October 25, 2018

LO C A L

N EWS

October 25-31, 2018

YO U

C A N

U S E

Inside: Crib to College A guide to your childs success SPECIAL SECTION VOLUME 13, ISSUE 43

Redemption Song San Clemente High School football defeats Mission Viejo for first time since 1999 S P O R T S / PAG E 3 0

San Clemente High School football senior defensive ends Harrison Thomas, left, and Ryan Altman celebrate after defeating Mission Viejo, 21-20, at home on Friday, Oct. 19. Photo: Eric Heinz

NRC Prelim Report Finds ‘Inadequacies’ at SONGS Following Canister Incident EYE ON SC/PAGE 3

Boys & Girls Club Celebrates 36th Great Futures Gala EYE ON SC/PAGE 4

www.sanclementetimes.com

50 years of the Hobie Cat, Regatta This Weekend SURF/PAGE 34

GO TO SANCLEMENTETIMES.COM FOR THE LATEST NEWS, EVENTS AND SPORTS

SC EYE ON SC San Clemente

LOCAL NEWS & IN-DEPTH REPORTING

What’s Up With...

Five things San Clemente should know this week NRC Preliminary Report Finds Deficiencies Led to Canister ‘Near Miss’ at SONGS THE LATEST: Some of the operators working at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) storing spent nuclear fuel lacked proper credentials and training, and its owners did not report an incident in a timely manner, according to the latest preliminary report from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

On Friday, Oct. 19, the NRC released some of the findings from its inspection of SONGS after the plant experienced a “near-miss” incident with one of the canisters harboring its spent nuclear fuel.

Some of the findings released in the preliminary report included inadequacies with ensuring projects were overseen by proper personnel and certain quantitative and qualitative procedural material.

Following the preliminary report, Tom Palmisano, the vice president of decommissioning and chief nuclear office for Southern California Edison, sent out a letter about the incident.

“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission continues its review of the event and our corrective actions, and has provided valuable feedback,” Palmisano stated.

“Additionally, the NRC has created a new page on its website dedicated to its progress on the special inspection. This page includes some of its preliminary findings and answers to questions asked by the public. Many of these findings match our own conclusions. I believe it’s important to note that our robust analysis, reviewed by third-party experts, concludes the canister would maintain its integrity, with margin, if dropped. We have provided that analysis to the NRC and it’s currently under review.”

The full letter can be reviewed in a link in this article at www.sanclementetimes. com.

One of the 29 canisters currently in dry-cask storage at SONGS was improperly loaded on Aug. 3, as the crane that was loading it into a vertical repository snagged the 50-ton vessel on an outer ring.

When contractors noticed elevated levels of radiation in the area, they discovered the canister wasn’t loading correctly after about an hour and realigned it.

San Clemente Times October 25-31, 2018

Thomas English, Ph.D., a nuclear energy adviser to former President Jimmy Carter, speaks at a forum on the spent nuclear fuel at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, which was hosted by Residents Organized for a Safe Environment. Photo: Eric Heinz

That put the canister in an “unanalyzed condition,” the report stated.

The report said Holtec International, the company that constructed the newest canisters being loaded at SONGS, had completed a study of what could happen when a canister drops 25 feet, and had to resubmit it when the commission found the first study unsatisfactory.

Another problem noted was the incident wasn’t reported officially to the NRC until Sept. 10, although SCE did notify the NRC a few days after in an unofficial report, and wasn’t publicly announced until David Fritch, a contracted engineer working on the project, revealed the incident at a public meeting on Aug. 9 in Oceanside.

The NRC’s preliminary report said safety incidents must be reported to them within 24 hours of discovery.

San Clemente Times has reached out to Fritch seeking comment since August, but he has not responded.

WHAT’S NEXT: Public affairs officials with the NRC said there is not a definitive timeline for when the final report will be completed. SCE has not been cited based on the preliminary report.

“Over the past few weeks, SCE has analyzed the event and developed its cause evaluations to help better understand performance gaps in the overall fuel transfer operation. SCE is implementing corrective actions,” said John Dobken, the public relations official with SCE. “More to come once the NRC has completed its review.”

The full preliminary report can be found at www.nrc.gov under the “Spotlight” tab.

—Eric Heinz

Nuclear Energy Forum Seeks Real-Time Monitoring at SONGS THE LATEST: Residents of San Clemente and nearby cities are attempting to set up an alert system for radioactivity throughout the area that would incorporate citizen assistance.

Safecast, a volunteer-based organization that compiles environmental data from its users to evaluate conditions, provides citizens with Geiger counters to monitor radiation and other data simultaneously across the globe.

Since San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) started housing spent nuclear fuel at the end of last year, local activists have demanded Southern California Edison (SCE) operators install real-time monitoring at the power plant, as they currently report monitoring on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.

Joe Moross, the head engineer with Safecast, spoke to dozens of people at a presentation on Oct. 17 at the Center for Spiritual Living in San Clemente, which was hosted by Residents Organized for a Safe Environment (ROSE).

Monitoring is important in case a canister is damaged or fails and radiation is leaked, Moross said.

Page 3

“As long as the radiation source stays put, all you have to do is get away from it.

Even the strongest gamma rays, concrete’s going to block it. You’re basically shielded,” Moross said. “If it gets out and starts blowing around, that’s when we need to monitor it.”

The data from the various citizens in 100 countries sends readings to the databases at Safecast, and the data is compiled and scrutinized for any levels that may exceed what’s safe for human health.

Moross said that the readings that do spike upward of normal trends are verified with the people who collect and send the data to them before it is published.

Without real-time monitoring currently available, it may be the best tool for concerned citizens to keep the public informed about any elevated radiation levels.

WHAT’S NEXT: Moross said that he may make another trip to Southern California in January.

At the last CEP meeting on Aug. 3, Councilmember Steve Swartz, the San Clemente representative on the panel, said he wanted to explore the possibility of installing real-time monitoring of radiation at SONGS, something that the community has demanded for years. The next CEP meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 29 at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino (Cont. on page 4) www.sanclementetimes.com

EYE ON SC

The Sacramental Ministry of Saint Clemente was boarded up by the city of San Clemente on Thursday Oct. 18 for having “unsafe egress locks.” The ministry claims online that it is a cannabis-based faith that appears to have recently started within the city. Photo: Eric Heinz

(Cont. from page 3) Del Avion, but an agenda has not yet been posted.

FIND OUT MORE: The entirety of the forum can be found at a link in this article at www.sanclementetimes.com. Tom English, Ph.D., an adviser on nuclear energy to former President Jimmy Carter, spoke about what can be done in the short-term with the spent fuel. He said SCE should look into moving it to “the mesa site,” a small, elevated plateau that is located on the east side of I-5 on Camp Pendleton land. Representatives from Camp Pendleton have not entertained the project, but activists are trying to convince the Dept. of the Navy, which owns the land, to reconsider.

“One thing you can do, that’s realistic, is basically move it nearby because that’s what you have available to you, and you won’t get it across state lines until federal laws change,” English said during his speech. “It’s about 90 feet higher” than the sea level where it’s currently harbored.

—EH

City Condemns Cannabis-Based Faith Headquarters for ‘Unsafe’ Locks THE LATEST: The city of San Clemente on Oct. 18 shut down a cannabis-based faith headquarters on Thursday, Oct. 18, based on “unsafe egress locks on multiple doors,” which is a violation of the state’s building code and adopted by the city.

On Monday, Oct. 15, the San Clemente Times visited the Sacramental Ministry of San Clemente Times October 25-31, 2018

Saint Clemente in North Beach requesting to speak with one of the ministers about the faith and what’s rooted in its sacrament, but they were unavailable at the time. On Thursday, Oct. 18, when the publication returned, city employees were boarding up the headquarters and a “do not enter” sign was stapled near the entry.

A deputy with Orange County Sheriff’s Department kept watch from across the street as employees worked.

Efforts to contact the ministers of the organization on Facebook were also unsuccessful.

City Attorney Scott Smith said in an email that the City Council instructed “us to investigate and shut down” Saint Clemente, but he did not specify under what laws the organization was violating.

Assistant City Manager Erik Sund said in an email that the city was not investigating anything related to cannabis connected to the self-claimed religious institution.

In San Clemente, it is illegal to operate a dispensary of any kind, including delivery services. People are allowed to use cannabis within their own homes and can grow up to six plants, but commerce is completely outlawed.

Following the voter approval of Prop. 64 in 2016, which legalized sales of recreational marijuana, the city of San Clemente decided to enact stricter laws to forbid commercial transactions of the substance.

San Clemente residents voted in favor of the proposition; 17,119 voted yes and 15,049 voted no, according to the OC Registrar of Voters.

But it is still legal in California to gift a description of an ounce or less of marijuana from one person to another.

“We’re a cannabis church that uses cannabis as our sacrament and entheogen,” the church stated on WeedMaps. “We believe that this sacred plant really connects

you to god, by letting you realize whats [sic] really important in life without putting any focus on all the negative emotions that we naturally encounter as humans.

We also know that the blessed plant will unite us all and bring peace on earth.”

The church’s site on WeedMaps currently does not have a menu of cannabis products, as are provided on other dispensaries’ pages.

The religion’s Facebook page called San Clemente its “beautiful new home” on June 19.

WHAT’S NEXT: “They need to address all building code violations, and if they choose to continue to occupy the building, it must be a conforming use that complies with the San Clemente Municipal Code,” Sund said. —EH

Boys & Girls Club Celebrates 36th Annual Great Futures Gala THE LATEST: Standing at the podium in front of a crowd of hundreds of people, Karmen Canizales spoke about how the Boys & Girls Club of the South Coast Area helped guide her away from a deteriorating life.

Canizales, the club’s Youth of the Year for 2018, admitted she wasn’t the biggest fan of the club when she first started attending.

“On my first day, I was hit in the head with a basketball, and I missed my mom,” Canizales said, although when she got older she started to warm up to it. “I was given leadership opportunities when a staff member, named Veronica, invited me to become a member of the Torch Club (a teen program at the Boys & Girls Club). I

Page 4

was taught to be an honest leader.”

Canizales said her leadership training gave her the skills to take on adverse social situations, notably when one of her friends tried to convince her to take illicit drugs.

“I decided to pull myself away from her, and she ended up leaving the Boys & Girls Club,” Canizales said. “I have a very special bond with my club, but there have been many changes in the last few years that caused my friends to leave. Nothing’s stopped me from going.”

Canizales said she later joined the College Bound program that helps students who are dedicated to attending secondary education. It allowed her to tour colleges and inspired her to take her education seriously. Canizales is currently a freshman at San Francisco State University.

The Boys & Girls Club of the South Coast Area’s annual Great Futures Gala, hosted this year at the Laguna Cliffs Marriot in Dana Point, is the largest event of the year for the club and helps fund many of its programs. The Youth of the Year is selected by staff of the BGSCA. The criteria are standard of character, academic achievement and community service.

WHAT’S NEXT: The BGSCA annual gala raises about 15 to 20 percent of the club’s annual $1 million operating budget. The gala this year raised more than $160,000, according to Boys & Girls Club officials.

—EH

Socks for Heroes Partners with Stance Again to Assist Marines THE LATEST: Once again, the San Clemente Marine Corps Support Group hosted hundreds of U.S. Marines and their families to raise funds for socks to be sent to deployed Marines.

The support group, founded by Carla and Jim Hogan, is constantly involved with philanthropic endeavors related to the USMC. The event on Friday, Oct. 19, Socks For Heroes, was hosted in conjunction with Stance Socks of San Clemente.

“Gone are the mega-bases in Afghanistan and Iraq, along with the logistics chains that supported them. The burden for basic supplies has fallen more and more on the individual service member and their families,” according to the support group’s website.

The Hogans attest that socks are the most requested item by deployed Marines.

According to the support group’s website, the organization has raised more than $100,000 in grants and shipped 45 tons of socks to deployed Marines.

WHAT’S NEXT: To learn more about the support group and its upcoming events, visit www.scmcsg.org. —EH www.sanclementetimes.com

EYE ON SC

NEWS BITES

Community Meetings

COMPILED BY STAFF

Marines Welcome Home Parade Scheduled Nov. 9 The Heritage Foundation of San Clemente (Marine Monument) is welcoming back the city’s adopted Marine Corps unit from deployment, the 2nd Battalion 4th Marines (2/4), at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 9.

There will be approximately 600-700 Marines marching down Avenida Del Mar with the 1st Division Marine Band. In front of the Marines will be City Councilmembers, various organizations in classic cars and woodies such as the Knights of Columbus Council 3772, Veterans of Foreign Wars, George E. Smith Post No. 7142, Maine Corps League South Coast Detachment 022, CR&R, San Clemente Chamber of Commerce, Armed Forces Retirees of California, San Clemente Republican Women Federation Club, former Assistant Commandant USMC Gen. JK Davis and the Exchange Club of San Clemente.

The parade will be followed by military members’ school children, the 2nd Battalion 4th Marines Association members, then the Marine Band and 2/4 Marines.

The parade concludes with a 40-minute ceremony at Park Semper Fi. The marching Marines will be standing at rest in the upper adjacent parking lot, which will be closed off from traffic.

For more information, call the city of San Clemente at 949.361.8200.

Free Dental Care for Local Veterans on Nov. 9 Shoreline Dental Studio will host its second annual “Smiles for FREEdom” event on Friday, Nov. 9. Local veterans are eligible to receive free dental services and will be screened and diagnosed during examinations in the month of October on a first-come, first-served basis and will be scheduled to return on Nov. 10 to receive comprehensive dental care.

Last year Shoreline Dental Studio was able to provide more than $44,000 in free dental care for 26 local veterans.

The day will include a brief opening ceremony at 7:45 a.m. on Nov. 9 that will include words from Dr. Kristen Ritzau and the singing of our National Anthem.

Shoreline Dental is very grateful to have partnered with several local dental specialists for patients who require more complex dental treatment including endodontic work and oral surgery, and many of those patients have already received care.

The Smiles for FREEdom event is being held in honor of the late Eugene Fournier, USMC Master Sergeant. Fournier is the late grandfather of Ritzau, who opened Shoreline Dental Studio in 2012, according to a press release. Eugene was first stationed here in San Clemente Times October 25-31, 2018

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25

SC EXCHANGE CLUB MEETING Noon. San Clemente Exchange Club meets on most Thursdays at the San Clemente Municipal Golf Course.

Wedgewood Restaurant. 150 E. Avenida Magdalena. 949.412.6301. www.exchangeclubsc.org.

Three people who paid for the experience to jump off the San Clemente Pier got their opportunity Saturday afternoon, Oct. 20, as part of a benefit to Pier Pride, an organization that raises money for maintenance of the Pier. Photo: Noah McPherson

SAN CLEMENTE ROTARY 6:30 p.m. The San Clemente Rotary Club meets every second and fourth Thursday of the month. OC Tavern Grill And Sports Bar, 2369 S. El Camino Real. www.sanclementerotary.org.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28

the 1950s, and four generations later the family has remained here ever since.

Smiles for FREEdom 501c3 nonprofit organization.

San Clemente AAUW Branch to Co-Sponsor ‘Don’t Ghost the Vote’ The Orange County Registrar of Voters is setting up mobile voting from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Oct. 31 on the campus quad on the Saddleback College campus, located at 28000 Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo. The mobile voting unit will conform to all legal requirements, and all registered voters in Orange County will be able to cast or submit their vote-by-mail ballot at this polling site. The Pre-Law Society and the Associated Student Government of Saddleback College, in partnership with the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women (AAUW), will help facilitate voting by students, staff and the entire community. There will be Halloween festivities, so organizers encourage bringing the entire family. Free voter parking will be available in Lot 9 from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. For more information, visit to www.saddleback.edu.

Info on Results of the San Clemente Municipal Election Election returns from the San Clemente Municipal Election will be available on election night, Nov. 6, commencing after the polls close at 8 p.m., according to the city of San Clemente. Local issues on the ballot include the election of three Councilmembers, Ballot Measure V relating

to initiative for election of City Council members by district, and Ballot Measure W relating to an increase in the “hotel” guest tax. Residents may stay up-to-date on the election results by logging on to www.ocvote.com (for the fastest results), tuning in cable Channel 854 or by calling 949.361.8379. The city will also post election return updates via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Votes will continue to be updated after election night as additional mail-in and provisional votes are counted by the Orange County Registrar of Voters Office. Citizens can remain updated on election results after election night by logging on to www.ocvote.com or by calling the City Clerk’s Office at 949.361.8200.

Information concerning polling place locations can be obtained by logging on to www.ocvote.com or by calling the City Clerk’s Office. The San Clemente Times will also reiterate results from the Registrar of Voters on its social media platforms and website, www.sanclementetimes.com.

Charity Golf Tournament Raises $8,300-Plus for Semper Fi Fund On Oct. 16, the Bella Collina Women’s Golf Association Charity Golf Tournament raised more than $8,300 to benefit Semper Fi Fund. The Semper Fi Fund provides urgently needed resources and lifetime support for post-9/11 combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.

Page 6

Have something interesting to submit to our News Bites section?

Submissions are due by 10 a.m. the Monday of the week you’d like published.

Email eheinz@picketfencemedia.com.

DEL MAR FARMERS MARKET 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Bundles of flowers, fresh produce and much more every Sunday.

Avenida Del Mar. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30

SUNRISE ROTARY 7:15 a.m. San Clemente Sunrise Rotary meets every Tuesday at Talega Golf Course Signature Grille. 990 Avenida Talega. www.scsunriserotary.com.

BECAUSE I LOVE YOU (BILY) MEETING 6:30-8:30 p.m. Meets every Tuesday.

Because I Love You (BILY) helps parents find solutions to any crisis they are experiencing due to their children’s (adult or minor) poor choices.

Presbyterian Church. 119 Avenida De La Estrella. www.bilysc.org.

SAN CLEMENTE TOASTMASTERS 7 p.m. The club meets every Tuesday, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. for social and networking time. San Clemente Baha’i Center.

3316 Avenida Del Presidente, San Clemente. 805.794.0653. www.sanclementetoastmasters. toastmastersclubs.org.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31

KIWANIS SAN CLEMENTE Noon. Kiwanis San Clemente meets on most Wednesdays. Fratello’s Italian Restaurant, 647 Camino De Los Mares No. 126, San Clemente. www.sanclementekiwanis.com.

www.sanclementetimes.com

SC SOAPBOX San Clemente

VIEWS, OPINIONS AND INSIGHTS CoastLines by Fred Swegles

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

HOW TO REACH US CITY EDITOR Eric Heinz, 949.388.7700, x109 eheinz@picketfencemedia.com SPORTS Zach Cavanagh, 949.388.7700, x110 zcavanagh@picketfencemedia.com ADVERTISING PRINT AND ONLINE

Susie Lantz, 949.388.7700, x111 slantz@picketfencemedia.com DISTRIBUTION RACKS, DRIVEWAYS, SUBSCRIPTIONS

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

PICKET FENCE MEDIA PUBLISHER Norb Garrett

> Susie Lantz (SC)

EDITORIAL

Real Estate Sales Executive > Jennifer Guy

Senior City Editor, SC Times > Eric Heinz

> Debra Wells (SJC)

ART/DESIGN

City Reporter, DP Times > Lillian Boyd

Art Director > Jasmine Smith

City Editor, The Capistrano Dispatch > Alex Groves

Graphic Designer > Chelsie Rex

Sports Editor > Zach Cavanagh Columnist > Fred Swegles Special Projects Editor > Andrea PapagianisCamacho Copy Editor > Randall Youngman ADVERTISING/ MULTI-MEDIA MARKETING Associate Publisher > Lauralyn Loynes

OPERATIONS

Halloween Horrors of a Different Kind

S

an Clemente isn’t the same today.

Long gone is the era when one day out of the year Avenida Del Mar transformed into water balloon wars.

My most vivid memory of Halloween growing up in San Clemente isn’t trick-ortreating.

It’s being taken into custody by the police for possession of a water balloon.

Of course, this was very small-town San Clemente back then. I don’t think we had the freeway yet.

Teenagers, together with a few kids who had decided they were too old to be trick-or-treating, would gather along Avenida Del Mar on Halloween, armed with water balloons.

They would toss balloons at each other at the corner of Del Mar and Ola Vista and on up the street. Any car coming down Del Mar or Ola Vista had to navigate the gauntlet.

I don’t recall how old I was. I had decided I was too grown up to dress up like a skeleton and march door to door for candy. My brother, Steve, two years older than I, had told me about Del Mar. It sounded exciting.

So I stuffed a wad of balloons into my pockets and set out on foot, before dark, from our house on Avenida Esplanade.

My walk along El Camino Real toward Del Mar paused briefly when my dad suddenly

appeared, driving north. He slowed as he spotted me.

“Dad, where ya going?”

“To pick up your brother!”

“Oh, yeah? Where?”

“He got picked up by the police on Del Mar, throwing water balloons.

I’d better not see you down there!”

Me? I had never been in trouble. I was a top student at Concordia COASTLINES School, a good kid. Dad

By Fred Swegles was proud of me.

It didn’t take long for my world to turn upside down.

Life isn’t fair. I didn’t even get to throw one water balloon.

I was squatting down, tucked into an opening between two Avenida Del Mar businesses, filling the very first water balloon of my career. A police officer tapped me on the back.

I had thought I was clever, discovering a clandestine faucet at the scene of water balloon wars. How could I know the cops knew precisely where every faucet was?

Busted. I think six of us were crammed into the back seat of a patrol car, driven to the police station on Avenida Miramar.

I tried to ditch the evidence, stuffing my balloons between seat cushions.

The officer, letting us out at the station, probably rolled his eyes as he calmly retrieved packs of balloons from the back seat. He paraded us into the station.

The desk officer examined each of us sternly. He made us sit in humiliation as he telephoned our parents. I felt like a felon.

It was probably only a few minutes, but it felt like an hour before my dad walked in.

The desk officer took one look at my dad, raised his voice so the whole room could hear, and proclaimed, “Oh, it’s you again!”

It was the worst thing in the universe the desk officer could have said.

Other parents picking up their kids turned in unison to gawk at my dad.

My life was in tatters. Growing worse by the second.

Dad didn’t have to say a word. Nor did he, all the way home.

To this day, I can’t remember what the punishment was.

The sheer shame was enough.

I had flunked water balloon wars. SC

Letters to The Editor

of fighting for taxpayers and average citizens. She advocates common sense solutions for everyday Americans and Californians. If you wish to see the economy continue to improve and provide opportunity for everyone, vote for Diane Harkey. If you think Government should run your life, tax you massively for that “service” and force you to pay for ever more government programs, Mike Levin is your candidate.

Harkey = economic growth, freedom and national security. Levin = halting the current economic boom, open borders and more gridlock in Washington, D.C. with endless calls for investigations and impeachment of President Trump (then Pence, then whomever Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters do not like).

One final thought: If you as a conservative voter stay home (do not vote), in my opinion, you are casting a vote for the democrats. Visit Diane’s website at www. harkeyforcongress.com if you want to see the issues and where she stands on impor-

tant topics of the day.

PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, the SC 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 SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@sanclementetimes.com

Finance Director > Mike Reed General Manager > Alyssa Garrett Accounting & Distribution Manager > Tricia Zines SPECIAL THANKS Robert Miller CONTRIBUTORS Megan Bianco, Tim Trent and Jake Howard

San Clemente Times, Vol. 13, Issue 43. The SC Times (www. sanclementetimes.com ) is published weekly by Picket Fence Media, publishers of the Dana Point Times (www. danapointtimes.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 2018. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

FOLLOW THE SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

FACEBOOK.COM/SANCLEMENTETIMES • INSTAGRAM @S_C_TIMES TWITTER.COM/SCTIMESNEWS • LINKEDIN PICKET FENCE MEDIA

San Clemente Times October 25-31, 2018

VOTE FOR CONSERVATIVE DIANE HARKEY FOR CONGRESS CRAIG ALEXANDER, Dana Point

This Nov. 6, voters in the 49th Congressional District will have a stark choice between two candidates: one a conservative republican and one a liberal “resist” democrat. Before you vote, consider what each of these candidates stands for and will likely do if elected to Congress.

Diane is being maliciously smeared by the Levin campaign for a lawsuit from which she was dismissed. I have known Diane for more than 15 years. She is of the utmost integrity, has a notable list of endorsements and has a solid record

Page 8

WHY I’M LEAVING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY BOB BAKER, Former mayor of San Clemente

I am 70 years old and have been a republican and a fiscal conservative my whole life. I have resigned from the Republican Party. The last straw for me is the Orange County Republican Party and the Lincoln Club sticking their noses into local nonpartisan elections in San Clemente, again. They have endorsed know-nothing candidates instead of an incumbent republican City Councilmember. This Councilmember has done great work for the residents during her four years of service. Isn’t that what politicians are supposed to do? Stop it.

They did the same thing last election, and I thought they’d learned. But they continue. I quit.

(Cont. on page 10) www.sanclementetimes.com

SOAPBOX GUEST OPINION: Bartlett Bulletin by Supervisor Lisa Bartlett

New Ordinance Creates Addiction Treatment and Recovery Business Registry

P

oorly operated addiction treatment facilities and sober living homes have horrible impacts on our quality of life and public safety in South Orange County. For years, local government has struggled to gain control over sober living homes because outdated federal laws handcuff our ability to regulate the industry. These protections were established to defend vulnerable patients, but instead have created a system that exploits the very people they are meant to serve.

Recent investigations led by the District Attorney’s Sober Living Home Investigation and Prosecution Project uncovered gross abuses in the treatment industry. It was found that these bad operators solicited dangerous experi-

(Cont. from page 8)

REFUTE LINCOLN CLUB’S EFFORTS TO SWAY SAN CLEMENTE ELECTION ROBERT MASON, San Clemente

You may have seen those full-page back cover ads in the San Clemente Times from the Lincoln Club spouting misinformation about sober living homes and lawsuits. The Lincoln Club is a right-wing political and pro-development political action committee (PAC) from Newport Beach trying to sway our City Council election. They have direct business ties to the Transportation Corridor Agencies (The Toll Roads) and are supporting City Council candidates who promote the divisive Measure VDistrict Elections in San Clemente.

Currently, the election system we have enables residents to vote for five councilmembers every four years. Under district elections, you will only be able to vote for one councilmember every four years. Yes, that’s right—only one every four years.

That is just not good representation, as currently our councilmembers represent the entire city, not just one district. San Clemente is not mandated by the State to require district elections and the city does not have a lawsuit forcing us to have district elections.

So why does an out of town PAC from Newport Beach interfere in our smalltown elections? They will be endorsing three City Council candidates. Watch out

San Clemente Times October 25-31, 2018

mental surgeries to vulnerable patients.

Eleven suspects are being prosecuted for conspiring in the unauthorized practice of medicine and insurance fraud, among other charges. The investigations revealed that these illicit activities have provided funding for sober living homes.

For the last year, I’ve worked with County THE BARTLETT Supervisor Michelle BULLETIN Steel, District Attorney

By Lisa Bartlett Tony Rackauckas and the OC Health Care Agency to enhance our oversight of the addiction treatment industry and sober living homes. On Oct. 16, the Orange County Board of

Supervisors approved the first reading of the Addiction Treatment and Recovery Business Registration Ordinance (Registry Ordinance) with Supervisors Spitzer and Nelson abstaining. The Registry Ordinance will require all addiction treatment businesses operating in county unincorporated areas to disclose information about their business, investors and all affiliated parties including sober living homes.

This is the first major step in enhancing our oversight of the addiction treatment industry. Our aggressive efforts will allow public agencies to identify the network of addiction treatment companies and better position us to account for sober living homes so we can prevent abuses within the health care system.

for them and do not vote for them. It is up to you, the voter, to recognize “dark, political, pro-development money” when you become aware of it. A vote for district elections is a vote for The Toll Roads. This is very divisive and does not belong in our Spanish village by the sea.

We are one town, one team.

Only two of the candidates (Jackson Hinkle and Jake Rybczyk) consistently stress the importance of getting nuclear waste out of here. Jackson even went to Washington, D.C. to help persuade members of Congress to take action. Let’s get both Jake and Jackson on the City Council. We need their energy and dedication to what is by far the most important issue for this region: The San Clemente nuclear waste dump.

VOTE FOR ACTION ON SONGS JENNIFER MASSEY, San Clemente

On Oct. 18, I attended the symposium in San Clemente on nuclear waste and radiation monitoring. I was alarmed at what I learned. How many people here know that San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) is the official location of more than 1,700 tons of highly radioactive uranium and plutonium?

San Clemente has an exceptional amount of nuclear waste, more than enough to produce a Chernobyl or Fukushima-type of catastrophe. Even worse, it appears that this waste will be with us for decades and possibly forever.

Are we prepared? We don’t even have any real-time monitoring of radioactivity if there is an accident or terrorist attack.

Don’t people know that no insurance covers contamination by radioactive fallout?

As a real estate broker, I know that all homes could become a total uninsurable loss. Everyone would still have to continue paying their mortgages.

Before us is an important City Council election with no fewer than 12 candidates.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Although the highly radioactive nuclear waste is dangerous, a disaster of the magnitude experienced at Fukushima or Chernobyl is highly unlikely as the power plant is offline, according to SONGS officials.

THANK YOU FOR FINDING OUR DOG BARBARA MITCHINER, San Clemente

Thank you, Peter Burberry, for sharing your story in the Oct. 4-10 edition of the San Clemente Times and all community people who were strangers but helped to find his scared puppy! That was a wonderful story to read about. It was a good example for me, hoping I would do the same. So glad you have him back.

TROLLEY PROGRAM A SUCCESS AGAIN JUDI VOTE, San Clemente

Special thanks to the San Clemente City Council for arranging the Trolley service

Page 10

Our goal is for successful prosecutions to eliminate illicit funding that sober living homes depend on.

Right now the ordinance only applies to unincorporated Orange County. I am working with county staff to expand the program countywide and include incorporated cities. I encourage our South Orange County cities to partner with the county on this new program. Through partnership, we can ensure those suffering from addiction get the care they need and protect our communities.

Supervisor Lisa Bartlett represents the 5th District on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, which includes the cities of Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, (portions of) Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. SC PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, the SC 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 SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@sanclementetimes.com

again this summer and for extending it through the month of September. We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful city!

The Pier Bowl is one of my very favorite destinations, but the parking is always a problem. The trolley has been the perfect solution, and my friends and I have made use of it many times. It would be very nice to consider an additional stop convenient for the Casa for next year’s planning. Thanks again, City Council. Keep up the good work.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY

Have something you’d like to say? Email your letter to eheinz@picketfencemedia.com no later than 8 a.m. on Monday morning. San Clemente Times reserves the right to edit reader-submitted letters for length and is not responsible for the claims made or information written by the writers. Limit your letters to 350 words or less. Please send with your valid email, phone number and address for verification by staff. Your address and phone number will not be published.

Join the San Clemente Times for Beachside Chat, Friday, Oct. 26 at 8 a.m. at Café Calypso Beachside Chat is a spirited, town hall forum on community issues, hosted by SC Times editor Eric Heinz every Friday at Café Calypso, 114 Avenida Del Mar. All are welcome.

www.sanclementetimes.com

SC GETTING OUT San Clemente

YOUR SEVEN-DAY EVENT PLANNER

The List

At the Movies: Robert Redford Goes Out as ‘The Old Man and the Gun’

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

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

Thursday | 25 DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC? 6-9 p.m. Join the Wellness & Prevention Center for an evening under the stars featuring food from Iva Lee’s, a musical trio and a magician. Live and silent auction items include a deluxe condo weekend in La Quinta, tickets to musical Dear Evan Hansen plus dinner at Vaca, a coveted San Clemente High School parking permit and more. Buy tickets at bit.ly/bethemagic. Casino San Clemente, 150 W. Avenida Pico, San Clemente.

949.680.0516. www.wpc-oc.org.

Photo: Eric Zachanowich/Fox Searchlight Pictures

EDITOR’S PICK

BY MEGAN BIANCO, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Photo: File

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25: LIGHT UP THE PIER 5:30-7:30 p.m. Members of the Pier Pride organization will host the annual “Light Up The Pier” fundraiser. At sundown, people will shine their phones or flashlights on the Pier to illuminate the city’s iconic structure. 949.422.2943. www.pierpride.org.

Friday | 26 BOOK DEBUT CELEBRATION 6 p.m. Joe Dunn will debut his new book Lifestyle Retail, The Hobie Shop Story at a celebration and book signing. Proceeds from the book sales will be donated to the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente. 34174 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point. 949.496.7899. www.shacc.org.

Saturday | 27 HOBIE CAT 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 11 a.m. As a tribute to the Hobie Cat Company, and the legendary cats that started it all, a celebration will take place, featuring the “Hobie Cat Funtastico,” a 10-mile distance fun cat race that will launch from Doheny State Beach at 5 p.m. and sail past historic Hobie landmarks along the way.

The celebration is open to the public and will feature a large display of Hobie Cat culture and a day full of family-friendly activities. Doheny State Beach, Dana Point. www.hobieclass.com.

Sunday | 28 PET PROJECT FOUNDATION’S SPOOKTACULAR FUNDRAISER 5:30 p.m. This is the organization’s largSan Clemente Times October 25-31, 2018

on Tuesdays as they knit and crochet for a community service project. San Clemente Library, 242 Avenida Del Mar. 949.492.3493. www.ocpl.org/libloc/sc.

est fundraiser of the year to benefit the animals at the pro-humane San Clemente/Dana Point Animal Shelter. Funds raised at this event will help Pet Project Foundation pay for food, veterinary care, community spay/neuter programs and adoptions. Tickets can be purchased at 2018PPFTOTC.eventbrite.com. Bella Collina San Clemente, 200 Avendia La Pata, San Clemente. 949.492.1617. www.petprojectfoundation.org.

TRITON BASEBALL X-MAS TREE FUNDRAISER A presale of Christmas trees, wreaths and garlands going on now thru November 2nd. Highest quality, freshly cut, delivered direct from the Northwest. This is a 23-year tradition. For more information, contact Erica at 949.364.5554 or email sctritonbaseball@gmail.com.

Monday | 29 COA 2ND ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF CLASSIC 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Community Outreach Alliance (COA) will host its second annual golf tournament fundraiser, which supports COA’s programs. Don’t golf? You can still hang out with COA members and purchase tickets for happy hour, which includes live entertainment, appetizers and a silent auction. $150 per golfer, $25 for happy hour only. Bella Collina San Clemente, 200 Avenida La Pata. 949.388.0114. www.communityoutreachalliance.com.

Tuesday | 30 NEEDLEWORK CIRCLE 12:30-2:30 p.m. Join the Needlework Circle

Wednesday | 31 FRENCH CONVERSATION CLUB 2-4 p.m. Every Wednesday. Look for the table with the French flag surrounded by a group of people speaking French. No cost to join. Café Calypso. 114 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente. 949.493.5228, or 949.369.5482.

FREE COMEDY AT BLOOMS IRISH SPORTS BAR 8:30 p.m. Every Wednesday, free comedy at Blooms Irish Sports Bar with food and drink specials. There will be local and professional talent. 2391 S. El Camino Real, San Clemente. 949.218.0120.

Page 12

A

s of 2018, Robert Redford is reportedly joining Jack Nicholson and Gene Hackman as the latest classic A-list movie star to retire from films. David Lowery’s recent feature, The Old Man and the Gun, is what Redford claims is going to be his last time as a leading man on screen.

If so, then the Hollywood icon has chosen a fine piece to punctuate his legacy, especially next to some fellow legends as his co-stars.

Loosely based on the true story of real-life criminal Forrest Tucker (here played by Redford), The Old Man and the Gun follows the bank robber during his later years around 1981. Tucker is pushing 75 and is doing what he loves best: breaking the law. He’s spent his whole adult life in and out of prison when he’s not robbing some place. The “overthe-hill” robber keeps getting away with most of his crimes thanks to his sheer, natural charisma—much to the chagrin of Texas policeman John Hunt (Casey Affleck).

Tom Waits and Danny Glover appear as Tucker’s crime posse and Sissy Spacek is a local woman who might be able to tame his illegal tendencies.

Lowery has been on a roll the past two years between Pete’s Dragon (2016), A Ghost Story (2017) and now The Old Man. He knows how to take big stories and make them intimate and personal with the characters. This is no exception, and he shows he has an appreciation for the character and star. The Old Man is both an homage to a great career and the confirmation of a newer one. SC

www.sanclementetimes.com

CRIB to COLLEGE From the moment a child is born, parents and caregivers want to make sure that child is happy, healthy and on the road to success. In this edition of our annual educational guide, Crib to College, we’ve put together a selection of articles geared to help South Orange County parents navigate their child’s early years, adolescence and ascension into adulthood.

F

or starters, we’ll give parents information on some fun South Orange County day trips as well as activities that won’t break the bank. We will also provide important information on preschool, private school and facilities for children with special needs. We’ll also delve into the future with articles on what teens and their parents should know as the teens go after their first part-time jobs and as they prepare for college and vocational training. We hope that parents raising children in the tri-city area of San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano find this guide helpful and informative as they try to give their youngsters the best life possible.

CRIB to COLLEGE

Find ing

t i F t h g i The R

Choosing the right school is vital to a child’s emotional, academic growth classroom or on the playground; any group o-op, home-based, Montessori, dualactivity is building up those social skills. language or faith-based preschools, Kids learn so much from watching other there are a lot of early-childhood kids and teachers. It’s natural that kids are education options available. Coupled different when their parents are around. with schedules (part-time, full-time When they are gone, kids start coming out and extended care), cost and location, there of their shells and making friends. It’s great are a lot of factors to consider when picking to start to see them grow like that. a preschool for your little one.

While it’s great to have a plethora of opIs it normal for my child to struggle settions, choosing the right learning setting for tling into preschool? your child and family can feel like a If your child isn’t doing well daunting task. Much like selectafter a few weeks, then there ing the safest, positively reviewed could be something wrong. But car seat to protect your precious every kid is different. Some jump cargo, choosing a preschool is one right in, others can have a hard of the most important decisions week here and there. If children parents will have to make. are happy where they are, then We caught up with Heidi Pitkin, they are going to learn and grow a mother of five and 17-year owner … and that is what we want.

HEIDI PITKIN and operator of San Clemente Preschool, to talk about finding the right Can you tell us more about San Clemente preschool fit to make a child’s first out-ofPreschool? the-home, structured educational experience We are a family-centered school and a positive one in which youngsters can grow treat everyone like a family. We schedule emotionally and academically. a lot of events for both our students and our families. Emotionally and academically, What advice do you have for parents lookwe focus on the individual needs of our ing for the right preschool setting? students … preparing them to confidently Tour a lot of different schools. See where enter kindergarten. you get the best feeling and find the best fit, making sure you feel comfortable and where How do you ensure your students are your child could feel comfortable, too. Look ready to enter kindergarten? at the subjects they are teaching and the From language and reading, science goals they have. Sometimes you just know. and sensory play, art and music, social If it is right, it is the best thing in the world. studies, building blocks and construction, You can have the best day knowing that you physical development and dramatic play, don’t have to worry. every single month, every classroom gives students the opportunity to grow. We asHow important is interaction with other sess kids at the beginning, middle and end kids for my child’s development? of the year to see how they are meeting The social part is one of the most importheir goals. All in preparation for their next tant parts of preschool, whether it’s in the level of learning.

BY ANDREA PAPAGIANIS-CAMACHO

C

Special Places

CRIB to COLLEGE

for

Special Needs

Beach Kids Therapy Center

BY ALEX GROVES

Raising children can be hard enough, but parents with special-needs children face a variety of challenges, including making sure children are receiving the help required, are getting educated in the best possible way and are enjoying a high quality standard of life in spite of their disabilities. South Orange County has a number of organizations designed to not only help children with the disabilities they may be living with, but make sure they’re having fun in the process. Whether that’s riding horses at the Shea Center’s beautiful 8-acre facility, enjoying extracurricular activities at R H Dana Exceptional Needs Facility, or participating in one of the specially-planned classes at Beach Kids Therapy Center, there’s a lot to do in this corner of the county.

J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center

R H Dana Exceptional Needs Facility

Beach Kids Therapy Center

The J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center in San Juan Capistrano offers a variety of equine-assisted therapy and activities. The center helps people of all ages, but the majority of their clients are youngsters. Shea has programs geared toward more than 75 physical, emotional, social and cognitive challenges for people with disabilities.

Hippotherapy can be beneficial to people with such conditions as developmental delay, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder and functional curvature of the spine, among other conditions.

The movement of the horse can help give riders better balance, core stabilization and postural control.

Riders who previously had difficulty walking have been able to walk more easily after horse-riding sessions.

During the summer months, Shea offers its own summer camp in which children with and without disabilities get a five-day introduction to horseback riding and a chance to appreciate and care for horses.

J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center is located at 26284 Oso Road in San Juan Capistrano. For more information on their programs and services, call 949.240.8441 or visit www.sheacenter.org.

R H Dana Exceptional Needs Facility, which serves special-needs children from birth through fifth grade, has occupational and physical therapists as well as experts in adapted physical education, vision, audiology, mobility and health services.

Those experts work with teachers and other staff to make sure students with specific disabilities have their needs met.

At the school, which shares a campus with R H Dana Elementary School, students receive a general education curriculum and are able to participate in extracurricular and nonacademic activities with nondisabled children when appropriate.

The school helps to make sure a student’s needs are met by using adaptive equipment as well as communication devices and techniques.

Enrollment is based on eligibility for special education and recommendations from Capistrano Unified School District’s Individualized Education Program.

R H Dana Exceptional Needs Facility is located at 24242 La Cresta Drive, Dana Point. For more information, call 949.234.5505 or visit rhdenf-capousd-ca. schoolloop.com.

Beach Kids Therapy Center, which has locations in San Clemente and Laguna Hills, offers occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy for youngsters.

One of the things the center does is bring parents and siblings of patients in to participate in the therapy sessions, said Social Media and Marketing Manager Aubrey Ashford.

She said that’s important because it can help children when they have to do the same kind of exercises at home.

“That way, it’s all uniform and we’re helping them to achieve their highest potential,” Ashford said.

The center regularly holds events. On Oct. 21 they held a free karate class for children with special needs.

Next month the center will be rolling out a program called “Teenship,” which will provide social groups and activities to older children.

Beach Kids Therapy Center is located at 970 Calle Amanecer, Suite A, in San Clemente and 26081 Merit Circle, Suite 107, in Laguna Hills. For more information on their programs and services, call 949.498.5100 or visit www.beachkidstherapy.com.

CRIB to COLLEGE

BY ERIC HEINZ

I

f you’re thinking about enrolling your child at a private school in South Orange County—but are hesitant about the price tag—there are some outlets to help with financial burden.

San Clemente Christian School, for example, has an annual tuition of $5,500 plus $550 in fees annually for its youngest students and kindergarten, whereas upper school (past fifth grade) costs $8,000 a year plus $900 in supplies fees.

The school has a system called FACTS, which uses a formula to calculate available assistance based on what a family can afford.

“Each school gives (financial aid) differently,” said Dr. Nicky Magnuson, head of schools at San Clemente Christian School, “but FACTS can put in desired amounts and considers things like how often you vacation.”

The process is pretty rigorous as far as checking to see who is financially in need of assistance, having to scour tax returns and other factors, but Magnuson said they also help children in the community who evidently will need help affording tuition.

“We have a lot of word-of-mouth referrals, and there were students who struggled at public school (who enrolled in San Clemente Christian), and we find ways to figure out to pay for things,” she said.

A common theme of financial assistance for private K-12 schools in South Orange County is using a company to calculate the

Paying for K-12 Private Education

Financial assistance is available for independent schools

financial assistance needs, and most require a meeting with counselors to discuss a budgetary plan with the applicant.

Under these models, it’s critical that families seeking financial aid review their tax filings and proof of income to most accurately reflect the need based on the formulas used by the companies.

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano uses School and Student

Services (SSS) to help calculate financial assistance needs and cooperates with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that offers resources for schools outside public districts.

According to the school’s website, nearly $3 million was awarded to families in the 2018-19 school year. St. Margaret’s upper school tuition this school year exceeded

$33,000.

There are some other ways to go about finding financial aid. Under the Trump administration’s 2017 tax reform package, people can now use education savings plans (or 529 plans), up to $10,000 per beneficiary, to be used for tuition at private or public or faith-based K-12 schools. The plans were originally designed to help people save for higher education.

Prior to 2018, state governments were able to decide whether they would allow such plans to be federally tax-deductible for contributions to private schools, although California is not one of the states that recognizes this in its state tax deductions.

The drawback to cashing the 529 plan is that the compounding interest for saving for college would be lost the more the plan is expended. For K-12 education, it can only be used for tuition.

“It’s important to remember that these state tax breaks are only available when the funds are withdrawn to pay for expenses that the state considers qualified, which may or may not include K-12 tuition,” according to SavingforCollege.com. “States are currently reviewing the impact of the federal tax change to determine whether updates to state legislation are required.

If none of those options foot the bill, the NAIS offers various resources on its website, www.parents.nais.org/afford/aboutfinancial-aid/, which includes links to merit scholarships, grants, tuition loans and more.

CRIB to COLLEGE

Explorations

into the

Future

From advisement meetings to extracurricular activities, Capistrano Unified School District is working to help students achieve college and career goals

BY ALEX GROVES

H

igh School is an exciting, fun time for students as they gain more independence and continue their march toward adulthood. It’s also the final step before they go to college or begin a career, so preparation is key.

At Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD), students are plotting out the next phase of their lives in a variety of ways.

They’re consulting with academic advisers, attending college fairs and taking classes to figure out where they want to go and who they want to be in life.

Picket Fence Media spoke with Josh Hill, assistant superintendent over secondary education at CUSD, about that process and what the district is doing to help students figure it all out.

ACADEMIC ADVISERS Hill said academic advisers are a student’s “most important point of contact.”

They typically meet with students at least once a year to discuss college planning, career planning and what classes students need to take.

The once-a-year meetings are a great way for the academic advisers to gauge how the students are doing and whether they’re on track to meet their goals, Hill said.

Though they meet with each student at least once a year, the advisers can certainly be available more often if they’re needed to resolve issues, address questions or deal with any kind of special situation that arises.

FUTUREOLOGY Capistrano Unified School District has a special program called “Futureology,” which is designed to give students an additional level of support.

The program is staffed by a coordinator and three counselors.

They meet with families one-on-one and also hold larger group meetings at schools to talk about different topics such as college admissions, financial aid, and SAT and ACT testing.

Futureology provides online resources for families as well. Their website is full of information on many of the same topics they discuss at meetings. There’s also a place where families can schedule a one-on-one meeting.

Parents get a crash course on how to use

the Futureology website early in the school year.

“Every school sends a newsletter, typically every week, and early in the school year we send out information to families with all sorts of resources that are online for parents to access if they don’t have the time or they want to do it on their own,” Hill said.

YEARLY COLLEGE FAIR Once a year the school district hosts a college fair at one of its school sites. This year, the fair was held Oct. 8 at San Juan Hills High School and it featured representatives from 150 colleges, universities, technical and art schools, and military academies.

Students got to meet those representatives. They got to attend presentations put on by the representatives as well as Futureology staff members.

Some of the topics covered included filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to receive financial aid, crafting an effective college essay and reducing anxiety during college admissions.

Hill said Futureology staff were on hand to answer any questions parents and students had between the pre-arranged presentations.

COLLEGE CAREER PLANNING COURSE Students can do a deep dive into college and career options over the course of an entire semester through CUSD’S College Career Planning Course.

The class used to be a graduation requirement but is now an elective. However, many high school freshmen still take the class.

The class teaches its students technology skills, PC-based note taking and research skills, and goal-setting and planning skills.

“In that class, they will complete career interest surveys, they’ll do personality tests, they’ll identify the colleges that they might have interest in that offer programs that they might be interested in taking because it will lead to whatever career they want,” Hill said.

COLLEGE & CAREER ADVANTAGE CUSD partners with Laguna Beach Unified School District for College & Career

Advantage, a Career Technical Education Program.

The program offers students the chance to learn about such career pathways as manufacturing and product development; engineering and architecture; and agriculture and natural resources.

“We have dozens of classes where students get actual hands-on experience from industry-qualified, experienced professionals, both understanding and learning the craft that they’re studying but also being exposed to careers within that field,” Hill said. “That’s a required component of all of our CTE Classes.”

High schools in both districts offer CTE classes; some happen during the school day and some after school lets out. Students can

take the classes at their own school and do not have to go to other schools in the area.

Many of the classes are articulated, which means the students taking them can use the classes to earn high school graduation credit or even community college credit. Some of the classes can be transferred when a student goes to a CSU or UC school.

For more information on the program and its offerings, visit the CCA website at www. ccadvantage.org

OTHER ACTIVITIES Options such as academic advisement, the college fair, and college career-planning courses are district-wide programs, while area schools often coordinate their own events to get students excited about the future.

For example, San Juan Hills High School (SJHHS) recently was a stop on the Road Trip Nation Best Fit College Best Fit Careers Tour.

When the program came to SJHHS on Oct. 2, there were guest speakers covering such topics as college application, admissions and different career options. There was also time for a question and answer session.

Road Trip Nation is a PBS career-exploration and educational program that seeks to help students find their “best fit” colleges and careers. Road Trip Nation began in 2001 as a way for three friends to explore different career options as they traveled the country.

In the 17 years since it started, the program has turned into more of an interactive experience that engages students and provides them with helpful information to make the best choices for their futures.

In a news release, officials from the high school said they found the opportunity to participate in the program exciting, because it fell in line with their school-wide goal of increasing student involvement in activities, A-G courses, AP courses and career pathways.

CRIB to COLLEGE

Day Tripping

Looking for a change of pace?

These four Orange County attractions prove fun for any age Discovery Cube Orange County. Photo: Courtesy

0-5 YEARS OLD

5-10 YEARS OLD

10-14 YEARS OLD

14-18 YEARS OLD

Irvine Park Railroad and Zoo

Pacific Marine Mammal Center

Discovery Cube Orange County

Knott’s Berry Farm

The Irvine Park Railroad located in Irvine Regional Park is a fun-for-all-ages ride and gateway to many of the attractions located in the park.

The railroad itself is a one-third scale train that carries passengers on a scenic view of Irvine Regional Park and the foothills of Orange.

The railroad also hosts several seasonal events throughout the year, such as the popular Pumpkin Patch through September and October, a train ride to meet Santa Claus through December and the Easter Eggstravaganza through April.

The train is open seven days a week, weather permitting, and children 12 months or younger ride free. Admission for all others is $5.

Located right next to the railroad is the Orange County Zoo, which features more local or “regular” animals than you would find at the traditional zoo. There are exhibits for black bears, mountain lions, eagles, hawks, owls, porcupines, coyotes and more.

They also feature a petting zoo where children can interact with goats, sheep, pigs, doves, chickens and pheasants.

The zoo is also open seven days a week, and children 2 years old and younger are free. Admission for all others is $2.

You wouldn’t expect one of your best opportunities to observe and learn about seals and sea lions to be halfway up Laguna Canyon, but tucked away in the canyon is the Pacific Marine Mammal Center.

The center takes in injured seals and sea lions along the Orange County coast and cares them back to health for release.

At peak times during the summer, there may be up to 100 seals or sea lions at the center.

There are free public tours to view and learn about the animals, but the center also presents group tours, classes, school programs and a Marine Science Kids Club.

In the summer months, the center also puts on Camp Pinniped for 8- to 12-year olds.

With the summer camp, children get to see how they care for, feed and help the animals. Children get to watch and do simulations of the duties on their own, but they do not get to touch the animals.

Admission is free, but donations to the center are accepted.

If nature is your theme for this day, there are other nature centers in Laguna Canyon such as Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and the Nix Nature Center where you can explore the canyon and surrounding hills learn about local animals and plants.

Unmistakably located off the 5 freeway in Santa Ana, recognized instantly by the giant cube out front, the Discovery Cube, formerly known as the Discovery Science Center, is in its 20th year of operation of providing fun and interactive looks at science.

The Cube offers 10 ongoing exhibits as well as special event exhibits for limited times.

The current special exhibit is based on the Disney Junior show The Lion Guard and runs through mid-January. Kids can learn about the African Savanna and the animals that live there, as well as hands on activities to learn about teamwork and leadership.

In the ongoing exhibits, you can interact with a cloud ring, climb the rock wall and experience an earthquake and hurricane winds. You can also learn about space and space exploration at the planetary research station and mission control.

There’s also the Science of Hockey exhibit presented by the Anaheim Ducks where you can learn about physics while shooting on a virtual goaltender or taking shots as a goalie from a virtual shooter.

Admission for children 2 years old and younger is free, kids 3 to 14 years old are $14.95 and adults are $19.95.

There are plenty of amusement parks and learning experiences to be had in Southern California, but none of them gives you the bang for your buck like Knott’s Berry Farm.

Tickets can be purchased online for as low as $48 for a daily ticket or $95 for a yearly season pass, both prices exponentially lower than the competition.

For learning, kids can learn about the Old West and the early days of California. Explore the Calico Ghost Town and learn from and observe the town blacksmith. You can also pan for gold like early California settlers.

You can get a dose of learning and entertainment from the Mystery Lodge and learn about the culture and stories of western Native Americans presented in show style.

You don’t have to stray far from the Calico Ghost Town for entertainment with the Wild West Stunt Show and the Calico Saloon.

Of course, you can explore the rest of the park and enjoy run-ins with Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang as well as riding thrilling roller coasters like Ghostrider, Silver Bullet, Montezuma’s Revenge, Xcelerator and the brand new Hangtime.

Don’t forget to take a drop from the classic Supreme Scream.

Fun for all ages with some education sprinkled in.

CRIB to COLLEGE

Changing with the Times

Pam Roy of Square One Pathways discusses alternatives to the four-year-track

Groms Online

San Juan Capistrano teen builds social media network for children

D

BY ERIC HEINZ

C

hildren are going to be exposed to social media at some point in their lives, but there are areas of modern interaction that can be perilous for families.

In order to address this problem, Zach Marks and his father, Daren, decided to create a Facebook-like social media realm for children in kindergar-ten through eighth grade.

That’s when they came up with Grom Social, which its owners say is safe and constantly monitored.

“It’s a way to help kids better prepare for the world, a place where they can feel comfortable,” said Zach, who is now 17 years old. “We spent so much time completing the parent oversight part.”

Kids are allowed to post their own photos and other media, pending approval and examination, or they can create an avatar.

Grom Social promotes online stewardship and etiquette and is declared a bully-free zone. It acts similar to Facebook.

and develop focus before investing the time ana Point resident Pam Roy decided and money in college to ensure that a) the to take action after reading a report degree is needed, b) the value is worth it, that 70 percent of people in the and c) the degree can be completed in 4 United States believe there are opyears or less,” Roy reasoned. portunities in the workforce outside Within the last decade, Roy reasons a of the standard four-year academic college radically and rapidly changing economy has experience, as well as learning that more created “new collar” fields that only need than 50 percent of college freshmen since short-term training for very specific, in2016 will drop out before graduation demand skills. The opening of new training That is why Roy started Square One centers (from boot camps to tech schools to Pathways, a program to prepare MOOCs) has greatly expanded and align high-school students for the opportunities available to the main options at their disstudents to test out and explore posal, in addition to opening www. areas of interest at a lower cost pamroyblog.com, where she has of both time and money. become known as a leading expert For those students not sure in parenting education and career which direction to go, a gap year, planning. apprenticeship or corporate PAM ROY “Although my writing can be training program may better suit viewed as such, I’m not anti-college,” Roy them. said. “I am ‘anti’ the cost (debt) and time it “Let’s take the shortest term and least takes to get a degree compared to outcomes expensive option to figure out your interests for most students and ‘anti’ that all students and programs,” Roy suggested. “Let’s find a are channeled into a sameness model certificate program while you are working. defined by a GPA and the SAT/ACT. I believe What good is that extra million dollars if you that a college degree is just one pathway aren’t healthy and well? We are moving into available today and requires a focus and a collaborative society, the skill sets our kids maturity found in a minority of high school need is changing and collaborative, but they students.” (Studies showed only about are in a place that is teaching conformity. one-third of 10-12th graders are engaged We need to be adaptive.” in school and ACT estimates only 1 in 3 are Pam Roy writes about parenting, educaprepared for college.) tion and career planning on www.pamroyRoy’s “Lifelong Learning” blog argues blog.com. She is the founder of Square One that an outdated and exhaustive education Pathways, dedicated to helping high school program our children are receiving in K-12 is students and young adults find a higher only targeted toward college acceptance. education pathway or career training that “We now need to help students mature optimizes their time and resources.

BY DANIEL RITZ

“If someone tries to set up an account and they’re not a child, and someone asks another child personal information, we will step in,” Darren said.

In order to make an account, a child must have their parent’s permission and Grom Social calls the parent to verify the account.

The company also created and facilitates an app for parents called MamaBear that allows parents to track their child’s online activity.

On the website, children can get help with all kinds of homework as well.

More information can be found on the Grom Social website, www.gromsocial.com.

CRIB to COLLEGE Special Advertising Section

Great Opportunities Local schools and exclusive programs St. Mary’s School

Mathnasium

At St. Mary’s, we start from a simple premise: by nurturing world-sized hearts and educating world-class minds, our students will make an impact on the world.

Now in its 25th year, St. Mary’s is the only accredited International Baccalaureate (IB) World School in Orange County for Early Preschool through Grade 8.

A Reimagined Campus Teaching techniques must be adaptive and flexible, and our newly opened “reimagined” campus was designed with these thoughts in mind. Education is changing, and we are paying attention. Our new home enhances our innovative curriculum and reflects an interactive and hands-on environment.

The St. Mary’s Difference The St. Mary’s community is as diverse as it is united. Our student body represents 12 different countries and 24 languages.

Our teaching reflects our commitment to multiculturalism. We offer three foreign languages—French, Spanish and Mandarin.

Young scholars begin speaking Spanish as early as age 4.

A Standard of Academic Excellence St. Mary’s challenges students to ask “what” and “why” in their quest to deeply understand that they are a part of the answer to “how.” We ignite students’ natural curiosity, stimulating them both intellectually and creatively. Our students are prepared for whatever rigorous high school and college curriculum lies ahead.

A Culture of Compassion Developing students’ character is as critical as developing their minds. St. Mary’s cultivates a campus of inclusivity and compassion.By embracing every faith, culture and point of view, our students benefit from a vibrant and open-minded environment. Our philosophy of inclusivity expands hearts as well as minds.

St. Mary’s students are academically challenged, internationally aware and instinctively compassionate. Come see for yourself at our Admission Open House on November 8.

FIVE SIGNS THAT YOUR CHILD IS STRUGGLING WITH MATH First Step to Solving the Problem Is Identifying It. New math ideas are coming at students every day. Math topics taught in class build on concepts taught in years prior; kids fall behind in math because they lack the prerequisite skills.

If a child is having a hard time keeping up in math, act early.

Five telltale signs that suggest a child is struggling with math: • Math grades are lagging, but student has good grades in other subjects.

• Student demonstrates negative sentiments/low self-esteem regarding math, and expresses boredom or makes comments like, “I’m no good at math.”

• Missing key milestones. Addition/ subtraction should be mastered by the end of 2nd or 3rd grade, multiplication and division by the end of 3rd–4th grade, fluency with fractions at the end of 5th– 6th grade.

• Physical signs like counting on fingers suggest poor retention of number facts.

• Comments from the child’s teacher about “not working up to his or her full potential.”

If a child shows any of these signs, there are things parents can do before the situation deteriorates. Seeking help from the student’s teacher is an obvious first choice. Offering to help more closely with homework is another. And, of course, enrolling in an after-school math program like Mathnasium that specializes in strengthening foundational knowledge while providing homework support is another option that brings professional help and expertise.

Learn how Mathnasium can help your child. Call one of our Learning Centers today!

7 Pursuit, Aliso Viejo, 949.448.9027, www.smaa.org

Mathnasum of Dana Point – (949) 240-6284 Mathnasium of Ladera Ranch – (949) 429-3020 Mathnasium of San Clemente – (949) 481-6284

Santa Margarita Catholic High School

Wellness & Prevention Center

With academic tracks tailored to meet the needs of varied learners; more than 85 clubs and activities; competitive, characterbuilding athletics; and an award-winning arts program—all in a nurturing, Christcentered environment—Santa Margarita students are empowered to grow spiritually, intellectually, socially and morally.

Santa Margarita has the distinction of being the county’s only Catholic International Baccalaureate high school and is ranked as the top Catholic high school in Southern California by The Washington Post. Recognized as a Microsoft Showcase School, the school’s one-to-one tablet PC program provides an immersive educational experience preparing students for college and beyond. With a 14:1 student-to-teacher ratio, students receive individualized attention allowing them to reach their full potential.

The Class of 2018 earned $57.8 million in scholarship offers with 99 percent of the class attending college. Tuition assistance is available with one in four students receiving need-based aid. Visit Santa Margarita’s beautiful 42-acre campus at 22062 Antonio Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita.

Info: www.smhs.org.

Education: We educate students, parents and community members on the health and wellness challenges that typical teens face on a regular basis, including substance use, nutrition and exercise, body image, and mental health diagnoses such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. We educate through classroom instruction, community forums, electronic newsletters, classes for parents and teachers, and social media posts.

Mental Health Counseling: We have a team of mental health professionals. Upon intake, our team will assess, diagnose, and provide short-term, solution-focused therapy for students. We also refer students and families to other community resources as needed for additional services, physical health evaluations, and more intensive mental health treatment.

Community Engagement: The W&PC believes in the value of engaging students’ broader communities in prevention and health.

We are the lead agency in a federally funded Drug Free Communities Coalition, whose goal is to implement a ten-year strategic plan to strengthen the community in efforts to help youth lead healthy, drug-free lives.

Bella Collina San Clemente

College Ready

Bella Collina San Clemente is a private, family-friendly golf club where there are no strangers, just friends you haven’t met yet.

The scenic 27-hole golf course, designed by legendary tournament champion Gary Player, also offers an active social calendar, where members enjoy wine dinners, concerts, kid-friendly events, festive holiday celebrations and much more. In addition to single and family golf memberships, Bella Collina San Clemente offers junior golf memberships for children and social memberships for non-golfers. Whether you’re looking to create lasting memories with your family or a place to unwind from the daily grind, Bella Collina San Clemente is the perfect family getaway in your own backyard.

200 Avenida La Pata, San Clemente, 949.333.4830, www.bellacollinasanclemente.com.

info@www.wpc-oc.org, www.wpc-oc.org

College Ready’s mission is to educate one million students that they do not need to go into debt to get a college degree. What students do not know is costing families hundreds of thousands of dollars in loan debt. We offer a proven strategy of how to find the best fit college while graduating without debt. We are a team of professionals driven to help your student succeed both in college and in life. We plan individually with students and their families to build the perfect college match as well as financial fit. Our focus is your student and what he or she aspires to achieve. We are Certified College Counselors from UCSD and come with over 10 years of experience helping students get into the perfect college or university. We enjoy working with students starting their freshmen thru senior year in high school, college-transfer students, and VAPA students and scholar athletes. Every student who hires College Ready has the opportunity to create their own Passion Project and make a difference in the lives of others.

Our goal is to help your student be the best they can be while graduating debt free!

Shellee Howard: collegereadyplan@gmail.com, www.collegereadyplan.com.

CRIB to COLLEGE

First Job

101

Part-time jobs help students learn interpersonal skills, responsibility

BY ALEX GROVES

A

common undertaking for high schoolaged teenagers is having a part-time job; they’ll spend their afternoons and weekends serving coffee, flipping burgers and sweeping up movie theater popcorn.

However, having a job when you’re a teen is a bit more complicated than it may initially appear. There are some things teenagers, who are also students, need to do before they can land that first part-time job and some considerations they need to bear in mind after getting it.

The California Department of Industrial Relations says that in most circumstances, students under 18 who want to work need to obtain a work permit. The permits can usually be picked up from a designated person at the teen’s school.

Josh Hill, an Assistant Superintendent for Capistrano Unified School District, said students with jobs are limited to four-hour shifts on weekdays and eight-hour shifts on weekends. During the summer months when there is no school, minor employees can work up to eight hours a day.

Hill said that because schools issue the permits, they have the right to revoke them if a student’s grades start to decline or they start to have attendance problems, but generally the school district is supportive of a student’s efforts to work.

“We encourage students to work because there are many, many skills, especially soft skills that you learn in that setting that really can only be learned in that setting,” Hill said. “Schools provide a lot of opportunities for students to learn a lot of things, but on-the-job training is really second to none in terms of preparing a student for an actual job someday.”

What are some of the skills students take away from those part-time jobs?

“How to interact with people, even people who aren’t being nice to you,” Hill said. “How to still be polite and pleasant; how to be on time; how to be responsible;

how to complete your work, even when no one’s looking over your shoulder … Some of these lessons we don’t directly teach in our classes, and these are things you do actually learn though, when you’re getting paid by somebody to do a job.”

He said another important thing learned from having a part-time job is the reality of having money and spending it. He said parttime jobs can be a great way for students to learn the value of money and the importance of being fiscally responsible.

Hill said one common issue he comes across is students who want to do everything—they want to play sports, they want to take all AP classes and they want to have a job—but he said sometimes school administrators have to encourage students to take on a little less.

“There are just so many things that you can do and all of it is good and all of it looks good, but unfortunately you can’t do all of it,” he said. “So helping them kind of decide where they should prioritize and kind of invest their time.”

As students get older, they can have a little more control over their schedules, Hill said.

“Our district has a policy that allows students who are in 11th or 12th grade to only take five classes on campus,” he said. “So that gives students … a little bit more time in their schedule to get a job if they want that opportunity or to pursue other extracurricular interests that they might have.”

Hill said that he does worry about the availability of jobs as well as emerging technologies that may replace the need for employees.

“There’s a part of me that hopes that as a society we continue to value opportunities for students to have these kinds of entrylevel opportunities while they’re in high school,” he said. “As everything becomes automated, and there’s a computer welcoming you at McDonalds, then a student isn’t getting the opportunity to learn lessons that they might not learn elsewhere.”

SC San Clemente

ACCOUNTING

Chris W. Johnston, CPA, MBA 34184 Pacific Coast Highway Dana Point, 949.240.8015, www.cwjcpacorp.com

ADDICTION RECOVERY TREATMENT

Body Mind Spirit Intensive Outpatient Program

665 Camino De Los Mares, Ste. 104, 949.485.4979, www.bodymindspiritiop.com

AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING

Solstice Heating and Air

2208 El Camino Real, Ste. #1, 949.573.3607, www.solsticehvac.com

ART GALLERIES

San Clemente Art Association 100 N. Calle Seville, 949.492.7175, www.scartgallery.com

CHOCOLATE/CANDY

Schmid’s Fine Chocolate

99 Avenida Del Mar, 949.369.1052, www.schmidschocolate.com

CONCRETE

Locals Only BUSINESS DIRECTORY

HOME REPAIRS/IMPROVEMENT

Capistrano Valley Raingutters

166 Avenida Del Mar, 949.361.6661, www.paradisejewelers.com

LANDSCAPING

Costa Verde Landscape

Lic.: 744797 (C-8 & C-27) 949.361.9656, www.costaverdelandscaping.com

MUSIC LESSONS

Danman’s Music School

949.496.6556, www.danmans.com

Panagia Music: Music Lessons and More!

949.705.7573, panagiamusic@gmail. com, www.panagiamusic.com

PERIODONTICS & DENTAL IMPLANTS

Dr. Alice P. Moran, DMD

1001 Avenida Pico, Ste. K, 949.361.4867 (GUMS), www.moranperio.com

949.837.6483, www.accuratetermitecontrol.com

Exquisite Epoxy Concrete Floor Coatings

Colony Termite Control

647 Camino de los Mares, Ste. 209, 949.493.9311, www.drericjohnson.com

EDIBLE LANDSCAPING

Organics Out Back

949.354.2258, www.organicsoutback.com

ELECTRIC BIKES

Murf Electric Bikes

212 N. El Camino Real, 949.370.3801, www.murfelectricbikes.com

ELECTRICAL

Arcadia Electric

949.361.1045, www.arcadiaelectric.com

Buy • Consign • Sell

949.395.5681 (24 hours) Available 7 days a week.

We also offer professional appraisals, auction services, restoration and shipping.

CASH SAME DAY Dee Coleman, CEO/Owner 2485 S. El Camino Real San Clemente Web: classicautosalesoc.com Email: classicautosalesoc@gmail.com

217 Avenida Del Mar, Ste. E, 949.361.9006, www.syrens.com

Capistrano Valley Christian Schools

949.493.5683, 32032 Del Obispo Street, www.cvcs.org

WEBSITE DESIGN

San Clemente Website Design

949.246.8345, www.sanclementewebsitedesign.com

WINDOW & DOOR REPLACEMENT

Offshore Construction

RESTAURANTS

Café Calypso

GARAGE SALE SATURDAY 10/27 8am - 2pm. 33 Calle Mandarina, San Clemente - Alisal Neighborhood in Forster Ranch. Perfect for home cooks & bakers. Kitchen Appliances, Professional Assorted Bakeware, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Baker’s Rack, Pots & Pans, Platters and more.

GARAGE SALE LISTINGS ARE FREE! Email your listing to info@sanclementetimes.com.

Deadline 5pm Monday.

NO PHONE CALLS.

SCHOOLS

100% positive EBAY Seller since 2001! www.LuXreRealty.com

GARAGE SALES

877.774.1492, www.offshoreconstruction.org

114 Avenida Del Mar #4, 949.366.9386

HELP WANTED HELP WANTED DANA POINT MARINA INN Dana Point Marina Inn is looking to fill the following openings: Front office/reservations/desk clerks (AM and PM shifts) Housekeeping Supervisors (Full Time - Days) Dana Point Marina Inn Apply in Person at 24800 Dana Point Harbor Dr Dana Point, Ca 92629 949-496-1203

OTHER STUFF SENIORS FIND SOMETHING TO DO

Make the most of your free time See the activity in your zip code www.seniorsignin.com

PEST/TERMITE CONTROL

Accurate Termite and Pest Control

Eric Johnson, D.D.S.

Syrens Hair Parlor

Paradise Jewelers

Lic.: 744797 (C-8 & C-27) 949.361.9656, www.costaverdelandscaping.com

DENTISTS

207 S. El Camino Real, 949.366.2060, www.scsalonbleu.com

JEWELRY

Submit your classified ad at www.sanclementetimes.com

SALONS

Salon Bleu

Scott Williams, 949.542.7750

Costa Verde Landscape

Lic.: 1020002, 949.632.8400 exquisiteepoxy.com

BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT

CLASSIFIEDS

WANTED

1402 Calle Alcazar, 949.361.2500, www.colonytermite.com

A to Z Leak Detection

LIST

Bill Metzger Plumbing

LOCALS ONLY

PLUMBING 1001 Calle Recodo, 949.481.7013, www.atozleakdetection.com 1001 Calle Recodo, 949.492.3558, www.billmetzerplumbing.com

REALTORS

USE

“Sandy & Rich” RE/MAX Coastal Homes

LOCALS ONLY

Scott Kidd, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services

In print and online 52 weeks a year.

View online at www.sanclementetimes.com.

949.293.3236, www.sandyandrich.com

949.498.0487, skidd@bhhscal.com

Sherry Wild, LuXre Realty

BRE # 01480453, 949.275.8937

Call at Susie Lantz for pricing at 949.388.7700, ext. 111 or email slantz@picketfencemedia.com.

WANTED: STAMPS! Buying Large U.S and International Postage Stamp Collections Nick (619) 672-0434

Do you want to reach 42,000 people in the San Clemente area? *2.1 readership per 20,000 copies distributed

Then you need to be in the San Clemente Times.

Call us today!

949.388.7700 ext. 111

SC n te S a n C le m e

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE Call 949.388.7700, ext. 111 or email slantz@picketfencemedia.com

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE Call 949.388.7700, ext. 111 or email slantz@picketfencemedia.com

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE Call 949.388.7700, ext. 111 or email slantz@picketfencemedia.com

San Clemente Times October 25-31, 2018

Page 27

www.sanclementetimes.com

SC SC LIVING San Clemente

PROFILES OF OUR COMMUNITY

GUEST OPINION: On Life and Love after 50 by Tom Blake

Pet of the Week: Basil

The Reach of This Newspaper

M

y partner, Greta, and I are on Day 21 of an 82-day cruise in Asia. Being 6,100 miles away from South Orange County, it’s been easy to wonder if newspaper readers in Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano have forgotten about us.

But then we were surprised. Jim Curwood, the owner of Buy My Bikes in San Juan Capistrano, sent an email, which arrived when we were in Yokohama, the port of Tokyo. Jim said, “I just got back from Ireland. Read your column in The Capistrano Dispatch about your trip: 82 days, wow! Congrats.”

I responded, “Good to hear from you. After we get back, let’s have coffee or an adult beverage. Greta and I are going to Ireland next August on a land tour for 10 days. You can give us some Ireland trip pointers!”

Next, my Stand-Up-Paddleboarding buddy, former Dana Point Chamber of Commerce CEO Russell Kerr, who has traveled the world, sent this email: “Enjoy Singapore, one of the great cities of the world; I was there this spring before I hiked to base camp of Mt. Everest in Nepal.”

And while the ship was en route to Shimizu, Japan, Greta won at Bingo. The game’s director called her to the scorer’s table and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Greta.”

Immediately, another female Bingo player approached and said, “I knew I would find you. There probably aren’t many women named Greta on board. Are you with Tom Blake?”

The woman introduced herself as Nancy Shapiro from San Clemente. She and her husband, Jim, are on the cruise. Nancy explained to Greta that two friends of hers in San Clemente—Scott Seaver and Gale Senter—both had read in the San Clemente Times that Greta and I would be on the Holland America ship, the MS Amsterdam.

Greta and I plan to dine with them one night.

And then, while ashore in Kobe, Japan, while checking email in the port reception area, another email came in from Art and Dorothy Scully, who live in Newport Beach.

The Scullys wrote: “We read your article about the Grand Asia cruise with great interest. I wondered if you had met our cruise friends who are also on your ship. We took a 39-day cruise this summer (round trip Boston to Iceland and Northern Europe).

Our cruise friends and dinner mates were Mardelle and Bill Fleming from Florida.

They are originally from Iowa but lived primarily in New Hampshire before retiring to Florida. Bill was a pharmacist. If you meet them, please tell them hello from Art and Dorothy Scully from Newport Beach! They San Clemente Times October 25-31, 2018

SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

F

will be surprised.”

And then the Scullys added, “We plan to meet your ship when it docks in Los Angeles on Dec.21 and take Mardelle and Bill to LAX for their flight home. Thanks for the fun article.

It made me wish we were on your ship, too!”

I responded to Dorothy and Art, “Haven’t met them yet. But we will leave a note at the front desk. How, with you living in Newport Beach, did you see the article in the newspaper in Dana Point, San Clemente or San Juan Capistrano?”

The Scullys replied: “A friend who lives in San Clemente clipped it out (from the San Clemente Times) and sent it to me.

She thought I would enjoy the article since we go ON LIFE AND LOVE AFTER 50 on cruises (at least one

By Tom Blake annually). We always go on Holland America. She is one of your fans.”

I left a note at the ship’s front desk for Mardelle and Bill. A day later, they posted a note on our stateroom door (there are about 855 passengers on board, so it’s hard to meet everybody just in passing): “We would love to meet up with you. We hang out in the Lido (deck 8, casual dining room and swimming pool area), and hot tub at around 6 p.m. Bill is always reading in the Lido—ponytail. We have late dinner at 8 p.m. Will call you.”

So Greta and I, who usually dine at 6 p.m. because we’ve been so wiped out from each day’s incredible activities—both ashore and onboard—will pace ourselves so we can have dinner with Bill and Mardelle, who are friends with the Scullys in Newport Beach, who are friends with the people in San Clemente, at 8 p.m.

Confusing, isn’t it?

But it’s good to know readers haven’t forgotten about us. Greta and I will try to get together with these south Orange County-connected fellow passengers over dinner. Should be fun.

Tom Blake is a Dana Point resident and a former Dana Point businessman who has authored several books on middle-aged dating.

See his websites www.findingloveafter50.com; www.vicsta.com and www.travelafter55.com.

To receive Tom’s weekly online newsletter, sign up at www.findingloveafter50.com.

Email: tompblake@gmail.com. SC PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, the SC 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 SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@sanclementetimes.com.

Basil. Photo: Courtesy of the San Clemente/Dana Point Animal Shelter

un-loving Basil is the epitome of curious kitties. When he isn’t play-wrestling with his siblings, he can usually be found exploring every nook and cranny of a room. At five months old, Basil is a teenage kitten who would likely be an easy fit for any family.

If you would like to know more about Basil, call the San Clemente/Dana Point Animal Shelter at 949.492.1617 or visit with him at 221 Avenida Fabricante, San Clemente. SC

Courtesy of Orange County Public Libraries/Calisphere

FROM THE ARCHIVES The caption of the photo stated children from the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians examine a dead pelican on the beach near San Clemente circa 1950.

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

Page 28

See the solution in next week’s issue.

www.sanclementetimes.com

SC SPORTS & OUTDOORS San Clemente

STORIES, SCORES, SCHEDULES AND MORE

Drayton and Goliath

NOVEMBER 12, 1999

San Clemente beats Mission Viejo, 33-23

San Clemente beats Mission Viejo for first time since 1999 and wins South Coast League title

18 years, 11 months, 7 days before San Clemente’s next win over Mission Viejo No. 1 Movie: Pokémon: The First Movie

BY ZACH CAVANAGH, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

F

inally, it happened.

On the arm of a backup quarterback who hadn’t attempted a varsity pass . . . on the strength of a defense that was maligned through a 1-4 start to the season . . . on a night in a season that had thrown everything at them, the San Clemente football team finally did it.

Junior Drayton Joseph stepped in for an injured Brendan Costello in the second quarter to throw for 263 yards and two touchdowns, and the San Clemente defense forced three turnovers and stopped a potential go-ahead two-point conversion with three minutes remaining to push the Tritons over Mission Viejo, 21-20, for the first time since 1999 on Friday, Oct. 19 at San Clemente High School.

“It’s pretty crazy,” said San Clemente senior defensive end Ryan Altman, who made the game-saving tackle on the twopoint conversion. “It means everything to me. I’ve been working four years just to start on varsity, and all I wanted to do was win this game. This was my everything. I put everything on the line tonight.”

The Tritons (6-4, 4-0) captured Sea View League championships in 2014 and 2015 and CIF-SS and State titles in 2016, but the latest win clinched San Clemente’s first South Coast League title since that 1999 season. The game was also the first league loss for Mission Viejo (4-5, 2-1 with four forfeit losses) since 2008.

“I think winning CIF was pretty dang big, because it’s something we hadn’t done in a lot of years,” San Clemente coach Jaime Ortiz said. “It’s pretty even.

(Beating Mission Viejo is) pretty dang close. I think us winning CIF, I think the Mater Dei upset in 1996 and this game are all right there.”

“We told our kids, whether you’re Sam Darnold or Travis Wilson or Kyle Murphy, they never beat Mission. These kids can now put this on their resume. That’s a good program over there that does great things, but we’re pretty damn good, too.”

This game, like the season for San San Clemente Times October 25-31, 2018

No. 1 Song:

“Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas

No. 1 TV Show: Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Average Gas Price in California: The Tritons defeated Mission Viejo, claimed their first South Coast League championship and will host a CIF-SS Division 1 first-round playoff game on Nov. 2. Photo: Eric Heinz

Clemente, began with plenty of obstacles to overcome.

Mission Viejo got on the scoreboard first. After an interception on a reversepass play, the Diablos punched in a one-yard run six plays later to take the lead, 7-0.

Then on the first play of the second quarter, senior and Oklahoma State-committed quarterback Costello was knocked out of the game.

Costello ran to his right and while going out of bounds took a helmet-to-helmet hit, for which Mission Viejo received a targeting penalty. Ortiz said after the game that Costello sustained a concussion on the play.

The targeting penalty was the second of four 15-yard penalties assessed to Mission Viejo on the drive. The Diablos were ultimately penalized 14 times for 136 yards in the game.

The penalty that sidelined Costello set up a short field for backup quarterback Joseph, who had led the junior varsity Tritons to victory on Thursday.

“I was just thinking, do not turn over the ball,” Joseph said. “Rule No. 1, don’t turn over the ball, get first downs and just rely on my team to take us to victory.”

Joseph continued the San Clemente drive, and on his fourth pass attempt, he found senior Jay Baggs on a three-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, 7-7.

“We beat them in the JV game, just tried to take that into today,” Joseph said. “It was completely different, just way different.”

On the ensuing Mission Viejo drive, the Tritons forced their second turnover of the game with an interception by junior Trenton Brail at the Diablos’ 32-yard line.

Joseph hit senior Jaydel Jenkins on a back-shoulder 24-yard pass that set up a one-yard touchdown run by senior RJ Donaldson to put San Clemente in front, 14-7.

Junior Preston Rex intercepted Mission Viejo on the next drive, but the Tritons didn’t convert and took the seven-point lead into halftime.

San Clemente stopped a long Mission Viejo drive to open the second half, but the Diablos took the ball back on a tippedpass interception. Eight plays later, the Diablos punched in a two-yard run to even the game again, 14-14.

But then Joseph and the Tritons went back to work quickly.

A 26-yard pass to Rex coupled with another 15-yard penalty on Mission Viejo set up a beautiful touchdown pass from Joseph to Jenkins. Jenkins grabbed the ball at its highest point for a 24-yard catch that put San Clemente up again, 21-14, with 24 seconds left in the third quarter.

San Clemente worked on killing the clock in the fourth quarter, but an

Page 30

$1.35 per gallon

interception gave Mission Viejo the ball at midfield with just under six minutes remaining.

The Diablos put together a six-play drive that culminated in a 23-yard touchdown pass. On the extra-point attempt, San Clemente was called for encroachment, which put the ball at the one-yard line and made Mission Viejo think about going for two points and the lead.

After a timeout, the Diablos lined up in their heavy goal-line formation, but Altman sliced through the Mission Viejo line to get the tackle that left the Diablos behind, 21-20, with 3:05 remaining.

“In film, I was watching a lot of film this week, and on the goal line they either roll out to the right and throw or run to the left,” Altman said. “(Their) tackle came out at me, I just cut through, got skinny and made the play.”

On the next drive, Joseph hit junior Cian Smith up the Mission Viejo sideline on a 59-yard play that set up victory formation for the Tritons, enabling Joseph to take a knee and run out the clock.

The Tritons now enter a regular seasonending bye week before the Division 1 playoffs.

The CIF-SS brackets will be released on Sunday, Oct. 28, and with a league title in hand, San Clemente will host a first-round playoff game on Nov. 2. SC www.sanclementetimes.com

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

‘Highest Honor’ Former SCHS girls basketball coach inducted into CIF-SS Hall of Fame

BY ZACH CAVANAGH, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

M

ary Mulligan-Crapo’s trophy case is complete.

Mulligan-Crapo, the former San Clemente High School girls basketball coach, was inducted into the CIF-Southern Section Hall of Fame at a luncheon before a full house at The Grand Conference Center in Long Beach on Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Mulligan-Crapo was one of 15 coaches and educators inducted as the Class of 2018, including other Coast View Conference inductees in former Mission Viejo football coach Bob Johnson, former Laguna Hills wrestling coach Cliff Jarmie and former El Toro water polo coach Don Stoll.

“This is definitely the highest honor a high school coach can achieve,” MulliganCrapo said. “When I got the call that they had awarded me this, I was really thrilled. Really appreciative and grateful for that honor.”

Inductees in attendance gave speeches, were given a physical award and a CIF-SS gold membership card, which grants attendance to any and all CIF-SS events, and had their name inscribed on the CIF-SS Hall of Fame plaque.

Mulligan-Crapo was presented by CIFSS assistant commissioner Rainer Wulf, who was a classmate of Mulligan-Crapo’s at UC Irvine. Wulf listed all of MulliganCrapo’s Hall of Fame credentials.

She posted a 500-211 record overall, which is good for ninth in CIF-SS history and makes her the winningest female girls basketball coach in Orange County history.

Her teams won 13 league championships, including 12 in a row from 1997-2009, and five CIF-SS championships and made eight CIF State Championship appearances.

Mulligan-Crapo, who was joined at her table by husband Steve Crapo, daughter Tori Mulligan, SCHS athletic director John Hamro and SCHS principal Chris Carter, covered all aspects of her career and basketball life in her speech.

Two highlights of the speech were anecdotes that got laughs from the assembled guests.

The first was Mulligan-Crapo talking about the culture of high school girls basketball coaching when she began coaching as only the second female coach in Orange County at the time.

“It was interesting being a female and not having any other females coaching. So

San Clemente Times October 25-31, 2018

Former San Clemente High School girls basketball coach Mary Mulligan-Crapo was inducted into the CIF-Southern Section Hall of Fame at a luncheon at The Grand Conference Center in Long Beach on Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Photo: Zach Cavanagh

it started out kind of easy,” Mulligan-Crapo said. “All the girls basketball coaches were assistant football coaches, and they were just doing it to get on campus and get a job. What I would do in the first quarter is I would throw a trap (defense) on them, and I’d watch what they did. If they didn’t adjust, they’d have to call a timeout. Then my girls would come in, and I’d say, ‘You guys, all of our stuff is going to work because this guy doesn’t know what he’s doing.’ ” The second was Mulligan-Crapo reflecting on the key moments of her career. She said she saw the good moments, but it was the worst moments that stuck around longer.

“About three years ago, I was driving down the toll road, and I got pulled over.

Sirens are going, and I got pulled over,” Mulligan-Crapo said. “The guy’s like, ‘I’ve been behind you for two minutes and you’re going 90 miles an hour. I thought we were doing a car chase.’ And I said, ‘No, I was thinking about this game I lost when I had 17 seconds and a seven-point lead.’

It’s like every detail was going in my head.

I was just completely remembering this moment. This is five years after I stopped coaching. Just shows its’s one of those things that sticks with you all of your life.”

Mulligan-Crapo revealed later in the ceremony that she still received a ticket for the incident.

After her high school career at San Clemente, where she was the 1981 county female player of the year, and a collegiate career at UC Irvine, Mulligan-Crapo took over the Triton program at 22 years old in 1986 and coached the girls basketball team for 25 years.

“It was really bizarre,” Mulligan-Crapo said. “The year before I took over, they had only won one game the whole season.

They had had four coaches in the four years that I was gone. It was chaos when I got there. That first year was really difficult, but they were starved for anyone who cared. I did care, and I did have passion.”

Two screens on either side of the stage at the luncheon played a slideshow with photos of the inductees. The photo for Mulligan-Crapo was the celebration after winning the 2007 CIF-SS championship, which she called her proudest moment.

Page 33

“We won that championship with homegrown San Clemente girls,” MulliganCrapo said, “which back then was a lot because everyone was starting to move and transfer. You could win a championship if you just got three girls to come to your school or something. It was a wild game that came down to the last eight seconds.”

Mulligan-Crapo recalled the details of those final seconds when San Clemente took the lead and seemingly won the game, so much so that the trophy table was placed on the court and the Tritons were handed their T-shirts. However, two seconds remained on the clock, but after the court was cleared, San Clemente survived a clean shot for the win.

Twenty-eight of Mulligan-Crapo’s former players went on to play in college.

Along with seeing the gym packed for a girls sport during their run of success, one of the things that sticks with Mulligan-Crapo is the relationships with her former players.

“It makes it all worth it when I see a lot of my athletes being successful in their lives,” Mulligan-Crapo said. “Those relationships with the girls and just seeing how much their lives are progressing, and I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from them. That means a lot to me.”

Mulligan-Crapo was named the CIF-SS coach of the year three times and league coach of the year 12 times. She was inducted into the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2012 and the San Clemente Sports Hall of Fame as an inaugural member in 2013.

Mulligan-Crapo continues to teach math at San Clemente High School. SC

Warman Wins Second City Golf Championship

BY ZACH CAVANAGH, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

S

an Clemente resident Mark Warman won his second San Clemente Men’s Amateur Golf Championship with a two-round total of 11-under-par on Sunday, Oct. 21 at San Clemente Municipal Golf Course.

Warman posted a five-under 67 in round one that put him in third place on Saturday, Oct. 20 and followed up with a six-under 66 to win the tournament on Sunday.

Warman won his first San Clemente title in 2016. He took home the $750 prize for his win this year.

Daniel Sullivan earned second at 10-under, Taylor Casper grabbed third at eight-under, and Quentin Hill

San Clemente city champion Mark Warman and his daughter, Paisley, pose with San Clemente head pro Vinnie Poncino. Photo: Courtesy

finished fourth a six-under.

Sapo King-Ramos won the Junior title, and Greg Schweitzer won the Senior title. Both shot even-par scores. SC

www.sanclementetimes.com

SC San Clemente

SC SURF

SC SURF IS PRESENTED BY:

SCOOP ON THE LOCAL SURF COMMUNITY

Celebrating a Half-Century of the Hobie Cat With a regatta in Dana Point this weekend, the world’s favorite little sailboat gets some time in the sun

BY JAKE HOWARD, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

P

hil started it with the 16-foot outrigger that he built,” recalls Wayne Schafer.

At 90 years young, Schafer has lived on Beach Road since 1953. He is a founding member of the venerated Poche Surf Club, and the Phil he’s referring to is Phil Edwards, who used to rent a room from him. The stretch of sand in front of Schafer’s house also happens to be where he and Hobie Alter perfected the classic little sailing vessel, the Hobie Cat. “Guys would say, ‘If I buy this catamaran, can I keep it on your beach?’ So, we had different catamarans here that different people bought. We had this cross section of catamarans, which was very good because it allowed us to try all these different boats, including the Pacific Cat, or the P-Cat,” Schafer said. “None of them worked the way we liked, but that was the state of the art at the time. The one that worked the best was Phil’s 16-foot outrigger canoe. It was simple. We could take it on and off the beach. And that’s what put the concept of the 14(-foot) in Hobie’s mind. He felt he needed to amplify off of that.”

This month marks the 50th anniversary

of the Hobie Cat, and this weekend a regatta and festivities are planned in Dana Point to celebrate the remarkable effects the boat has had on sailing around the world. Officially launched to the public in 1968, during its heyday in the late ’60s and ’70s, the Hobie Cat would bring sailing to the masses. From California and Hawaii, to the East Coast, to inland lakes and rivers around the country, to further afield in international waters. For a while it seemed that everyone was “surfing their sailboat,” as Bruce Brown famously said in The Endless Summer.

“Catamarans give more options for going bigger or smaller and they’re very steady boats. And they’re quick and fast,” Schafer said. “When he did the 14, basically, our concept was that we wanted to be able to take it on and off our beach here. Of course, Hobie had more in mind than just satisfying a few of us, though we were naturally part of the influence. In his mind, I’m sure when he designed this boat that California was going to be a market, and it was, and we did very well here in California—I say ‘we’ because I feel like I was part of it—but Hobie looked beyond that.”

Festivities are planned around the milestone, including a regatta of more than 50 Hobie Cats from around the world in the Dana Point Harbor on Oct. 27. There will also be a celebration at the Hobie Surf Shop in Dana Point.

Fourth Annual Vissla Creators & Innovators Upcycle coming to the Ecology Center Have you ever thought of building a surfboard out of something random, like coffee cup lids? If the idea of unorthodox, inspired surfboard is your kind of kink, you’re going to enjoy Vissla’s fourth annual Creators & Innovators Upcycle contest this Friday night, Oct. 26, at the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano.

Wayne Schafer in the early days of Hobie Cat development in Capo Beach. Photo: R. Paul Allen

Partnering with the Surfrider Foundation, the goal of the contest is to “challenge entrants to take something that might be considered waste and create something that can be used in the ocean.”

This year’s finalists have arrived from around the world, including Switzerland, France, Australia and Brazil.

One of the more intriguing designs that’s sure to get a lot of attention is New Hampshire’s Korey Nolan, who, quite literally, made a surfboard out of coffee cups.

Last year’s winner famously made a board out of cigarette butts.

The shindig at the Ecology Center runs from 6-9 p.m. and features food, drinks, music, surf craft of varying forms and a lot of good humans trying to do the right thing for the ocean.

Making Hawaiian Maritime History There is certainly no shortage of ocean-re-

lated activities to get involved in this weekend.

The Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hikianalia has pulled into port in Dana Point for the weekend. After cruising Catalina earlier in the week, the Hawaiian voyaging canoe gracefully sailed into the harbor on Tuesday afternoon. It will be docked at the Ocean Institute over the weekend with free tours for the public on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

This voyage is a continuation of Polynesian Voyaging Society’s “Malama Honua” campaign that began in 2013, traveling 47,000 nautical miles, visiting 26 countries and 85 ports. Malama Honua means to “care for Mother Earth,” highlighting the important relationship between humanity and nature and to inspire action toward a culturally and environmentally thriving world. The voyage has brought worldwide awareness around protecting our oceans and the vital need to reduce our footprint. SC

SURF FORECAST

GROM OF THE WEEK COLE HOUSHMAND

BY JAKE HOWARD, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

T

his weekend the Vissla World Junior Surfing Championship lands in Huntington Beach, where Team USA will look to defend the gold medal it won last year.

One of the anchors of the national squad is San Clemente rising star Cole Houshmand. Most recently, he finished third at the RVCA Pro Junior in Newport Beach in late September.

It was the second WSL finals appearance in 2018 for the 17-year-old goofy-footer.

He also finished second in the pro junior of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing over the San Clemente Times October 25-31, 2018

Cole Houshmand. Photo: Courtesy of WSL

summer. The next WSL Pro Junior contest will take him to Barbados for the Live Like Zander Junior Pro in early November. He’s the defending champion there.

Houshmand has also been piling up the international travel experience, surf-tripping through Spain and Morocco for the better part of a month this year. And when he’s home, you may find him pulling on the jersey for the San Clemente Boardriders Club.

Going into the World Junior Surfing Championship, Houshmand will be joined on the American team by six other San Clemente surfers: Kade Matson, Jett Schilling, Taj and Sawyer Lindblad, Kirra Pinkerton and Samantha Sibley.

Back-to-back gold medals for the red, white and blue has a nice ring to it. Good luck to all competitors next week. SC Page 34

Water Temperature: 65-68 Degrees F Water Visibility and Conditions: 5-8’ Fair Thursday: Southwest swell is slowly easing through the day as smaller west-northwest swell slowly fills in. Look for surf in the waist-chest high range at many breaks, while top local breaks hit shoulder high (3-4’).

Wind is light and variable in the morning, trending light+ onshore from the west in the afternoon.

Outlook: Southwest swell will continue to slowly fade Friday through the weekend, while northwest swell fills in a bit more and tops out. Overall, more fun size surf and clean morning conditions prevail. More southwest swell due for next week along with fresh northwest swell.

www.sanclementetimes.com