Council Approves Compensation for Reestablished Coastal Advisory, New Arts and Culture Committees

BY CLARA HELM

The city will once again have a council-appointed group of individuals tasked with addressing coastal matters in San Clemente after the City Council voted unanimously on July 18 to formally adopt an ordinance reestablishing the Coastal Advisory Committee. More than two years after Coastal

Advisory was dissolved and folded into the Beaches, Parks, and Recreation Commission, the council sought to split the groups so that Coastal could focus on ocean and beach quality while Parks remains focused on recreation.

“I wanted to thank the City Coun - cilmembers for bringing back the Coastal Advisory Committee,” said San Clemente resident Amanda Quintanilla. “I know that former Coastal Advisory Committee member Susan Ambrose has been trying to bring this committee back for years.”

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Community Meetings

FRIDAY, JULY 28

Beachside Chat

8-9 a.m. Join San Clemente residents and dignitaries for the weekly Beachside Chat, a spirited, town hall forum on community issues led by a slate of rotating hosts. The chats are held at Dorothy Visser Senior Center, located at 117 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente. All are welcome.

SATURDAY, JULY 29

Challenging Cancer

10-11:30 a.m. The Challenging Cancer group is conducting weekly meetings through Zoom video conferences. The meetings are open to caregivers, people who have a compromised immune system, and people dealing with cancer. To join, email donnavigil2@gmail.com or linda_crdv@yahoo.com. heritagesc.org.

SUNDAY, JULY 30

Meaningful Conversations

3 p.m. Join a different kind of conversation, one that welcomes every perspective in a search for the truths that unite us all, as the Baha’i Center discusses the spiritual perspectives offered by the Baha’i Teachings on the fundamental oneness of religion. Baha’i Center, 3316 Avenida Del Presidente, San Clemente. 949.779.2878. sanclementelsa@gmail.com.

TUESDAY, AUG. 1

Because I Love You (BILY)

6:30-8:30 p.m. The organization Because I Love You (BILY), which helps parents navigate through any parenting challenges they may be facing (e.g., failure to launch, substance misuse, disrespect, mental health), conducts its weekly meetings on Tuesdays via Zoom video conference and in-person/Zoom the first Tuesday of each month at the Outlets at San Clemente’s Conference Room. For detailed instructions on how to participate, email bilysanclemente@gmail.com.

San Clemente Toastmasters

7-8:40 p.m. The Toastmasters Club invites people to lose their fear of public speaking and have fun at the same time. Join them in person on the first and third Tuesday of the month at the Baha’i Center, at 3316 Avenida del Presidente. Visitors welcomed. 6463. toastmastersclubs.org.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 2

VA Disabled Claims Clinic

2-4 p.m. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) 9934 will sponsor a Veterans Affairs Disability Claims Clinic at the Dana Point Community Center the first and third Wednesday of each month. Veterans can walk in and meet with a VFW Service Officer and receive information on how to file a claim for service-related medical issues. Dana Point Community Center, 34052 Del Obispo Street, Dana Point.

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Councilmembers also introduced an ordinance on July 18 to create an Arts and Culture Committee that will advise the council on programs and proposals to commission artwork on public buildings and spaces.

As part of the same council discussion, it also voted unanimously to approve a resolution that will compensate all members of the Coastal Advisory and the Arts committees with $55 stipends—a total fiscal impact of $6,600 per year.

In their June 20 meeting, councilmembers voted to introduce the ordinance reinstating Coastal Advisory, as well as put forth an amended municipal code to include Arts and Culture. The council then also moved to increase the Human Affairs Committee meetings from a bimonthly to a monthly basis.

With the split between the two committees, Beaches and Parks will be kept at seven members, while Coastal will comprise five.

Because of the removal of coastal-related issues from Beaches and Parks, Councilmember Mark Enmeier asked whether there is a need to still have seven members.

Councilmember Rick Loeffler and Mayor Chris Duncan stated that they should keep the current membership because of the level of subcommittee involvement required in the commission and the abundance of public interest in new positions.

Separate from these committees, councilmembers also had recommendations for other compensations and vacancies.

Loeffler questioned whether they could include the Public Safety Committee and Investment Advisory Committee in the group of committees being compensated. The council was in consensus that this will be put forth and possibly approved as a separate item in a future meeting.

Loeffler also moved to direct the city clerk to open up advertising for a vacant Public Safety seat. The council approved the motion, with advertising for the public safety position to proceed without being brought to the council again.

With few other questions and deliberations, Councilmember Victor Cabral moved to approve the introduction of the ordinance creating the Arts and Culture Committee, and formally adopt the resolution to compensate the members on the Coastal Advisory and Arts committees.

The motion was approved unanimously.

Committee members will begin receiving their $55 stipend at their first meeting.

Inaugural Triton Summer Slam Combines Pickleball with Fundraising

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

As anyone involved in the world of fundraising knows, the grind of trying to rally financial support never stops. That trend continued on Saturday, July 22, when the San Clemente High School Educational Foundation hosted a new fundraiser at San Clemente High’s tennis courts.

Roughly 150 people made their way onto the courts to compete in the foundation’s inaugural Triton Summer Slam Pickleball Tournament—round robin-style competitions, comprising various divisions and skill levels, meant to help fund academic programs and projects at SC High.

“There’s a couple of board members for the Educational Foundation that play pickleball, so we knew that if we set this up, it would go, it’d be popular,” Ewan Morrison, a member of the SCHSEF’s Board of Directors, told San Clemente Times.

Morrison said he’d wanted to organize such an event since he first joined the board a few years ago, but the planning process didn’t begin until around four months ago. From there, the tournament’s development was quick.

“So, it didn’t take a lot of convincing, and once we started promoting it, it started filling up right away. We basically filled the whole thing,” Morrison said at the event, where a noticeable banner trumpeted the foundation’s $250,000 contribution to renovate the campus library in 2022.

The tournament’s entry fees were $40 per player to compete in one division, $30 per player for each additional division, and $20 each for players in the Co-Ed Junior Division.

The foundation’s website initially listed fixed partner men’s, women’s and mixed doubles divisions, as well as rotating partner men’s, women’s and mixed divisions, with all six of the sections having an advanced and intermediate level.

The tournament also held a fixed “Family Feud” division for father-daughter teams and mother-son teams, and the rotating Co-Ed Junior Division open to children aged 13-17.

Lisa Newell, a longtime SCHSEF supporter and event sponsor with her Farmers Insurance agency, placed third in the rotating women’s doubles event during the 8:30 session. Her participation on Saturday allowed her to combine the importance of supporting local students, teachers, and schools with the sport she’s played since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“A neighbor of mine had a pickleball net, and I started playing outside in the street, and I’ve been playing ever since,” said Newell. “The social part is definitely the most fun for me. I sit in an office all day long, so it’s nice to be able to get out.”

San Clemente resident John Rael only learned of the event from his pickleball friends a month before, deciding to show up for a good cause to support the school. Rael said he enjoys getting good exercise and meeting people while playing pickleball, which required persuading for him to start after COVID impacted his ability to play racquetball.

“My sister had been on me forever to try pickleball,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Just a bunch of old people play that, man. I’m not interested in that.’ And I came out and played, and I just saw a beautiful community getting together, young and old.”

As a foundation that relies on the generosity of its surrounding populace, according to Ewan Morrison, the SCHSEF must be creative and make fundraising events a fun experience for people.

Morrison added that the local pickleball community, while enthusiastic and inclusive, hadn’t previously held significant ties to the organization. In turn, the tournament allowed the SCHSEF to bring a heretofore-unreached demographic into the fold.

“It’s like a new segment that now knows about the foundation and is supporting it with their entry fees and with their sponsorship dollars,” said Morrison. “It’s really great.”

The foundation provides $180,000 yearly in funding for academic programs at the high school, in addition to any one-off campaigns, requiring SCHSEF to continuously fundraise.

Organization officials were thrilled with the success of Saturday’s event and look to add an annual tournament to their list of other events, such as the upcoming Triton Night on Nov. 11.

“There’s an unfortunate reality that the budgets in the district don’t cover everything that students really need to succeed, whether you’re on a vocational track or (an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate track),” Morrison said. “It really is up to the community to fill in the gaps.”

More information about the foundation’s activities in providing academic support and postsecondary guidance programs, as well as how to contribute, can be found at schsef.org.