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What’s Up With... TOP NEWS SAN CLEMENTE SHOULD KNOW THIS WEEK
Los Molinos Beer Brings New Element to Storied District BY C. JAYDEN SMITH
Nestled within the quaint but bustling Los Molinos Business District, a new brewery of the street’s namesake welcomed hundreds of customers in its first week of business. Shawn Haven, a fourth-generation San Clemente resident, along with partner and friend Roman Krecu, opened Los Molinos Beer Company to a warm reception from the community last week. On Saturday, April 16, they saw more than 500 people enter the building, which has been in Haven’s family since 1965. “It went well,” Haven said of the new business’ opening. “(We saw) a pretty steady flow all day from when we opened to when we closed.” After previous stints housing businesses concerned with countertops, cabinets, and motorcycles over the years, the building now stands as a brewery that was five years in the making. Haven, a contractor, and Krecu, a builder, joined forces to make Haven’s dream a reality in the neighborhood where he spent a lot of time during his childhood. The owners wanted to make sure the building, in the oldest business district in town, retained its charm and
character while revitalizing it at the same time. Krecu described the community within the Los Molinos District, also known as the “surf ghetto,” as being tight-knit and eclectic, which factored into their decision-making with the design and renovation. “As you can see with the aesthetics, we took a lot of (that nature) and made this an open environment for anybody to walk in and enjoy it, whether you’re a long-term San Clemente resident or somebody just in for the weekend,” he explained while sitting down with San Clemente Times this week. They honored their other careers through placing a coal box outside, complementing Haven’s work in geology, and other aesthetic choices. The industrial, contemporary look features white tile, sandblasted wood ceilings, and plenty of visible concrete and steel. Easy-to-clean tile and drains all over the floor, especially in the brewing area, make the space utilitarian as well. Haven and Krecu spoke about receiving support from both the City of San Clemente and people within the brewing industry, the latter of which they described as encouraging and wanting the business partners to succeed. The camaraderie is also part of what attracted Krecu to diving into the beer world, as Los Molinos Beer Company looks to provide the same experience to
(From left) Roman Krecu partnered with Shawn Haven to make Los Molinos Beer Company a reality. Photo: Courtesy of Roman Krecu
Discussion of Health Care in San Clemente Continues; New Hospital a Non-Starter BY C. JAYDEN SMITH
Whether a hospital would return to San Clemente has been a longstanding question. Earlier this month, however, the two councilmembers who have been tasked with addressing that very query affirmed that such an endeavor was not an option. “Financially, it’s just not possible at this point,” Mayor Pro Tem Chris Duncan said on April 9, when the city hosted the first of two community roundtables concerning the future of health care in San Clemente. “I don’t know if I can say that more clearly,” he continued. “The city would have to bear essentially all of the financial outlay—actually, the residents (would), through a bond, and the residents would have to pay for the operation of the hospital.” San Clemente Times April 21-27, 2022
Mayor Gene James, Duncan’s fellow subcommittee member, agreed. With a low baseline of a $200 million bond to construct the hospital, plus the costs of zoning, securing property, and other hassles, let alone trying to operate in an outdated form of inpatient care, James said the prospects are not viable and felt it “would be a burden for our taxpayers.” He added that he feared many would not be willing to give up their medical provider, and doctors with whom they have developed close ties, to switch to a new system at a new San Clemente hospital. James and Duncan said they are hoping for legislation that would allow for emergency rooms to exist separate from a hospital, and they want to be prepared to take advantage should such a measure Page 3
its customers by educating and speaking at length about their products. “Any place that I go and travel, a brewery is typically the most unique and real place at any of those spots,” Haven said, adding: “It just feels like you have an inside into the community, more so than (other kinds of places).” There are currently 10 different beers and four seltzers on tap, with the One 5 One West Coast IPA as Krecu’s favorite and the Belgianade Fruited Belgian as Haven’s top choice. As they brew all of their beers in-house, the Fruited Belgian was developed during their pilot system and gave Haven confidence regarding
their future. “That beer was something that I knew would appeal to a lot of people, and it made me very, very happy to drink it,” he said. The brewery has already made inroads into the San Clemente community. With more than 1,600 Instagram followers, and word-of-mouth getting many people through the garage doors, the owners certainly believe there is a buzz around town. Through hosting fundraisers or other events, Los Molinos Beer Company looks to become an active part of the district and the city as a whole.
become a reality. During the first roundtable, conducted over Zoom, the two city officials were joined by leaders across several health-related industries in Southern California, including Tammi McConnell, division manager of Orange County’s Emergency Medical Service system, and Randy Black, assistant chief of Orange County Fire Authority’s Emergency Medical Services. Also participating in the roundtable were Rob Capobianco, division chief of OCFA Operations Division 3, which serves San Clemente among other South County cities; Paul Young, senior vice president of Public Policy and Reimbursement at the Hospital Association of Southern California; and Tatyana Popkova, chief strategy officer of UC Irvine Health. A video presentation from the city was included during the roundtable discussion that chronicled San Clemente’s recent history of health care, including the city’s interactions with MemorialCare, the former operator of the hospital
at 654 Camino de los Mares, and efforts to bring a hospital back. It told of councilmembers meeting with health care providers and hospital systems that all believed their system couldn’t create a financially viable operational model. It also recalled the request for proposals (RFP) that the city released in January 2020 to seek a contractor to partner with redeveloping the hospital site—an effort that didn’t receive any offers. The video further discussed the results of the survey that FM3 conducted in December 2021, which indicated that a majority of respondents favored creating a hospital and using taxpayer funds to build it. Since the city and MemorialCare reached a settlement in June 2019, the hospital subcommittee has mended the previously adversarial relationship and engaged in two-way communication with the provider, according to James and Duncan. (Cont. on page 6) sanclementetimes.com
