May 9, 2014

LO C A L

N EWS

May 9–15, 2014

YO U

C A N

U S E

Grand Prix Keeps Community First DP LIVING/PAGE 19 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 19

A Classroom at Sea Gray Whale Foundation provides students with view of some of the world’s largest animals E Y E O N D P/ PAG E 5

Fourth- and fifth-grade students from Wood Canyon Elementary observe wildlife off the coast of Dana Point. The students are part of a Capistrano Unified School District program that aims to prepare them for the future using a new, gray whale-focused curriculum. Photo: Brian Park

Edison Panel Discusses Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage at SONGS EYE ON DP/PAGE 9

VFW Pays Tribute to Fallen Men and Women of American Wars DP LIVING/PAGE 24

INSIDE: Official Doheny Blues Event Guide SPECIAL PULLOUT

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DP EYE ON DP Dana Point

LOCAL NEWS & IN-DEPTH REPORTING

What’s Up With...

project’s height, density and possible traffic impacts, the commission rejected the proposal but urged the developer to return with a project that closer fits city codes.

Five things Dana Point should know this week Harbor Revamp Goes Before Planning Commission Monday THE LATEST: Orange County’s plans to revamp the Dana Point Harbor’s aging commercial facilities will go before to the Planning Commission and community for review Monday.

The commission is set to review the county’s coastal development permit application that, if approved, would allow for the demolition of 13 Harbor buildings and the construction of seven new structures.

The project will add retail, commercial and office space along with a 35,000-squarefoot park.

Talks about rehabbing the Harbor have been in the works since 1997. Conceptual designs followed in 2002. More than 150 meetings and a decade later, the $140 million project is closing on final approvals.

While plans also include overhauls of the Harbor’s waterside infrastructure, such as replacing 2,500 boat slips, building wider docks and adding new amenities, they are not included in this application.

Changes on the water must still be approved by the California Coastal Commission.

The CCC must also give its final approval on the landside permit. If the permit is approved and moves through the CCC without delay, construction could begin in early 2015, said Harbor Director Brad Gross.

WHAT’S NEXT: The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall, Council Chambers, located at 33282 Golden Lantern. For the agenda, visit www.danapointtimes.com.

—Andrea Papagianis

Talega CFD to Go Before CUSD Board Again THE LATEST: Residents of Talega went before the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees April 23 asking the board to reduce their tax levy based on a 2006 refinancing. It appears they’ll be coming back again.

At the recommendation of district staff, the board voted unanimously to continue collecting 125 percent of the annual installments on the development’s Mello-Roos Dana Point Times May 9–15, 2014

Dana Point Harbor revamp plans include the demolition of buildings currently housing local retailers and eateries. Those buildings are slated for replacement with seven new buildings and a 35,000-square-foot park.

Rendering courtesy of Orange County

bond, with the provision that it would vote, on an annual basis, to return excess funds to taxpayers.

Residents previously asked the board eliminate so-called “pay-as-you-go” elements in the bond, which they said resulted in tens of millions in additional taxes being sent to the district from the development that had not been previously returned to taxpayers. The money was either held in district coffers or used for maintenance and building projects outside the scope of the CFD. A motion to end pay-as-you-go was defeated, 4-2, after board members expressed concern such a move could have major consequences for other Mello-Roos districts.

As he had previously, Trustee John Alpay, the board’s president, recused himself from the discussion due to his ownership of property in Talega.

WHAT’S NEXT: The next vote to return funds will likely come in August.

—Jim Shilander

Son Pleads Not Guilty in Shooting Deaths of Parents THE LATEST: A 20-year-old San Juan Capistrano man accused of killing his parents and paralyzing his 8-year-old brother pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder charges Friday, May 2.

Ashton Colby Sachs pleaded not guilty to two counts each of murder and attempted murder during his arraignment in Orange County Superior Court, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Sachs is accused of traveling from Seattle, where he was a student at North Seattle College, to San Juan Capistrano and killing his parents, Bradford Hans Sachs, 57, and Andra Resa Sachs, 54, while

they slept on Sunday, Feb. 9. The couple divorced in 2000 but was living together at the time of their deaths. They were found dead in their multimillion dollar home on Peppertree Bend just before 2 a.m.

Sachs is also accused of shooting his 8-year-old brother, who was critically injured and is now paralyzed. The couple’s two teenage daughters were also inside the home at the time of the shooting.

Sachs is accused of shooting at one of his sisters but missing.

WHAT’S NEXT: Sachs, a Dana Hills High School graduate, was arrested on March 6 at a family home in San Diego County.

He is being defended by Seth Bank from the Orange County Public Defender’s Office and is scheduled to reappear in court for a pretrial hearing on July 25. Sachs remains in jail without bail.—Brian Park

Doheny Hotel Developer Appeals to City Council THE LATEST: The Planning Commission denied the 250-room Doheny Hotel last month, but the hotel’s developer, Beverly Hills Hospitality Group, is now turning to the City Council for the OK. The developer sent an appeal letter last week. City staff is now working with City Attorney Patrick Munoz to verify it complies with appeal requirements, City Manager Doug Chotkevys said. This is a measure taken with all appeals. Once the appeal is deemed complete, staff will work with Mayor Lisa Bartlett to set the agenda.

No date has been identified for a hearing.

On April 14, Planning Commissioners denied the developer’s applications to build a two- to five-story hotel at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Dana Point Harbor Drive.

Echoing public concerns over the

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WHAT’S NEXT: The appeal continues an eight-year process for Michael Draz, chief executive officer of Beverly Hills Hospitality Group, who began acquiring three adjoining parcels for the project in 2006.

Applications were submitted to the city in 2009 and the commission first heard plans in 2011.

The project’s environmental study was released last summer and a series of public hearings followed. The commission rejected the proposal in a 4-0 vote with Commissioner Norm Denton recused.

The developer and its public relations firm, Government Solutions Inc., made contributions to both Mayor Lisa Bartlett and Councilman Bill Brough’s campaigns, totaling $1,650 and $1,150, respectively.

Bartlett is running for Orange County Supervisor while Brough is seeking the State Assembly’s 73rd District seat.

Bartlett returned funds donated by the developer, campaign spokesman Jeff Corless said. Brough said that despite the contributions he plans to participate in the discussion. He feels there is no conflict.

According to Chotkevys, Munoz said campaign contributions do not impact an elected official’s ability to vote on a project.—AP

San Clemente Rejects Capo Beach Site for Possible Homeless Shelter THE LATEST: Dozens of Capistrano Beach residents turned out to Wednesday’s San Clemente Planning Commission meeting to protest a potential rezoning of the nearby Kmart property to allow for a homeless shelter, but it turned out they didn’t have to wait very long.

Commission members, who noted the large number of attendees with yellow signs against the proposal, voted quickly and unanimously against the proposal, out of concern for both its proximity to residences and its potential commercial value.

Several residents spoke in favor of a shelter, though not necessarily at the Kmart site.

WHAT’S NEXT: Bill Sandrew, an attorney for the property owner, told the commission during the brief public hearing portion that the owner of the property opposed the potential rezoning due to the potential negative impact on future development of the property.

Sandrew said the owner is currently in negotiations with three national chain stores about coming into a subdivided property.—JS www.danapointtimes.com

EYE ON DP

A Classroom at Sea

Developing CUSD program aims to prepare students through lessons on gray whales and their ecosystem

BY BRIAN PARK, DANA POINT TIMES

I

n the waters just outside of Dana Point Harbor, aboard the OCean Adventures catamaran, fourth- and fifth-grade students from a combination class at Wood Canyon Elementary School in Aliso Viejo were on the lookout for gray whales.

“Thar she blows!” one girl yelled.

“No, that’s nothing,” her observant classmate replied.

For months, the students had been preparing for their ocean excursion, a capstone reward and an opportunity to apply what they had learned about gray whales and their ecosystem in a fun ocean expedition.

But on this day, there were no gray whales sighted. Capt. Todd Mansur, lead naturalist for Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching, suspects they may have been avoiding boats or a few might have slipped past them into shallower waters.

“This isn’t SeaWorld,” Mansur said.

“Nothing is penned in. We’re sponsored

by Earth.”

The kids, though, were not taken back ashore without a show. They were told to remain quiet so as to not scare away sea lions basking on a buoy. Later, they screamed to their hearts’ content as a pod of dolphins swam beside their boat.

“The cuteness is killing me!” said the girl, who had earlier envisioned a whale.

Had they spotted a gray whale, the students would have been prepared. With binoculars, stopwatches to time breathing patterns and clipboards to mark down their observations, they were ready to contribute their part to an ongoing study of the whales’ annual migration, from cold Alaskan waters, past the California coastline and to warmer bays and lagoons off the Mexican coast.

The group was the last of 23 trips taken

this migratory season by 52 participating classes from several schools in the Capistrano Unified School District. All of them took part in a program, launched last spring, that aims to apply new Common Core standards and STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in classrooms.

By going deeper into subject matter—in this case, gray whales and their ecosystem—and drawing from those four disciplines, school officials hope to mold students into more creative problem solvers and prepare them for futures that will be more dependent on technology.

“Every learner remembers something more if they’ve actually done it,” said Elisa Slee, a teacher on special assignment, or TOSA, tasked to find new ways to implement STEM curriculum into CUSD classrooms. “It’s the vehicle for learning everything better because children are naturally curious.”

CUSD’s gray whale unit is not the only STEM-focused program that teachers have adopted.

As part of a program Slee helped organize, Advanced Placement environmental science students from Dana Hills High School take what they have learned during the school year, organize the material into lesson plans and present them to fourth-graders from Kinoshita Elementary School during a field trip at The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano. The older students, in teaching others, become experts in local environmental issues while the younger scholars learn practical, science-based lessons and solutions about their surrounding environment.

Many of the programs rely on support from local businesses and community organizations, like The Ecology Center.

Wood Canyon Elementary School students try to spot gray whales. Photo: Brian Park

Dana Point Times May 9–15, 2014

Capt. Todd Mansur, lead naturalist for Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching and board member of the Gray Whale Foundation, prepares students for their trip to sea. Photo: Brian Park

The gray whale unit would not be if it were not for The Gulf of Catalina Gray Whale Preservation and Education Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Dana Wharf co-owner Michael Hansen, Mansur and their staff.

Since the early ‘90s, Dana Wharf has welcomed CUSD students on field trips, but Hansen, Mansur and company recognized that students did not have the foundational knowledge to understand why they were looking for whales.

“Any time you can study an animal that’s coastal, that swims near your shoreline, you’re going to know how well you’re treating the local ecosystem,” Mansur said. “These animals are going to have the biggest impact from anything we do here because of our proximity.”

Mansur and the Gray Whale Foundation began going to classrooms, in CUSD and all over Southern California, to give presentations on why the students would be visiting Dana Point Harbor and what they should expect from their trip. In 2007, the foundation began developing a more formal curriculum, which would later spawn the district’s gray whale unit. “(The trip) had to be an award. It had to be earned, first and foremost, by the teachers,” Mansur said. “If the teachers weren’t willing to teach the curriculum, it wasn’t going to work.”

The foundation reached out to CUSD, and district officials connected them with Slee, along with Nona Reimer and Paola Paz Soldan, teachers at Malcolm and Las Palmas elementary schools, respectively.

The trio, working with the foundation, created a curriculum, complete with lesson plans and activities, for other willing teachers to adopt.

“If the teachers were doing the unit and were willing to attend the training, they could ask to have a free or subsidized field trip, funded by the Gray Whale Foundation,” Slee said. The entire unit, including the trip, costs about $60 per student, according to Mansur.

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Using gray whales as the “flagship species,” the unit was designed to satisfy the goals of Common Core, known as the “4 C’s:” collaboration, critical thinking, communication and creativity. Activities also hit on the four elements of STEM and incorporate them across different subject matter. One lesson on feeding adaptions uses all four STEM elements by teaching students about baleen, the hair-like bristle gray whales and other toothless whales use to filter food from ocean water. Students designed and engineered their own baleen from materials, such as metal wands banded by rubber bands, to filter rice out of water. After testing their creations, students noted the results and improved on their designs.

“It’s a different way to integrate engineering, technology, science and mathematics,” Paz Soldan said. “The moment they get their hands on it, the depth of their understanding is much greater.”

The goal of STEM education, and Common Core, is to prepare students for higher education opportunities and a future workforce with ever-changing demands.

“Ten years ago, the technology we have today we never would have imagined.

What’s down the line we don’t even know yet,” Paz Soldan said. “But if we get these kids interested today, to have a strong base, they’ll have a better concept … Just the fact that they’re exposed to new ways of thinking allows them to solve problems in new ways. They’re going to have to solve the problems we’re leaving them.”

For the foundation, the unit helps to meet their goal to foster “ocean-minded” citizens. Mansur said, eventually, he would like to see it fully adopted across CUSD and to other districts as well.

“I am positive as they see the success rate of this and the happiness of students, it’ll continue to grow,” Mansur said. “Passion is contagious. When you speak the word of ocean awareness, you have to remember the vast ocean. These kids are the stewards of our future.” DP www.danapointtimes.com

EYE ON DP

DP Sheriff’s Blotter COMPILED BY CATHERINE MANSO

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.

SPONSORED BY

Dana Point Police Services www.HideitLockitOrLoseit.com

Wednesday, May 7 DISTURBANCE Via Monarca, 0 Block (1:09 a.m.) A caller told officials his drunken girlfriend had taken too much of her prescription medicine. It was not done intentionally, the caller said.

Tuesday, May 6 SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Street of the Golden Lantern, 34100 Block (4:15 p.m.) An apparently homeless woman wearing goggles and pushing a shopping cart with a barbecue grill was bothering Union Bank customers in the parking lot.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Sepulveda Avenue/Domingo Avenue (1:22 p.m.) A caller reported three parked motorhomes with people living in them for the past few weeks.

Monday, May 5 DISTURBANCE Street of the Silver Lantern, 33800 Block (11:33 p.m.) Dispatch

News Next Door WHAT’S GOING ON IN OUR NEIGHBORING TOWNS

SAN CLEMENTE Bicycle advocates claimed a victory Tuesday as the City Council voted 3-2 to authorize the restriping of Avenida Vaquero.

The street connects the city’s east side to Camino Capistrano and Pacific Coast Highway. The project will allow for larger bike lanes and largely eliminate, except at intersections, a center turn lane residents of the street said was a safety necessity.

The issue divided residents who said fast moving street traffic forced them to back into the center turn lane in order to join traffic or turn into their homes. Bicyclists said the road is an important connector but is not well traveled because it is unsafe.

Striping will provide cyclists with an 8-foot lane and 2-foot buffer area with traffic.

Council members essentially picked between two plans, one that favored drivers, Dana Point Times May 9-15, 2014

received notice of seven people breaking bottles in the street.

videotaping themselves in front of Burger King.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON IN VEHICLE Via Catalina/Via California (6:40 p.m.) A caller requested a patrol check for a white truck because she believed the driver was passed out.

PETTY THEFT Del Prado Avenue, 24800 Block (12:25 p.m.) A man in his early 40s, standing 6 feet 3 inches tall and wearing a black baseball cap, took a basket full of groceries. He left in a black Nissan Pathfinder.

VANDALISM REPORT De Leon Drive, 24300 Block (5:38 p.m.) A woman said her neighbor slashed her tires.

ILLEGAL PARKED VEHICLE Bowsprit Drive, 25200 Block (9:05 a.m.) Over the weekend, a blue town car parked too far from the curb.

DISTURBANCE Palo Alto Street/Stonehill Drive (12:46 p.m.) Authorities were notified of a child screaming for over five minutes.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON IN VEHICLE Calle Dolores, 26900 Block (9:01 a.m.) Two people were spotted sleeping in a gold Nissan.

Sunday, May 4

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Granada Drive, 33800 Block (8:39 a.m.)

A caller informed officials of gunfire. The caller believed it was from a pellet gun.

DRUNK IN PUBLIC Pacific Coast Highway/ Beach Road (7:47 p.m.) A drunken man wearing a black shirt and tan shorts stumbled into traffic lanes.

DISTURBANCE Pacific Coast Highway/Crown Valley Parkway (6:19 p.m.) Officials were informed of skateboarders behind Gelson’s Market and refusing to leave.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON IN VEHICLE Pacific Coast Highway, 34000 Block (5:29 p.m.) Numerous men, occupying a red vehicle, were drinking and urinating in the parking lot of Palestra Gym. TRAFFIC ACCIDENT-UNKNOWN INJURIES Pacific Coast Highway/Crown Valley Parkway (3:11 p.m.) A caller reported a male bicyclist was down. It’s unclear if he was hit by a car or fell down but be was believed to have a broken hip.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Westborne Drive, 25500 Block (7:07 a.m.)

A man reported a neighbor throwing poison over the fence and killing his plants.

DEFRAUDING AN INNKEEPER Del Obispo Street, 34200 Block (3:04 a.m.) Three juveniles between the ages of 17 and 18 left Denny’s without paying.

DISTURBANCE-MUSIC OR PARTY La Cresta Drive/Street of the Crystal Lantern (12:08 a.m.) Dispatch obtained information of a loud party with people yelling profanities.

Thursday, May 1

DISTURBANCE Street of the Golden Lantern, 32500 Block (1:45 p.m.) A patrol check was requested for three boys riding skateboards without helmets. They were seen

the other cyclists.

Resident Tom Marier said he and other residents did not feel it fair to radically change the rules for approximately 90-bicycle trips per day when thousands traversed the area by car.

Bicycle advocates countered, saying the current layout’s lack of safety prevented it from being used more often. Pete van Nuys, the owner of Bicycles San Clemente, said the current street layout “looks dangerous as hell,” and called the road a “major backbone for active transportation” in the area.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO The San Juan Capistrano Planning Commission delayed approval for the proposed 136-room downtown hotel saying the city needed more time to determine its relationship with neighboring Historic Town Center Park.

Urban Village’s $43 million project also calls for 33 townhomes and 2,700 square feet of commercial space on 3.2 acres at

SUSPICIOUS PERSON IN VEHICLE La Paloma, 0 Block (12:44 a.m.) Officials were notified of a light colored sedan parked in the same spot with a male driver getting out and looking through backyards. It’s possible he was also taking pictures.

31878 Camino Capistrano and plans to extend Forster Street to Del Obispo Street.

In postponing their vote, city staff and city attorneys will have more time to craft an agreement to ensure the hotel will be built before or at the same time as the townhomes.

Urban Village Principal Joshua Host presented revised plans to the commission, following a joint workshop between the City Council and the commission in March and after working with an ad-hoc committee to address their concerns.

Changes included scaling back the hotel from the historic Egan House, creating a breezeway from Forster Street through the hotel and to the nearby Mercado Village shopping center and adding bike and pedestrian pathways at the park. The commission will reconsider the project on May 13.

City staff noted the importance of events at the park, and in buying more time, they will work with Host to ensure future residents, living directly next to the park, aren’t able to force the city to restrict events.

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Community Meetings SATURDAY, MAY 10

Bulky Item Clean Up

7:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Residents can drop off their bulky items free of charge at Dana Hills High School, 33333 Golden Lantern, and Palisades Elementary School, 26462 Via Sacramento. E-waste, green waste, furniture, appliances and more will be collected. Goodwill Industries International Inc. will be onsite accepting charitable donations. Papershredding services will also be available.

Community Recycling Event

9 a.m.–11 a.m. Residents can drop off plastic bottles and aluminum cans at Dana Hills High School, 33333 Golden Lantern, in the rear parking lot near the pool and tennis courts. Event will be held rain or shine. No glass. Funds collected are distributed to student programs.

Dana Point Farmers Market

9 a.m.–1 p.m. Seasonal produce, flowers and local-handcrafted goods are featured at this weekly market at La Plaza Park. Call 949.248.3500 or go to www.danapoint.org to find out about purchasing a booth.

MONDAY, MAY 12

Planning Commission Meeting

6 p.m. The Planning Commission meets City Hall, Council Chambers, 33282 Golden Lantern, to discuss area developments and more. On this week’s agenda, the commission hosts a public hearing for Orange County’s Dana Point Harbor revitalization project. Check out the meeting agenda at www.danapoint.org.

TUESDAY, MAY 13

VFW Veterans Assistance

1:30 p.m.–3 p.m. Dana Point VFW Post 9934 offers free veterans’ benefits assistance at the Dana Point Community Center, 34052 Del Obispo St. Call 949.248.1419 or visit www.vfwpost9934.org for more information on the services provided.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14

Vietnam Memorial Wall Parade

3 p.m. Hundreds of motorcyclists will escort the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall through Dana Point. The parade will travel Pacific Coast Highway to Sea Terrace Park, where the wall will be on display until Sunday, May 18. Visit www.vfwpost9934.com for more info. www.danapointtimes.com

EYE ON DP

Blue Whales Return, Gray Whales Play off Coast Captains see record gray whale numbers, spot first blues of season

BY ANDREA PAPAGIANIS, DANA POINT TIMES

B

y all accounts, this has been a record breaking year for gray whale sightings.

Locally, both Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari and Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching are recording nearly double the viewings as last year.

As of last week, Dana Wharf recorded seeing 1,025 gray whales this season, up from a total of 592 in 2013. Gray whale migration season typically runs from December through April, but local companies are still seeing the whales in force as they migrate north from their breeding grounds off Baja California.

On May 5, Capt. Dave’s recorded sightings of 26 gray whales, predominately in cow-calf pairs. The whales are sticking close to the shoreline and giving whale watchers and beachgoers quite the show.

Gray whales have been noted in the surf, in tight coves and even entering the Dana Point Harbor. In one instance last week, grays were seen breaching and playing right off the Laguna Beach coast.

Numerous grays are being seen, but the world’s largest mammal is now moving its way through as local whale watching

An aerial view of the first blue whales of the season to cruise past Dana Point.

Photo: Copyright David Anderson/DolphinSafari.com

companies are now seeing blue whales returning to Southern California waters.

It’s not necessarily the earliest blue whale sightings have been recorded but typically they are not seen until June.

“Every year with the blue whales it is like we are writing a new chapter in a book that hasn’t been written yet,” said Dave Anderson, owner of Capt. Dave’s. “There really isn’t any normal (for the blue whale), because we write it (the chapter) and it gets changed every year.”

NEWS BITES

medical monitoring, in-home nurses and medical equipment—costs of which are only partially covered by his insurance. To help, the restaurant will donate 25 percent of the night’s proceeds to the LaClair family.

Salt Creek Grille is located at 32802 Pacific Coast Highway. The benefit runs from 5 p.m. to close. For more information or to RSVP, call 949.661.7799.

COMPILED BY ANDREA PAPAGIANIS

Capo Unified’s Green Stewards Recognized by School District Local fifth-graders were honored by school district leaders Wednesday, April 23 for their essays highlighting what it means to be an “Eco Hero.”

The Capistrano Unified School District’s Board of Trustees recognized 15 young scholars from across the district who excelled in way that benefited the district at large. The students took part in an essay contest sponsored by The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel’s Eco-Adventure Center and the Gray Whale Foundation.

Of the 225 CUSD students that submitted compositions, 15 were chosen by district staff as winning scholars. Local winners include Ashley Ortego-Hernandez from Kinoshita Elementary School; Rylee Springman, from Palisades Elementary School and Sara Perez, from R.H. Dana Elementary School.

Contest winners were rewarded with a whale watching excursion Saturday, April 19. The students were welcomed in VIP fashion with a walk down the green carpet before their ocean adventure. Each student was themselves named an “Eco Dana Point Times May 9-15, 2014

Thursday three blue whales were spotted, leading Anderson to believe they’ll soon be seen daily. Among the group was a blue known to Anderson as “Dana.”

The whale was documented last year and cataloged by Anderson and his crew. Dana, who is believed to be a female, was being chased by another whale. This year, Dana was spotted with two others. Anderson hopes by seeing Dana next year, researchers will learn more about the whale’s habits and the circles he or she swims in. It’s just

Calling Young Theatre Enthusiasts for ‘Godspell Jr.’

Winners of the “Eco Hero” essay contest celebrate their persuasive submissions Saturday, April 19 on a whale watching trip with the Gray Whale Foundation. Courtesy photo

Hero” and recognized as a CUSD “Extra Miler” for their work.

Give Back Night to Benefit Local Family in Need Salt Creek Grille will host an event on Monday, May 19 to benefit the family of a 34-year-old local man who slipped into a coma before Easter.

Phil LaClair, of Ladera Ranch, suffered full-cardiac arrest after hiding Easter eggs with his wife, Natalie, for their two young boys, 11-month-old Brody and 5-year-old Braden.

“The next four days were nothing I wish upon anyone,” Natalie said in a press release. Over the next several days, he made progress but spent 12 days in the hospital, five in a medically-induced coma.

The young father now requires constant

Saddleback College is calling on young theatre enthusiasts, whether they be budding actors or stage hands, to participate in the summer production of “Godspell Jr.” Third- through ninth-graders will have the opportunity to participate in a fourweek summer workshop, culminating with the performance of the Broadway musical. Classes and rehearsals run Monday through Thursday from July 15 to Aug. 7, from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The class fee is $395.

An orientation for parents and students is scheduled Thursday, July 10, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Studio Theatre at Saddleback, 28000 Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo.

The classes and production are part of MainStage Kids, a children’s theatre company designed to inspire young theatre hopefuls, which is offered by the college’s Performing Arts and Community Educa-

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part of the process in learning more about the endangered species.

Blue whales were hunted nearly to extinction, Anderson said, and it is a population that researchers believe hasn’t recovered. According to Anderson, researchers believe there are nearly 2,000 blue whales that feed off Southern California but little is known about the marine mammals’ habits.

Anderson’s crew started compiling their sightings of the mammal last year. The catalog now contains photos and documents blue whale encounters, among others. It is also being shared with the nonprofit Cascadia Research Collective in Olympia, Washington, and experts on threatened marine animals.

“We don’t know exactly where they go,” Anderson said of the blues. “We think they could go as far south as the Costa Rica Dome and the Sea of Cortez off of Baja, but there may not be one specific spot.”

With added sightings and documentation, Anderson said that’s one thing that could change.

“Hopefully we will learn more about who comes here, when, who they associate with and learn more about their lives,” he said. DP

tion department. The program is directed and taught by theatre professionals.

For more information, contact MainStage Kids at 949.348.6884.

Emergency Preparedness Set for Coffee Chat Disaster preparedness will be the topic of conversation Friday, May 16 at the Dana Point’s Civic Association’s monthly Coffee Chat at the Dana Point Harbor.

City staffers, Mike Rose and Jeremy Kirchner, the director of disaster preparedness and the emergency services coordinator, respectively, will be presenting unique challenges faced by Dana Point and will give residents tools in preparing for a disaster.

Russ Chilton, chief of Dana Point Police Services, will also be on hand.

The Civic Association hosts Coffee Chat on the third Friday of each month. Chats begin at 8:30 a.m. at Coffee Importers, 34531 Golden Lantern at the Dana Point Harbor. Guest speakers and discussion topics vary to include issues and items of interest to Dana Point residents.

The event is always free, open to the public and complimentary coffee is served.

Have something interesting for the community? We’ll put your submissions into “News Bites.” Send your information to editorial@danapointtimes.com. www.danapointtimes.com

EYE ON DP

Panelists Question Nuclear Fuel Storage Options Experts give opinions on short- and long-term nuclear storage and transportation

BY ANDREA PAPAGIANIS, DANA POINT TIMES

S

ince the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station shutdown in June 2013, one question has been at the forefront of discussion: what happens to used, or spent, nuclear fuel.

With the plant’s decades-long decommissioning process started, fuel from its two nuclear reactors was removed. Now, spent fuel sits in wet storage, lowering in temperature for five to seven years, before being placed into dry storage—where, without federal intervention, it could stay indefinitely.

Tuesday night, the community engagement panel spearheaded by the plant’s majority owner and operator, Southern California Edison, heard from a nuclear energy expert, federal regulator and storage professional about safety regulations, storage options and the future of the nation’s nuclear waste.

The panel includes representatives from across Orange and San Diego counties and was created to give the public input into the ongoing decommissioning process. The public did not have a chance to comment Tuesday as the meeting was focused on experts giving their opinions and panelists asking questions.

“We need to recognize that ultimately the waste and management is a federal responsibility,” said UC Berkeley professor Per Peterson, who studies the safety, security and management of nuclear waste.

Peterson served on a federal advisory committee regarding America’s nuclear future. The 15-member commission was tasked with reviewing federal policies on nuclear fuel’s back-end cycle and with recommending a new plan. A final report was submitted to the Secretary of Energy in January 2012.

Recommendations included utilizing a public-based approach to nuclear energy, establishing an organization dedicated solely to the management of waste, starting to consolidate the storage of such waste and continuing education and innovation programs for nuclear energy. The committee also found that the Department of Energy mishandled funds gathered for nuclear waste, Peterson said.

“There are areas where this is a national consensus,” Peterson told the panel. “We have just lost the ability to build off of what we agree on and rather focus on what we disagree on.”

Four U.S. senators, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), introduced a bill last year encompassing the committee’s recommendations that would enable the federal government to fulfill its commitment to managing spent nuclear fuel. The Page 9

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. File photo

bill was referred to committee in June.

According to the government transparency website Govtrack.us, the bill has a 10 percent chance of being enacted.

The community panel asked for guidance in finding a solution for storage at the national level.

After hearing from an AREVA Trans Nuclear representative, the manufacturer of dry-storage containers at SONGS, Orange County Supervisor Pat Bates applauded the presenter for his convincing argument over the safety of long-term storage.

But Bates said the positive word did not help the local desire to get spent nuclear fuel moved.

“If you put this in the political arena, where I happen to spend a lot of my time,” Bates said, “I would ask you to think for us why this may be safe, but policy wise we should not be living with.”

The federal government halted funding in 2010 to develop a national repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The decision leaves spent nuclear fuel on site a nuclear plants across the nation. The project is one Peterson called a “failed game of musical chairs,” where the site was settled upon.

In California, spent fuel sits at plant sites including San Onofre, Humbolt Bay and Rancho Seco.

While plans to move fuel to a shared site is dependent on the federal government, presenters urged the panel and community to be proactive in discussing a statewide strategy for transportation and emergency management if something went awry.

“It might be of some value for this panel to put together, or other folks to put together a California strategy,” said panel chairman David Victor, a UC San Diego professor and international law and regulation expert. “We as a panel focus on parts of the puzzle where we need other people to act.”

Find out about the decommissioning process and upcoming meetings at www.songscommunity.com. DP www.danapointtimes.com

EYE ON DP

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

Anniversary PLANET BEAUTY 32525 Golden Lantern, Suite D, 949.493.7111, www.planetbeauty.com Planet Beauty, Dana Point’s one-stop beauty shop for all things hair, skin and body, opened its doors 20 years ago. The Ocean Ranch Village staple has been a goto for locals ever since.

When the store landed locally in 1994, it was the fourth in the Planet Beauty chain.

The first location opened two years earlier in Newport Beach and has grown to include 36 storefronts across the state.

On Thursday, May 1 more than 100 customers helped Planet Beauty celebrate its anniversary. Local leaders, from City Hall and the business community, also gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony.

“We are proud to be a part of such a wonderful community and to have happily served the people of Dana Point for 20 years,” Planet Beauty founder and presi-

dent Bahman Fakhimi said in a statement.

The store offers product lines across the spectrum and has professional makeup artists, licensed skin and hair care experts and a medical doctor on staff. A full salon, sans nails, is also in store.

For Stefanie Fryover, Planet Beauty had it all. She moved to town from San Luis Obispo 10 years ago.

As a newly licensed esthetician, she found the perfect store for skin care needs. Fryover has since brought her passion for skin care to Planet Beauty. She’s been on staff for seven years and serves as general manager of the Dana Point location.

“For skin care, no one covers it like Planet Beauty,” Fryover said. “It’s the best you can find.”

New Location Movement in the local business community has seen some changes across town.

Serving Dana Point’s yogi community since 2010, Sun Salute Yoga recently relocated from its La Plaza Park storefront to one at 24582 Del Prado Ave., Suite G. Another business focused on the health and fitness, STRING Tennis Shop has moved as well. The family-run business is now located at 34155 Pacific Coast Highway.

Robbie Villanueva, owner of EZ Green Bikes, is presented with honors from the city of Dana Point and Dana Point Chamber of Commerce on April 14. Also pictured (L to R), Lauralyn Loynes, chamber chairwoman, and Mayor Lisa Bartlett. Photo: Andrea Papagianis

Dana Point Business of the Month: EZ Green Bikes COMPILED BY ROBERT SEDITA, MANAGEMENT ANALYST, DANA POINT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

E

Planet Beauty staff members celebrate the location’s 20th anniversary on Thursday, May 1.

Photo: Andrea Papagianis

Z Green Bikes, located at 34193 Golden Lantern, opened in 2009.

With gas prices rising from 2008 to 2009, owner Robbie Villanueva felt it was time to introduce electric bicycles to the south Orange County area. At the time, there were no local suppliers of reasonably priced, electric bicycles in the area and Villanueva wanted to promote cycling and encourage every person to live a green lifestyle for the greater good.

EZ Green Bikes provides their customers with the latest technology including the use of lithium-ion batteries and offers bike sales and rentals. The store stocks a number of models including beach cruisers, commuter bikes, scooters, tricycles and sport bikes. Customers are also allowed and encouraged to test ride bikes before they rent or purchase, to make sure they are selecting the perfect ride.

In addition to selling bikes manufac-

tured by other companies, EZ Green Bikes builds its own line of bicycles, with options not often found on other models, including disc brakes, LCD displays, peddle and throttle assist, front suspension, Kevlar lined puncture resistant tires and large, lightweight lithium-ion batteries.

EZ Green Bikes also offers service and maintenance and sells electric-conversion kits. The shop also sells accessories including helmets, locks, rear carrier racks, bags, tires, lights and more.

As a commuter cyclist himself, Villanueva prides himself on offering quality products, customer service and knowledge. He brings this firsthand knowledge to his customers and into the development of his bikes. This customer service and knowledge allows customers to feel welcome and know that they are getting the exact bike that is right for them.

Find more information at www.ezgreenbikes.com or 949.661.2761.

DP

DP SOAPBOX Dana Point

VIEWS, OPINIONS AND INSIGHTS

GUEST OPINION: By Cubby Rayfield, Friends of the Dana Point Library Vice President

We’re Off and Running Friends of the Dana Point Library rounding a positive corner

I

am very happy to report to those of you who enjoy the Dana Point Library, that the library bookstore is up and running smoothly and our wonderful volunteers are back in force. The Friends of the Dana Point Library has new officers who work closely with library staff to fill their needs as much as possible.

The Friends of Library’s goal is to engage the community in what we are doing and to this end we have reached out to businesses in Dana Point. To date we have eight businesses that have become Cubby Rayfield yearly members: Dana Point Hardware, Lantern Bay Carpets and Drapes, Bonjour Café, Tutor and Spunky’s Deli, Brio Tuscany Grille, Jeff Kindsett, D.D.S and Jack’s Restaurant. We thank those who have joined us and hope to add to their numbers.

Shortly we will be placing books in Bonjour Café, Tutor and Spunky’s and Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching for readers to pick up for a small donation, if they desire. We want our members to recognize and patronize the businesses that

After a rough patch in the organization’s history, Friends of the Dana Point Library have turned over a new leaf and are focused on improving the local library branch. Photo: Andrea Papagianis

support us to our mutual benefit.

Our ultimate goal is to get the city of Dana Point to reinstate its Library Committee so we can work with them to raise money for a new library through a foundation or other such body. It will take this group, Orange County and the community working together to reach our objective.

We are glad to have as our supporters such as the Niguel Women’s Club and would like to enlist more associations in our effort.

The bulk of our Friends of the Library fundraising comes from the sale of books

donated to our store. Thanks to all of you, we have a large number of donations that overflow our storage space. For this reason we are having a “Boxes of Books” sale Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17 at the bookstore, located at 33841 Niguel Road, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Please come and do some shopping.

We would love to have you as a new member and/or volunteer for the bookstore, whatever you desire. Visit our website, www.friendsdanapoint.org for more.

Cubby (Caroline) Rayfield has lived with her husband, Wayne, in Dana Point for 20 years. She is an artist and is a past president of the Niguel Art Association. Cubby designed the plaque of the old arch that is displayed at the Southern entrance to Dana Point. She has volunteered at the Ocean Institute for seven years and at the library bookstore for eight where she is currently the Vice President of the Friends of the Dana Point Library. 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

Letters to the Editor UPGRADE DANA POINT, FIND AN AGREEABLE SOLUTION MARILYN LANTZ, Dana Point

I have lived in Dana Point for nearly 27 years. We moved here because it was close to the beach and because Dana Point seemed to have a small community appeal which was quaint and irresistible.

The corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Dana Point Harbor Drive/Del Obispo Street was not a welcome sight to visitors back then and still is not today. The Villa Motel was an eyesore; the vacant lot after it was torn down was made worse with pumpkins and Christmas tree lots. The corner across the street was a bait store and liquor store, of which part is still standing, a rundown grey wood building.

So what do we have left on the other two corners? A Denny’s restaurant and a gas station—not much for community pride.

Not much to draw business in to Dana Point.

The proposed Doheny Hotel looks like an upscale endeavor to beautify Dana Point. The structure looks low enough and appeals to the eye. Something needs to be Dana Point Times May 9–15, 2014

done on that corner and it should be done sooner rather than later.

I understand that the Dana Point Planning Commission has voted against this proposal and I am upset with that. If it is a height requirement that needs to be resolved, I would think that can be accommodated, but to dig heels in the sand and say “No” is not the right approach.

I don’t really know all the politics that is involved, but I do know one thing: Dana Point needs this to bring in new business and to beautify that corner of Pacific Coast Highway. Hopefully the city can work with the builder/owner and come up with an agreeable solution.

I am just one resident, but I am sure there are more who agree with me. I also know that there is more than one issue against this new building other than the height, but when I first saw the picture of the hotel, I thought it was beautiful.

SAN CLEMENTE: PLEASE THINK THIS ONE THROUGH VALERIE READ, Capistrano Beach

First we heard rumors that a high-end

market such as Sprouts Farmers Market or Whole Foods Market was going into the on Camino de Estrella space vacated

by Kmart and Big Lots.

The whole neighborhood was delighted—what a great addition that would be.

Then we see a notice over the door, saying something like, “Call Joe somebody-orother for information about this property.”

Not a good sign. Wouldn’t you think the owner would have a plan in place?

Now we learn the city of San Clemente is considering turning the place into a homeless shelter.

Unquestionably, we need better facilities for the homeless in the area, but is this the best use of these buildings? Aren’t there more appropriate locations for a shelter?

Please think this one through, San Clemente. You can do better.

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

Page 12

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

HOW TO REACH US CITY EDITOR Andrea Papagianis, 949.388.7700, x112 apapagianis@danapointtimes.com ADVERTISING PRINT AND ONLINE

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

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

PICKET FENCE MEDIA PUBLISHER Norb Garrett

> Lisa Cosenza ( San Clemente)

EDITORIAL

> Michele Reddick (San Clemente)

Group Senior Editor > Andrea Swayne

> Debra Wells (San Juan Capistrano)

City Editor, DP Times > Andrea Papagianis

OPERATIONS

Sports Editor > Steve Breazeale

Finance Director > Mike Reed

City Editor, SC Times > Jim Shilander

Business Operations Manager > Alyssa Garrett

City Editor, The Capistrano Dispatch > Brian Park ART/DESIGN Senior Designer > Jasmine Smith ADVERTISING/MULTIMEDIA MARKETING Associate Publisher > Lauralyn Loynes (Dana Point)

Accounting & Distribution Manager > Tricia Zines SPECIAL THANKS Robert Miller, Jonathan Volzke CONTRIBUTORS Megan Bianco, Victor Carno, Kevin Dahlgren, Catherine Manso, Madison May, Jenna Ross, Dana Schnell, Tim Trent

Dana Point Times, Vol. 7, Issue 19. 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.

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DP GETTING OUT Dana Point

YOUR SEVEN-DAY EVENT PLANNER

The List

EDITOR’S PICK

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

Courtesy photo

At the Movies: ‘Locke’ is All Alone

Friday | 09 MIKE HAMILTON 8 p.m.–11 p.m. Enjoy music at Salt Creek Grille with guitarist, vocalist and multiinstrumentalist Mike Hamilton. 32802 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point, 949.

661.7799, www.mikehamiltonmusic.com.

Saturday | 10 NATIVE PLANT AND WILDLIFE HIKE 9 a.m.–noon. Identify native plants with naturalists on a moderate but fast-paced, steep and rocky, 3.5-mile hike at the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. $2 donation, $3 parking. RSVP required. 18751 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, 949.497.8324, www.lagunacanyon.org.

PAWS IN THE GARDEN 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Tour gardens and cottages in San Juan Capistrano to benefit the Ark of San Juan Companion Animal Rescue. Event includes refreshments, prizes and drawings. $20. For tickets, call 949.489.7611 or email arkofsanjuan@cox.net.

BELLY DANCING WORKSHOP 4 p.m.–6 p.m. Experience the ancient dance form and celebrate the body and soul. Free. Donations accepted. RSVP to 949.842.5989. Sun Salute Yoga, 24582 Del Prado Ave., Suite G, Dana Point, www.bellydanceorangecounty.com.

SECOND STAGE STAND-UP 7:30 p.m. The Camino Real Playhouse hosts a lineup of four comedians. Admission $15. To purchase, call 949.489.8082 or visit www.comedyintheoc.com. 31776 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano, www.caminorealplayhouse.org.

UPCOMING

Courtesy photo

Dana Point Times May 9–15, 2014

Battle of the Mariachis draws crowds in the thousands and features bands from throughout Southern California.

Photo: Mission San Juan Capistrano/inGrace Photography

Battle of the Mariachis • MaY 10 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Mission San Juan Capistrano hosts this contest with performances by Southern California mariachi groups competing for cash prizes. Tickets $15 for adults and seniors, $6 for children 4-11. 26801 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, 949.234.1316, www.missionsjc.com.

Sunday | 11 MOTHER’S DAY CRUISE 10 a.m. Dana Wharf Sportfishing &Whale Watching hosts this special two-hour cruise to celebrate moms. Enjoy champagne, fresh fruit, juices and pastries while viewing the sights and sounds of the Pacific. $45 for adults, $30 for children. 34675 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, 949.496.5794, www.danawharf.com.

MOTHER’S DAY AFTERNOON SAIL 2 p.m.–4:30 p.m. Set sail aboard the Ocean Institute’s Spirit of Dana Point to celebrate mom. Light refreshments included. $38.50 for adults, $21.50 for children. Ocean Institute, 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, 949.496.2274, www.ocean-institute.org.

Tuesday | 13 BEER TASTING DINNER Enjoy a three-course meal with beer pairings from Orange County brewers at Salt Creek Grille. Cost is $45. 32802 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point, 949.661.7799, www.saltcreekgrille.com.

DohenY Blues festival • saturDaY, MaY 17 anD sunDaY, MaY 18 11 a.m. Surf melds with blues as The Doobie Brothers, Gregg Allman, Buddy Guy and more take the stage at this two-day music festival at Doheny State Beach. Performances spread across three stages with food, beer and wine vendors throughout.

A $5 shuttle service from Dana Hills High School will run during the festival. General admission $60 for a single day pass or $110 for both days. 25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point, 949.360.7800, www.dohenybluesfestival.com.

UNDERSTANDING YOUTH DRUG TRENDS 5:30 p.m.–8 p.m. Panelists from the sheriff’s department, county health care agency and local courts will discuss alcohol and drug trends among teens.

Dana Hills High School, Porthole Theatre, 33333 Golden Lantern, Dana Point.

DANA HARBOR TOASTMASTERS 7 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Practice becoming a more confident communicator. Dana Point Library, 33841 Niguel Road, Dana Point, www.1707.toastmastersclubs.org.

Wednesday | 14 LUNCHTIME LEVITATION Noon–12:45 p.m. Take a break with this classic Indian yoga course focusing on breathing and mediation. All levels welcome. Contact instructor Deborah Nadell for more: 630.240.3161, Deborah@ sacredhealing.com. The Coastal Arcadian, 24471 Del Prado Ave., Dana Point.

CAPT. DAVE’S WHALE WATCHING Get up close to marine life aboard a Captain Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari trip. Prices vary. 24440 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point, 949.488.2828, www.dolphinsafari.com.

Thursday | 15 IMAGINATION CELEBRATION Each day during library hours. Children are invited to create art at the Dana Point Library. Creativity will be highlighted and works will be displayed. Teens are also invited to participate in a special art project. Runs through May 25. 33841 Niguel Road, Dana Point, 949.496.5517, www.ocpl.org/libloc/dana.

Page 14

A

new trend in the last year of movies has characters stuck in one location the entire film, trying to get out of a predicament.

And Steven Knight’s Locke is the latest attempt. Much like how Gravity and All is Lost were tour-de-forces for Sandra Bullock and Robert Redford, respectively, Locke gives Tom Hardy time to shine. It’s the English character actor’s first film since The Dark Knight Rises two years ago and screenwriter Knight’s second directorial effort.

On the eve of a major business deal for his construction company, manager Ivan Locke (Hardy) skips a job obligation to drive across England to be with a former one-night stand, Bethan (Olivia Colman), while she gives birth to his child. Throughout the long drive, Ivan makes a number of calls to his son Eddie (Tom Holland), wife Katrina (Ruth Wilson) and co-workers Donal (Andrew Scott) and Gareth (Ben Daniels).

Primarily a screenwriter for most of his career, most famously with Dirty Pretty Things (2002) and Eastern Promises (2007), Knight’s first directed feature, Redemption, last year was underwhelming. But Locke is a step in the right direction, with the intriguing plot device of keeping Hardy in his moving vehicle the entire 85 minutes of the film and dealing with his problems all through his cellphone. But what could have been suspenseful falls flat with some basic dialogue and a tired relationship trope for the protagonist. But those who are fans of Hardy will appreciate his one-man show. —Megan Bianco

UPCOMING: FRIDAY, MAY 16 STATE OF SOUTH COUNTY 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Orange County Supervisor Pat Bates will speak during a luncheon hosted by the Coastal Chambers Legislative Coalition. $50 for chamber members, $60 for non-members. Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa, 25135 Park Lantern, Dana Point, www.danapointchamber.com.

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

ES

PR

EN

TE

D

BY

Bringin’ Blues to the Beach

GREGG ALLMAN One of the most acclaimed and beloved icons in rock ‘n’ roll history, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, legendary songwriter and successful solo artist in his own right, Allman’s voice has resonated through four decades.

As the weather heats up each year, so does the summer music festival season. And for the better part of two decades, music fans besotten with the blues have flocked to Dana Point for one of the world’s best.

Now in its 17th year, the Doheny Blues Festival once again brings a first-class blues and rock lineup to Doheny State Beach—just a few yards from where the Pacific meets the sand. With more than 25 bands, lively festival atmosphere and a trio of stages—from the big-ticket style main stage with a giant viewing screen to the up-close and intimate Backporch—this seaside event is a music lover’s mecca.

An international food court, vendor village, wine and craft brews pump up the mix, making the Doheny Blues Festival an awesome way to kick off summer in Southern California. —Andrea Swayne

VINTAGE TROUBLE

KEB’ MO’

JAMES COTTON

NIKKI HILL

JOHN NÉMETH & THE BO-KEYS

THE MANNISH

BUDDY GUY One of Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” at 76 this Rock and Roll Hall of Famer also has six Grammy Awards, 28 Blues Music Awards—the most of any artist—Billboard magazine’s Century Award and the Presidential National Medal of Arts.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW AT

DOHENY BLUES FESTIVAL

2014 LINEUP

SATURDAY • MAY 17

SUNDAY • MAY 18

GREGG ALLMAN BUDDY GUY JOHN NÉMETH & THE BO-KEYS THE MANNISH BOYS REVUE FT. KID RAMOS AND SUGARAY RAYFORD SMOKIN’ JOE KUBEK & BNOIS KING NIKKI HILL JW-JONES MATTHEW CURRY THE 44S THE AMERICANS THE SILVER KINGS

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS GOV’T MULE VINTAGE TROUBLE JAMES COTTON BLUES BAND & FRIENDS KEB’ MO’ CHARLES BRADLEY & THE EXTRAORDINAIRES RUTHIE FOSTER JAMES INTVELD & ROSIE FLORES ROY GAINES THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS ERIC SARDINAS ATOMIC ROAD KINGS

Artists and times are subject to change without notice. The festival will run, rain or shine.

N BLUES BAND

H BOYS REVUE

CHARLES BRADLEY

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS Aside from a few years in the mid-’80s, the Doobie Brothers have continued to perform, create and record for over 21 consecutive years.

The Doobies have continually honored the band’s legacy with an offering that grows in unexpected new directions.

RUTHIE FOSTER

& THE EXTRAORDINAIRES

GOV’T MULE

DAVID “KID” RAMOS

SUGARAY RAYFORD

T DOHENYBLUESFESTIVAL.COM

With 10 acclaimed studio albums, a handful of live albums and many sold-out coast-to-coast tours, “The Mule” has an enduring reputation as one of the best and most long-standing rock ‘n’ roll bands. 2014 marks the band’s 20th anniversary.

DP DP LIVING Dana Point

PROFILES OF OUR COMMUNITY

Ready to ‘Pop’

Daniel Holloway (center) celebrates his win in the John Johnson Pro NCC Classic. Also pictured (L to R), Luke Keough and Fabrizio Vannacher. Photo: Andrea Papagianis

City engineer Matt Sinacori dons a silly hat to amuse youngsters. Photo: Andrea Swayne

Pamela Peery began working on her book ‘POP’ after she found her preparations for her first child had largely gone out the window. Photo: Jim Shilander

BY JIM SHILANDER, DANA POINT TIMES

A young spectator is all smiles as she examines her war paint. Photo: Andrea Papagianis

P

With one lap to go, Team United Healthcare makes their move in the pro race. Photo: Andrea Swayne

Female riders await the start of their race and the sounding of the gun. Photo: Andrea Papagianis

Young cyclists race to the finish in the event’s biggest draw: the kids’ races. Photo: Andrea Papagianis

Keeping the Local Feel

Dana Point Grand Prix stays community-centric

BY ANDREA PAPAGIANIS, DANA POINT TIMES

P

laying the Mad Hatter, city engineer Matt Sinacori entertains young riders. They line the start—their colorful bikes and helmets providing a different sight on the race course. This is the day’s big event, the one the community’s been waiting for. These are the Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling’s kids’ races.

They take off in waves. First, older kids race around the 0.8-mile course amateur and professional riders whizzed around at high speeds—upward of 30 mph—all morning. Next come smaller riders in a mad dash to the finish line. It’s a straightaway that kids zip down to waiting volunteers and U.S. Marines holding medals Dana Point Times May 9–15, 2014

for each participant. Smiles spread across their faces, the crowd goes wild.

In its eighth year, and touting a nationally recognized men’s pro race, the Dana Point Grand Prix still revolves around the community and around those kids’ races, said Russell Ames, executive director of race organizer, the Dana Point Community Cycling Foundation.

While the prize purse, cycling world recognition and caliber of riders has evolved, the event has stayed centered around developing young riders to teach them safe and good biking practices, he said.

Hundreds lined the closed-circuit criterium course through Dana Point’s downtown Sunday as cyclists, both profes-

sional and those earning points to race at higher levels, took to the streets.

Around the course’s six turns, volunteers signaled to one another when cyclists rounded bends and crowds awed as gusts of wind from large race packs blew past. Turning corner six at Amber Lantern and Del Prado Avenue, race-after-race, finishes came down to the last sprint.

In the John Johnson Pro NCC Classic, 27-year-old Daniel Holloway, of Morgan Hill, California, notched a win, taking home the $17,500 prize. Area nonprofits also won big Sunday as proceeds go to benefit the Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley. DP

Page 19

amela Peery thought she was prepared.

Peery had done everything a mother was supposed to do to prepare for giving birth to her first child, a daughter, in 2002. She read all the books. She took childbirth classes and asked questions.

Peery, an attorney and law professor, thought she had everything down. Then she went into labor.

“All my preparations, I could have thrown out the window,” Peery said.

Her first stage of labor lasted 30 hours.

She was sent home twice for “false labor,” before she said she wasn’t going anywhere.

“I felt so alone, like I was the only one to have ever gone through this,” Peery said.

While joyful over the birth of her daughter, Peery said the feelings continued to gnaw at her. So she went on one of the Internet message boards she’d frequented and asked women for stories of their own labor. More than 80 women responded.

Peery, a San Clemente resident and now the mother of two, has compiled those and other stories into a book, POP: 50 Amazing Secrets to a Successful Labor & Delivery or C-Section.

Peery said she’d found that most of the books covering childbirth were “overly medical and scary.” She wanted to create something different.

“It’s fun and it’s easy to read,” Peery said.

While there are fun anecdotes about what women have gone through, the book also includes tips on things like what to bring to the hospital and what to do after the birth.

“These are the little things your doctor didn’t tell you and your mom probably forgot to,” she said. DP www.danapointtimes.com

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

Woman, Age 60, Too Desperate for Love Some Words of Advice: Focus on yourself, get to know someone and don’t fall too quickly

L

inda, 60, emailed, “I am trying to find a man I can love and who loves me.

“I have been on dating sites and have no problem getting dates. But they all tell me they love me within a week or two.

They don’t even know me let alone love me.

They want to push for a long-term relationship very soon and act very needy.

“This is not working for me because I don’t even get a chance to get to know them and maybe let something grow. I am honest from the beginning and try to tell them in a nice way that they need to slow down but they don’t. I start to feel stressed and end up leaving what may have been a nice relationship.

“I want so much to fall in love with someone but until recently, I’m not having any luck.”

My response: “These men sound desperate and needy and they are trying too hard, which isn’t appealing to you. They must, however, find you attractive. Where do you find these guys? What does ‘until recently’ mean?”

Linda said, “I just met a man I was attracted to so much that I felt 16 again. I was swept off my feet just talking to him for two weeks before we met in person, and when we met, it was as if I had known him forever.

“For eight days we saw each other every day. He wrote me poetry, played guitar and sang to me, took me on a motorcycle ride and cooked for me. He was charming and funny and I fell for him hook, line and sinker.

“He told me on the eighth day he needed space and that it wasn’t me, although he felt every bit the way he told me in the beginning. He didn’t know why but he lost all those feelings. He said he was this way with every woman he met and felt there was something wrong with him.

“I was devastated, I feel like my heart has been broken into pieces and my

stomach is a tight knot of agony. I cannot eat or sleep and turn to tears at the drop of a hat. I never want to go through this again. I now wonder if this is what I do to the other guys I have dated and feel like a heel for ON LIFE AND LOVE AFTER 50 hurting them. I’m wonBy Tom Blake dering if I should look the last guy up and just settle for him and maybe grow to love him.

“I am heart sick with the thought of never being truly loved and giving love for the rest of my life, and it seems more urgent since I met the guy who broke my heart. I want to feel that alive again and be wanted. How do I accomplish getting someone I love with all of my heart and have them love me the same way? What do guys want?”

My response: “You turned the tables on yourself. You were too needy, too available and perhaps too easy. You were swept off your feet by someone you hadn’t even met in person.

“You dated him for only eight days. Get over him. You remind me of the Patsy Cline song, I Fall to Pieces. And now you feel more urgent. Develop some other life interests besides seeking a man. Find a good therapist to help you focus on becoming a more self-sufficient woman.

“And no, don’t settle for a man you don’t love, that’s being desperate as well.”

For more dating advice and stories visit, www.findingloveafter60.com and to comment, email Tom at 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

Sudoku

BY MYLES MELLOR

Last week’s solution:

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 Dana Point Times May 9–15, 2014

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

Page 21

DP LIVING GUEST OPINION: Dirt Therapy by Marianne Taylor

Finding Peace Among Flowers

Gardens can provide for a renewed spirit and life Editor’s Note: In this week’s column, Marianne Taylor recounts when her husband, Councilman John Taylor, was attacked while the couple was walking home December 2012 and how gardening helped her recover from the incident.

I

t happened so quickly. Not a lot of time to react. It was over in less than three minutes, although it felt like an eternity. Adrenaline pumping, clothes intact but really, a case of shock and disbelief over the attack on my husband, the mayor.

I went inward, only to come out stronger. I have always found the garden to be a place of calm, tranquility and restorative self-reflection. My passion for growing gardens became a reality in 2009, when Goin Native was launched to teach people of all ages and abilities how to garden for health and home.

After the attack, I quit gardening. Violated and angry, inward I went.

By June 2013, I took the signs down and closed Goin Native.

As fate would have it, three months later, I had a visit from women who ran a program though the Capistrano Unified School District called Adult Transition Workability, which helps adults 18-22 with simple skills and tools for a productive life. Would I allow them to volunteer in the garden at Los Rios Park, they asked.

I said, “of course.” At the turning point, I emerged from my cocoon to help the students succeed in their mission of confidence, courage and connecting with their environment and others. Little did I know,

they helped me.

Eight months later, the Los Rios Park gardens have emerged as a certified butterfly sanctuary in part to these wonderful dedicated students and teachers who arrive every Thursday for one DIRT THERAPY

by Marianne Taylor hour. I’ve changed their names to protect their privacy.

Amanda rarely engaged in conversation, but after a few months of working at the park, she is now speaking openly.

Joey, who arrived agitated every week and repeated the same phrase, is now a calm, focused green thumb. All work cooperatively and have a duty, plan and purpose.

Gardening is affecting their lives, one by one. Therapeutic gardening is becoming a mode of helping people connect to their environment and their personal lives.

Through the process, Goin Native has also transformed to a nonprofit, Goin Native Therapeutic Gardens. We’re committed to providing horticultural education, emotional and physical rehabilitation and practical life skills.

Marianne Taylor is a 24-year resident of San Juan Capistrano. She is the executive director and “dirt therapist” for Goin Native. 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

Photo: Katy Easland

Walking north along the Dana Point Harbor’s island-side jetty March 11 with { IN DA NA P OINT } her mother, Katy Easland paused to capture this image. As a young boy peered through a telescope, Easland snapped the sunset picture near the statue of Richard Henry Dana Jr. “That’s how Dana Point is—it makes great photography easy,” Easland said.

SCENE

Have a picture you would like to share with the community? Email us at editor@danapointtimes.com for possible inclusion in an upcoming “Scene in Dana Point.”

Dana Point Times May 9–15, 2014

Page 23

DP LIVING

Remembering the Fallen

VFW pays tribute to nation’s fallen servicemen and women

BY ANDREA PAPAGIANIS, DANA POINT TIMES

A

young soldier arrives at Newark Airport. With a change of clothes, his uniform goes into the trash.

It’s 1969. Returning home after 18 months in the jungles of Southeast Asia, he stops at an area bar. It’s too hard to walk the few blocks home.

Twenty-seven young men from the New Jersey town of Bayonne, situated just southwest of New York City, didn’t make it home. Bob Fowler grew up with them. They went to grammar school together, got in trouble in high school together and volunteered to serve their country together.

But as Fowler came home from Vietnam, his longtime friends and combat comrades didn’t. Survivor’s guilt is something he knows well—he’s battled with it for years.

Members of Dana Point’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9934 represent the nation’s servicemen and women dating back to the beginning of modern warfare. Living members served in World War II and each of America’s wars since. They’ve dedicated their lives to service, to remembering those who have gone before while not forgetting those who are still to come.

For Fowler, who for years tried to —Maurice Hansen forget his service, it’s therapy for the wounds, both mental and physical, that he sustained. It’s a sentiment echoed by his foreign war comrades.

“It’s a powerful thing,” said post commander Maurice Hansen, an 83-year-old Korean War veteran, who didn’t start reaching out for help until 10 years ago, some 50 years after the war. “How come I made it home and he didn’t … That’s the biggest guilt trip.”

It’s their survival, and commitment to service, that fuels their passion and work.

Through their own experiences navigating Veterans Affairs channels, post members have become experts in helping others, including their families, receive the services they are due. Members also sponsor barbecues for active service members, donate diapers to budding families and salute their fallen comrades. They are military personnel advocates, helping to right wrongs and

How come I made it home and he didn’t … That’s the biggest guilt trip.

“

”

A traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. will come to Dana Point Wednesday. The memorial will be on display at Sea Terrace Park until Sunday and open 24 hours a day to visitors. Photo: Andrea Swayne

EVENT INFORMATION Ceremonies will be held each day at noon where visitors are encouraged to share their memories. Volunteers will help visitors locate names, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., on the Vietnam memorial and a rifle squad and a playing of “Taps” will close each day at 7 p.m.

Access to the memorial walls will be available 24 hours a day.

Free parking is available at the Salt Creek Beach lot. The shortcomings of the past.

Next week, they will welcome a traveling Vietnam memorial to commemorate the more than 58,000 men and women who served, fought and died in the Vietnam War. The memorial, an 80 percent scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., will be on display at Dana Point’s Sea Terrace Park from Wednesday through Sunday. A parade down Pacific Coast Highway at 3 p.m. Wednesday will be led by hundreds of riders on the backs of motorcycles.

Over the next days, area leaders and military personnel will honor those fallen in conflicts since the Civil War. Walls from each war since, bearing the names of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, will also be on display.

Volunteers will man the displays throughout the day and

city of Dana Point, who is co-sponsoring the exhibit, will have golf carts and wheelchairs available to help transport those in need from the parking lot.

On Saturday, the city will recognize local fire and police officials and the Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group will host the opening ceremonies on Sunday with Col. Jason Bohm, commander of the 5th Marine Regiment, speaking.

For more on the memorial wall and for donation information, visit www.vfwpost9934.org. night, providing security along with support for visitors who are welcome 24 hours a day.

Hansen and Fowler hope the memorial, which was also on display three years ago, will help military members, families and visitors find closure.

“We would never talk to each other about Vietnam,” Fowler said.

Now, the post hopes to facilitate discussions about what can be done to remember the dead and honor their and other’s service, while continuing to assist the surviving population of troops. With the memorial, hopefully they said, younger generations will learn the cost of freedom.

“You can get the full history of America,” Hansen said of the memorial display. “This is the best lesson you can get.” DP

DP SPORTS & OUTDOORS Dana Point

STORIES, SCORES, SCHEDULES AND MORE

Q&A With Dana Hills Golf Dolphin Coach Phil Wilburton Report Longtime teacher and coach reflects on his 39-year career

BY STEVE BREAZEALE AND KEVIN DAHLGREN, DANA POINT TIMES

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

League Title in Reach for Dana Hills Baseball

Phil Wilburton will retire after the 2014 high school golf season. Photo: Steve Breazeale

BY STEVE BREAZEALE, DANA POINT TIMES

T

he 2014 boys golf season is ending in storybook fashion for Dana Hills High School head coach Phil Wilburton.

Before the start of the school year, Wilburton decided that after 39 years of coaching and teaching, the last 25 as the Dolphins varsity coach, he was going to call it quits. It turned out, the final team he would lead is made up mostly of sophomores and juniors.

The young Dolphins caught fire midway through their schedule and finished with a 15-5 overall record, including a firstplace 7-1 record in league. The team sent Wilburton off into the sunset with a South Coast League championship and is poised to make a run at the CIF-SS Team Championship later this month.

We caught up with Wilburton to get his thoughts on his career, this current Dolphins squad and his coaching philosophies.

Dana Point Times: What made you decide that 2014 would be the final year of your coaching career?

Phil Wilburton: For me, it seems to be the right time. I have friends that ask me ‘Why are you doing this, you’re still healthy, why don’t you stick with it?’ and for some reason it dawned on me that it was just the time. I don’t really have a reason. My assistant coach (Ken Sanford), he left last year and asked if I wanted to leave with him. I thought about it for a couple days and I said ‘I think I want to go one more year.’ It was just a comfortable decision. Now that they won league, it’s like frosting on the cake. I can go out on Dana Point Times May 9–15, 2014

top (laughs).

DPT: It was a weird coincidence that your final season be one full of very young players.

PW: It’s just a nice, young group of kids.

They’re very focused and very motivated.

And they encourage each other and work with each other. In terms of their youth, the thing that’s so positive for who’s taking over for me, is look what I’m handing him (laughs). These are some young guns.

OK, I won league, here you go, go for it.

See how far you can run with this group.

DPT: What will you miss most about teaching and coaching?

PW: I’ve built relationships with so many coaches. I think most of us, who have done it long enough, you’re probably going to miss that more than anything.

Your team is out there playing and you run into these same guys. The kids, you have them for maybe two, three years and then they go on in their life. But for 20-something years I’ve been able to compete against my friends and there is a camaraderie and community among us golf coaches.

DPT: What is your coaching philosophy when it comes to golf?

PW: I know how hard the game of golf is. I’ve played enough games and I think golf is probably one of the hardest to play. When a kid has a bad day, the last thing he needs to hear is for me to beat on him. So my philosophy is to encourage kids as best they can to do well. Never throw in the towel. Every shot is a new shot and the next shot you have is the next opportunity you have to hit a really great shot. DP

The Dana Hills baseball team headed to San Clemente on May 7 with a Sea View League title at their fingertips. The Dolphins, who clinched at least a share of the league title with a win over San Juan Hills on May 2, needed only one more victory to secure an outright win of the league championship.

Standing in their way was Tritons junior starting pitcher Kolby Allard, who spun a complete game five-hitter in a 4-2 San Clemente victory.

The Tritons (21-7, 6-3 league) victory sets up a winner-take-all scenario for the May 9 rubber game between these two teams. If Dana Hills (22-6, 9-2) can win, they will clinch an outright league title. If the Tritons win, the two teams would be co-champions.

The Dolphins took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a lead-off home run by junior Luke Williams, who leads the Sea View League in homers this season with four.

The Dolphins held a steady 1-0 lead

through the first three innings, thanks in part to starting pitcher Marrick Crouse, who retired the first seven batters he faced to start the game.

Crouse worked himself into a bases loaded jam in the fourth inning following two singles and a throwing error. With the bases loaded and one out, Allard hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Parker Ratelle from third, to tie the game at 1-1.

The Dolphins would take a 2-1 lead in the fi fth inning on a sacrifice fly by Williams.

San Clemente answered again in the fi fth inning, scoring three runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter to take a 4-2 lead to end the scoring.

The two-run cushion was enough for Allard, who struck out nine Dolphins while issuing only two walks. The junior finished strong on the mound, retiring eight of the final nine batters he faced.

—Kevin Dahlgren

Masciorini Reclaims Individual Tennis Championship Dana Hills senior Chase Masciorini has been in the mix for the South Coast League tennis individual championship for the past three years.

The UC Santa Barbara commit burst onto the scene as a sophomore and won the coveted hardware. His junior season, he lost in the finals to the University of Oregon-bound Jayson Amos of El Toro.

On May 7, Masciorini returned to the winner’s circle with a 6-4, 6-0 win over San Clemente’s Michael Bott in the individual league finals. Masciorini will compete in the CIF-SS Individual Championships May 29.

Locals in Action at Dana Point Grand Prix

Daniel Holloway of Team Athlete Octane, left, won the USA Cycling’s National Criterium Calendar Dana Point Grand Prix on May 4. Photo: Andrea Papagianis

Here is a list of Capistrano Beach and Dana Point residents who competed in the Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling on Sunday, May 4, along with their respective division and placement.

Page 27

Men- Open Master 60+ Kalman Szkalak (Fifth) Men- Category 5 David Yax (25th) Men- Category 1/2/3 Master 45+ David Marietti (Sixth) www.danapointtimes.com

DP BUSINESS DIRECTORY

DSaan n Cl a em Poenintet

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GARAGE SALES 13TH ANNUAL DANA KNOLLS COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE! Saturday, May 10th, 7:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Dana Knolls Tract, Cross Streets: Del Obispo & Blue Fin Drive, follow the signs! Sponsored by: Gary Macrides, REALTOR, 01267654 Surterre Properties 949-370-6827 CASITAS DEL RIO HOA COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE Saturday, May 10, 2014. Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Corner of Camino Del Avion and Alipaz GARAGE SALE - MOVING - MUST SELL EVERYTHING! Saturday - May 10 - 9 AM -4 PM Couch, CLub Chairs, 55” Flatscreen HD, Office desks, Bookcases, Cabinetry, Dining and Coffee Tables, Housewares. Everything in excellent condition. 33047 Calle Aviador #E, San Juan Capistrano For more info call 949-355-5786.

HAMPTON HILL HOA COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE Saturday, May 17, 2014. Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Del Obispo just South of Stonehill

OTHER INTERESTING STUFF $100 FOR A PICTURE OF SHERRY DAVIS, high school grad of 1965. Born on 08/15/1947 in Des Moines, Iowa. Left with family in 1962 to San Clemente, CA. Please contact Gary Templeton at (515)528-0752

LOCALS ONLY BUSINESS LISTINGS AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING

Oasis Air Conditioning & Heating 31648 Rancho Viejo Rd. Ste. A, 949.420.1321, www.oasisair.com

ARCHITECTURE - PLANNING

Nona AssociatesRaymond J. Nona A.I.A

26901 Camino de Estrella, 949.496.2275, www.raynona.com

AUTO REPAIR

Dana Point Auto

34342 Coast Hwy., Unit B, 949.496.1086

CAFE - DELI

Coffee Importers Espresso Bar

34531 Golden Lantern, 949.493.7773, www.coffeeimporters.com

COFFEE SHOP

Coffee Importers Espresso Bar

34531 Golden Lantern, 949.493.7773, www.coffeeimporters.com

DANCE/FITNESS

Club Salsa Dance Studio

34202 Camino Capistrano Capistrano Beach, 949.230.0543, www.clubsalsadance.com

GRAPHIC DESIGN

IMAGES/Creative Solutions

117 Del Gado Road, 949.366.2488, www.imgs.com

ICE CREAM

Coffee Importers Scoop Deck

34531 Golden Lantern, 949.493.7773, www.coffeeimporters.com

INSURANCE SERVICES

Patricia Powers

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

State Farm/Ted Bowersox

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

Statefarm/Elaine LaVine

34080 Golden Lantern, 949.240.8944, www.elainelavine.net

LANDSCAPING

Organics Out Back

449 Avenida Crespi, 949.354.2258, www.organicsoutback.com

LOCKSMITH

Dana Point Lock & Security

949.496.6916, www.danapointlock.com

MUSIC INSTRUCTION

Danman’s Music School

24699 Del Prado, 949.496.6556, www.danmans.com

Kenny’s Music & Guitars

24731 La Plaza, 949.661.3984, www.kennysmusicstore.com

PET GROOMING

Dawgy Style

34085 Pacific Coast Hwy, Unit 112, 949.496.3315, www.alphadoggroomshop.com

PLUMBING

Chick’s Plumbing

949.496.9731, www.chicks-plumbing.com

UPHOLSTERY

Jeddy’s Yacht & Home Interiors

34118 Pacific Coast Hwy, 949.240.9569 www.jeddys.com

POOL SERVICE & REPAIR

Palisades Pool Service & Repair

949.542.7232, allenesommo@cox.net

PSYCHOTHERAPY

Corinne Rupert PhD, PsyD, MFT

33971 Selva Rd. Ste. 125, 949.488.2648, www.danapointpsychotherapy.com

PSYCHIATRY

Dr. Robert Dobrin, M.D.

LIST LOCALS ONLY

USE LOCALS ONLY

Child/Adolescent/Adult Psychiatry/ Behavioral Pediatrics 33971 Selva Rd., Ste. 125, 949.707.4757

In print and online 52 weeks a year.

REAL ESTATE - RESIDENTIAL

View online at www.danapointtimes.com

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

Call at Debra Wells for pricing at 949.589.0892 or email dwells@thecapistranodispatch.com

DP DP SURF Dana Point

DP SURF IS PRESENTED BY:

SCOOP ON THE LOCAL SURF COMMUNITY GROMS OF THE WEEK

Alexxa Elseewi and Gus Day

T

Emmy Merrill of San Clemente celebrates her gold medal win Tuesday at the 2014 ISA World Stand-up Paddle and Paddleboard Championship in Nicaragua. Photo: ISA/Rommel Gonzales

Merrill is Golden Again San Clemente’s Emmy Merrill wins gold medal at SUP Surf World Championship in Nicaragua

BY ANDREA SWAYNE, DANA POINT TIMES

E

mmy Merrill of San Clemente became the 2014 SUP Surf women’s world champion Tuesday at the International Surfing Association World Stand-up Paddle and Paddleboard Championship in Nicaragua.

Merrill turned in a string of strong performances in early rounds including posting the highest heat score of Round 2 with a two-wave combined total 11.27 points (out of 20) to advance to the finals.

In the finals she claimed the gold medal with a convincing 4.23-point lead, defeating runner-up Caroline Angibaud of France, 13.50 to 9.27, respectively. Australian Shakira Westdorp came in third place with 9.23 points and Iballa Ruano of Spain took fourth with 5.28.

This was a second title win for Merrill,

who was also the 2012 ISA WSUPPC gold medalist.

In men’s SUP Surf competition, San Clemente’s Colin McPhillips was eliminated in the Repechage rounds but fellow Team USA member Sean Poynter of Florida earned a copper medal. The gold medal in the men’s division went to Poenaiki Raioha of Tahiti.

The SUP Surf division kicked off the event which is scheduled to run May 3 through May 11. Competition continued on Thursday, with prone paddling and SUP racing divisions. Results were not available at press time.

Team USA is now in second place behind Team Australia going into the final days of the contest.

For more information including heatby-heat scores, photos, videos and a live webcast, visit www.isawsuppc.com. DP

Long Wins XXL Ride of the Year

O

Dana Point Times May 9-15, 2014

RESULTS Scholastic Surf Series Middle School State Championships, May 3-4, Oceanside Harbor, South Jetty TEAM RESULTS

BY ANDREA SWAYNE, DANA POINT TIMES

ne of the winningest surfers in the sport, Greg Long, from San Clemente, added another top honor to his resume May 2 at the annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards.

Long took the evening’s biggest prize, the $50,000 Ride of the Year award, for paddling into a massive wave at Puerto Escondido, off the coast of Mexico.

Also nominated for an award this year

alented surfers and the best of friends, Alexxa Elseewi, 13, and Gus Day, 12, both became Scholastic Surf Series middle school state longboard champions last weekend.

The SSS Middle School State Championships, May 3-4 at the Oceanside Harbor South Jetty would see Gus’ team, Shorecliffs Middle School, take the overall team title and Alexxa’s, Bernice Ayer Middle School, in fourth place. Alexxa was a double finalist, also earning a second-place finish in the girls shortboard division.

We talked to both of them about the contest, surfing, their plans for the future and each other. Here’s some of what they had to say: What did it feel like to become the SSS middle school state champ?

Alexxa: “It always feels good to win. I really wanted to take first place in short boarding though.”

Gus: “It was cool to win. The waves were fun.”

Why do you think your friend won his/ her title?

Alexxa: “We didn’t get a chance to watch each other’s final because we were surfing at the same exact time but I’m sure Gus won because he rips and has great style.

He’s a beast.”

Gus: “Alexxa won because she surfs really well and has amazing style. She intimidates.”

What was your strategy?

Alexxa: “My strategy was to be patient and try to pick the best waves possible and have fun on them.”

Gus: “Simple, catch the best waves and

Greg Long takes his place at the podium to accept his $50,000 Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards Ride of the Year. Photo: Andrea Swayne

was former Dana Point resident Bianca Valenti who was up for a Women’s Best Performance Award.

For full results and more event photos, log on to www.danapointtimes.com. DP

OVERALL TEAM: 1. Shorecliffs, San Clemente, 295; 2. Muirlands, La Jolla, 244; 3. Thurston, Laguna Beach, 203; 4. Bernice Ayer, San Clemente, 192; 5.

Valley, Carlsbad, 176. BOYS SHORTBOARD TEAM: 1. Shorecliffs, San Clemente, 160; 2. Thurston, Laguna Beach, 121; 3. Muirlands, La Jolla, 112; 4. Bernice Ayer, San Clemente, 85; 5. Oak Crest, Encinitas, 80. BOYS LONGBOARD TEAM: 1. Oak Crest, Encinitas, 48; 2. Shorecliffs, San Clemente, 47; 3. Muirlands, La Jolla, 41; 4. Mission Hill, Santa Cruz, 35; 5. Thurston, Laguna Beach,31. GIRLS SHORTBOARD TEAM: =1.

Muirlands, La Jolla, 45; =1. Shorecliffs, San Clemente, 45; 3. Aviara Oaks, Carlsbad, 37; =4. Marco Forster, San Juan Capistrano, 31; =4. Thurston, Laguna Beach, 31. GIRLS LONGBOARD TEAM: 1. Marco Forster, San Juan Capistrano, 33; 2. Valley, Carlsbad, 31; 3. Lincoln, Santa Monica, 30; 4. Bernice Ayer, San Clemente, 27; 5. Muirlands, La Jolla, 26. COED BODYBOARD TEAM: 1. Niguel Hills, Laguna Niguel, 42; 2. Bernice Ayer, San Clemente, 38; 3. Shorecliffs, San Clemente, 30; 4. Valley, Carlsbad, 29; 5. Muirlands, La Jolla, 20.

Page 30

Gus Day and Alexxa Elseewi have some fun showing off their trophies at the SSS Middle School State Championships, May 3-4 in Oceanside. Both won state titles in longboarding and Alexxa was also runner-up in shortboarding. Photo: Rob Elseewi

surf them better than anyone else.”

Are you chasing a pro surfing career?

Alexxa: “That’s my goal. I’m training hard and always trying to get better.”

Gus: “If I feel like I have a good chance at a pro career and a good opportunity comes my way, I’ll go for it.”

What’s the best thing about surfing?

Alexxa: “Being with nature and having fun in the water with friends.”

Gus: “It’s really fun and you meet a lot of new friends.”

Would you like to congratulate your friend on his/her win?

Alexxa: “Congratulations Gus. You’re my favorite barn. Ha ha. That’s an inside joke.”

Gus: “Good job Alexxa. I was rooting for you, you barn.”

Any last words?: Alexxa: “I love Gus.” Gus: “I love Alexxa sooo much.”

—Andrea Swayne INDIVIDUAL RESULTS BOYS SHORTBOARD: 1. Liam Gloyd, Valley; 2. Crosby Colapinto, Bernice Ayer; 3. Jaric Fink, Bernice Ayer; 4.

Gunner Day, Shorecliffs; 5. Tanner Ford, Muirlands; 6.

Noah Atwood, Shorecliffs. BOYS LONGBOARD: 1. Gus Day, Shorecliffs; 2. Sam Coffey, Mission Hill; 3. Koby Gilchrist, Oak Crest; 4. Noah Atwood, Shorecliffs; 5.

Noah Slawson, Oak Crest; 6. Matt Perrault, Muirlands.

GIRLS SHORTBOARD: 1. Tiare Thompson, Muirlands; 2. Alexxa Elseewi, Bernice Ayer; 3. Bethany Zelasko, Shorecliffs; 4. Sydney Tisdel, Aviara Oaks; 5. Samantha Sibley, Shorecliffs; 6. Gracie George, Lincoln. GIRLS LONGBOARD: 1. Alexxa Elseewi, Bernice Ayer; 2.

Tiare Thompson, Muirlands; 3. Cameron Duby, Marco Forster; 4. Sophie Major, Lincoln; 5. Hana McEvilly, Valley; 6. Mikya Farner, Valley. COED BODYBOARD: 1. Tommy Rinaldini, Niguel Hills; 2. Sabino Lopez, Bernice Ayer; 3. Nick Furlotte, Shorecliffs; 4. Nathan Elsner, Niguel Hills; 5. Tommy Capps, Valley; 6. Boston Stenlake, Bernice Ayer. COACHES SHORTBOARD: 1.

Jeff Booth, Thurston; 2. Bob Chalfant, Muirlands; 3.

Giancarlo Uraia, Diegueno; 4. Rusty Gibson, Half Moon Bay; 5. Dan Green, Correia; 6. Tom Sanford, Oak Crest.

COACHES LONGBOARD: 1. Brian McEvilly, Valley; 2. Giancarlo Uraia, Diegueno; 3. Jon Peterson, Aviara Oaks; 4. Mitch Colapinto, Bernice Ayer; 5. Kahuna Bob Edwards, Valley; 6. Tom Sanford, Oak Crest; 7. Foster Thompson, Muirlands.

www.danapointtimes.com