June 10, 2021

JUNE 10-16, 2021 | VOLUME 16, ISSUE 23

L O C A L

N E W S

Y O U

C A N

INSIDE: Special Section

U S E

Commencement Celebrations Class of 2021 Celebrates End to Tumultuous School Year SPECIAL SECTION

San Clemente High’s Class of 2021 said farewell this month to a tumultuous school year plagued by pandemic-related restrictions. Photo: Shawn Raymundo

sanclementetimes.com

Business Community Raises Concerns of Labor Shortage

City to Charge Restaurants for Outdoor Dining Spaces

SCHS Wrestling Wins Second Straight CIF Championship

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SPORTS/ PAGE 33

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

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EYE ON SC

What’s Up With...

TOP NEWS SAN CLEMENTE SHOULD KNOW THIS WEEK

Business Community Raises Concerns of Labor Shortage Amid Declining Unemployment

BY SHAWN RAYMUNDO, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

The nationwide unemployment rate fell to 5.8% during the month of May, the lowest it’s been since the pandemic began, signaling a growing return to normalcy as more Americans reenter the workforce and employers continue to fill jobs that were lost in the economic crisis.

According to the national jobs report that the Bureau of Labor Statistics released late last week, employers added 559,000 new jobs to the labor market, with the largest gains (292,000 positions) coming from the leisure and hospitality industry.

Employment in public and private education also contributed a significant amount to the growth in jobs, adding 53,000 positions in local government education, 50,000 in state government, and 41,000 in private education.

The latest unemployment rate, down from the 6.1% reported in April 2021, marked a steady decline since April 2020, when 23.1 million Americans were out of work, bringing the national jobless rate to its highest point during the pandemic at nearly 15%.

LOCAL EMPLOYMENT In California, the next jobs report for May won’t be released until later this month. For the month of April, though, statewide unemployment was reported at 8.3%, matching the previous month’s jobless rate, according to the latest report released on May 21.

“Of the 2,714,800 total nonfarm jobs lost in March and April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, California has now regained 1,302,100 jobs (48 percent) since May 2020,” the state’s employment office said in its report.

Locally, Orange County and the three South County cities of Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano saw continued declines in their respective unemployment rates. Countywide unemployment was listed at 6.2% for April, down from the 6.3% reported in March.

Orange County Board Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, the Fifth District representative, said the most recent jobs report from the state’s Employment Development Department showed the county has made progress since a year ago, when San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

unemployment was at its highest point, topping 14%.

“We still have a way to go from the county, but we are making progress,” she said. “The leisure and travel (industries) are just starting to get back and hiring employees again. We’re hoping, in each subsequent month, we’re going to have a drop in unemployment as staff gets hired again.”

Collectively, the aforementioned three South County towns had an unemployment rate of 5.5%. San Clemente had the largest jobless rate of 5.5%, while Dana Point and San Juan each reportedly had unemployment rates of 5.3%.

For Jonathan Lightfoot, the city of San Clemente’s economic development officer, the relatively low jobless rate in San Clemente and the neighboring towns isn’t that surprising, as unemployment tends to be lower in areas with higher levels of education attainment.

“That’s holding true for our areas,” Lightfoot said. “San Clemente does tend to have college level degrees and those job types are a little more insulated, and have been a little more insulated from the pandemic, whereas service-level jobs, those are the ones that are more impacted.”

Though San Clemente was impacted from the hit to the hospitality industry, it wasn’t nearly as significant as it was in other parts of the county that largely rely on tourism. The biggest area of concern for San Clemente, Lightfoot said, was in the events sector.

“We do have a good number of events and weddings, like at the Casino (San Clemente) and the (Ole Hanson) Beach Club,” he noted. “Those have been essentially shut down completely,” impacting contract personnel and event coordinators.

“Those jobs have not come back until now,” he added. “We’re starting to see those come back into play.”

While unemployment continues to fall nationally, the local business community is seeing signs of a labor shortage as vacant positions go unfilled. Photo: Shawn Raymundo

Several employers who have spoken with Jim Wynne, chairperson for the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, said they’re “having a difficult time finding employees to work.”

Wynne added that the problem is seen across the board, as many business owners—especially in the Rancho San Clemente Business Park—have said they’re unable to find workers, including for manufacturing jobs that earn about $25 an hour.

On the subject, Lightfoot and Chris Aitken, who chairs the San Clemente Downtown Business Association’s Board of Directors, pointed to the service industry, explaining that local restaurant owners in particular are having a difficult time hiring workers.

“We are experiencing a tremendous difficulty to staff the restaurants sector for full service,” said Aitken, who added that some restaurants have begun offering incentives to new hires. “I think the restaurants have to be very creative to become fully staffed, as opposed to where the sector was at prior to the pandemic.”

The city council last week approved a new program requiring restaurants to pay a monthly fee to continue using public parking for their temporary outdoor dining patios. One stipulation that also requires establishments to operate six days a week for eight hours a day has prompted concern from those businesses struggling to hire staff.

“It’s not that they are choosing to only operate on certain days, it’s that they’re actively trying to hire additional workers,” Lightfoot said. “They’re unsuccessful in being able to open seven days a week.”

Addressing the cause of what’s been described as a labor shortage, Lightfoot cited news reports and concerns from other business owners who believe the unemployment benefits offered during the pandemic have de-incentivized citi-

LABOR SHORTAGE Though unemployment continues to fall, Lightfoot and the local business community noted that companies have struggled recently to fill open positions for both low-wage and higher-paid jobs.

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zens from reentering the workforce.

“Word on the street is, there’s definitely a lag of return to those jobs with the continuation of unemployment assistance,” Lightfoot said. “So that may not be an instant return. Even though the jobs are there, there’s a labor shortage.”

RESTAURANT WORKERS Employment in the restaurant and food service sector has become a national topic of discussion, garnering the attention of news outlets and economists, as well as many lawmakers and governors, some of whom have opted to end enhanced federal unemployment benefits earlier than the scheduled Sept.

6 expiration.

Since the U.S. Department of Labor released its jobs report for the month of April, showing less than anticipated job growth following the passage of the American Rescue Plan, some employers have attributed the so-called labor shortage to the extension of unemployment benefits.

Some economists and industry experts, however, contend that there is no labor shortage, arguing that there’s more nuance to the discussion of why restaurants aren’t seeing a return of employees as quickly as they would have liked to see.

“The reality is, is that there are a multitude of reasons that are keeping people in our industry from returning to work or leaving the industry and going elsewhere,” said Joshua Chaisson, president of Restaurant Workers for America, a nonprofit advocating for food servers and tipped employees.

“It was a real eye opener that something like a pandemic can destroy your livelihood in a quick fashion,” he continued, adding that “some folks went to a more pandemic-proof, or health-crisisproof workplace, and ultimately did in fact leave the restaurant industry.”

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EYE ON SC

Surfrider’s Clean Water Report Highlights Ocean Pollution Problems

BY ERYKA FORQUER, FOR THE SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

In its efforts to reduce pollution and maintain water quality for the safety of recreational beach users, the Surfrider Foundation released its annual Clean Water Report on May 25, highlighting threats to coastal water quality and measured bacteria levels in water.

While the beach is a popular attraction for locals and tourists in South County, the Surfrider organization indicated that local waters continue to be polluted.

In its report, Surfrider measured bacteria levels in water through the Blue Water Task Force program, an initiative established more than 25 years ago. The program deploys Surfrider volunteers to collect water samples from more than 500 ocean, estuary, bay and freshwater sites and to test fecal bacteria levels.

“Chapter water testing programs are designed to fill in the gaps and extend the coverage of state and local agency beach programs,” the report said.

“Surfrider volunteers are testing beaches

(Cont. from page 3) Along those same lines, Chaisson explained, many workers are also weighing other considerations such as health care and child care costs before stepping back into the workforce, let alone a restaurant—where health and safety amid the pandemic are still an issue.

Echoing Chaisson’s point, Kiki Louya, executive director of the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation, emphasized that working in the service industry is hard, and that the past year has shown it’s a risky position to be in during a global pandemic.

The foundation, a national nonprofit organization, focuses on changing restaurant industry practices to better address mental health and wages, and gender and racial equality.

Touching on the position of restaurant owners who believe workers aren’t incentivized to reenter the workforce because of unemployment benefits, Louya said that’s just not the case. Instead, she said, those expanded benefits have allowed many of those former restaurant workers to weigh other career opportunities and options.

“A lot of times, when you’re a low-wage employee, there’s this need, this pressure that you feel to get a job, just to make ends meet … it’s almost as though you’ll San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

In its annual Clean Water Report for 2020, the San Clemente-based Surfrider Foundation found that approximately 10 trillion gallons of untreated stormwater runoff flows into U.S. waterways every year. Photo: Shawn Raymundo

that are not covered by agencies and are also monitoring potential sources of pollution, such as stormwater outlets, rivers and creeks, that discharge onto the beach.”

Out of the 5,796 samples that were collected, the Blue Water Task Force performed 1,528 water tests from 16 different sites in California, including Irvine, Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar and Huntington Beach.

“The collective results from all the participating BWTF labs have remained relatively constant since we began compiling data in an annual report in 2011,” the report said. “Of the 5,796 water test results reported in 2020, 69% indicated

low bacteria levels, 10% indicated medium bacteria levels, and 21% measured high bacteria levels that exceed water quality criteria, or Beach Action Values, set by each state.”

In the Clean Water Report, Surfrider attributed runoff as a contributor to ocean pollution. Nonpoint source pollution, including urban, agricultural and stormwater runoff, threatens coastal water quality.

According to the report, approximately 10 trillion gallons of untreated stormwater runoff, containing pollutants including road dust, oil, animal waste, fertilizers and other chemicals, flow into U.S. waterways every year.

take anything because you have to take anything,” she said. “What expanded benefits for the unemployed have shown people is that when you have them (means) they no longer feel that pressure to take low-wages jobs.”

lenge for coastal cities to continue to find workers and find that right balance of ways small business can pay while staying in business,” Lightfoot said. “It’ll be something that has to be examined in the future.”

WAGE SHORTAGE In California, the minimum wage for tipped workers is $14 an hour, or $13 if they’re working for an employer with a staff of 25 people or fewer.

Regardless of whether a person is earning $400 to $600 a week in tips on top of their wages, or are receiving unemployment benefits from the government, neither provides a livable wage, Louya stressed.

“We’re a little skewed on our values at this point, because that is not a livable wage, whether you’re on unemployment benefits or not, and it also comes down to the respect of our workers in the restaurant industry,” she said. “Don’t they deserve to be treated with respect and compensated fairly?”

For coastal cities such as San Clemente, where the cost of living is high, the process in finding local employees to work at minimum wage and earn tips is a balancing act—and a challenging one at that, Lightfoot said.

“That’s definitely going to be a chal-

GROWTH AND RECOVERY With the city beginning to see strong signs of economic growth, local restaurant owners’ inability to fully staff their workplaces is likely to limit the businesses’ ability to grow, limiting what they’re able to do,” Wynne explained.

A continued shortage would “impact their ability to grow revenue, because they only have so many servers … to serve the patrons out there,” Wynne said.

Aitken reiterated that sentiment, stating that if restaurants can’t get fully staffed, “there’s less opportunity to go to full service and less opportunity to fully recover.”

“I suspect the restaurant sector would do what it can do to go back to the full service that they were prior to the pandemic, but it is definitely a process that’s going to take some time,” he added.

Based on the labor department’s latest report, both Chaisson and Louya said service jobs are still on the rise. According to the report, nearly two-thirds of new jobs from the leisure and hospitality industry Page 4

The report also highlights sewage spills and inefficient infrastructure as main sources of ocean pollution. Sewage spills and wastewater infrastructure discharged undertreated and raw sewage into the ocean and local waterways, at a rate of more than 900 billion gallons of untreated sewage each year.

“Sewage can contain bacteria, viruses and parasites that make people sick with gastrointestinal symptoms, rashes, skin and eye infections, flu-like symptoms, and worse,” the report said. “Sewage and stormwater runoff also pollute waterways with excess nutrients that wreak havoc on coastal ecosystems by fueling harmful algal blooms that put human health at risk and result in fish kills and coral reef die-offs.”

While the Clean Water Report cites sewage leakage as a significant contributor to ocean pollution, Environmental Programs Supervisor Cynthia Mallett said the city of San Clemente experiences few sewer spills that affect the quality of its local waters.

“The Utilities Department has a proactive sewer inspection program that uses a radio-controlled, camera-fitted robot to video record sewer lines,” Mallett said. “The videos are then reviewed to determine if there are any defects that need to be corrected immediately and to (Cont. on page 6)

came from the food services sector and drinking establishments.

Orange County’s labor data from the month of April showed that leisure and hospitality also led job gains, adding 17,000 positions, with 5,600 of those coming from food services and drinking places.

Those gains, Chaisson noted, are only going to continue as summer ramps up—a common occurrence in the U.S. “Our industry ramps up in enormous ways, so I consider ourselves to be lucky that the jobs report looked so great, and clearly folks are returning to the industry,” he said.

Lightfoot said that San Clemente is in a position to have a strong economic recovery, with those restaurants seeing more traffic in the coming months. That increased demand, he noted, could put restaurant owners in a position to potentially raise wages for their employees, attracting additional staff.

He added that he’s begun to see some businesses offering incentive programs and signing bonuses for new hires.

“I think businesses will explore options this year, because it’s a unique time to get back into the normal swing of things,” Lightfoot said. “It’s going to be a growing pain, but I’m confident they’ll figure it out.” sanclementetimes.com

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City to Charge Fees to Restaurants for Outdoor Dining Spaces on Public Parking

BY SHAWN RAYMUNDO, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Continued use of public parking for outdoor dining along Avenida Del Mar will cost local restaurants a monthly fee beginning on June 15—the highly anticipated date when the state’s economy is slated to fully reopen.

A council majority on Tuesday, June 1, approved the plan requiring establishments to pay $200 per parking spot if they’re going to continue operating their temporary outdoor dining areas in the downtown corridor.

The open-air dining concept, which the city has found to be popular among locals and visitors to San Clemente, was part of a business-assistance initiative launched last year amid the state’s COVID-19 restrictions on indoor capacities.

With restaurants allowed to soon have full use of their indoor spaces again, the city looked to give those eateries another five months to utilize public parking if they choose, while also bringing in revenue to offset the cost of launching the summer trolley early this year.

“The program was initially intended to

help these businesses recover loss of capacity, and on June 15, they’ll be able to recover that capacity,” Economic Development Officer Jonathan Lightfoot explained to the council last week.“But we’ve also learned from the past year that the community enjoys this amenity, so there’s public benefit in retaining that element.”

Between mid-June and Nov. 15, restaurants can keep using their makeshift decks and patios as long as they pay for the space they use and operate, at a minimum, six days a week for eight hours a day—a requirement that city officials hope will reduce the amount of unused patio areas and free up parking for retail shops.

“Including something of that nature in the license agreement,” Lightfoot said, would “make sure that any businesses that are using the public property are maintaining active operation so we don’t see idle spaces on the street.”

Chris Aitken, chairperson of the San Clemente Downtown Business Association’s Board of Directors, described the outdoor dining program of the last year

(Cont. from page 4) evaluate sections that could be eligible for future capital improvement projects.

All of the city’s sewer lines are typically inspected every three years.”

In order to help mitigate ocean pollution, Surfrider pushes for the government to invest more money in existing programs and create more efficient water-quality monitoring programs.

To help keep its local waters clean, the city of San Clemente created the Clean Ocean Program, which is designed to protect streams, beaches and reef ecosystems from pollutants.

“The city installed and maintains six vortex separators, which are underground treatment units that collect sediment, litter and debris that flows toward the ocean during dry and wet weather,” Mallett said.

“These units prevent approximately 93 tons of debris from reaching the ocean each year. The Clean Ocean program also conducts 200 water quality inspections and 160 enforcement actions each year.”

To help fund the program, the city created the Clean Ocean Fee, a fee charged on the monthly utility bill for property owners. While the Clean Ocean Fee expired in 2020, Mallett said the city anticipates sending a mail-in ballot to property owners in approximately six to eight months to vote on whether the fee should be reinstated.

In addition to the Clean Ocean

Program, Mallett said educating property owners and residents on irrigation runoff is paramount to improving water quality in San Clemente.

Similar to San Clemente’s pollution prevention efforts, Senior Water Quality Engineer Lisa Zawaski said that the city of Dana Point focuses on education and outreach to keep its local waters clean.

“We do a lot,” Zawaski said.“We also host annual coastal cleanups in September every year, and we also do Facebook posts that try to get people to monitor their sprinklers so the runoff doesn’t go into the gutters.”

Zawaski said Dana Point has multiple programs to monitor its water quality.

Dana Point participates in a cooperative effort to test all beaches and gives its data to Heal the Bay, an environmental organization that produces an annual report using letter grades to rank West Coast beaches based on bacteria levels found in water quality sampling.

According to Zawaski, Dana Point uses the Heal the Bay report to help guide policy.

While Surfrider’s Clean Water Report did not collect water samples from sites in San Clemente and Dana Point, the two coastal cities participate in the Water Quality Improvement Plan.

Additionally, shorelines in Orange County are tested weekly for bacteria levels through OC Health Care Agency’s Water Quality Laboratory.

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

With the state preparing to fully reopen its economy, restaurants using public parking spaces for their outdoor dining areas will be charged a monthly fee from the city beginning on June 15. Photo: Fred Swelges

a “universal success” for the both the city and the local restaurants.

“The consistent feedback that we’ve gotten from the sector is one of gratitude to have the temporary structures, to promote businesses as they try to make up losses sustained during the pandemic,” he said.

Asked whether he’s heard from any of the downtown eateries planning to take

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down their open-air seating by June 15, Aitken said he suspects that the majority will continue operating their patios until Nov. 15.

“From what I know and discussions among the restaurant sector, they believe the fee process is reasonable,” Aitken said. “I suspect that it will be great cooperation from the sector and the city.”

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EYE ON SC

Touching on the six-day/eight-hour requirement, Aitken said the DBA does have concerns, as many of the establishments are experiencing staffing shortages—a nationwide dilemma amid recovery from the pandemic.

“It is a local and national issue. I don’t believe all the restaurants that have these structures will be able to meet this new requirement, which could lead to significant capital and operational losses to restaurants if the structures are taken down at this time.”

Aitken said he hopes the city will reconsider the stipulation, as he believes it will “hurt small businesses in the near term.”

Along Del Mar, few restaurants that have set up temporary patios on the street, have also utilized the sidewalk for additional space. Under the new fee program, such establishments opting to continue their outdoor dining on Del Mar will be required to keep all customer seating off the sidewalks.

“When we’re walking past some of these restaurants, it’s hard to walk through,” Mayor Kathy Ward said of those sidewalk seating areas. “I walked on the street, because I didn’t want to walk through there.”

The council’s vote last week also elim-

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

inated prior approval for the downtown restaurants to set up customer seating in the bulb-outs—the areas that feature rest benches and the Landmarks on Del Mar tile art.

City staff is expected to come back to the council at a later date with recommendations addressing the use of private parking lots for outdoor dining, as those concepts have also had an impact on onstreet public parking.

According to Lightfoot, most restaurants’ decks use up three parking spaces, which would give the city about $600 a month in General Fund revenue from each establishment. Initially, though, Lightfoot recommended imposing the fee based on the number of chairs used, charging $25 to $50 per chair per month.

Using examples, he noted that some restaurants, including Avila’s El Ranchito, have used waiting or red curb areas, not actual parking spots, while others, including the San Clemente Wine Company, have used about four parking spots.

“Ultimately, I feel the most equitable solution was to do it on a per-chair basis,” he said, adding that while Avila’s “space might be larger and they’re using some sidewalk area as well, they, in this case, would only be charged for one parking space.”

Lightfoot also said that basing the fee on square footage would be a balanced approach. However, “the challenge for me would be the need then to go down and measure those spaces more directly, and I just think that would be a little bit more burdensome on staff time to gather that information.”

Mayor Pro Tem Gene James expressed concern with the per-chair route, as enforcement may be more difficult.

“An operator tells us they have four chairs, and you drive by and they have eight or nine chairs; there is where my concern (lies),” James said. “And then restaurants reporting on each other as well. I guess, I don’t want to be burdensome on staff, but I’d feel much more comfortable with either a parking space, or in the absence of a parking space, an equivalent charge for a square foot.”

The council, in a 4-1 decision, with Councilmember Laura Ferguson dissenting, voted to approve the program, imposing the $200-per-space fee or a pro-rated amount for restaurants using the red curbs.

“I believe where the city landed as it relates to charging by the parking space is a very good way to do it; it is definable,” said Aitken. “Personally, I believe it’s fair. And also avoids the complication of

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San Clemente COVID-19 UPDATES as of June 8

cases

deaths

total

3,056

36

50

1

last 30 days

est. population • 65,405 Follow us on Facebook & Instagram for daily local & county statistics. Source: Orange County Health Care Agency

a per-chair fee.”

The mid-November deadline for restaurants to have their patios fully removed, coincides with Daylight Savings Time, when the demand for outdoor dining is reduced and parking will be needed for the holiday shopping season, according to the city. The deadline is also meant to clear the street ahead of a planned capital improvement project to repave Del Mar in January 2022.

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San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

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SOAPBOX

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Finance Director Mike Reed Accounting & Finance Manager Tricia Zines CONTRIBUTORS Megan Bianco, Jake Howard, Tim Trent, Chloe Anady

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San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

GUEST OPINION | The Bartlett Bulletin by OC Board Supervisor Lisa Bartlett

WHAT TO EXPECT ON JUNE 15, WHEN CALIFORNIA EXITS THE COLORED TIERS

C

alifornia is on track to fully reopen on June 15 following 15 months of pandemic restrictions.

While this is certainly welcomed news, many are wondering what life will be like in a somewhat post-pandemic Orange County. Based on information obtained from the California Department of Public Health, here’s what we know so far: On June 15, all sectors listed in the state’s current Blueprint Activities and Business Tiers Chart may return to normal operations with the limited exceptions noted below for Mega Events.

• The state will no longer have capacity limitations.

• There will be no physical distancing restrictions for attendees, customers and guests.

• The state will follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s masking plan, which lets fully vaccinated people forgo wearing face coverings in most settings.

• The state will also align with the CDC’s recommendations on travel, which include restrictions and prohibitions on travelers coming from countries with severe outbreaks. There will not be quarantine and isolation requirements for travel within the country.

• At outdoor events with more than

10,000 participants, such as music or food festivals/car shows/large endurance events and marathons/parades/ sporting events and concerts, the state recommends verification of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test. Attendees BARTLETT who do not verify BULLETIN vaccination status

BY LISA BARTLETT should be asked to wear face coverings.

• At indoor venues with more than 5,000 guests, such as sporting events, conventions, and concerts, the state requires verification of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test.

The requirements and recommendations for negative tests/vaccine verification will be in effect from June 15 through Oct 1. By Sept. 1, the state will assess conditions to determine whether updated requirements or recommendations are needed beyond Oct. 1.

It has certainly been a long haul for Orange County residents and businesses over the past year and a half, and to say it’s been challenging is an understatement.

That being said, a new day is on the

horizon, and I want to thank the residents and businesses in my district for their resilience and determination in getting us to this day. We are finally at a place where some semblance of life as we knew it, pre-pandemic, is within reach.

While it may take some time for our economy to fully rebound, there is no doubt we are headed in the right direction. I am confident Orange County will once again be known as a regional economic powerhouse and come back even stronger than before.

To that end, please shop local and support our wonderful business community, especially our small businesses. They could use our support and patronage to help get back on their feet.

To keep up to date on the latest information from my office, please follow me on Facebook @SupervisorLisaBartlett and on Twitter @OCSupBartlett. You may also sign up for my newsletter at supbartlett.com.

Lisa Bartlett sits on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, representing the 5th District. She was reelected in 2018. 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.

GUEST OPINION | Health and Nutrition 101 by Gina Cousineau

Are You Desiring Weight Loss or Health Gain?

A tion in the U.S. sits in the overweight/ obese category, making us miserable in our own bodies, the fact is that this “weight” issue is lessening our lifespan and adding to our years of disability.

That is the entire reason I am so HEALTH AND passionate about NUTRITION 101 helping individuals

BY GINA COUSINEAU successfully lose the weight for good, but also to advocate for

prospective client who seeks me out largely does so for weight loss, initially. My hope once we begin working together is not only to help them achieve their weight-loss goal, but also to gain the ability to advocate for their health.

In today’s society, we put too much “weight” on the almighty scale without considering our health. We all know the feeling that accompanies a “good” weighin versus a “bad” one. It can completely make or break our day.

While more than 70% of the popula-

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their health along the way.

I often joke with my clients that I wish I could give them the “Mama G” vaccination and just inject all my knowledge, kitchen skills, and nutrition education into their beings, but, alas, this is impossible.

The best thing I can do is teach them how and why to incorporate real wholesome food into their lives, loving every morsel they put into their mouths, encouraging them to start an exercise program, and perhaps most importantly, advocating for their health.

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SOAPBOX

Letters to the Editor CITY SAFETY/CAR SHOW CHRIS DOLKAS, San Clemente I just read with disbelief of the priority given to passing the non-binding resolution regarding the Second Amendment.

With weekly mass shootings in America, it seems we should take a more appropriate stance on keeping the citizens of San Clemente safe.

Apparently, safety of all our citizens is not the No. 1 priority of most of the city council. I have been trying to get the attention of the council for over a year since witnessing a three-car injury accident on Avenida Vista Hermosa after three cars raced away from the weekly car show.

I was just missed by one of the out-ofcontrol cars. Since that time, I have sent numerous letters, videos and sound bites of several near-misses of pedestrians and e-bike riders. The speed is beyond reckless, as is the noise and exhaust for nearby residents—all violations of city ordinances.

The cities of Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Corona del Mar and Newport Beach, along with Caltrans and the CHP, have launched task forces to deal with the collateral damage (from our car show) in their respective municipalities.

I guess the “silver lining” for them is all the revenue being generated by the hundreds of noise, speed and equipment violations from all the vehicles leaving the car show driving north on PCH, heading back home to inland OC and Riverside.

On the other hand, we might get $50 from our portion of sales tax from coffee and breakfast sales at Ruby’s, Starbucks and Chick-fil-A. Our enforcement for the protection of the citizens of San Clemente is signs at the Outlets telling people not to “rev” their engines.

E-bike activity is at an all-time high.

(Cont. from page 9) All that being said, we must focus on not only how we “feel,” but how we “look” under the hood. It’s too easy to keep our heads “stuck in the sand,” either ignoring poor test results or never going to our doctor in the first place.

While I have always felt that the human body is resilient, countering the effects of our poor lifestyle choices in the early years of adulthood, I am now seeing more and more young people who are not well. This, my friends, is due to the ease of getting food, making poor food choices, and the lack of movement in our lives.

So why should we care? Consider that our love of “convenience” foods and techSan Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

Bike accidents are way up. The bike lane and sidewalk (where most bikes are ridden on Vista Hermosa) goes against traffic. That, coupled with all the youth activities at the Jim Johnson Sports Park on Saturdays, make this insane.

This is a ticking bomb. Not if, but when we have another tragedy on Vista Hermosa. We have had too many. There is a reason the city of Laguna Beach and others have sent the car shows away.

Thank you, Councilman Duncan and Lt. Manhart, for taking my calls and listening. This is a tough issue but should be a real priority.

SECOND AMENDMENT FREEDOM CITY KIM & ANDY MYERS, San Clemente This asinine labeling of San Clemente as a Second Amendment Freedom City is going to be a malignant cancer on this beautiful mellow beach town. We surf.

We’re not gun-obsessed. This is an overthe-top, aggressive showboating attempt to grab national headlines.

These councilmembers knew the controversy it would bring, and they welcomed it. Why did we need this?

What happened in our town to justify this? Gun laws still need to be followed.

Nothing changes.

The claims of Second Amendment infringement are baseless. No one is going to take away your guns. The majority of Americans, many of whom own guns, are in favor of increased, common-sense gun safety.

Stop hiding behind this veil of fearmongering. Did anyone from the city even bother to invest in a marketing research project to see how this will negatively impact our local businesses and real estate values?

Our council has decided to stain our city with one of the most divisive and blood-boiling topics for both sides. Not only did this serve no purpose to improve our city, it has now put us on the national map in a negative light.

Those of us who have lived here for decades have always prided ourselves on

nology is actually shortening our lives. I would like you to ponder that statement for a moment and let me give you some food for thought.

Let’s consider this. What is your “why”?

Why do you choose to get out of bed each day? I force-feed this concept to my clients from Day 1, to help them find the reason to consider a lifestyle shift.

Do those “crappy” food choices bring more joy to you than the people you love? Do you get more pleasure from technology that keeps you seated, rather than enjoying the beautiful community we live in? Do you realize that the food choices you make and your lack of exercise are harming your ability to really

keeping our beloved San Clemente one of California’s more peaceful hidden gems.

Not anymore, thanks to this ludicrous publicity stunt.

Also, the term “sun’s out, guns out” has taken on an entirely different connotation for us now. A huge thank you and shout-out goes to Jerry Davis and Paul Wehrle, both of San Clemente, for their wise and very true words in the June 3 edition of the SC Times.

Our little “Spanish Village by the Sea,” once envisioned by Ole Hanson, has taken a very dangerous turn for the worse.

Our city values, at least over the decades that we’ve been here, do not include what Gene James and Steve Knoblock have pushed through. As gun owners, it's appalling. No one is taking away our Second Amendment rights.

As Jerry Davis writes, “The hypocrisy is stunning.”

Election day cannot come soon enough. Get rid of those two paranoid clowns.

AMAZON MAY NOT BE COMING TO SAN CLEMENTE DICK PARSONS, San Clemente Having now lived in beautiful San Clemente for over 20 years, I, too, would be concerned about the traffic and noise problems caused in our community by a huge Amazon distribution facility, even though there might be some benefits such as an increase in job opportunities and more tax revenue.

Are they really coming to San Clemente?

I did a Google search and found a May 18, 2021 article indicating that the city of Oceanside just approved an Amazon Distribution Center in their Ocean Ranch industrial park. If one assumes that it will successfully address all building, environmental and community concerns, there would be no need for them to open up another center 22 miles up the coast in San Clemente.

Let’s hope that our concerns are premature.

“live” your best life?

So here is your action item this month: make an appointment with your medical provider and take a good look under the hood.

Between yearly labs, preventive care screenings, incorporating more wholesome food, and a walking program, you can begin to shift the trajectory of this one life we have been gifted.

A quick Google search of “preventative care screenings for adults” will provide a list of action items you should consider in your quest to live a long, healthy, independent, joyful life.

And, meanwhile, this month I have a free webinar series titled “Kick-start Your Page 10

IS THAT ALL THERE IS? GINETTE WATSON, San Clemente Now that Councilmembers James, Knoblock, and Ferguson have achieved their aim of having San Clemente declared a Second Amendment Freedom City, can they finally turn their attention to the problems of the city?

How long have they been on the city council, and what have they done to address the homeless problem, the filthy sidewalks on Del Mar and El Camino Real (the city was beautified years ago with tiled sidewalks and commemorative benches, which have unfortunately not been maintained)?

And now there is the looming Amazon Distribution Center, the growth in graffiti in the city and on the rocks by the train tracks, which are just a few concerns that have people worried.

I hope that being declared a Second Amendment Freedom City will help solve these problems, but solutions to big problems are usually not that easy.

I hope that that was not the only goal of Mr. James, Knoblock, and Ms. Ferguson. They campaigned on solving local issues. I haven’t seen any improvement on those issues.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY 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. Have something you’d like to say? Email your letter to sraymundo@picketfencemedia.com no later than 8 a.m. on Monday morning. 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 SC Times for a Beachside Chat on Friday, June 11, at 8 a.m. Participants can join via Zoom or in person at the Dorothy Visser Senior Center. Email Shawn for Zoom link at sraymundo@picketfencemedia.com.

Dorothy Visser Senior Center, 117 Avenida Victoria.

All are welcome.

Weight Loss” that I welcome you to join.

Gina Cousineau sees clients virtually and in person out of her San Clemente office. Her extensive education—a BS in dietetics and MS in integrative and functional nutrition—chef training, and 30-plus years as a fitness professional allow her to help clients lose weight and improve their health. You can reach her at mamag@mamagslifestyle.com, 949.842.9975, and on Instagram and Facebook @mamagslifestyle. Register for her complimentary weekly newsletter at mamagslifestyle.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.

sanclementetimes.com

GETTING OUT

Editor’s Pick Photo: Courtesy of the Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley

FRIDAY | 11 BUILD THE DREAM FOR GREAT FUTURES VIRTUAL GALA & VIP WINE TASTING 5:15 p.m. Join the Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley as it reinvents the way it raises funds for the youth of the community. Its 2021 Virtual Gala features a VIP Virtual Wine Tasting Experience with Master Sommelier Peter Neptune, a Silent Auction now through June 14, and a Live Virtual Auction on June 11, from 7-8 p.m. To learn more and register for the virtual events, head to bgccapo.com/events.

SATURDAY | 12

The List What’s going on in and around town this week SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

FRIDAY | 11 ONLINE TOUR OF MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO 3 p.m. Mission San Juan Capistrano is offering online guided tours of its historic grounds every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Learn about the history and see the charming grounds and gardens of this South Orange County landmark.

Cost is $45 for up to four devices, and the Zoom tour lasts up to an hour.

Reservations must be made at least 72 hours in advance. Check the Mission website for exact hours. 949.234.1300. missionsjc.com.

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

SOUTH OC CARS AND COFFEE 9-11 a.m. South OC Cars and Coffee, dubbed the world’s biggest weekly car meet, attracts a mix of 500-1,000 hypercars, supercars, exotics, vintage, classic, muscle and sports cars, hot rods, rat rods, pickups, 4x4s and motorcycles. Those attending are encouraged to practice responsible social distancing. Face masks are not mandatory but are recommended. No cars in before 8:30 a.m. The Outlets at San Clemente, 101 West Avenida Vista Hermosa, San Clemente. southoccarsandcoffee.com.

SUNDAY | 13 FARMERS MARKET 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Shop for a wide selection of fruits, vegetables and artisanal goods from organic growers at the Community Center/San Clemente Public Library parking lot. 100 North Calle Seville.

949.361.8200. san-clemente.org.

WEDNESDAY | 16 TRIVIA NIGHT AT THE BREWHOUSE 6:30-8:30 p.m. The BrewHouse will host a trivia night every Wednesday. Test your knowledge with friends, or show up solo and join a team. The BrewHouse, 31896 Plaza Drive, Suite D3, San Juan Capistrano. 949.481.6181. brewhousesjc.com.

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CLASS OF 2021 // GRADUATION SPECIAL SAN CLEMENTE HIGH SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT SPEECH

San Clemente High Principal Chris Carter

BURSTING WITH PRIDE for Overcoming Challenges

BY SAN CLEMENTE HIGH PRINCIPAL CHRIS CARTER

T

oday, we come together to recognize the graduating Class of 2021. This commencement ceremony is particularly impactful for me—not only as your principal, but as a proud father of one of the graduates here today.

Families and loved ones, it is an honor to celebrate alongside you. It seems like only yesterday that these incredible young adults arrived in our lives.

Today, we have so many memories running through our minds: from first steps, to the first day of kindergarten, those sometimes painful and awkward middle school years, and now, high school graduation, the official transition to adulthood.

We have poured our hearts and souls into our children since the day they were born, always supporting their journey toward independence. This year was especially difficult as we witnessed our seniors having to forgo so many traditions and milestones; all we could do was support them through these trying times.

Triton of the Year Finalist Spencer Herbert reflected on what family means to him: “Family isn’t necessarily what you’re given, it’s what you make of the people around you. A family is comprised partially of biology, but its primary component is of those who care about you—whether bound close in our memories or here alongside us. Family

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

is the quintessential structure of support, which was clearly validated this past year.”

Thank you, Spencer, for reminding us that the idea of a family goes beyond the home. We have had to come together as a Triton family many times over the past four years to support one another, and as part of this larger family, we have all dedicated our time and focus to ensure that all of our seniors are ready for whatever this world brings!

Students, you did not let this pandemic keep you down. You retooled and adapted so that you could continue to learn and achieve your dreams. Much like the great Michael Jordan once said, “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”

ASB President and Triton of the Year finalist Lily Redmond sums it up: “Being a leader on campus this past year has proven to be a difficult task, but also one that has allowed us to grow and learn from the obstacles placed before us. Going forward, take the challenges we have faced and transform them into opportunities for success. From reimagining our senior year to forming new traditions, we have accomplished so much, and I am confident that we will only continue to adapt and overcome.

I couldn’t agree more, Lily! That is exactly what all of you did this past year, and in doing so, you have set Page 15

a strong foundation to continue your education at a college, or university, or to pursue careers in technology, auto, service, the arts, or the military.

Whatever you choose to do, as your life takes you to new horizons, always remember to use the tools you have gained through life and especially these past 15 months to adapt and embrace this change.

When given the green light to compete and perform, you tackled this opportunity with an energy that we have not seen before. Although your peers were not there to cheer you on, you managed to win 11 league titles and competed in CIF. Heck we still have teams competing.

For our performing arts, you held virtual concerts and dance productions, and we reenvision our upper campus making it into the greatest stage this campus has ever enjoyed. Pure ingenuity—that is what you created out of a difficult situation.

It is evident that these programs have had a profound impact on you, which is captured in our Triton of the Year Maxine Davey’s words: “My time with the girls soccer program and with the school newspaper have changed my life. I found a home that always lifted me up and a community that let me experience what it’s like to be valued and seen while working towards something bigger than yourself.”

Thank you, Maxine. Graduates, that is what your future is all about—working collectively to make a positive impact on the world around you.

Your perseverance and grit are beyond commendable, even in the face of challenging circumstances. Graduates, you stood firm in the conviction to do what was right while showing compassion and kindness to your fellow classmates.

Triton of the Year Finalist Riya Khetarpol reflects on the impact that our programs have had on her: “SCHS Drama is truly representative of the SCHS community—not only is everyone involved incredibly talented at their craft, but they are also the most encouraging, kind, and welcoming people I have ever met. Everyone deserves to find a community that supports and accepts them. Drama gave me the confidence to stand up and be a voice for change.

I will always be grateful for the amazing mentorship and lifelong friends that SCHS has given me.”

Thank you, Riya, for being a positive voice to ensure that SCHS is an inclusive community for all Tritons.

Today, although your time at San Clemente High School is ending, you are now Triton Alumni. Even if your life takes you far from home, you will forever be deeply connected to our wonderful city; the sense of belonging to our Spanish Village by the Sea will remain strong.

Triton of the Year Finalist Alika Ting leaves you with these final words: “Even if you don’t know where you’re going, I hope that you will find happiness in the journey there. Strive for not only excellence, but also kindness, warmth, and passion.

If you trust yourself and follow your heart, you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be and if all else fails, hopefully you may find yourself on a ranch with fluffy cows. And if you have never seen fluffy cows, Google it; you won’t be disappointed.”

Thank you, Alika, for your encouraging words. Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan stated, “Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent.”

Graduates, we look forward to seeing you maximize your talent!

On behalf of the faculty and staff, we are so proud of you for successfully navigating the requirements and challenges of high school. You are surrounded by family and friends who are bursting with pride and joy at this milestone.

I join with them and the entire San Clemente community to offer our congratulations to the Class of 2021. sanclementetimes.com

CLASS OF 2021 // GRADUATION SPECIAL

San Clemente High School

CLASS OF 2021 ALPHABETICAL LIST OF GRADUATES PROVIDED BY SAN CLEMENTE HIGH SCHOOL

Emelia Aileen Aasland Lily Ann Ackerman-Coelho Marysol Acosta Mireles Cole Lee Adams Sierra Nicole Adams Chelsea Maxine Adel Annalyse Michelle Agosto Kira Naomi Aguilera Sean Akar Kiana Akers Michael Raul Allen-Hernandez Marisa Ann Alvarez Mia Alexis Alvarez Harrison Clay Ames Jacqueline Ann Ames Nick Ryan Amjadi Jenz Danial Ammerman Emily Brooke Anderson Hallie Ann Anderson Jarrod Thomas Anthony Khloe Beth Antonio Ava Aina Anunson Faye Alvin Verano Apostol Rylie Jewel Arata Bradley Kenneth Armstrong Austin David Arnwine San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

Corbin Thomas Ashe Kyle Evers Atkinson Aarom Steven Austin Hayes Delila Austin Carl Samuel Avalos Anne Marie Ayala Denis Alexander Ayala Caelib Ezra Bacolod Joshua Robert Baker Katelynn Jane Balloue Amber Leanne Bangalan Carlos Fernando Barajas Isabella Barbernell Maya Webber Basilio Cole Tyler Batson Sophia Sienna Battles Annelise Cecilia Becker Mason Diego Becker Nathan Tyler Beckley James Jackson Bell Mitchell Weston Bell Hayes Lilly Bellantonio Jeremy Michael Belvedere Noah Houston Benton Kevin Robert Bernier Grace Rey Bishoff

Thomas Michael Blackmore Luke Christian Blackwill Nicole Anne Blair Jadyn Mali Blake Matthew William Blakeborough Ashlynn Anne Blomker James Bohls Soulara Lynn Bojarsky Quinn Alaina Bojorquez Fatima Bonilla Marlen Bonilla Isabella Anne Bookataub Marisa Carleen Booth Ryan Matthew Boratynec Brooklyn Cynthia Borgquist Mia Bost Natalie Jade Bothwell Carson Boucher Charlotte Nicole Bradshaw Gisele Irene Brandt Nicolas Alexander Breen Nathan Michael Bretado Chloe Ann Britton Brooke Elizabeth Broll Brock Johnston Brown Kennedy Lauren Brown Page 16

Noah Brown Ronan Patrick Brown Trevor Brown Grace Madeleine Browne Zachary James Brunson Emma Madison Bryant Grace Marie Buchan Anhika Marie Bui Noelle Taylor Bunce Karly Marie Bundy Kai Nathaniel Burleson Andrew Wade Burress Caden William Burton Bailey S. Butler Matthew John Bystry Bradley Lazaro Cajili Danielle Nicole Caldaronello Sophia Margaret Calkins Will Michael Campbell Noah David Canfield Colin Anderson Canizales Parker Andrew Cannon Nathen Edward Carey Joshua Carlin Joshua Kurtis Carlow Ava Claire Carr Jessica Kayla Carrera Jack Henri Charles Carroll Branden William Carter Garrett Carter Grace Elizabeth Cason Isabel Rody Cast Michelle Castaneda Natalie Lauren Casto Alexander Caudillo Raimundo Daniel Caudillo Violeta Cervantes Jessenia Maria Cervantes Gutierrez Kylie Jocelyn Chandler Angela Andrea Madrid Chantaca Jonah Andrew Chatham Tyler James Cheatley Derek Eugene Chen Sydney Chennells Emily Abby Chiani Brianna Zeta Pearl Chizhevsky Eleanore Christensen Simon Dean Christensen Ehva Cifuentes-Zombulovic Jasmine Alyssa Clark Kaylyn Sarah Clemons Baylee Marie Clisby Cameron Cobb Ethan James Coleman Nicholas Enzo Coli Isabel Colin Jack Theodore Colombo Sean William Colson Isabelle Frances Consuelo Comes Caitlin Sophia Condon Matthew Joseph Condon Kaylee Sage Conrad Stella Ann Copeland Naidelin Coronado Cassandra Corrales Matthew Michael Corralz Daniel Cortez Mia Danielle Costales Sean Thomas Coughlin Aidan Charles Coulson Makena Alyse Coury

Kenna May Cowper Lily Jane Crane Gage Kainoa Crawford Lang Elizabeth Csira Cameron Richard Culkin Jeffrey Thomas Currie Vincent Xavier Da Cunha Maxine Margaret Davey Trystan Fitzgerald Davey Roxyann Adelina Davidson Brenna Davis Brennon Noah Davis Caleb Benjamin Davis Ivy Lauryn Davis Melanie De La Torre Kevin Arturo Delgado Anna Dent Wade James Desco Jr. Collin Bennett Deutsch Eric Sullivan Devericks Jose Manuel Diaz Samuel Anthony Diaz Dustin Scott Dickson Alyssa Renee Difilippo Anna Katherine Dillbeck Allyssa Renee Dixon Callaghan Jack Donnelly Griffin Joseph Donnelly Jeanwin Yamato Doreus Erick Mello Ribeiro Dos Santos Tyler John Douglas Annabelle Grace Dunbar Alyssa Constance Duncan Jacob Lawrence Dunnwald James Matthew Durney Colin Luke Dusablon Delaney Danielle Dutton Benjamin Brooks Dwinell Patrick Mark Economy Adam Jonah Edmunds Justus Lee Edwards McKenzie Claire Edwards Pierce Steven Egbert Carter Steven Ehlers Matea Sydney Eib Gwyneth Carmela Elliott Noah Hudson Ellsworth Jack Ryan Engel Brooklyn Riley Enriquez Stolie Teryn Erickson America Nicolle Espinosa Hernandez Sofia Esquivel Josenyd Marie Estrada Garcia Keegan Shea Even Sophia Marie Evenson Estefani Elisabet Ezquivel Dylan Gregory Faires Brody James Fania Sophia Jeannette Fania William Michael Farrier Elias Yama Fazilat Emma Carlin Feasey Arshia Fereidooni Victor Eduardo Fernandez Gomez Jake Simpson Ferrigno Jack August Finnerty Erin Marie Finney Lorena Jesus Flores Aidan Sharon Flynn Chloe Le-Yi Foo sanclementetimes.com

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CLASS OF 2021 // GRADUATION SPECIAL Coni Rose Franco Jayce Cristien Franklin Christopher Frederick Jonas Angel Fredonis Ella Frances French Vaughn Patrick Furnish Bronson Diego Gabira Daisy Galvan Manuel Galvez Maria Del Rosario Galvez Ariadna Minerva Garcia John Aidan Garcia Olivia Hua Qiao Garrett Ava Elizabeth Garriott Rory Leigh Gaynor Ryan Thomas Georgi Jasmine Maya Geraci Thomas Matthew Gerardo Tori Nicole Ghyzel Aidan Scott Giacobello Dylan James Giddings Emily Jane Gillett Logan Grant Giobbi Jacob Matthew Gjonovich Hagen Chandler Glasgow Griffin Mathew Glenn

Taylor Danielle Glover Ryan Lewis Goddard Elijah David Golembiewski Estrella Gomez Hernan Gomez Jovanni Gomez Torrey Rae Gomez Alondra Paola Gomez Reyes Madison Lea Gonzales Gabriel William Gonzalez Alyza Giselle Gordillo Davis Charles Grace Hannah Elizabeth Granrud Kevin William Grant Henry Nicolas Grattan Tatum Victoria Grayek Joshua Lewis Gray-Smith Ella Rose Greathouse Cameron Rose Green Chloe Angelina Green Taylor Olivia Green Jillian Avery Greene Jack Dennis Gretzema Maverick Griffith Galexxie Sunev Grise Richard Dean Guthridge

Jose Jaime Gutierrez Madilyn Rose Gutowski Yamila Guzman Ashley Louise Haas Faith Nichole Haas Maverick Levi Hadsall Payton Faye Hagarty Cole Harrison Hahn Brady Michael Haislip Lily Marie Haley Hayden J Salvesen Hall Tanner Wirth Hall La Vita e Bella Victoria Halverson Tatum Rose Handel Jacob David Hansen Emma Jane Harline Cole Stephen Harmon Mitchell Kade Harrick Anakah Nachelle Harris Gavin Ross Harris Jack Goddard Harris Kaitlyn Michelle Harsey Peyton Wallace Hart Grace Marie Hartanov Ethan O’Flynn Hartman Xavier Scott Hassard-Johnson

SCHOLAR OF SCHOLARS SPEECH BY THOMAS GERARDO

ACHIEVING SUCCESS TOGETHER

G

ood afternoon, honored guests, family, friends, teachers, staff, Board of Trustees, and most importantly, the amazing Class of 2021. Welcome to commencement. I am honored to be speaking here today.

My dad always loved to ask me, “How do you make time fly?” and without missing a beat, I would always reply, “You throw a clock out the window!”

But I think we would all agree even without touching a clock, our high school careers have flown by.

It feels like just yesterday we were all attending freshman orientation, playing games in the classrooms and trying not to make a fool of ourselves in front of these new people. And while we all likely had many embarrassing moments, we had lots of other great moments as well.

From the Friday nights at the football games to the pep rallies, we all pretended to be too cool for, we as a class have spent a lot of time together, being silly, and growing closer. Whether it be through a mutual love of V8s in the auto academy or singing a Les Mis song together in drama, we have all found our friends.

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

Thomas Gerardo, San Clemente High Scholar of Scholars

But what I love so much about this school is the way we have been able to grow beyond these cliques, bonding over quad rap battles and rumors about Mr. Popovich’s Tupac tattoo, to become a supporting and loving community. And if there’s one thing that these past two years have taught me,

it’s the importance of our community.

COVID knocked us down. It really did. But what got us through it was relying on the people we love. And together, we have fought through emotional and financial struggles and dealt with one of the roughest senior years in recent history.

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From dealing with three-week sports seasons to the band trying to find ways to play safely, we have all been tried.

But we made it out the other side together.

I used to scoff at the admin team repeating the same old “one town, one team” motto, but recently I’ve begun to smile at the phrase. Even if we might not all feel prepared for what’s next, we can venture into the future knowing that we are all supported by over 700 of our peers here in San Clemente.

From our young political clubs working on campaigns to our SCHS against-racism team, we are already showing we have what it takes to change our world. Each of our success stories is now all of our success stories.

When one of you is accepting a Grammy or an award for social justice work, remember to thank the family we have made here in San Clemente, because you couldn’t have made it there without them.

This is our moment, as individuals, as a class and really as a generation to go out and shape the world. And I’d personally like to say thank you to all of you, because without you, I wouldn’t have been able to be here, either.

So, thank you and good luck. I’m sure we’re destined to do great things.

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CLASS OF 2021 // GRADUATION SPECIAL

Ashley Jenna Hassett Jonas David Seldman Hawbecker Nadia Hawkes Juliet Dianne Heal Cayden Allen Heathman Kathleen Avery Hedger Clara Ann Helm Jeffery Blake Hendrickson Ethan Jeffrey Henry Spencer Tyler Herbert Benjamin Richard Herbes Adrian Jahir Hernandez Maria Fernanda Hernandez Zuriel Isai Hernandez Ella Grace Hersch Alexandria Bailey Higginson Clark David Hill Kylie Makayla Hill Dane Alexander Hillis Hannah Rose Hillis Elizabeth Joy Hiner Keith Jeffery Hoffmeister Sean Gerald Hoffmeister Christopher Jay Holt Aiden Luke Homrighausen Bodey Reid Horspool Ella Louise Horton Ian Henry Howard Zachary John Howard William Hudelson Hogelen Darin Huffman Aidan James Hunt Samuel Christopher Hunter Luke Nathaniel Huston Grace Kim Huynh Kaylee Bree IntVeld Aila Ilada Ittidecharchoti Hallie Marie Jacobs Brody James Jamieson Abbygail Jansson Tara Lynn Jaramillo Kaden Lawrence Jawitz Brayden Alexander Jenson-Eaton Lauren Elizabeth Johansson San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

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Cole Taylor Johnson Jenna Kim Johnson Kirra Danielle Johnson Liam Erin Johnson Nathan Johnson Rhyan MacKenzie Johnson Luke Robert Jones Madelyn Grace Juncaj Viola Broendum Juncker-Jensen Jacob Alexander Juneau Elijah Joseph Juno Cameron John Kadell Kyle Gregory Kagan Alexandra Nicole Kaiser Emily Ann Kalez Oliviana Shiori Kane Taylor Bernard Karger Tyler Scott Karpowitz Ryan Robert Keany David Christian Keck Noah Drake Keelin Neil Ryan Keenan Brennan Scott Kelley Nathan Sae Gwang Kelley Kian Monroe Khadivi Riya Rani Khetarpal Kobe Christopher Kiley Caden Sang Kim Rivers Cristina King Samantha May Kinney Ethan Lee Klemm Lexi Victoria Knapp John A Koenigshofer Sophie Mary Kohler Cameron David Kooper Lilah Jane Kopenhefer Emmanuel Mario Koulouris Hannah Katerine Kouris Virginia Joann Krug Peyton Anne Labbe Hailey Sue Lacourciere Crista Jollie Lafiguera-Mangahas Wyatt James LaLonde Samuel Ryder Lambert

Ann Francis Larson Taylor Marie Laubhan Emily Monique Lawrie Gina Antonia LeCause Tre’Vaughn Jordan Lee Shane George Leimel Scarlet Belle Leland Andrea Dyanne Lemus Andrew Leon Nicole Malia Kini Leonard Pierce Owen Letwin Luca Kirk Levandofsky Matthew Ryan Levendoski Hunter Michael Lewis Sydney Lewis Timothy Shooter Linas Harlee Rae Links Emerson Camille Litchfield Emiliano Lopez Erika Lopez Victor Danny Lopez Ashley Rose Lord Natalie Grace Lord Jaden Frank Lujano Ryan Thomas Lukes Sophia Isabella Luna Matthew Michael Macarewich Luke Alexander MacLean Joseph Francis Madison Zachary Alexander Mallgrave Kaitlynn Madison Mangrum Zachary Daniel Margiotta Dalia Mariano Madeliene Alexa Marinelarena Jackson Andrew Marinos Joseph James Marquez Kieran Joseph Marshall Savannah Alyene Marshall Cade Matthew Martin Alyssa Nicole Martinez Jahir Martinez Matthew Allen Martinez Liam Nicholas Mateer Brianna Sarai Mateos sanclementetimes.com

CLASS OF 2021 // GRADUATION SPECIAL Maria Eduarda Machado Mattiazo Malia Mauch Zoe Irene Mayne James Gavin McAlpin Cole Thomas McAteer Malia Dawn McCaig Foster Timothy McCarty Collin Jacob McCrary William Thomson McCulloch IV Trazler Alan McGrath Matthew James McGreevy Devin Anthony McMahon Kai Jaymes McPhillips Sarah Ann McWilliams Ashley Victoria Medina Leslie Medina Nathan Robert Melcher Elisea Saray Melgar Cassandra Mendez Trevor Mercuro Destin Anthony Merkle Dylan Christian Mihele Danika Grace Miller Jack Xuming Mills Holly Savannah Milner Ashton England Minnich Hayden Khalil Mirza Gwendolyn Predrag Mitrevski

Cecily Tait Mitzev Benjamin Aidan Mix Megan Moe Morgan Rose Mokler Harry Ray Monds Jr. Eloise Moodie Delaney Lane Moody Maverick Jay Moore Rodrigo Mora Kaya Mei Moran Aleks Armando Moreno Itzel Moreno Kathleen Morrison Eleanor Araxie Morville Max Nishan Morville Katherine Grace Mower Fatima Xitlaly Muniz Luca Alexander Muriella Sophia Louise Murray Pedro Henrique Figueiredo Mussauer Cooper Douglas Myton Isaiah Fernando Navarro Ty James Neely Ethan Connor Nel Joseph Gaston Nelson Matthew Richard Nelson McKenna Nelson Arya Nicholas Nemati

Tyler Michael Nemeth Jayden James Neri Madison Neuhausen Clayton Douglas Newlon James Minh Nguyen Anthony Louis Niebank-Hall Hunter Daniel Nielsen Brian Nieves Espino Raiki Nishida Miguel Angel Nunez Alexandra Mae Nunnally Mia O’Brien Cesar Arturo Ochoa Jr. Dane Justice Olbrich Lillian Grace O’Rourke Sofia Marie Osendorf Alanis Fabiola Oses Perez Richard Boyce Owens Timothy James Paisley Regis Jiwoo Pak Alexis Dawn Pardo Jessica Grace Park Jacob Glen Parrish Conner Parrott Kendall Marie Patrick Trinity Alexis Patterson Noah Luke Pattin Rachel Pattin Kevin Samuel Payan Buruca

Jacob Michael Pecen Milan Grace Pekarek Yixiang Peng Claudia Perez Elias Perez Jacob Cole Perlow Xezae Lester Peshlakai Xezel Davis Peshlakai Lauren Elizabeth Peters Samuel James Peters Charlotte Faith Petry Trang Pham Paris Pinegar Andrea Alicia Pintle Kylie Elizabeth Pitzak Aidan Pollick Madelyn Grace Poole Cloe Katherine Pothier Conor Izaiah Poulos Claire Isabelle Powell Dane Patric Power Hailey Shae Prather Gavin Cole Price Moya Elizabeth Priddy Jack Ernest Proctor Sebastian Cole Eugene Prunty Elizabeth Victoria Quinlan Orion Peter Radzwill Carlos Armando Ramirez

David Ramirez Edgar Gabriel Ramirez Jeoselyn Ramirez Maria Guadalupe Ramirez Jaye Lynn Ramos Aubree Anne Rask Kylie Grace Raumin Jason Christopher Ray Bentley Matthew Redden Elliana Blanche Redick Lily Margaret Redmond Camryn Mikayla Reeves Donovan Vilayvanh Regan Aubrie Ann Reichert Christopher Robert Reitan Kai Benjamin Rex Aviana Kaprice Reynard Emma Elizabeth Rhoades Eve Michelle Richardson Sydney Danielle Richmond Elyse Jean Rideout Savannah Lynn Rider Ian Patrick Riley Cassidy Rizer Caiden Robertson Jesus Jonathan Rodriguez Jack Bryan Rogers Katherine Rose Rogers Robert Alexander Rogers

Lizandro Rojas Rocky Romero Rojas Kyle Austin Roland Aaron Brian Romero Jose Luis Romero Castillo Luis Humberto Rosas Keaton Wesley Rose Isabela Eva Mae Rose Woods Gabriel Pietro Rosselle Isabel Anna Rouns Skylar Michael Ruffner Sebastian Ruiz Camille Runge Jillian Grace Russell Paige Sydney Russell Russell Robert Ryan III Landon Cole Ryder Keenan Roman Rydzeski Alexis Christina Salazar Alexa Saldivar Brianna Mary Salgado Lydia Jade Samuelsen Felipe Sanchez Jessica Sanchez Anabelle Grace Sanders Rebecca Love Sanders Miguel Alejandro Sandoval Rodenas Benjamin Tadashi Sato

FAREWELL ADDRESS BY JILLIAN GREENE

The Future Has Much More in Store

L

ast year, I was in Link Crew, and I had to stop by my old middle school to give a presentation. I was waiting at the crosswalk, and next to me was this little girl.

We started talking to one another, and I asked her: “What grade are you in?” She said, “Fourth grade.” To me, that’s amazing! She’s so young! I was amazed, because I knew, from my own experience, she had her whole life ahead of her.

As I was growing up, I was constantly asked: What do you want to do in college? I neurotically worried about what classes I needed to take for my degree, and thus, my career that I will be in for the rest of my life.

This was a load of pressure to put on a child. How can you expect someone to know what they want to dedicate their entire being to by age 18? It wasn’t until only a few months ago, when I was sitting in my bed and staring at the ceiling, did I realize that “wow, no matter what I do, I have my whole life ahead of me.”

This is a hard lesson to learn: you have your whole life ahead of you.

People always say that life’s too short, but it’s the longest thing you’ll ever do!

Now, as a fourth-grader, you might feel pretty old—you’re way more mature than those crazy first-graders. And as a senior now, you might feel the same way. But—and here’s the part that should get you excited—there is so much in store for you.

You’ve received a formal education, you’ve learned physical skills, but there is too much in the world for an entire textbook to cover; the world is bigger than a hobbyist’s garage. You never stop growing—even until the very end.

Some of you have never been on a plane, or ziplined, or tried tikka masala, but that doesn’t mean you never will. Every day, whether you mean it or not, you will learn something new. You will incrementally grow as a person.

It might be hard to see in the moment, but I implore you to look back to see how far you’ve come.

There’s a trend on TikTok going around: imagine if your current self met yourself from 2018. In 2018, I was a freshman. If my 2018

self met my current self, I say she’d be proud. Four years ago, none of us could drive, we were fresh out of middle school, and we all had questionable taste.

The point is, you, and the you from even as recent as last week, are entirely different people. The experiences life puts you through grow you as a person.

It enriches you, it seasons you, you go from a slimy curd to a quality aged cheese. Or something along those lines.

All the mistakes you’ve made in the past brought you to where you are today. If you don’t feel content with where you are, what you are, and if you find yourself constantly making

mistakes, then there’s always tomorrow.

In eight years, that fourth-grader will be standing where we all are right now.

Eight years, that’s twice as long as our high school experience. That’s a long time. I hope that, wherever you will be, you’ll look back upon this time fondly, laughing at how young you were.

Jillian Greene

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

Page 20

sanclementetimes.com

CLASS OF 2021 // GRADUATION SPECIAL

SAN CLEMENTE GRADUATES from other Area schools

CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

Carlos Julian Saucedo Tyler Scott Savoie Brett Daniel Sayer Emily Olivia Schad Bryson Jeffrey Schnarr Macie Kiki Schniepp Ella Bach Schoenig Andrew Philip Schwartz Samuel Joseph Schwartz Chloe Mae Schweer Amy Gianna Sebrasky Sydney Rose Seefeldt Richard Rios Segovia Eliza Hooper Sener Noa James Serpa Raisa Shafi Nir Shany Chloe Anne Shepard Wade Matthew Sherman Joshua Michael Sherreitt Lola Grace Sherrie Katrina K Shoga Grace Amelia Shulga Milo Whittemore Shumpert Owen Blue Simler Lucas Andrew Sims Ava Wood Sinacori Cole James Sischo Trevor William Skeffington Helena Simone Skov Zoe Smead Sarah Marie Smetona Egan Donald Smith Emma Grace Smith Payton Nicole Smith Jose Solano Max Cooper Sorenson Mia Nicole Spang Kylee McCall Spear Torrey Brynn Spear Flook Spoon Rylee Ann Springman Sabrina Spunt Trent Michael Stacy Taylor Genevieve Steers Alexis Romero Stein Jasel Rosadele Steinmetz Faith Caroline Stewart Kyra Ann Stewart

David Glen Stillwell Matthew Preston Streuter Allison Michelle Stubbs Katin Samuel Sutera-Moran Luke Daniel Sutherland Kyle Lee Swaringen Ryland Joseph Thomas Swarthout Nelson Tabarez Abigail Kailey Tabb Alyssa Brooke Tamayo Emelly Tapia Aidan Joseph Tapias Aden Matthew Taylor Greggory Ashton Teeter Brayden Andrew Thomas McKenna Elizabeth Thomas Gillian Taylor Thompson Hannah Linnes Thorsell Alika Kawana Ting Emily Marie Tolentino Kate Lauren Tolliver Nicholas John Tomey IV Hunter Makana Tomlinson Alejandro Miguel Torres Jessenia Torres Seth Iselin Torticill James Arthur Tranberg Tavius Alma Truman Trevor Thomas Tuttle Courtney Ellen Vaccaro Aidan Sebastian Valdez Issac Geovany Valencia Sarahi Valencia Samuel Thomas Van Dixhorn German Vargas Kaydence Currin Varnadore Davis Dean Vaughn Kanious Masi Vaughn Kevin Brandon Ventura Robert Michael Verrilli III Tyler Robert Vesque Makena Alexandra Viera Luis-Armando Villalobos Antony Roderico Villatoro Miguel Holly Nichole Vissman Natalie Michelle Vissman Callen Martin Viter

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

Elle Svea Voehl Hedlund Christina Faith Volman Kate Alicyn Wade Kayla Savannah Waggoner Morgan Ashley Wagner Alexa Marie Waldfogel Mason Ezekiel Walker William Harrison Walker Lukas Brian Wargnier Jason Karl Garrett Watkins Sophie Kate Wehr Olivia Weilbaecher Nicolas Riley Weist Jacob Robert Wellikson Natalya Emma Wells Sonora Alexis Wells-Wedge Emma Wertin Sophia Rose Wetzel Colin Christopher Whalen Jack Thomas Whidden Kelly Reese Whidden Carson Douglas White Jack Byron Whitney Ashton Vic Whitsett Gavin Alexander Wilchek Caitlin Charlene Wilford Jared Haakon Willardsen Breeana Williams Ella Margaret Williamson Anthony Dominick Willingham Brooklyn Mia Wilson Wade Warren Wilson Trevor Wilt Andrew James Winkler Kate Louise Winter Cooper Clare Woodworth Blake Nicholas Wright Julieann Nicole Wright Claire Iana Wynne Kelsie Ann Yamano Landan Joseph Burke Yanes Logan James Burke Yanes Sydney Loryn Yearley Mya Kathryn Yost Natalie Zarate Reese Olivia Grace Zebell Aleksandra Zlatic Jack William Zwisler

Page 21

Ethan Sego Isabella Marcovecchio Alexandria Horwood Gabriel Dyer Emma Reed Hailey Krugh Ryan DeVore Anna Casper

ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL Jack Thomas Aitken Madeleine Caldwell Arundale Justina Monique Brandt Shane Dunigan Dzwilewski Andrew Stephen Kramer Zachary Joseph Kratzer Rachel Nellmapius Alexia Sylvia Taylor

FAIRMONT SCHOOLS Carson Cummings Amelia Falshaw

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CLASS OF 2021 // GRADUATION SPECIAL FAREWELL ADDRESS BY ALIKA TING

I

EMBRACE THE WEIRDNESS

t is a truth universally acknowledged that high school is the weirdest four years of your life. It’s awkward and confusing, and in retrospect, it goes by wickedly fast.

We spent four years in the shaded area between the two circles of a Venn diagram, where childhood giddiness overlaps with the realities of the adult world. An unmatched environment, possibly the only time in life you’ll nearly break the touchpad of the Chromebook because you’re playing Kahoot! too hard, or have to reassure your teachers that you’re not the one driving the car during your online class.

Nothing feels so much like a fever dream than high school does, but it’s one of those dreams you write down in a journal. You’ll promise to analyze the meaning of it later, when you have the time.

And when you do, you’ll find that we lived in this abnormally shaped space, not quite a circle or even an oval—yes, an imperfect, yet safe intersection of life, where even awkward and embarrassing moments, as apocalyptic as they seemed in the moment, were fundamental in who we were, who we are, and who we will become, and that we are lucky to even be able to remember them.

You’ll realize that we had a caring community, a qual-

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

ity education, in a world where many don’t have access to such things. In analyzing this fever dream, you’ll find thankfulness for life and for health.

I certainly am thankful to have had the opportunity to gaze upon such lovely headboards and glorious ceiling fans this year. We, the Class of 2021, have a bond like no other, especially now that we can recognize the interior design of each other’s rooms.

Yes, these may have been the weirdest four years of our lives, but let’s be honest, weirdness is disruptive, it creates groundbreaking technologies, starts powerful movements, and pushes people to think differently. So, embrace the weirdness, cherish it, even.

You furiously scribbled out full-length essays under fluorescent classroom lights; you stayed late for long practices and rehearsals and your dedication shone through during the concerts, at the games, on opening nights; and some days, you did all this on just adrenaline and few hours of sleep.

In moments of triumph, in moments of defeat, as we exit this little shaded section and step into the larger circles of life, your ability to push through the strangest of times is going to come in handy. And I think we can all agree that it certainly has been the strangest of times— the weirdest of times.

Congratulations, and Go, Tritons!

Page 22

Alika Ting

sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

Page 23

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San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

Page 24

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SC LIVING

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

Emerging from the Pandemic, Seniors Are Getting the Travel Bug

O

ver the past two months, emails I’ve received from readers indicate that not only are seniors emerging from the pandemic, some even want to travel.

Cheryl and Guy, of Mission Viejo, emailed: “After being canceled for two years, now we have received confirmation of our flights and hotels for Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and more. We are traveling alone and conduct a great deal of research on each destination.

“Six years ago, I made a quickly scribON LIFE AND LOVE bled note about your

BY TOM BLAKE Travelafter55.com website, which you said describes a trip to Budapest that you and Greta took.

“Could you let us know how to access that information on the website? No rush, because we do not depart until August for a month. Before we go, I like to have as much information about a city or site.

Travel books are basic help, but I like information from reliable people I know.”

Tom’s response: “Travelafter55.com is the right website. On the homepage, look at the archive listings in the right-hand column. Click on the May 2015 archive. That will take you directly to Budapest and the subsequent river cruise we took from there to Vienna, continuing to Amsterdam.

“Our visit to Prague was when we took the Orient Express train from Venice to

Prague and on to Paris. Click on the April 2007 archive to read about Prague.

“You are going to love your trip.”

Thyrza, of Dana Point: “Since I am free to travel until my next doctor six-month checkup, I plan to take a seven-day cruise to Greece with Holland America Line. Short enough, but long enough to just relax and get pampered.

My sweet doctor said I can’t be sitting around waiting for the next six-month checkup. I think for us seniors, this is true: tomorrow is today.”

Larry, a former Dana Point neighbor I’ve known for 30 years, lives with his fiancee in the Philippines. When the pandemic hit, he was in the United States on business for a few months.

Since then, he has been unable to fly back to the Philippines. He’s had seven different flights booked and then canceled by the airlines or the Philippine government.

He emailed this week: “Now I’m shooting for a flight to Manila on July 10th.”

So, it appears that Larry will be able to give his fiancee a long-overdue hug next month. I’m hoping for him.

Carmen, a high school classmate of mine, has lived in Barra de Navidad, Mexico for several years. His significant other, Karen, passed away in 2019. The pandemic made travel almost impossible in 2020, so he was stuck in Mexico.

On May 10, Carmen sent an email: “I’m toying with the idea of selling my

Contributor: San Clemente Historical Society

FROM THE ARCHIVES The San Clemente Resort Motel, pic-

tured here circa 1950, was popular with tourists. The motel was razed by city firefighters in 1970 to make way for Parque Del Mar. 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.

place in Mexico and moving to Italy for the final few years (Carm’s grandparents were from Italy).

“Or, Plan B is to rent out my place in Mexico for a few months and spend that time in Italy to test the waters.

“I got both COVID-19 vaccinations.”

Tom’s response: “Holy Catfish! Why do I say that? Because five minutes ago, I received an email from Annalisa, a 69-year-old divorced woman in Milan, Italy who wants to meet an American man who is widowed and is willing to have him come visit her in Milan.”

I did something I seldom do. I introduced them via email. As it now stands, Carmen will be traveling to Milan in July to visit and spend time with her. He’s hoping his flight won’t be canceled.

Sudoku

ADOPTABLE PET OF THE WEEK

April

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 San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

See the solution in next week’s issue.

Page 25

My partner Greta and I love to travel.

We’ve had our COVID vaccinations, our passports are up-to-date, and we’re ready to go. But, just to be cautious, we’re going to wait a few more months to cruise or possibly go see our friend Carmen, who might still be in Italy.

Cruise ships are starting to appear in U.S. ports.

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

SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

A

pril is a pretty little kitty with a great demeanor. Outgoing and curious, April loves to explore and play with her siblings. She is 3 months old and full of playful energy. You can’t go wrong with a cute little sweetheart like April.

If you are interested in adopting April, please visit petprojectfoundation. org to download an adoption application form. Completed forms can be emailed to animalservices@scdpanimalshelter.org, and you will be contacted about making an interaction appointment. sanclementetimes.com

PUBLIC NOTICES TO ADVERTISE: 949.388.7700, EXT. 111 • LEGALS@PICKETFENCEMEDIA.COM PUBLIC NOTICE ORDINANCE NO. 1714 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of San Clemente, at its meeting of June 1, 2021, introduced the following ordinance: Ordinance No. 1714 entitled AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTERS 2.28, 2.36, 2.40 AND 2.43 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF SAN CLEMENTE, RELATING TO THE BEACHES, PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION, GOLF COURSE COMMITTEE, HUMAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, AND INVESTMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, RESPECTIVELY, AND REPEALING CHAPTER 2.42, RELATING TO THE COASTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. Persons interested in receiving an inspection copy of the Ordinance are invited to call the Deputy City Clerk at (949) 361-8301 or by email at campagnolol@san-clemente.org. Copies will be emailed or mailed to you at no cost.

NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN that the City Council of the City of San Clemente will consider adopting the aforementioned Ordinance at its meeting of June 15, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Community Center Auditorium, located at 100 N. Seville, San Clemente, commencing at 6:00 p.m.

JOANNE BAADE City Clerk and Ex-Officio Clerk of the Council PUBLIC NOTICE LIEN SALE 6/21/21 10AM AT 4355 W. ARTESIA AVE, FULLERTON 13 FIAT LIC# 7TMM031 VIN# 3C3CFFBR3DT587320 PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20216605051 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: DECKER LAW 27762 ANTONIO PKWY, STE L-1-464 LADERA RANCH, CA 92694 Full Name of Registrant(s): JAMES DECKER 27762 ANTONIO PKWY, STE L-1-464 LADERA RANCH CA 92694 This business is conducted by an Individual.

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A JAMES DECKER /s/ JAMES DECKER This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 05/11/2021.

Published in: San Clemente Times June 10, 17, 24, July 1, 2021 PUBLIC NOTICE Order to Show Cause For Change of Name Case No. 30-2021-01200023 To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Stephani Rae Cook; filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME A. Stephani Rae Cook PROPOSED NAME A. Stephani Rae Sandoval-Kanawi

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

The Court Orders that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court of the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objective is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

Notice of Hearing Date: 07/15/2021 Time: 08:30 a.m. Dept.: D100 Other: Remote Hearing. The address of the court is Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: San Clemente Times Date: May 12, 2021 JUDGE LAYNE H. MELZER, Judge of the Superior Court Published: San Clemente Times, June 3, 10, 17, 24, 2021

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: 05/06/2021 EARL GARRETT IV /s/ EARL GARRETT IV This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 05/17/2021.

Published in: San Clemente Times June 3, 10, 17, 24, 2021

Court Published: San Clemente Times, May 27, June 3, 10, 17, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Brayan Noe Montano; filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME A. Brayan Noe Montano PROPOSED NAME A. Brian Noe Montano The Court Orders that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court of the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objective is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

Notice of Hearing Date: 07/08/2021 Time: 08:30 a.m. Dept.: D100 Room: Remote Hearing. The address of the court is 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: San Clemente Times Date: May 4, 2021 JUDGE LAYNE H. MELZER, Judge of the Superior Court Published: San Clemente Times, May 20, 27, June 3, 10, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 202166003425 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: CGH ASSOCIATES 24800 CHRISANTA DRIVE, SUITE 130 MISSION VIEJO, CA 92691 Full Name of Registrant(s): REMARC INVESTORS, INC. (GENERAL PARTNER, REMARCS MGT. LP) 24800 CHRISANTA DRIVE, SUITE 130 MISSION VIEJO, CA 92691 RONALD J. GILLES 908 EMERALD BAY LAGUNA BEACH, CA 92651 JAMES A. HIGHLAND 27875 HEMET STREET HEMET, CA 92544 SIMONNE E. HIGHLAND 555 E MEMORY LANE, APT A-216 SANTA ANA, CA 92706 This business is conducted by a CA General Partnership.

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: 12/04/2016 REMARC INVESTORS, INC (GENERAL PA/s/ MICHAEL L. CRAMER/PRESIDENT This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 04/26/2021.

Published in: San Clemente Times May 27, June 3, 10, 17, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Order to Show Cause For Change of Name Case No. 30-2021-01200016 To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Lance Ahmad Kanawi; filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME A. Lance Ahmad Kanawi PROPOSED NAME A. Lance Ahmad Sandoval-Kanawi The Court Orders that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court of the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objective is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

Notice of Hearing Date: 07/15/2021 Time: 08:30 a.m. Dept.: D100 Other: Remote Hearing. The address of the court is Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: San Clemente Times Date: May 12, 2021 JUDGE LAYNE H. MELZER, Judge of the Superior Court Published: San Clemente Times, June 3, 10, 17, 24, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Order to Show Cause For Change of Name Case No. 30-2021-01199738 To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Tiffany De Ming Su; filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME A. Tiffany De Ming Su PROPOSED NAME A. Tiffany Su De Ming Lin The Court Orders that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court of the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objective is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

Notice of Hearing Date: 07/15/2021 Time: 08:30 a.m. Dept.: D100 Other: Remote Hearing. The address of the court is Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: San Clemente Times Date: May 10, 2021 JUDGE LAYNE H. MELZER, Judge of the Superior

PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20216605508 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: ACCELERATOR ADVISORS 2425 VIA MERO SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92673 Full Name of Registrant(s): EARL NORBERT GARRETT IV 2425 VIA MERO SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92673 This business is conducted by an individual.

Page 26

PUBLIC NOTICE Order to Show Cause For Change of Name Case No. 2021-01186125

PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20216604123 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: DETAILS 616 S. EL CAMINO REAL SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92672 Full Name of Registrant(s): JULIE ERICKSON 751 VIA OTONO SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92672 This business is conducted by an Individual.

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: n/a /s/ JULIE ERICKSON This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 05/03/2021.

Published in: San Clemente Times May 20, 27, June 3, 10, 2021 PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20216603856 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: CLOSER COLLECTIVE 21 CALLE TEJADO SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92673 Full Name of Registrant(s): JAMES OWENS 21 CALLE TEJADO SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92673 This business is conducted by an Individual.

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Published in: San Clemente Times May 20, 27, June 3, 10, 2021 PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20216603392 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: FLOURISH DESIGN STUDIO

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32565B GOLDEN LANTERN #254 DANA POINT, CA 92629 Full Name of Registrant(s): MILES PATTERSON 32565B GOLDEN LANTERN #254 DANA POINT, CA 92629 This business is conducted by an Individual.

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: 03/01/2021 /s/MILES PATTERSON This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 04/26/2021.

Published in: San Clemente Times May 20, 27, June 3, 10, 2021

FOR SALE FOR SALE: 5 ACRE UNDEVELOPED HORSE PROPERTY La Cresta. Electricity on property. Dedicated horse trail on north end of property leading to National Forest. $199,000.

38454 Via Sereno, Murrieta. www.zillow.com

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

Deadline 12pm Monday.

GARAGE SALE/ESTATE SALE Saturday, June 12. 603 Avenida Presidio, San Clemente. Furniture, tools, clothes, toy collectibles, garden tools and more.

HUGE RUMMAGE SALE! - SATURDAY, JUNE 12TH St. Michael’s Church. 107 W Marquita San Clemente. Saturday, June 12, 2021 8:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

Page 27

NIGUEL SHORES GARAGE SALE - SATURDAY, JUNE 12TH 33654 Niguel Shores Drive. Saturday, June 12th. 9a.m. - Noon MOVING GARAGE SALE, JUNE 12TH 8 am to 1 pm. Tools Furniture Antiques Asian Lamps. Art Paintings JBL Speakers + Projectors. 26727 Avenida Las Palmas, Capo Beach GARAGE SALE 26942 Calle Dolores, Capo Beach. June 12.

7:30 to 11:00am. Sharp 40 inch TV, Sony PS4 w/games, Kitchen items, large dog crate, books, clothing, stuffed animals.

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Then you need to be in the SC Times.

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ENVIRONMENTAL INSPECTIONS

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

3West Environmental, Inc. www.3westenviro.com Residential & commercial inspections for mold, asbestos and lead paint. 310.400.0195

MUSIC LESSONS

Cello and Bass Academy 310.895.6145, celloandbassacademy.com

Bill Metzger Plumbing 1001 Calle Recodo, San Clemente, 949.492.3558, billmetzerplumbing.com

Buy • Consign • Sell

949.395.5681 (24 hours)

classicautosalesoc.com

Scott Kidd, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services 949.498.0487, skidd@bhhscal.com

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

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Salon Bleu 207 S. El Camino Real, San Clemente, 949.366.2060, scsalonbleu.com

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

2485 S. El Camino Real San Clemente

VETERINARY HOUSE CALLS Dr. Damon Goldstein, DVM 626.485.9355, damongoldstein@outlook.com “Personalized Care for your Fur Babies at your Home”

PROSTHODONTICS Hamilton Le, D.M.D., F.A.C.P. 1001 Avenida Pico, Ste. K, San Clemente, 949.361.4867 (GUMS), moranperio.com

Rock Club Music School 73 Via Pico Plaza, San Clemente, 949.463.1968, beachcitiesrockclub.com

LIST LOCALS ONLY. USE LOCALS ONLY.

Call Lauralyn for pricing at 949.388.7700, ext. 102 or lloynes@picketfencemedia.com

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE

Call Lauralyn Loynes at 949.388.7700, ext. 102 or lloynes@picketfencemedia.com

Call Lauralyn Loynes at 949.388.7700, ext. 102 or lloynes@picketfencemedia.com

Call Lauralyn Loynes at 949.388.7700, ext. 102 or lloynes@picketfencemedia.com

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BUSINESS DIRECTORY

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SC LIVING

BESPOKE POP-UP DINNER EXPERIENCES

BY NORB GARRETT, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Pictured is Feast California founder Holly Richardson.

Photo: Courtesy of Holly Richardson

The team of 9 Style Ramen comprises Eriko, Peyton, Ryosuke and Kyuma (aka Q). Photos: Norb Garrett

9 STYLE DOUBLES DOWN

BY NORB GARRETT, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Building on the success of his award-winning sushi restaurant, 9 Style Sushi restaurateur Kyuma Komatsu (aka Q) has opened a second San Clemente location, 9 Style Ramen.

Opening 15 years after his first restaurant debuted in 2006, 9 Style Ramen features Kyu’s own adaptation of broth and ramen dishes that he originally learned while working at a Tokyo ramen shop as a young man.

“I love ramen,” said Q, whose name translates to the number 9, which is why his restaurants are 9 Style—in other words, Q’s Style. “I used to work at a ramen shop in Tokyo, and I know how to make it. A lot of people who said they wanted ramen would have to drive out of town to Costa Mesa and other places, so I wanted to do a restaurant here. I just wanted to do my style.”

Q and his wife, Erica, opened the new restaurant in South San Clemente in the old Pipe’s Café location in mid-March.

Opening a restaurant in the midst of the pandemic, while operating another at diminished volume, was difficult, but the family managed to get through thanks to their legions of supporters.

“Last year was really tough after the lockdown,” said Q, who first moved to Huntington Beach from Japan in 1996 because of the waves—he wanted to San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

be a professional surfer. He worked at a sushi bar in Laguna Beach before moving down to San Clemente in 2006 to open the sushi bar.

“The people of San Clemente have supported us,” he continued. “They’re so friendly, and the community has really supported us. Our takeout business did well. We could survive. We love San Clemente.”

Offering a menu featuring four ramen dishes (all with spicy options), including a vegan option, and a variety of appetizers, the restaurant owners stated that the secret to a great ramen bowl is the broth.

“The broth is critical,” said Erica, who helps run the 9 Style Ramen location with manager Ryosuke, and is also oftentimes joined at the restaurant by her and Q’s 8-year-old daughter, Peyton.

“It takes six hours to make the broth. We so proudly make the broth. It’s the 9 Style recipe. There’s a basic broth, but Q makes it his own.”

With the second business now fully operational, the family is excited about the new venture and eagerly awaits the June 15 reopening of the state’s economy.

Indoor seating is available currently, and they are awaiting approval on their liquor license application.

“Business is going good so far,” said Q, who splits time between the two businesses. “We just got started, but it’s going well.”

9 Style Ramen, located 2017 South El Camino Real, San Clemente, operates Wednesdays through Mondays, from noon to 2 p.m. for lunch, and 5-9 p.m. for dinner. The restaurant can be reached at 949.503.3900.

After years of working in California lifestyle industries such as restaurants, print media, music, events and fashion, longtime San Clemente resident Holly Richardson decided it was time to blend her passion for entertaining, food, design and live music by launching a new culinary experience company.

Her company, Feast California, creates ticketed upscale pop-up dinner and music experiences at unique outdoor venues paired with wine and craft beer.

Local bands round out the experience, providing live music.

“As we emerge from this pandemic, it feels so nice to be outdoors with friends and family again, enjoying good food and live music in Orange County,” said Richardson, whose background includes marketing and public relations.

Richardson also served in ambassador director roles for Daphne’s California Greek restaurants, where she oversaw field operations and live events, and she co-founded a high-end luxury real estate and design magazine called Space.

“After working in the restaurant and events business, I realized I wanted to be in events again,” said Richardson, the mother of two adult children and president of Design Machine Media & Entertainment, which owns Feast California.

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“I have this great passion for curating beautiful, designed events for the public to enjoy,” she continued. “It turns out, the entertainment business is my true passion.”

Richardson is combining her many years of relationships in the culinary world and entertainment world to create bespoke events for 150 to 400 people at a VIP, all-inclusive ticket fee of $169 per guest.

To kick off 2021, her first event emerging from the pandemic is set for June 19 at Circle S Ranch in Silverado Canyon.

Starting after sundown, it features a fourcourse dinner, authentic Texas smokehouse barbecue and modern country music by the Scotty Mac Band.

Richardson plans to stage a series of 10 public ticketed culinary and live music events this year, but her event and design services can also be booked for corporate and private events.

“I like to collaborate with local farmers’ markets, small businesses and purveyors of artisanal goods to include their delicious foods into our outdoor dinner experiences,” said Richardson, who also is keen to support local charity fundraisers with her dinner and music events.

More information about Feast California, Culinary Entertainment Company can be found at feastcalifornia.com. sanclementetimes.com

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SPORTS & OUTDOORS

TRITON REPORT

BY ZACH CAVANAGH, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

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

Track and Field Qualifies in Five Events for CIF-SS Finals

Pin Kings SCHS boys wrestling wins second straight CIF-SS dual meet championship

BY ZACH CAVANAGH, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

L

ast season may have been San Clemente boys wrestling’s first CIF-SS dual meet championship, but the road to the second title will be one long remembered.

Top-seeded San Clemente secured eight pins on its way to a decisive win over No. 2 seed Royal, 52-21, to capture its second straight CIF-SS dual meet championship in the Division 3 final on Saturday, June 5, at San Clemente High School.

“It’s awesome,” San Clemente senior Chris Frederick said. “It’s a great feeling.

We put in the work. It’s unreal almost.

We talk about it every day, and now that we’re here, it’s an amazing feeling. I’m really grateful.”

As a high-contact, close-quarters sport, wrestling was abnormally affected by the pandemic restrictions. The start of the season was pushed from the winter until the spring, and when teams were finally allowed to wrestle, some had to

take matches outside, and all individual tournaments were canceled, including the CIF-SS championships.

Through it all, San Clemente stuck together and climbed to the mountaintop.

“We had limited opportunities to compete, so we made the most of it,” San Clemente coach Mark Calentino said.

“Tried to be wrestling two duals a week.

Stepped in front of the toughest competition we could. There was nothing that they’ve done this year that would make me question the fact that they were ready to fight and ready to wrestle to the end. I’m very proud of these guys.”

San Clemente had won team titles at the CIF-SS championship tournament in 2005, 2007 and 2008, but the Tritons didn’t clinch their first team titles until 2020 and now in 2021.

“You can win a tournament championship with eight or nine guys,” Calentino said, “but if you don’t show up with 12 to 14 good wrestlers, you’re not going to win a dual meet championship.”

Since switching to the current CIF-SS divisional system in 2019, San Clemente and Royal had circled each other for dual meet championships. In 2019, Royal was the top seed and knocked off San Clemente in the semifinals in a run to the Division 4 title. In 2020, Royal was the top seed again but lost in the Division 4 semifinals as San Clemente won its title.

Now in 2021, San Clemente was the No. 1 seed, and the Tritons welcomed No. 2 seed Royal to their own gym to capture

the CIF-SS championship in style.

San Clemente won its first three matches, with Dominic Morales getting a pin at 142 pounds, Jake Lerdahl earning a major decision at 149 pounds and Garrett Boyd outlasting his opponent at 156 pounds for a decision win, 9-7.

“Second match (was the turning point),” Calentino said. “That was a CIF runner-up for them. That was one of their best guys. When (Lerdahl) won that match, I had no doubt in my mind we were going to roll on them.”

San Clemente led, 13-0, at that point, but Royal got on the board with a decision win at 164 pounds.

Then the Tritons hit the gas with four straight pins by Hunter Nielsen at 174 pounds, Cole Robertson at 186 pounds, Robert Maley at 199 pounds and Fernando Llanos at 224 pounds. Maley’s pin came 16 seconds into his match.

After a forfeit at heavyweight, San Clemente had a 37-9 lead with five matches to go, but by then, Calentino knew the Tritons had the title locked up.

Andrew Fucci got another pin for San Clemente at 117 pounds, and Frederick earned a decision at 124 pounds.

Benjamin Wimberly got one last pin at 130 pounds to round out San Clemente’s victory.

Calentino wishes there was still a CIFSS individual tournament to look forward to, but for now, he and the Tritons can look back at the road traveled with another gold championship plaque in hand. SC

The San Clemente track and field teams qualified for the CIF-SS Division 1 Finals in four girls events and one boys event on the strength of top-nine performances at the CIF-SS preliminaries on Saturday, June 5, at Trabuco Hills High School.

Junior sprinter Caroline Hawkes headlined the group of Tritons by qualifying in the girls 200- and 400-meter races, as well as in the girls 4x400-meter relay.

Hawkes anchored the relay team, with senior Madelyn Poole leading off, followed by freshman Lyza Yetter and then sophomore Kennedy Banks.

Hawkes placed sixth in the 200 at 56.11 seconds and eighth in the 400 at 24.89 seconds. The 4x400-meter team placed seventh at 4:03.

In the field events, senior Natalie Vissman placed second in the high jump with a clearance of 5 feet, 2 inches. Vissman tied for the top mark but needed more attempts to reach the clearance.

The only San Clemente boy to qualify was senior Pierce Egbert in the pole vault. Egbert took the ninth and final qualifying position with a clearance at 14 feet even.

San Clemente had three near-misses for qualification, as senior Kelsie Yamano (girls 3,200-meter race), senior Sierra Adams (girls pole vault) and sophomore Jeremy Bull (boys high jump) all finished in 10th place, just outside the qualifying nine.

Hawkes, Poole, Yetter, Banks, Vissman and Egbert will all return to Trabuco Hills High School for the CIF-SS Division 1 Finals on Saturday, June 12.

CIF-SS Playoff Roundup • The San Clemente girls wrestling team fell at home in the CIF-SS dual meet quarterfinals to No. 1 Corona, 66-12, on Friday, June 4.

San Clemente boys wrestling captured its second consecutive CIF-SS dual meet championship with a win over Royal of Simi Valley, 52-21, in the Division 3 final on Saturday.

Photos: Zach Cavanagh

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• The Triton boys golf team finished 12th with a team score of 391 at the CIF-SS Division 2 Team Championship at Bella Collina San Clemente on Monday, June 7.

Aidan Valdez led San Clemente with a 71, tied for seventh among individual scores.

Valdez will golf at the CIF-SS Individual Championships on Thursday, June 10. SC sanclementetimes.com

Bound for Olympic Glory The List of History-Making Surfers Has been Named

BY JAKE HOWARD, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

T

he Olympic surfing picture is a lot clearer after the ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador last week.

With the United States’ team already locked in, one of the bigger stories was the rise of the Japanese team, which will play host when the Games get underway at the end of July.

Going into the event, Kanoa Igarashi, who largely grew up in nearby Huntington Beach, was the lone representative for the Japanese team, but by the end of competition in El Salvador, he was joined by three other countrymen and countrywomen, including Hiroto Ohhara, Mahina Maeda and Amuro Tsuzuki.

Meanwhile, the Peruvians also have much to cheer about, as 2004 World Champion Sofia Mulanovich has also made the cut. Peru also qualified Daniella Rosas, Miguel Tudela and Lucca Mesinas.

And proving that surfing is an international sport even for countries that don’t have much surf, Leon Glatzer will be the lone representative for Germany.

“There was so much work put into it for the last three years. It’s been an emotional roller coaster waking up every day and feeling the Olympics at my doorstep,” said Glatzer afterward.

TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS

SC SURF

WOMEN

MEN

Carissa Moore (USA) Caroline Marks (USA) Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) Silvana Lima (BRA) Brisa Hennessy (CRC) Leilani McGonagle (CRC) Dominic Barona (ECU) Johanne Defay (FRA) Pauline Ado (FRA) Anat Lelior (ISR) Mahina Maeda (JPN) Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN) Ella Williams (NZL) Daniella Rosas (PER) Sofia Mulanovich (PER) Yolanda Sequeria (POR) Teresa Bonvalot (POR) Bianca Buitendag (RSA)

Kolohe Andino (USA) John John Florence (USA) Leandro Usuna (ARG) Owen Wright (AUS) Julian Wilson (AUS) Gabriel Medina (BRA) Italo Ferreira (BRA) Manuel Selman (CHI) Rio Waida (INA) Jeremy Flores (FRA) Michel Bourez (FRA) Leon Glatzer (GER) Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) Hiroto Ohhara (JPN) Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) Billy Stairmand (NZL) Miguel Tudela (PER) Lucca Mesinas (PER) Frederico Morais (POR) Jordy Smith (RSA)

The U.S. brought a relatively young surf team down to El Salvador. San Clemente’s Taj Lindblad got some invaluable international experience, while 18-yearold Carlsbad local Aylessa Spencer made it all the way to finals day, eventually taking seventh overall.

“It has truly been a historic week for surfing here in El Salvador,” said ISA President Fernando Aguerre. “We have successfully completed Surfing’s Olympic Qualification and confirmed the Olympic dreams of 40 surfers from all around the

world. This is a moment that will live on in surfing history for decades, or centuries to come.”

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

DHHS SURFER OLIVIA GOTTRON NAMED 2021 VALEDICTORIAN

W

San Clemente Times June 10-16, 2021

BARON BANUELOS

BY JAKE HOWARD, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

W

hat happens when impeccable surf style and outstanding study habits collide? Well, if you’re Baron Banuelos, a lot of really killer stuff.

Banuelos just graduated from eighth grade at Marco Forster Middle School, and in or out of the water, he’s got much to be proud of, as he’s the recipient of the school’s Roadrunner Award for his academic excellence. Hitting the books has definitely paid off.

A talented longboarder, Banuelos went undefeated this season in the Scholastic Surfing Series boys’ longboard division and rode the momentum to the State Title in the same division.

“Baron is a classic kid, an old soul,” explains coach Matt Johnson. “He not only longboards, but surfs all kinds of boards.

I see him at the beach almost every time I go. He’s very polite, respectful and positive.”

Also an integral member of the Dana Point Surf Club, Banuelos enjoys the support of the locally based San Onofre Surf Club and has been getting his boards from master craftsman Roger Hines.

And with a bounty of southwest swell rolling in for the start of summer vacation, Banuelos and his friends have been on it as they enjoy these last couple of months before high school life kicks off in the fall.

If you have a candidate for Grom of the Week, we want to know. Send an email to jakehoward1@gmail.com. SC

SURF FORECAST Water Temperature: 65-67 Degrees F Water Visibility and Conditions: 5-8 Thursday: A mix of South/southwest swell and Northwest swell rolls in with waves in the waist-stomach-chest high range, (2-3-4’).

Light+ Southeast winds in the morning, rise to a moderate+ westerly breeze during the afternoon, then lighten by the evening.

BY JAKE HOWARD, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

ith all of the end-of-the-year goodness and graduation news, we’d like to take a moment to recognize Dana Point’s Olivia Gottron. Wrapping up her time at Dana Hills High School, Gottron graduates as the school valedictorian with a 4.06 GPA. For the monumental effort, she has received a $500 scholarship from the Dana Point Surf Club, as well as three other scholarships from local businesses and foundations. The funds will go to helping

GROM OF THE WEEK

Olivia Grotton just graduated as the valedictorian at Dana Hills High School and will soon be heading to landlocked Montana State to pursue her studies. Photo: Courtesy of McPherson

her get started, as she will be attending Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, in the fall.

When Gottron’s not studying, chances are you’ll find her surfing San Onofre with her friends or working on her photography. One of five kids in her family, her older brother Ian is also a talented

local surfer with a bright future.

Gottron currently enjoys the support of Killer Dana Surf Shop, Brawner Boards, and Reunion Wetsuits. She also works closely with shaper Barrett Miller on her boards.

Congrats, enjoy the summer and good luck in Montana, Olivia—especially when winter kicks in. SC Page 34

Outlook: For Friday, the South/southwest and Northwest swell mix eases, for knee-thigh-waist high surf, (1-2-3’). Light+ Southeast winds Friday morning, shift to a moderate west sea breeze in the afternoon. More South/southwest swell shows Saturday, for waist-stomach high waves, (2-3’+).

The South/southwest swell is joined by secondary Northwest swell on Sunday, nudging surf up to waist-stomach-chest high, (2-3-4’). For Saturday and Sunday, light southerly morning winds, rise to a light+/moderate westerly afternoon sea breeze.

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