Letters to The Editor

Response To Jiffy Massey

DAVID DAVISON, San Clemente entrance point to our city.

In response to Jiffy Massey’s desire to undermine our Second Amendment rights, it should be understood that rights are not determined by someone’s arbitrary belief of what an individual needs; that’s why they’re called rights.

The text of the Second Amendment, “…shall not be infringed” is not an invitation to regulate it out of existence.

Citizens should know that the Kleck & Gertz study, “Armed Resistance to Crime,” found that firearms are used 2.5 million times a year to deter crime. The foolish would disarm the law-abiding, believing wolves won’t attack if the horns are removed from the elk.

Council

DUNCAN

One of our most impactful achievements over the past year was the state’s approval of our city’s Housing Element, which allows us to preserve the look and feel of San Clemente for years to come.

This adds much-needed affordable housing in a way that does not change our community character and precludes unchecked development. Our Housing Element will ensure that our kids will have the same opportunity we did to live in this beautiful town and raise a family of their own.

Our beaches are the heart and soul of San Clemente, and we are taking important steps to protect them for generations to come. This fall, thanks to $9.3 million in federal funding secured by Congressman Mike Levin, we will be replenishing the sand from Linda Lane to T-Street, extending the beach approximately 50 feet in this area.

As you know, our community has recently sustained several landslides, impacting our beloved Casa Romantica. Special recognition goes to our Public Works Department for jumping into action to support residents and property owners in the aftermath of these tragic events.

Ab 1078 And City Council Meetings

TODD SINCLAIR, San Clemente

Now I know why North Beach, our Beach Trail, homeless problems, and public safety issues have not been solved by our City Council. At the City Council meeting of April 18, three councilmembers wasted time on cultural and partisan issues instead of solving our local city problems.

No matter what your political affiliations are, when our city representatives waste over an hour debating whether they should become involved in cultural educational issues such as sexual orientation and banning books, they should instead be focusing on basic local issues.

Councilmembers Cabral, James and Knoblock wasted city resources and time debating State Assembly Bill 1078, which hasn’t even gotten out of committee hearings, and yet they had heated and insulting debate with the two other councilmembers over this issue.

State Assembly Bill 1078 needs to be debated by our local PTAs and school boards—not at City Council meetings when these three have no idea on what is best for our children.

Natural disasters like these remind us how important sand and bluff stabilization measures are to the safety of our residents.

There is so much to look forward to in San Clemente in the year ahead, from the World Surf League finals at Lower Trestles, to professional pickleball tournaments, to the expansion of our beloved trolley service.

Our businesses continue to grow and thrive, and we are excited about the opportunities for future fun and recreation for our residents and visitors.

I am grateful for the support of my fellow councilmembers, as well as the many wonderful organizations, businesses, and residents who make San Clemente such a wonderful place. I am honored to serve as your mayor, and I look forward to the year ahead.

Together, there is no challenge we cannot meet or obstacle we cannot overcome.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Mayor Chris Duncan will deliver the State of the City address at 11:30 a.m. on May 5. The event is sold out.

Chris Duncan is a councilmember who was elected in 2020 and is serving as town mayor for 2023.

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.

This seems now to be a pattern with Steve Knoblock and Gene James, whereby bringing up national issues such as abortion and gun control and forgetting that they are local councilmembers who were elected to solve our basic local issues.

If they want to debate these issues, either run for state or national office or rent a room and invite others on their own time to debate these topics.

Councilmember Cabral doesn’t seem to realize that respect and decorum on the city dais is paramount, as he insulted the other two councilmembers for expressing their own opinions.

Is it time for a recall, so we can have city councilmembers dedicated to solving problems at North Beach, our Beach Trail, homeless problems and public safety?

SECURITY PLAN AT NORTH BEACH SANDRA WEAVER, San Clemente

I read the entire page and a half article in the recent SC Times about the North Beach Plan. Ninety percent of it addressed getting rid of the homeless. They are considering hiring a private security firm to patrol North Beach and “T-Zone.”

The desired result would be a threemonth contract for services to cost the city a maximum of $100,000 a month. They voted to change beach closing hours to 10 p.m. instead of midnight. I’m not sure how you can “close” a beach, but anything to prevent the homeless from sleeping there, I guess.

A suggestion for an enhanced Park Ranger program was discussed, which would decrease the need for private security, but hiring someone with advanced skills would take more time and be more expensive than part-time personnel.

Well, all that rhetoric and ink could be summed up in one sentence. Let’s get the homeless out of North Beach fast, however we can.

As I continued reading the Times, a Letter to the Editor caught my eye. It was a response to Mary Knox on homeless services from Nancy McIntyre, from iHOPE.

I know Nancy and have volunteered with iHOPE when we had a facility here in San Clemente. She explained that the resource center was in the former DMV facility at 112 Canada, from January 2012 through December 2013.

Security was provided, and the center offered services such as job counseling and training, case management and counseling, distribution of clothes, food and toiletries. They also had showers, laundry facility and use of a computer.

As a volunteer, I saw people come in and wait as much as two or more hours to see a counselor. The center closed due to the property being sold, and iHOPE was not able to purchase it.

Here is my solution: Instead of paying $100,000 a month for “security” to rid the city of our homeless folks, how about investing that money in a new home for iHOPE? That may not be the “quick fix” you are wanting, but it would be a start in caring for our neighbors here in San Clemente and giving them the opportunity to get off the streets. And isn’t that your goal?

Sand Replenishment For San Clemente

GREG RAY, San Clemente

I reside in South San Clemente, and I am distressed that our beaches are getting smaller every year. I don’t need to tell you how much our community values the beaches for recreation, or how much these beaches are worth to the community for the tourism they attract and the real estate values they support. To a large degree, the wide stretches of sand that we so enjoy were man-made by projects led by the Army Corps of Engineers on a regular basis over many decades. With the lapse in these projects, our San Clemente beaches are disappearing.

Other neighboring communities have hired staff to develop projects to replenish their sand—including Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Encinitas, and Oceanside. Once a project has been approved and permits obtained, then it becomes possible to seek funding from state and federal sources.

It is my understanding that last month the San Clemente City Council started a process to hire a sand replenishment expert who will apply for permits to enable us to restore our beaches. I’m delighted that the City Council is taking this step, and I agree that this should be the top priority for our community.

I hope that all our neighbors will get behind this initiative and support the City Council’s efforts to replenish our vanishing sand.

Opposing Ab 1078

MICHELLE MORGAN, San Clemente

I support Steve Knoblock’s resolution against AB 1078. There are hundreds of parents standing behind him.

We believe our children are a gift from God, not property, but have precious minds to nurture and protect.

We are to cheer them on.

We have lent them to the government schools to teach, not indoctrinate. We pay for this education just like we pay for the city officials’ seats we elect.

We do not surrender our authority, carving parents out of the learning process usurping our authority.

God bless America.

THANK YOU, VICTOR CABRAL KENNETH POCZEKAJ, San Clemente

I want to thank Victor Cabral, San Clemente city councilmember, for putting public safety first.

Recently, Victor made a successful motion to hire a security firm to be used as a roving deterrent against crime in San Clemente.

We in the North Beach community are living with people gathering and breaking our laws on a regular basis, putting our community in danger. These people routinely break laws until police show up, only to start breaking our laws again once the police leave.

With its two, soon-to-be three, wedding venues, restaurants, and beach, North Beach is one of San Clemente’s most visited entertainment and recreational areas and an important city revenue stream. Safety is important.

With the addition of security patrols, San Clemente will now have security that can be stationed in trouble spots like North Beach for hours vs. min- utes, thus deterring lawbreakers from continuing their illegal activities in our community.

The security team will have body cams to record their encounters, helping in the documentation of the people breaking our laws and helping the city to avoid unfounded lawsuits by the lawbreakers.

My thanks go out to Victor Cabral for making the initial motion to hire roving security teams and to our City Council for approving and supporting that motion.

RESPONSE TO GEORGE MORRISON MARY ANN COMES, San Clemente

I had to respond to George Morrison, who did not agree with Jiffy Massey on the Nashville shooting incident.

She said that multiple-firing guns are designed for wars, not for households. I totally agree with Ms. Massey. Mr. Morrison really missed the mark.

It sounds like he is a real hunter and loves the outdoors. Nothing wrong with that. To own a gun for hunting is great. It’s the American way.

What Ms. Massey is stating that multiple-firing guns are not needed for hunting. This kind of gun gets into the wrong hands and is not used for hunting.

If Mr. Morrison uses an AR rifle to hunt, that defeats the fun of hunting. We must stand up to removing AR rifles from our society.

THIS IS NOT A HOUSING PROBLEM CORD BAUER, San Clemente

Sometimes, stories explain issues we face in society better than abstract discussions about laws brought before the Supreme Court, or statewide ballots.

Four years ago, about 20 residents got together to help a woman who was a drug addict. She had children who were with child protective services and lived on the streets with her addict husband. There were allegations of physical abuse and prostitution in order to get drug money, but Barbara (not her real name) refused to press charges.

The residents went into action after Barbara expressed a desire to get clean. This small group pulled her off the street and set her up in a safe motel. Dozens of phone calls were made so she could be put in a detox program to get healthy again. Once clean, she’d get on a path to getting her kids back.

A program was finally found, but it required a drug test and a three-day wait. Even with all the residents spending time and money for food, clothes and shelter, the wait was too long and the pull of drugs too great. The chance of getting her children back and starting a new life was not enough to make Barbara change course.

The truth is, the people who were desperate to help Barbara are the same people who do not want tents at North Beach and do not want a shelter in town. Why? Because the shelters California want us to open don’t work.

It’s a cruel kind of help that only perpetuates the problem, similar to giving addicts food so they have more money to spend on drugs.

Barbara went back on the street and weeks later was hospitalized after being severely beaten. Injuries included a broken arm. Her husband was later seen on a supervised visit with their children. Barbara never filed assault charges, so the nightmare continued.

California’s laws have created this scenario. We have decriminalized felonies, antisocial behavior, and invited every addict in the country to enjoy our weather and consequence-free drug use. This is not a housing problem.

RESPONSE TO ‘INCREASED LAW ENFORCEMENT ON UNHOUSED PEOPLE’ RON TREAT, San Clemente

Every housing and homeless advocacy group in San Clemente always asks for “the city” to use taxpayer funds to solve the problem, by providing money to establish temporary/permanent housing, hygiene facilities, and places to camp in tents and cars.

How about these groups raising money through contributions, opening up their homes and backyards for camping, and begin solving the homeless problem one person at a time.

After they have developed a proven plan that gets people off the street, and into a job that will allow them to afford the affordable housing, then come to “the city” and taxpayers to fund the process on a grander scale.

Small success stories are the beginning of any worthwhile venture that has the ability to go big.

RESPONSE TO ‘COUNCILMEMBER JAMES TO STEP DOWN…’ ROBERT MATTHEWS, San Clemente

During Gene James’ short, but turbulent, time on the City Council, it would be possible to write a variety of observations.

However, it is best to keep it short and simple—good riddance.

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