officials, including supervisors Pat Bates, Jim Moorlach and Todd Spitzer, but works independently of the county.

While the commissioners have begun meeting with local governments and stakeholders, Carolyn Emery, LAFCO’s executive officer, said the commission prefers incorporation.

But incorporating cities has become more difficult as state funding for new communities has all but gone away. A 2011 state law shifted vehicle license fees providing a financial boost to new cities toward law enforcement grants, making the incorporation process more difficult,

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according to Emery.

However preemptive they may be, south Orange County leaders want to be in on the discussion.

Both mayors Allevato and Brown tried their hand at getting on the 11-member board and failed. They hoped another south Orange County representative, in addition to Supervisor Bates, would be present on the board as talks about Rancho Mission Viejo’s annexation or incorporation continued.

Currently, a city representative from a town no farther south than Fountain Valley is on the body.

“There is no appreciation for the issues of traffic, water, crowding and overcrowding,” Allevato said. “I feel there should be someone on LAFCO that is closer to the epicenter of the growth in this county.”

RESTORING TRUST IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT The leaders also broached some basic questions about their own philosophies in governing the city and how to balance the needs of the city and business community.

Brown said a general distrust of government had filtered down to the local level, in part because he was sometimes asked to work outside of what he considered his purview.

“We as local officials pay the price, because we are the closest to the citizens, and it has been reinforced literally on every level of government,” Brown said. “I feel as if when we begin to push ourselves into arenas where we aren’t welcome, we erode the trust in the areas we really should have our strengths. If we really focus on infrastructure, water, planning and the things that we should do very well … I think you can restore a lot of that trust.”

Some of that was born out in the relationship with the business community in each city. Allevato said he’s been asked in the past by developers or property owners about what he, in particular, would like to see.

“Obviously, I’m thinking about something that will bring revenue into the city because the city needs that to fix the streets, to turn the water on and to keep the police there,” Allevato said. “I’m not one to be stepping out of my bailiwick, of my expertise.”

Bartlett said this was something every leader needed to think about when it came to the economic impacts in their cities and balancing that with the desires of residents.

“If businesses want to come into town and they’re being overregulated … they will take their business and go elsewhere,” Bartlett said. “It’s incumbent upon councilmembers to create a good, healthy business climate—not to overregulate, to have reasonable building ordinances and to work in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and the business community. That’s what we do in our city and I’m sure in San Juan and San Clemente it’s the same, because every business you lose is a travesty.” DP www.danapointtimes.com

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NEWS BITES

Compiled by Andrea Papagianis

PROPS, RECOGNITIONS AND MORSELS OF INFO December Sees Record Numbers of Gray Whales u Whale watchers in south Orange County saw migrating gray whales in record numbers throughout December, according to crewmembers of Capt. Dave’s Whale Watching & Dolphin Safari. In just one trip last month, Capt. Dave’s crew recorded seeing 10 gray whales.

“We have never seen this many whales in December,” said Capt. Dave Anderson in a press release. “Whale watching is incredible right now. We’ve had a perfect storm of great weather, gray whales and dolphins.”

On average, gray whales stretch 40 to 50 feet in length, and are not only among the world’s largest mammals but also make the longest annual migration of mammals. Gray whales travel between 10,000 and 12,000 miles each year from their feeding grounds in the Arctic Ocean, mainly the Chukchi and Bering seas, to the southern lagoons of Baja California, Mexico where they mate and give birth to calves.

This year, gray whales began an early migration with sightings in November that have steadily increased, Anderson said. In December alone Capt. Dave’s excursions had 75 gray whale encounters. Last December only 21 sightings were logged, down from the 44 chronicled in December 2011.

The whales are often seen within a mile or two of the southern Orange County coastline as they are believed to use the Dana Point Headlands as a landmark. According to Capt. Dave’s, the American Cetacean Society has also noted an increase in gray whale sightings from last year.

Kick Start New Year’s Resolutions with Yoga, Meditation u With 2014 in full swing and folks embarking on making a change in the New Year, a San Clemente yoga studio is offering a donations-based class for all, to kickoff resolutions while benefitting a breast cancer organization.

On Saturday, January 11, Pure Yoga San Clemente is hosting its first Yoga Day. The class is free, but donations are encouraged and will be given to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Some 300 yogis—possibly the largest, single yoga class in Orange County, ever— are expected to practice together at the Casino San Clemente, located at 140 Avenida Pico, beginning at 10 a.m. Doors open at 9 a.m. Organizers hope to make this an annual event, promoting south Orange County as a yoga community.

Find out more by calling 949.492.5048 or emailing kenkrynski@aol.com.

Sponsors, Volunteers Needed for March Grunion Run u The sixth annual Grunion Run 10K, 5K and kids’ 1K races are set for Sunday, March 2 and organizers of the Doheny State Beach located contests are looking for volunteers and sponsors to help out.

Registration for the races is now open at www.festivalofwhalesgrunionrun.com. The cost of racing is $40 for the 10K, $35 for the 5K and $15 for the kids’ 1K. This year’s race takes place during the second weekend of the 46th annual Dana Point Festival of Whales.

All proceeds from the races go to benefit the Doheny State Beach Interpretive Association, a support organization providing aid to the state beach. Funds will go to support other events and the association’s refurbishment of the beach’s visitor’s center.

Following the race, participants will be treated to a breakfast from the Doheny Longboard Surfing Association. For more information about sponsoring the event or volunteering, email Laura Ouimet at louimet@arthritis.org.

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

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

Friday, December 20 DEFRAUDING AN INKEEPER Pacific Coast Highway, 34100 Block (2:21 a.m.) Customers dined and dashed from a restaurant in a silver Toyota Prius.

They were last seen heading south on San Juan Avenue.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Domingo Avenue, 25900 Block (7:40 p.m.)

Authorities responded to a report of a man and woman selling and smoking marijuana behind a church. The man was in his 40s and wearing a holiday hat and black sweater. The woman had long hair and was wearing a gray sweater.

DISTURBANCE Christina Drive, 33000 Block (8:08 a.m.)

The owner of a pit bull lost control of his dog. The canine reportedly went running after the caller’s wife and he wanted something done about his neighbor’s pet.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Pacific Coast Highway, 34100 Block (12:08 a.m.) An informant alerted authorities to a man being inside a room that was supposed to be vacant. The caller said a light was turned on and off in room No. 8 in the now-vacant hotel behind Del Taco.

Thursday, December 19 WELFARE CHECK Del Obispo Street/Stonehill Drive (11:01 p.m.) A man in his early-20s, wear-

ing a black sweatshirt with red lining, was pacing near an older blue Cadillac in the Circle K parking lot. Two young girls were in the backseat covered with a blanket.

The caller believed they were scared and was concerned about their safety.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Street of the Golden Lantern, 33900 Block (6:10 p.m.) The caller came home and believed there was a man her apartment.

A male neighbor checked on the situation.

He entered the caller’s garage, ran out and told the resident to call authorities.

9-1-1 HANGUP-WIRELESS Dana Point Harbor Drive/Street of the Golden Lantern (4:24 p.m.) A man called 9-1-1 and said his heart was beating slowly, but would not give dispatchers his address.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Street of the Golden Lantern/Camino del Avion (3:17 p.m.) Three males were reportedly breaking glass bottles in the street. One subject was described as wearing a blue plaid shirt and another a black hooded sweatshirt and backpack.

CITIZEN ASSIST Mediterranean Drive, 32700 Block (9:28 a.m.) After a male guest wrecked their female host’s car in San Diego, the woman reported her cell phone and credit cards missing. The caller said she was contacted by the San Diego Police Department and had details for a local deputy.

PETTY THEFT Nottingham Way, 33400 Block (9:02 a.m.)

Prepaid debit cards were rendered useless when the caller tried purchasing goods and found no money on his cards. The caller contacted the company who issued the cards, but they would not provide information without a theft report being filed.

HIT AND RUN PARKED CAR Avenida Las Palmas, 26600 Block (1:01 a.m.) Deputies arrested a 40-yearold woman after receiving a call about a hit and run accident. The woman, standing 5 feet tall, weighing 95 pounds and having brown eyes and hair, was cited a released around 3:45 p.m. that same day.

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Dana Point Times, Vol. 7, Issue 1. The DP Times (www.danapointtimes.com) is published weekly by Picket Fence Media, publishers of the SC Times (www.sanclementetimes.com) and The Capistrano Dispatch (www.thecapistranodispatch. com). Copyright: No articles, illustrations, photographs or other editorial matter or advertisements herein may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, art, photos or negatives. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

PICKET FENCE MEDIA PUBLISHER Norb Garrett

ART/DESIGN

OPERATIONS

EDITORIAL

Senior Designer > Jasmine Smith

Finance Director > Mike Reed

ADVERTISING/MULTIMEDIA MARKETING

Business Operations Manager > Alyssa Garrett

Associate Publisher > Lauralyn Loynes

Accounting Manager Distribution Manager > Tricia Zines

Group Senior Editor > Andrea Swayne

RACKS, DRIVEWAYS, SUBSCRIPTIONS

City Editor, DP Times > Andrea Papagianis

Tricia Zines, 949.388.7700, x107 tzines@danapointtimes.com

Sports Editor > Steve Breazeale

BILLING Alyssa Garrett, 949.388.7700, x100 agarrett@danapointtimes.com

City Editor, SC Times > Jim Shilander City Editor, The Capistrano Dispatch > Brian Park

> Michele Reddick (San Clemente) > Debra Wells (San Juan Capistrano) Locals Only Business Listing Manager

SPECIAL THANKS Robert Miller CONTRIBUTORS Megan Bianco, Victor Carno, Quinn Conway, Tawnee Prazak, Dana Schnell, Tim Trent, Michael Vogeler

GUEST OPINION: Wavelengths by Jim Kempton

Start Your 2014 Resolutions Later Consider a new time, not so far off, for New Year’s resolutions to begin

N

ew Year’s has become the accepted time to make our regular annual good resolutions. The next week, however may be a much better time to actually put them in practice.

When we were young it was a thrill to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. By drinking age, it was the excuse to go a little overboard. Now people have “New York New Year’s” which celebrates on Eastern Standard Time and is over by 9 p.m. I’m attending two myself this year, and will still have trouble getting up early to begin all those resolutions.

If you don’t like unsuccessful resolutions, here’s an easy one for January 1: The top New Year’s resolution nationwide is to “spend more time with family and

friends.” More than 50 percent of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones. So make plans to meet up with “old acquaintances.” Or take the family to a special place.

You don’t have to get up WAVELENGTHS early to do either.

By Jim Kempton The most commonly broken resolution: to lose weight and get fit. Among the most common: less alcohol consumption, taking trips, learning a new skill or getting a better education.

Which brings me to my main point— I have always thought that New Year’s resolutions should not start January 1. Consider: most people are probably

feeling the effects of drinking, eating and spending too much the night before. Most of us are unlikely to bound out of bed that morning to enroll in a class, hit the gym or book a vacation.

And since those are some of the most popular resolutions a majority of us make, we shouldn’t start out handicapped. The second week of January seems like a much more reasonable start. Now some would say that approach invites procrastination; that life is short. There is truth in that.

Time flies. None-the-less, we sit in the pilot seat with our hands on the instruments.

And that goes back to my main point again—better to plan a serious flight when there is less fog.

Perhaps the best attitude to embrace on

the dawn of a new year is this one from Mark Twain: 20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Jim Kempton is a writer and local San Clemente resident of 30 years. He believes as Ben Franklin did, that we should always be at war with our vices and at peace with our neighbors. DP

SHAMEFUL SELF-AGGRANDIZING

unwarranted and unsavory.

Apparently Mr. Kaufman was not ashamed of the embarrassing spectacle created by other councilmembers during the council reorganization discussion.

These councilmembers publicly argued about whose efforts over the past 12 months were responsible for reviving the Town Center infrastructure project. But he should have been ashamed.

Perhaps Mr. Kaufman prefers to see infighting among councilmembers and does not see any problem with them clamoring for public recognition and extolling their own perceived virtues from the dais.

I, for one, believe that behavior was disgraceful and has no place in our city government.

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.

Letters to the Editor SUPPORT IS NOT ORCHESTRATED BUT EARNED BETTY HILL, Capistrano Beach

In response to Harold Kaufman’s letter (“Council Reorganization Proceedings were Shameful on All Accounts,” Dana Point Times, Dec. 27-Jan. 2, Vol. 5, Issue 52), although the mayor and mayor pro tem officiate at council meetings, the perception in the community is that these titles carry a greater responsibility.

During their terms, the mayor and mayor pro tem represent the character of Dana Point and are the public voice of the City Council. They are expected to participate in community events. Organizers of these events and Dana Point residents who attend are proud when they appear.

So the community should and does care who is selected to be their mayor and mayor pro tem.

Dana Point Times January 3–9, 2014

Responsible and responsive council members would encourage and welcome community interaction on all topics, including the selection of mayor. Community support for a councilmember is not orchestrated; it is earned by years of dedication to the city and their achievements.

Councilmembers deserve recognition for outstanding service. They certainly do not deserve criticism for support they receive in return. Lisa Bartlett and Steven Weinberg were chosen as mayor and mayor pro tem at the last council meeting. They will do an outstanding job.

However, their selection did seem puzzling and contentious.

Perhaps this is indicative of the conflicting personalities and ideologies evident at many council meetings since the last election. Dana Point deserves better.

LYNN O’NEIL, Dana Point

I agree with Harold Kaufman’s sentiments. He should feel ashamed.

Ashamed of himself for criticizing residents, like me, for speaking up in the public forum about matters of public interest. Ashamed for insulting members of our City Council, who have worked long and hard to improve our city.

Mr. Kaufman’s concern is that six people stood up in a public meeting of their city’s elected body and commented that “Lisa Bartlett and Scott Schoeffel have done a wonderful job and should be elected mayor and mayor pro tem.” I feel he demeaned me and other speakers, as well as councilmembers Bartlett and Schoeffel, by dismissing honest civic participation as “orchestrated” and implying public comment on city leadership is somehow unwelcome, Page 7

To submit a letter to the editor for possible inclusion in the paper, e-mail us at letters@danapointtimes.com or send it to 34932 Calle del Sol, Suite B, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624. Dana Point Times reserves the right to edit reader-submitted letters for length and is not responsible for the claims made or the information written by the writers.

www.danapointtimes.com

GETTING OUT

3

YOUR SEVEN-DAY EVENT PLANNER

DP

D a n a Po i nt

THE LIST A day-by-day guide to what’s happening in and around town. COMPILED BY TAWNEE PRAZAK

friday

‘I’M BROKE AFTER THE HOLIDAY’ WINE TASTING 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Postholiday wine tasting at San Clemente Wine Company.

The “Cheap Date flight” tasting fee includes a cheese and chocolate plate.

212 ½ Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente, 949.429.7067, www.scwinecompany.com.

03

SHOWOFF! INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRITING FESTIVAL 8 p.m. Camino Real Playhouse presents seven original 10-minute plays onstage with the audience voting for the winner. Tickets $18 (preview), $24 regular shows and $34 for the Gala Night on January 4 with dinner by Mission Grill. 31776 El Camino, San Juan Capistrano, 949.489.8082, www.caminorealplayhouse.org.

CHARLIE MURPHY 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Special comedy show at the Irvine Improv. Shows all weekend. Tickets $27. 71 Fortune Drive, Suite 841, Irvine, 949.854.5455, www.improv.com.

saturday

START THE YEAR OFF RIGHT HIKE 8 a.m.-10 a.m.

Guided morning nature hike at starting at the Ladera Ranch East Trail in The Reserve/Richard and Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy. Admission $5-$10. Call for info and directions. 28672 Ortega Highway, 949.489.9778, www.theconservancy.org.

04

CHAS HAYES 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Live blues and wine tasting at DaVine Food & Wine. Tastings $20 for five wines.

34673 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, 949.493.4044, www.davine-wine.com.

CASPERS PARK ASTRONOMY NIGHT 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

Look through telescopes with astronomers at Caspers Wilderness Park. Call for more info. Parking $5. 33401 Ortega Highway, 949.923.2210, www.ocparks.com.

Dana Point Times January 3-9, 2014

AT THE MOVIES: ‘THE HOBBIT’ DRAGON DIALOGUE A HIGHLIGHT J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” is 276 pages shorter than “The Lord of the Rings’” appendices, but director Peter Jackson has expanded Tolkien’s slim volume into a nine-hour epic, broken into barely digestible 200-minute chunks and released at yearly intervals. Memory of the previous foray, An Unexpected Journey, has since been reduced to an interminable musical number about drunken dwarves washing dishes. Its sequel, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, is thankfully more memorable, if somewhat overstuffed. Jackson frontloads the movie with action set-pieces, as if afraid of boring his audience. Yet all this hacking and slashing throws into relief just how little the story is moving forward. Jackson has taken a picaresque tale and blown it up to a massive scale, but he can’t sus© 2013 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. And Metro-Goldwyntain interest with orc beheadings alone. It’s not until the two-hour mark, when Mayer Pictures Inc. the titular dragon makes his appearance, that the film achieves the level of grandeur Jackson has been aiming for. Benedict Cumberbatch gives a sly performance as Smaug, and his interactions with Martin Freeman are the highlight of the film.

Smaug is a shrewd conversationalist, whose attempts to root out the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins’ intentions in a game of wits are more entertaining than when he inevitably starts breathing fire and the movie resumes feeling like watching someone else play a video game. The film ends on a cliffhanger, meaning it will be another year before we see how the protagonists defeat the dragon and Jackson defeats three hours of third act problems.—Quinn Conway

sunday

05

SAN CLEMENTE FARMERS MARKET 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Bundles of flowers, fresh produce and more every Sunday on Avenida Del Mar. Rain or shine.

THE SERRA CHAPEL TOUR 11:15 a.m. Tour at the Mission in honor of Father Junipero Serra, who was born 300 years ago this year. Offered Sundays. Admission $6–$9. 26801 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, 949.234.1300, www.missionsjc.com.

GOT UKULELE? 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Ukulele players and fans are invited to a Hawaiian music lesson and jam session every Sunday. Call for location and more details. 949.829.2675, www.ekanikapilakakou.com.

PAGEANT OF THE MASTERS CASTING CALL 2 p.m.-5 p.m. The Pageant of the Masters is looking for men, women and children to volunteer as cast and crew members. Try out at Irvine Bowl Park. 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, 949.494.3663, www.foapom.com.

monday

COUNTRY DANCIN’ WITH PATRICK AND FRIENDS 6:30 p.m. Every Monday at The Swallow’s Inn. 31786 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

06

TRAIL CLEARING AND WEEDING 7:30 a.m.9:30 a.m. Volunteer at The Reserve/Richard and Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy. Call for info and directions. 949.489.9778, www.theconservancy.org.

wednesday

COMMUNITY ART NIGHT 4 p.m.-7 p.m. New event at Bull Taco featuring arts and craft projects for the whole family with artist Lauren Tannehil.

Event also features $4 kids meals, beer and wine specials.1527 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, 949.361.1739.

08

CHERYL SILVERSTEIN 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Vocalist sings jazz, blues and pop standards at OC Tavern. 2369 S. El Camino Real, San Clemente, 949.542.8877, www.octavern.com.

thursday

09

SIR MIX-A-LOT 8 p.m.

Hip-hop artist at The Coach House. Tickets $20. 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.496.8930, www.thecoachhouse.com.

LUNCH ABOARD THE TITANIC 7 p.m. Captain Don Walsh lectures on the history and exploration of the Titanic at ExplorOcean. RSVP required. Cost $15.

600 E. Bay Avenue, Newport Beach, 949.675.8915, www.explorocean.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS FRIDAY, JANUARY 10 THE FANTASTICKS 8 p.m. New play debuts at Cabrillo Playhouse, telling the story of a young man and the girl next door. Tickets $20-$25. Shows through February 2.

202 Avenida Cabrillo, San Clemente, 949.492.0465, www.cabrilloplayhouse.org.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11

tuesday

HART & SOUL 6 p.m.9 p.m. Live music at Montego Restaurant and Bar. 27211 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, 949.481.2723, www.montegorestaurant.com.

07

DUSTIN FRANKS 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Live music at The Cellar. 156 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente, 949.492.3663, www.thecellarsite.com.

Page 8

SECOND STAGE STAND-UP 8 p.m. Comedy night at Camino Real Playhouse featuring popular weatherman Fritz Coleman and others. Tickets $15. 31776 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano, 949.489.8082, www.caminorealplayhouse.org. *For our full calendar, visit the “Event Calendar” at www.danapointtimes.com.

Have an event?

Send your listing to events@danapointtimes.com www.danapointtimes.com

DP LIVING

4

PROFILES OF OUR COMMUNITY

DP

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:

SOLUTION SOLUTION SOLUTION SOLUTION

D a n a Po i nt

See today’s solution in next week’s issue.

GUEST OPINION: It’s History by Carlos N. Olvera

Rough Road to Cityhood Looking back at Dana Point’s struggle to become a city, 25 years after incorporation

T

he notion of Dana Point’s cityhood began in 1959 with a Dana Point Civic Association fact-finding investigation. That year, San Juan Capistrano filed for incorporation, catching Dana Point and Capistrano Beach off guard, as the three had entertained becoming one city.

But due to boundary squabbles, San Juan decided to go it alone. Boundaries of the new San Juan Capistrano were introduced and included San Juan Creek and a mile of coastline, effectively dividing Dana Point and Capistrano Beach in half. The concept drew the ire of both communities and was dropped.

In early 1961, Dana Point began its cityhood process independently as Capistrano Beach voted to remain unincorporated.

This move, to protect Dana Point from the invasion of San Juan, did not go unchallenged. A new group, called Citizens for Dana Point, circulated a petition to stop incorporation and by July the move failed to get the number of required signatures.

Dana Point began a third attempt to incorporate in July 1962. With talks of a new coastal freeway and the progress of the new harbor, problems began to surface in the once sleepy coastal community, and the move again lost local support. But the retreat did not last long. Amidst continued fears of annexation by San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point started the process again in 1964, with Capistrano Beach expressing interest, due to the same fears.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors opposed, because adding a new city to the harbor construction process would be too complicated. Then, in July 1966, San Juan opposed, due to a desire to annex areas of Dana Point. This convinced the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, to rule against incorporation in a 3-2 vote. Immediately, backers said they would scale back areas disputed by San Dana Point Times January 3–9, 2014

Juan—the community services district of Beach Road and the ShermanChandler/Headlands property.

Leaders indicated an intention to file for a city name of Serra, in honor of Father Junipero Serra.

IT’S HISTORY Carlos N. Olvera Petitions for incorporation began to circulate in January 1967 but the collection of signatures was slow and proponents received two extensions to gather more. Then the first petitions were ruled unacceptable. After a fourth extension, the board of supervisors indicated that this would be the last and San Clemente expressed an eye toward annexing portions of Capo Beach.

When the petition went before LAFCO in July 1970 the vote was 4-1 against incorporation. The fifth effort to incorporate began in 1976 on the charge of uncontrolled development. This attempt was modest and had few real backers. Then in 1977, another effort tried to capitalize on the movement by proposing a Dana PointLaguna Niguel city. This got the attention of Laguna Niguel who then decided to incorporate on their own. Eventually, these Dana Point incorporation ideas faded away without any formal attempt.

Not until January 1986 did the seventh attempt to incorporate begin. Meetings to gauge resident interest were held. This got Capo Beach active again. In October, the Dana Point Citizens for Incorporation was formed, with spokesperson Patti Short. Meetings turned into action with signature gathering through December led by chairs Judy Curreri and Mike Eggers. Dana Point became more motivated when learning of Laguna Niguel’s plans for incorporation, which again included Dana Point.

The pedestrian bridge marking the gateway into the now 25-year-old city of Dana Point is seen here decorated for last year’s July 4 celebration. Photo by Andrea Swayne

The Dana Point group submitted documents on December 31, 1986, a week behind Laguna Niguel. Capistrano Beach later dropped out as their feasibility study was not favorable and LAFCO suggested Capo Beach unite with Dana Point. At a LAFCO meeting in May 1987, commissioners outraged Laguna Niguel by proposing the coastal subdivisions of Monarch Beach be a part of Dana Point.

This was based on a poll of residents in the area, which showed approximately 90 percent wanting to be a part of Dana Point.

The commission suggested the matter be put to a vote in November, but the idea was opposed by some. Curreri said a vote would pit neighbor against neighbor and LAFCO should make the call. “To start a new city with what remains from a civil war is not a way to go about it,” she said.

An advisory vote took place in November 1987, with 63 percent of the residents voting, 61 percent chose to go with the city of Dana Point. In December, LAFCO voted to include the disputed coastal strip to Dana Point, without Laguna Niguel present which again caused uproar, and scheduled the cityhood vote for June 1988.

Under protest by Laguna Niguel, the com-

Page 11

mission voted to reconsider their decision, and scheduled a new hearing in January 1988. LAFCO voted to place the coveted coastal strip with Dana Point.

The incorporation vote for Dana Point occurred on June 7, 1988 and it became the 28th city in Orange County on January 1, 1989. Incorporation won by a 4-1 margin, which took 13 public hearings and two elections to produce.

But the fight was not over. Laguna Niguel filed suit to set aside the decision and laid claim to Sea Terrace Park by means of a developer agreement. In October, a judge decided Dana Point would keep the Monarch Beach coastal strip. And as the dust settled, all were glad it was finally over.

As the late Barbara McCarthy, a resident and activist for Capo Beach cityhood, once said, “It’s a neat place, but don’t tell anybody. We have enough people.”

But who got the last laugh? Nestled on the coast of Monarch Beach was the RitzCarlton Hotel, a prime tax base for either side. In the ’70s, then AVCO Developers were including the hotel site as Ritz-Carlton, Monarch Beach, a part of the area to be called South Peak. As the property was changing hands and resident numbers grew, the Laguna Niguel Community Council was formed to address density and traffic. A planning committee of this organization approved the plans with the caveat the resort’s name be “Ritz-CarltonLaguna Niguel.” The name remains to this day, 25 years later.

Carlos N. Olvera is Vice Chair of the OC Historical Commission, and a Dana Point city councilman. 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

www.danapointtimes.com

SPORTS

5

& OUTDOORS STORIES, SCORES, SCHEDULES & MORE

DP

D a n a Po i nt

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT

OC WATER POLO CLUB CLAIMS HOLIDAY CUP

The San Clemente-based Orange Country Water Polo Club 12U team ensured a happy holiday weekend by claiming the KAP 7 Holiday Cup on December 22. The team, which pools from players living in San Clemente, Dana Point and around Orange County, bested the field at the Woolet Aquatics Center in Irvine, going 4-0 over the two-day stretch.

OCWPC outscored their opponents by a convincing margin. In four games, OCWPC scored 49 goals and conceded only 19.

On January 18, the team will travel to compete in the Santa Barbara Cup. The OCWPC 12U team includes: Cooper Haddad, Marshall Eichenauer, Riley Kraatz, Adler Zachary, Justin Edward, Luke Malecka, Sam Moore, Joe Callari, Cooper Sutton and Clark Hill. The team is coached by Milos Skaljac.

Several other OCWPC teams saw success at the HAP 7 Holiday Cup, including the club’s 18U squad, which finished first in their division. The club’s two 14U teams finished second and third in the Gold Division and Platinum Division, respectively. The 12U team finished fourth in the Gold Division and the 16U team finished fifth in the Platinum Division. —Dana Point Times

The Orange County Water Polo Club 12U water polo team.

Courtesy photo

Capistrano Coyotes Freezing the Opposition Local high school ice hockey team rattles off ninth consecutive win produced seven goals and nine assists.

“Despite playing in half our games this season, Boutoussov has been a tremendous player for us,” Gardner said. “What sets him apart from most in the league is his anticipation without the puck and his vision and patience when he has the puck … He put it all together against Edison and had one of the best performances in league history.”

On January 4, the Coyotes will face their biggest challenge of the season when they take on Los Alamitos, the only other undefeated team in the division.

The Coyotes enter as the No. 1 offense in the division and Los Alamitos the No. 1 ranked defense. DP

By Steve Breazeale The Capistrano Dispatch

I

n early September, the Capistrano United high school hockey team had a lot of lingering question marks hanging above their heads.

Would they be able to come together as a newly formed team made up of players from around the Orange County area?

How would they compete against older, established teams in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League? Head coach Darren Gardner knew the talent was there, it was just going to take some time to see what kind of team they would turn out to be.

Turns out they are a good one.

The Coyotes have yet to drop a game and boast a perfect 9-0 overall record in the league’s varsity 2A division. The Coyotes have scored the most points (62) and have allowed the second fewest in their inaugural season.

The Coyotes’ trademark has been an ever changing cast of characters stepping up to fill spots on the roster vacated by players who are either injured or off fulfilling prior commitments with club teams.

Dolphin Report

By Steve Breazeale

Follow us on Twitter @SouthOCsports for ingame updates, news and more all season long.

DOLPHINS BOYS HOOPS EDGED IN TOURNAMENT FINALS The Dana Hills boys basketball team came up one game short of repeating as the Maxpreps Holiday Classic champions Dana Point Times January 3–9, 2014

Dana Hills’ Paul Boutoussov scored a hat trick against Edison in the Capistrano Coyotes 12-2 win on December 21. Photo by Leslie Bird

That is the reality Gardner has had to deal with when shuffling a lineup of players that attend 16 different high schools.

Dana Hills High School senior forward Paul Boutoussov has only played in four games for the Coyotes, but contributed in a big way in the team’s most recent win

over Edison on December 21. Boutoussov scored a hat trick and tallied four assists in the Coyotes convincing 12-2 win over the Chargers. Boutoussov was playing on a high-powered line made up of Connor Reed, the team’s leading scorer, and Zack Wolivar. By the end of the game the trio

on December 30, as they lost to El Camino 62-38 in the tournament championship match. The Dolphins won the tournament in 2012.

The Dolphins (13-2) paved their way to the finals with wins over Lakeside, Mission Prep and Sierra Vista. In the semifinal against Sierra Vista, Dana Hills trailed 38-32 heading into the fourth quarter but were able to complete the comeback and keep their then 11-game winning streak alive. Senior forward Jack Clendenen poured in 17 points to go along with four rebounds and six assists in the win.

Dana Hills was stifled by El Camino in the championship game and were limited

to just 11 first-half points.

The Dolphins are set to compete at the high-profile North-South Challenge at El Toro High this weekend. Dana Hills will play against Sonora on January 4 at 6 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER FINISHES PRESEASON WITH WIN A 6-0 win over Tesoro on December 27 as part of the Mustang Cup Tournament wrapped up the preseason for the Dana Hills boys soccer team. The Dolphins (4-6) went 1-2 at the tournament. The team lost to No. 6 ranked Santa Margarita 2-1 in the first round and were defeated by Segerstrom 5-3 in the second round.

Page 12

Goalie Kevin Vernon boasts a .918 save percentage on the season. Photo by Leslie Bird

Sea View League competition now awaits the Dolphins, who will play San Juan Hills on January 10.

GIRLS BASKETBALL GEARS UP FOR LEAGUE PLAY The Dana Hills girls basketball team went 1-3 at the Maxpreps Holiday Classic Tournament from December 27-30. The Dolphins (5-12) edged Samuel Robertson 39-34 for their lone win.

The Dolphins will play one final preseason game, a January 4 matchup with Irvine, before heading into Sea View League play. Dana Hills opens league with a January 14 tilt against Tesoro. www.danapointtimes.com

DP BUSINESS DIRECTORY

DSaan n Cl a em Poenintet

CLASSIFIEDS Submit your classified ad online at www.danapointtimes.com FOR SALE BRAND NAME NEW MATTRESSES FACTORY DIRECT/SEALED! PillowTops beginning at $150.

NO credit check financing. 90 days same as cash. Take home today for $40 upon approval.

949-842-9994 MENS SMALL WETSUIT Mens Rip Curl Wetsuit, short-arm, full suit. New condition. Size small $85. Call or text 949.533.9761.

GARAGE SALE LISTINGS ARE FREE! E-mail your garage sale to classifieds@danapointtimes.com DEADLINE 5PM MONDAY. No phone calls please.

HELP WANTED SALES PERSON WANTED Picket Fence Media, owner of the San Clemente Times, Dana Point Times and Capistrano Dispatch, is looking for an advertising sales rep to join our dynamic team. We’re looking for an organized, hard-working individual with a great personality who can create marketing solutions for local businesses and push for growth in both print and online media platforms. Ideal candidate will have prior experience with media sales. Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to Alyssa Garrett at agarrett@sanclementetimes.com.

SERVICES LOCAL HOUSEKEEPER OR OFFICE CLEANING Reliable, affordable, meticulous. Excellent references. 949-456-2376

LOCALS ONLY BUSINESS LISTINGS AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING Oasis Air Conditioning & Heating 949.420.1321 31648 Rancho Viejo Rd. Ste. A, www.oasisair.com

ARCHITECTURE - PLANNING

MUSIC INSTRUCTION (CONT.)

ELECTRICAL

949.496.6556 delta G electrical 949.360.9282 Danman’s Music School 24699 Del Prado, www.danmans.com CA #657214, www.deltagelectrical.com

PET GROOMING

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Nona Associates-Raymond J. Nona A.I.A 949.496.2275 IMAGES/Creative Solutions 949.366.2488 26901 Camino de Estrella, www.raynona.com 2927 Via Gorgonio, Ste. 100, www.imgs.com

AUTO REPAIR Dana Point Auto 949.496.1086 34342 Coast Hwy., Unit B, Dana Point, Ca 92629

CAFE - DELI Coffee Importers Espresso Bar 949.493.7773 34531 Golden Lantern, www.coffeeimporters.com

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

CONSTRUCTION/REMODELING Mills Construction 949.212.7699 Dana Point, www.millsbuilds.com: CA # 973483

DERMATOLOGY Vorteil Dermatology and 949.276.2600 Aesthetic Science 33971 Selva Road, Ste. 200, www.vorteildermatology.com

ICE CREAM Coffee Importers Scoop Deck 949.493.7773 34531 Golden Lantern, www.coffeeimporters.com

INSURANCE SERVICES Patricia Powers 949.496.1900 24551 Del Prado, Ste. 364, pat.powers@cox.net State Farm/Ted Bowersox 949.661.3200 34085 Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 204 www.tedbowersox.com Statefarm/Elaine LaVine 949.240.8944 34080 Golden Lantern, www.elainelavine.net

LOCKSMITH Dana Point Lock & Security www.danapointlock.com

MUSIC INSTRUCTION

949.496.6916

Dawgy Style 34085 Pacific Coast Hwy, Unit 112, www.alphadoggroomshop.com

949.496.3315

Dream Team Properties 949.481.1788 Mike Rosenberg, Broker Capistrano Beach, www.FindMyOCHome.com

UPHOLSTERY Jeddy’s Yacht & Home Interiors 949.240.9569 34118 Pacific Coast Hwy, www.jeddys.com

PLUMBING A to Z Leak Detection www.atozleakdetection.com Chick’s Plumbing www.chicks-plumbing.com

REAL ESTATE - RESIDENTIAL

WINDOW & DOOR INSTALLATION 949.499.4464 Offshore Construction www.offshoreconstruction.org 949.496.9731

949.444.6323

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SCOOP ON THE LOCAL SURF COMMUNITY

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D a n a Po i nt

GROM OF THE WEEK ALLYSON HEINEMEYER Age: 16, Dana Hills High School

Allyson Heinemeyer is a junior in her third year on the school surf team and her first year on the Doheny Longboard Surfing Association team. A surfer since the age of 7, Allyson has since developed into an accomplished and stylish wave rider. So far this season she’s earned a few first- and second-place finishes at high school events. As a part of the DLSA team, she was recently recognized as the top U18 competitor. In the Western Surfing Association Championship Tour series, her most recent results were a second-place finish in November in San Diego and in December, a third-place at the San Clemente Pier in Girls U18 Longboard. In school she is an ‘A’ and ‘B’ student. “I pay attention in class and am a pretty diligent worker when it comes to Allyson Heinemeyer. all of my classes, but my favorites are art and surfing. There’s nothing better than waking Photo by Sheri Crummer/seasister.com up each morning and starting my day at Creek,” she said. “And I love being creative in art class, especially painting and charcoal drawings.” Allyson is considering capitalizing on her love of art and sewing by studying fashion design or art in college. She is also planning on delving into professional level surf competition this year but says no matter what happens, free surfing will always be a part of her life. “I like it because you’re one with nature and there’s no ‘proper’ way of surfing, no set rules. You can do what you want, what you feel. It’s just a beautiful sport.” —Andrea Swayne

Local Surfers ‘Batting 500’

RESULTS NSSA Open, Event No. 6, December 21-22, Cardiff-bythe-Sea, Seaside Reef MEN: 1. Jordan Kudla, San Clemente,15.70; 2. Kevin Schulz, San Clemente, 13.67; 3. Kei Kobayashi, San Clemente, 7.17; 4. Colt Ward, San Clemente, 3.63. JUNIORS: 1.

Griffin Colapinto, San Clemente, 14.50; 2. Micky Clarke, Ventura, 12.70; 3. Kei Kobayashi, San Clemente, 12.10; 4.

Nolan Rapoza, Gardena, 10.67. BOYS: 1. Nick Marshall, Encinitas, 12.84; 2. Noah Hill, Malibu, 9.84; 3. Kade Matson, San Clemente, 7.33; 4. Jett Schilling, San Clemente, 6.47. MINI GROMS: 1. Jett Schilling, San Clemente, 14.83; 2. Levi Slawson, Encinitas, 10.17; 3. Taj Lindblad, San Clemente, 5.86; 4. Connor Marshall, Encinitas, 4.80.

WOMEN: 1. Tia Blanco, San Clemente, 11.17; 2. Juli Hernandez, Huntington Beach, 8.67; 3. Kylie Loveland, Carlsbad, 7.60; 4. Samantha Lamirand, Cardiff, 7.50. GIRLS: 1. Tiare Thompson, La Jolla, 9.17; 2. Alexxa Elseewi, San Clemente, 7.47; 3. Kiersten Noonan, Encinitas, 5.84; 4.

Sidney Johnson, Carlsbad, 5.10. PERFORMERS OF THE EVENT: Jordan Kudla, Kei Kobayashi, Jett Schilling.

Half the finalists at the Seaside Reef NSSA event were San Clemente residents

By Andrea Swayne Dana Point Times

L

ocal surfers lent a new meaning to the term “home run” at the last National Scholastic Surfing Association’s Open division event at Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Fifty percent of the finals were dominated by talented hometown athletes.

San Clemente-based surfers won four of the six divisions at the December 21-22, Seaside Reef contest and claimed half of the 24 total finalist spots.

Jett Schilling, 10, took his sixth win of the season to add to his undefeated record in the Mini Grom division. With a twowave score of 14.83 (out of 20), Schilling sailed past runner-up Levi Slauson’s 10.17.

Schilling said the 2- to 4-foot clean waves made the entire event a fun time, even though the wind picked up in the finals.

“The wind made it a little harder to get a

UPCOMING EVENTS Jett Schilling of San Clemente kept his undefeated record intact, winning the Mini Grom division at the NSSA Open Seaside Reef event December 21-22. Photo by Kurt Steinmetz

wave so I just tried to pick the best waves, go to the corner where it was better and surf on the inside more. I just did the best I could and I have a lot of support.

I couldn’t do this without my parents, my sponsors, Cole Surfboards, Rip Curl and Electric, Kevyn Dean at DSC and my brother Malik who takes me surfing all the time,” Schilling said. “It feels super good because I really want to stay unde-

Jordan Kudla of San Clemente won his first NSSA Open event December 21-22 at Seaside Reef with a highflying aerial performance. Photo by Kurt Steinmetz

Dana Point Times January 3–9, 2014

DP SURF IS PRESENTED BY:

feated. I plan to keep on surfing every day and working hard and eating healthy so I can keep getting better and be the best I can be.”

Schilling was one of two who made the finals in two divisions, with a fourth-place finish in the Boys division. Kei Kobayashi was also a double finalist, taking third in both Men and Juniors.

Another stand-out performance was delivered by Jordan Kudla, 17, who won his first NSSA Open event in the Men’s division.

Kudla’s high-flying final impressed the judges and the crowd and earned him an impressive score of 15.70. The all-San Clemente heat was stacked with some of the NSSA’s top men—runner-up Kevin Schulz (13.67), third place finisher Kobayashi (7.17) and Colton Ward in fourth with a score of 3.63.

NSSA officials called Kudla’s aerial display a “breakout performance” and honored him as the association’s Surfer of the Week.

The next NSSA Open contest, Event No. 7, is set for February 1-2 at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point. For more information, see www.nssa.org. DP

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January 4-5: WSA Championship Tour, Event No. 6, Oceanside Harbor, South Jetty January 11-12: Surfing America Prime, Event No. 4, Santa Cruz, Steamer Lane January 11: SSS, OC Middle School and High School, Event No. 3, San Clemente, Pier February 1-2: NSSA Open, Event No. 7, Dana Point, Salt Creek February 8: SSS, OC Middle School and High School, Event No. 4, Oceanside, Pier February 8: NSSA Explorer, Event No. 8, Huntington Beach, 9th Street February 8-9: Surfing America Prime, Event No. 5, San Onofre State Park, Upper Trestles

SURF FORECAST Water Temperature: 59-61 degrees F Water Visibility and Conditions: Local: 8-12’+ Fair Immediate: A modest, fading west-northwest swell prevails. Better breaks run mainly knee-waist high (2-3’), with some better chest high (3’+) sets for standout winter focal points. Conditions are looking favorable with light offshore flow in the morning, giving way to a sea-breeze in the afternoon.

Size is down slightly Friday, as conditions fall apart some with possible onshore flow.

Long Range Outlook: Small, steep-angled northwest groundswell moves in for the weekend, but passes by most breaks.

Winds are ok, but not ideal, in the mornings.

Check out Surfline.com for all the details!

www.danapointtimes.com