January 15, 2015

YOUR NO. 1 SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS, EVENTS, SPORTS AND MORE

L O C A L N E W S Y O U C A N U S EJanuary 15-21, 2015

VOLUME 10, ISSUE 3

www.sanclementetimes.com

Triton Girls Soccer Picks Up League Win Over Cougars PAGE 16

San Clemente will soon have use of its original public pool again, as work on the restoration of the Ole Hanson Beach Club has begun. Photo: Courtesy of the San Clemente Historical Society

Finally MovingYear-long rehabilitation of historic

Ole Hanson Beach Club beginsEYE ON SC/PAGE 4

El Camino Real Parking Lot Project Sent Back to City

EYE ON SC/PAGE 3

Kolohe Andino Takes Top Honors at

Huntington Beach Event SC SURF/PAGE 22

San Clemente Woman Working as Spokesperson

for Food Allergy AwarenessSC LIVING/PAGE 12

LOCAL NEWS & IN-DEPTH REPORTINGEYE ON SC

www.sanclementetimes.comSan Clemente Times January 15–21, 2015 Page 3

SCSan Clemente

El Camino Real Lot Sent Back to CityTHE LATEST: The city of San Clemente will have 60 days to review its proposal for a more than 30-space parking lot on El Camino Real after the California Coastal Commission continued the item until its March meeting in San Diego.

Three city residents, Ricardo Nicol, Tom Barnes and Vonne Barnes spoke in opposi-tion to the proposal at the meeting, noting issues with cars affecting views along El Camino Real as well as issues of accessibility.

Assistant City Manager Erik Sund reported that the Coastal Commission directed its staff to work with the city to alleviate the resident’s concerns and come back in March. Coastal Commission staff had recommended passing the proposal with conditions.

WHAT’S NEXT: The agenda for the next Coastal Commission has not yet been set, but will be held over three days, March 11-13. – Jim Shilander

Commissions Begin Look at Local Coastal Land Use PlanTHE LATEST: The city’s Coastal Advisory Commission got the first look Thursday at the initial draft of the city’s land use plan for its Local Coastal Program.

Currently, major work on buildings or projects within the coastal zone, which includes much of San Clemente west of In-terstate 5 outside of the downtown T Zone, must go before the California Coastal Commission for approval. The local pro-gram would give the city primary planning authority over areas currently within the coastal zone that are not touched by high tide, which would remain the purview of the Commission.

City Planner Jim Pechous, who present-ed the draft proposal to the board, said the goal for the document was to help provide better customer service for residents as well as meet the goals of the general plan.

WHAT’S NEXT: Residents who attended the meeting had some misgivings about certain aspects of the draft plan, which was created by city staff in consultation

with the Coastal Commission staff. Points of contention included the regulations potentially facing future developments at the Capistrano Shores Mobile Home Park, setback issues and allowances for the amount of glass permitted on bluff sides, to minimize potential harm to birds.

Other committees are scheduled to provide input on the draft plan before it goes before City Council. The final version of the complete Local Coastal program will also have to receive approval by the Coastal Commission. – JS

SONGS Panel to Host Discussion on Removing Nuclear FuelTHE LATEST: Southern California Edison’s Community Engagement Panel on the decommissioning of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station will meet with experts from the Bipartisan Policy Center on the subject of encouraging the federal Depart-ment of Energy to move on finding ways of safely storing spent nuclear fuel.

San Clemente City Councilman Tim Brown, who serves as vice-chair of the CEP, announced the meeting at the council’s Jan. 6 meeting. Tim Frazier, the former head of the President’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, is also scheduled to attend the meeting. Frazier heads the center’s own nuclear waste initiative.

The speedy removal of spent nuclear fuel from the site south of San Clemente has been a major topic of discussion of both the CEP and City Council in recent months. With no current central repository for spent nuclear fuel, fuel is currently slated to remain at the plant until a repository, permanent or temporary, can be found.

The City Council passed a resolution in December asking that the fuel be removed as swiftly as possible from the site. Anti-nuclear

activists have suggested that the safest route may be to remove the fuel to a more inland and less densely populated environment within California, specifically the desert.

WHAT’S NEXT: The meeting is currently scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 27, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the San Juan Capist-rano Community Center, located at 25925 Camino Del Avion.

FIND OUT MORE: For information, visit www.songscommunity.com. —JS

City Appoints Three to City CommissionsTHE LATEST: The San Clemente City Council placed three local residents on city commissions Tuesday, even as it may soon take up a debate on just how many should serve on at least one of those com-missions at a later date.

Vonne Barnes, who currently serves as president of the Rancho San Clemente Community Association, was chosen from a field of nine candidates on the first ballot by a 3-1-1 vote to join the city Planning Commission for a term ending June 30.

During her interview period, Barnes noted her organization’s work assisting with a traffic study in the city’s eastern region, as well as her ability to reach out into the community.

Interview questions for all of the candidates included a focus on traffic and circulation, as well as exploring ways of maintaining the city’s signature look.

Brian Haskins, a lifeguard, was chosen by a 3-2 vote from a field of six candidates. Haskins said his priorities would be “sand, safety and sharing,” and said he was open to discussing the site of the Marine Safety Headquarters as well as for the extension of the San Clemente Beach Trail to San Clemente State Park.

Candidates were largely asked about their views on the impact of the trail on the city’s coastal environment, as well as their views on sand replenishment.

Cathie D’Itri was chosen from two can-didates for a position on the Investment Advisory Committee.

WHAT’S NEXT: Several members of the City Council have expressed a willing-ness to discuss reducing the number of members of the city’s planning commission from seven to five at previous meetings. The Coastal Advisory Commission also has seven members, though two are members of other bodies (the Planning Commission and Beaches, Parks and Recreation Com-mission). Beaches, Parks and Recreation and the Golf Course Committee also have seven members. Those discussions will likely come before the next round of coun-cil appointments in July. —JS

City Hosting Second Annual Summit HikeTHE LATEST: For the second time, the city will host a hike to San Clemente’s highest point, San Clemente Summit, on Saturday, Jan. 24.

The hike, which included approximately 40 people for last year’s inaugural edition, will take place on the northern portion of the Cristianitos Trail, up from the access point at Avenida Talega. The summit is 1,008 feet and now includes a public bench placed as part of an Eagle Scout project.

WHAT’S NEXT: Walkers are advised to bring a hat, a water bottle, as well as closed-toed shoes suitable for hiking. The hike is approximately 3 miles, round trip. Parking is available at the end of Avenida Talega.

FIND OUT MORE: For more information, visit www.san-clemente.org. –JS

What’s Up With...Five things San Clemente should know this week

Last year’s inaugural hike to San Clemente Summit brought more than 40 people to the city’s highest point. Photo: Jim Shilander


EYE ON SC

Beaches, Parks and Recreation Department Director Sharon Heider, recreation director Pam Passow and project construction manager Amir Ilkhanipour answered resident questions about the upcoming work on the Ole Hanson Beach Club. Photo: Jim Shilander

fter several years of frustration and delay, work to rehabilitate one of San Clem-ente’s signature buildings, the Ole Hanson Beach Club, began this week with hopes that, by this time next year, or soon thereafter, residents who enjoyed use of

the pool and facilities would have their pool back.Residents got a closer look at the proposed finished product of the effort Saturday, as

staff from the city’s Beaches, Parks and Recreation Department met with the public at the site to answer questions about the work and just what can be expected when the pool and clubhouse return to public use in early 2016.

Members of the City Council have acknowledged in recent months that the process to get the project started ended up taking much longer than anticipated when design work on the aging facility was begun in 2011.

“It’s been an exercise in frustration, frankly,” councilwoman Lori Donchak said during a council candidate forum in October. Then-Mayor- Tim Brown also said the council had erred in voting to close the facility until work began at the same forum.

The project was initially begun as an attempt to examine the source of water damage to the facility. The project grew in scope once greater-than expected issues were found.

The project now includes significant repairs to the roof, a remodeling of the interior of the facility and changes to some of the exteriors on both the land and pool sides, as well as access improvements for the pools.

What was at one point a $1.5 million project is now budgeted at $4.4 million, including monies for design and construction contingency. Actual construction costs have been put at $3.2 million.

One bidder on the project is also suing the city over the bid process. Lehman Construction, which lost out on the bid, filed suit against the city in Decem-

ber. The owner of Lehman, as well as an attorney, spoke before the city council when it approved the construction contract with Newman Midland Construction at its Dec. 2 meeting, saying that the firm had withdrawn its bid due to what it considered to be ir-regularities in the bidding process. Lehman had been the lowest bidder.

At the time, City Attorney Jeff Oderman told the council that any irregularities in the bid process were not enough to force the city to have to start over again. Oderman said he and city staff had reviewed the claims and found them to be without substantial merit. There is currently no temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction against the city for the project.

In a city news release, Mayor Chris Hamm wrote, “Lehman Construction has filed a baseless lawsuit and the city intends to defend the lawsuit and proceed on schedule with the project with Newman.”

Frustration MountsMuch of the frustration from residents has been less with the costs of the project than

the delay in beginning work. That was compounded in 2012, when the City Council voted to close the pool to swimmers in anticipation of the start of work. Part of that decision,

Finally Moving

ABY JIM SHILANDER, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

councilmembers have said publicly, was the assumption that users of the pool would simply use the new San Clemente Aquatic Center in its stead. However, many former Beach Club users have ex-pressed dissatisfaction with that arrange-ment.

Margo Grube and Gloria Densham were among those in attendance Saturday who’d lost the use of the pool during the delay. Grube came to the event specifically to ask about changes to the locker rooms at the club, where only a few dressing stalls were kept in order to have more toilet stalls, which staff said was necessi-tated by code.

“Gloria and I were in the exercise class for 16 or 17 years,” Grube said. “I’m here fighting for more dressing stalls. We’re very anxious for the pool to get started again.”

Densham said staff at the Aquatic Center had not considered the disabilities some users might have, calling the exer-cise “inadequate.” She also said the pool was too far away from the locker rooms, which meant she got cold walking back after a swim. She also had to change in the bathroom.

“I just didn’t care for it,” she said. “Why would you want to waste your time or your money? If you’re going to have the lifeguards doing it, you’re going to need to school them and show them what they need to do, because it’s boring to do the same thing (workouts) to their hard rock music all the time.”

Recreation director Pam Passow said the main concerns she was hearing was just people wanting their special place again.

“What they’re hoping for is that this will open tomorrow instead of next year,” Passow said. “That’s something we cannot do, but they’re excited we’ll have the same types of programming we had before.”

Passow said she’d also been talking up the additional accessibility gained in the two pools at the facility. Lifts will be put in place at both pools to comply with the Americans with Disabilities act, and double railings will be put in place.

In terms of programming, Passow said she would examine what had been offered at the Beach Club historically as well as what was being offered at the Aquatic Center, seeing what could be duplicated and what the market would support.

“For sure we’re going to have water aerobics back at the Beach Club, we know that for sure, but we may not have all the classes we had before,” she said. “We’ll be asking our residents, ‘What do you want, what would you like to see?’”

Changes to History?Also at issue has been some of the

changes made to the facility during the design process. Some original features, including a few windows and much of the poolside façade, were changed during the design process. Some of those changes were made in order to comply with new ADA requirements, but others were made at the suggestion of the City Council, which was acting as the client.

Raad Ghantous, the President of the San Clemente Historical Society, said his concern is less with the actual changes to the building than with the potential im-pact to other properties owned privately.

“I think that the overall plan being proposed by the city to do the repairs that were needed to the Beach Club, in terms of stabilizing it, rotting walls, timbers needing to be replaced, is a good one,” he said. “I’m excited to see the Beach Club back in operation as an asset to the com-munity. Where I’m disappointed is that there seems to be decisions made that aren’t driven by universal accessibility and more on personal preference.”

Ghantous said the elimination of several original windows, as well as the introduction of a double door system, was one of authenticity, since it would appear, for those familiar with the original club that the club, had always been like that. Many of the historic photos of the club, he noted, are actually taken of the pool-side, since, until the introduction of a wall, initially served as a “billboard” coming into the city on Pacific Coast Highway.

The larger worry, he said, was one of precedent. Other historic buildings, like the Easley building, for example, also had historic features that made them difficult to use on a commercial basis and were privately held. He worried that a client could make the case that they were doing so to provide greater accessibility.

Two architects present at the event Sat-urday countered by saying the changes were positive, especially the ones to the interior, which had been designed initially to separate the genders immediately upon entering the building.

“Architects want their building to be useful,” Cheryl Moe said. “It got much better. A building can evolve as society evolves. It will be really great for the com-munity”

Dennis DeSilva said the previous ar-rangement made the facility feel “like a maze.” SC

Work on historic Ole Hanson Beach Club gets going

“ “For sure we’re going to have water aerobics back at the Beach Club, we know that for sure, but we may not have all the classes we had before. We’ll be asking our residents, ‘What do you want, what would you like to see? ”

— Pam Passow


EYE ON SC

Community MeetingsFRIDAY, JANUARY 16

Dark FridayCity offices closed.

MONDAY, JANUARY 19

Martin Luther King DayCity offices closed.

Spanish Conversation11 a.m. Meet at Café Calypso for coffee and conversation. 114 Avenida Del Mar, 949.492.9803.

German Speaking Group2 p.m.–4 p.m. German conversations at Café Calypso. 114 Avenida Del Mar, 949.361.8436.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 20

SC Sunrise Rotary Club7:15 a.m.–8:30 a.m. Meeting at Signa-ture Grille at the Talega Golf Club, 990 Avenida Talega, 949.369.0663, www.scsunriserotary.org.

City Council Meeting6 p.m. Regular meeting. Council Cham-bers, City Hall, 100 Avenida Presidio, www.san-clemente.org.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21

Kiwanis MeetingNoon. The local Kiwanis Club meets at Carrows Restaurant. 620 Avenida Pico, 949.290.8729, www.sanclementeki-wanis.com.

SC Rotary ClubNoon. Pride of the Pacific Bar & Grille, 150 Avenida Magdalena, 949.361.3619, www.sanclementerotary.org.

Planning Commission7 p.m. Regular meeting Council Cham-bers, City Hall, 100 Avenida Presidio, www.san-clemente.org. SOCGEMS Meeting7:15 p.m. The South Orange County Gem & Mineral Society meets the third Wednesday of the month in the Multi-Purpose Room at the Com-munity Center. Includes a program on tumbling stones, techniques and tips. Guests welcome. Refreshments served. 100 N. Calle Seville, 949.498.8358, www.socgems.org.

Retired Teachers Provide Military Family AidThe California Retired Teachers Associa-

tion Area X Division 42 recently donated $2,125 to San Clemente Military Family Outreach. The donations sponsored 23 military families with needs for the holi-days. The association donated over $13,000 of grants to working teachers and $75,000 to scholarships to students studying educa-tion in 2013-2014.

CUSD Kindergarten Roundup Events Being ScheduledFamilies preparing to send their

children off to school for the first time in the fall can visit elementary campuses in the Capistrano Unified School District during Kindergarten Roundup meetings in February through early March, officials announced this week.

CUSD elementary schools will hold orientation meetings that will last about an hour to provide families with important information regarding kindergarten pro-grams and distribute registration materials.

Families should bring proof of resi-dence to receive their registration packets. Families are highly encouraged to attend a roundup at their school of residence. If fam-ilies intend to apply for a school of choice during the School of Choice period, they may attend a roundup at their preferred site. However, registration material will only be distributed to those who live within that school’s attendance boundaries or to those whose applications are accepted.

In order to complete the registration pro-cess, the child’s birth certificate and immu-nization records must be available. School of Choice information can be found at www.capousd.ca.schoolloop.com/oe. Children must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2015, to begin kindergarten next fall.

Students who miss the cutoff date and were born between Sept. 2, 2010, and Dec. 2, 2010, may be eligible for the Transitional Kindergarten program. More information on the Transitional Kindergarten program can be found by calling 949.234.5342.

Dates and times for San Clemente elementary schools are as follows:

Clarence Lobo: Thursday, Feb. 5, at 9 a.m.; Concordia: Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 1:30 p.m.; Marblehead: Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 1:30 p.m.; Las Palmas: Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 8:30 a.m.; Vista Del Mar: Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 2 p.m. and Truman Benedict: Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 3 p.m.

Superintendent Kirsten Vital will also hold the second in a series of three com-munity forums on Monday, Jan. 26, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., in the Board Room of the district Education Center, 33122 Valle Rd.,

NEWS BITESCOMPILED BY JIM SHILANDER

Have something interesting for the community? Send your information to [email protected].

San Juan Capistrano.The program is an opportunity for CUSD

residents, parents and other interested stakeholders to meet with and hear from the district’s superintendent. No RSVP is required.

Along with comments by the superin-tendent, a short informational video will be shown on the new state standards in English/language arts and math. After-wards, there will be an opportunity to ask questions of the superintendent and other district administrative staff in attendance.

For additional information, call the district’s Communications Office at 949.234.9308.

San Clemente Presbyterian Offering Anti-Trafficking EventSan Clemente Presbyterian Church will

present an informational session on the dan-gers faced by teens online related to human trafficking, “Cyber Trafficking: Why Your Child/Teen is at Risk,” Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. Sandra Morgan, director of the Global Center for Women and Justice at Van-guard University, and Derek Marsh, retired Westminster Police Department deputy chief and Vanguard University instructor will discuss the use of the Internet and social media by predators and traffickers to recruit children, how to detect the signs of danger and how to protect children.

Due to the sensitive nature of the topic it is not recommended for children. Free childcare is available with an RSVP by Jan. 27, call 949.370.9815 for arrangements.

San Clemente Presbyterian Church is located at 119 Avenida De La Estrella. For more information, contact Brenda Wells at 949.682.6355 or [email protected].

FAM Offering Tax Prep, Looking for VolunteersFamily Assistance Ministries is offering

free income tax preparation through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program for those who make $52,427 or less. The program is available at FAM’s Resource

Center located at 1030 Calle Negocio, San Clemente on Saturday’s beginning Satur-day, Jan. 31 from 9 a.m. to noon. To set up an appointment, call 949.492.8477

Volunteers are also needed for the 2015 Point in Time Homeless Count. FAM serves as south Orange County’s deploy-ment center for the count.

The count will help determine the distribution of federal funding for home-less services needed. A total of 1,500 volunteers are needed county-wide for this effort. A short training session is required prior to the day of the count.

This year’s count is Jan. 24, from 4:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. For more information call 949.492.8477 or email [email protected].

New Nonprofit to Host Honoring Traditions GalaLocal nonprofit organization Four Direc-

tions Education is hosting an Honoring Traditions Gala and Silent Auction on Jan. 31 at 5:30 p.m. at El Adobe de Capistrano. The gala will be a major fundraising event for Four Directions and Capistrano Unified School District Native Education Program, making after-school programs, cultural exchanges, summer camps and much needed scholarships possible.

The Jan. 31 program will honor Saginaw Grant, a member of the Sac-n-Fox, Iowa and Otoe-Missouria Nations, with the Native American Humanitarian of the Year Award. Grant, an Indian leader who is also pursuing an acting career, will speak at the gala. His most recent appearances were in Disney’s Lone Ranger and the television series “Breaking Bad.”

The evening will also include a perfor-mance by Pala Indian Reservation bird singers and fancy dancers.

Tickets can be purchased online at eventbrite.com/event/14590485535/. For questions, email [email protected].

Judy L. Smith of the California Retired Teachers Association and Marian Fourier, board member of San Clemente Military Family Outreach. Photo: Courtesy


EYE ON SC

News Next DoorWHAT’S GOING ON IN OUR NEIGHBORING TOWNS

SC Sheriff’s BlotterAll information below is obtained from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department website. The calls represent what was told to the deputy in the fi eld by the radio dispatcher. The true nature of an in-cident often differs from what is initially reported. No assumption of criminal guilt or affi liation should be drawn from the content of the information provided. An arrest doesn’t represent guilt. The items below are just a sampling of the entries listed on the OCSD website.

Monday, January 12

DISTURBANCEVia Paquete, 0 Block (12:28 p.m.) A woman was in a verbal argument with a neighbor about her trailer. The neigh-bor was “fl ipping her off” and called her “trailer trash.”

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCEEl Camino Real, 1600 Block (11:40 a.m.)A hotel employee found a note in a room that two men had checked out of a half-hour earlier. The note read, “I am being held hostage” and “call the police.” While the room had been rented by two men, others had been seen going in. It was un-known if this was a prank or was serious.

DISTURBANCEEl Camino Real, 600 Block (11:26 a.m.)A boy, approximately 15, was tugging on a girl, who was also approximately 15, and threw something at her. She was crying. The boy then threatened the caller, saying he would slash her tires if she intervened.

WELFARE CHECKCamino de Estrella/Interstate 5 (7:41 a.m.) A man, described as being in his 20s, with dreadlocks and wearing a gray sweatshirt and black pants, was banging his head on

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO Michael Schwartz, the former operator

of the renovated SJC Sports Rink, was sen-tenced on Monday to 37 months in federal prison for fraud.

Orange County Central Court Deputy Clerk Deborah Goltz confi rmed Wednesday that Schwartz pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud at Monday’s sentencing by Judge David O. Carter. Schwartz will serve 37 months for each count concurrently, and was ordered to pay $1.79 million in restitution.

Schwartz previously pleaded guilty to wire and mail fraud charges in U.S. District Court in June. At the time, prosecutors said Schwartz defrauded investors and fi nancial institutions of $1.8 million through his com-pany Service First Funding Group.

In August, the San Juan Capistrano City Council voted unanimously to terminate an operating agreement with Schwartz for the

COMPILED BY CATHERINE MANSO

the wall of a building. The caller was con-cerned he might walk into traffi c.

Sunday, January 11

WELFARE CHECKCalle Amistad, 100 Block (10:34 p.m.) A woman, who sounded disoriented, told dispatch she could not fi nd her three or four friends, who should have been in her apartment. The woman said everyone had been drinking, but declined to say anything when asked about drug use.

UNKNOWN TROUBLECalle Amistad, 100 Block (10:07 p.m.) A caller kept saying “We’ve been at-tacked,” but refused to elaborate and did not answer questions.

DISTURBANCELas Posas, 1200 Block (3:23 p.m.) A man who was housesitting for a friend reported an unknown woman at the door. The woman appeared to be blind. The man said his friend had directed him not to let anyone in the home. There was also an elderly woman who lives at the home who was inside.

WELFARE CHECKCamino de Estrella/Avenida Las Palmas (10:36 a.m.) A gas station attendant was alone in a store with a man, who appeared to be homeless. The man was fl ailing his arms around. The caller believed the man was either on drugs or mentally ill. The caller did not believe the clerk would be able to handle the man, and requested offi cers check on them.

Saturday, January 10

DISTURBANCELas Posas, 1200 Block (3:23 p.m.) A caller

sports rink. The rink, located behind Marco Forster Middle School and Kinoshita Elemen-tary, was primarily used for roller hockey be-fore Schwartz restored it in 2013. After renova-tions were completed, the rink became home to activities such as lacrosse and soccer.

The multi-purpose SJC Sports Rink is now operated by Victory Sports.

DANA POINTThe plan for revitalization of the commer-

cial core at Dana Point Harbor was given a green light Wednesday when the California Coastal Commission voted to deny two ap-peals against the project.

The approved fi nal Coastal Development Permit includes a series of amendments made to address Coastal Commission con-cerns. Changes include the minimization of view impacts via scenic corridors and architectural design, the preparation of a shoreline hazards analysis, requirements that the launch ramp parking area provide ample parking now and into the future and that dry-stack boat storage be constructed in a timely manner with a minimum 493-boat capacity.

received word, second-hand, that neigh-bors were trying to break into the apart-ment. The caller’s roommate was home-alone and scared. There had been ongoing problems with these neighbors.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCEMonte Vista, 100 Block (6:59 p.m.) Two subjects on bicycles were seen entering the backyard of a home and then going inside. An elderly woman reportedly lives in the house alone. It was unknown whether the woman was home at the time, but the house was dark.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCEAvenida Junipero, 0 Block (1:26 p.m.) A man said he let a woman and her two sons stay in his garage, but had told them to leave. The caller said he believed the woman had packed up his items and was planning on taking them.

INDECENT EXPOSUREAvenida Pico/El Camino Real (10:50 a.m.) A woman came inside a business and started screaming. She then walked outside and started lifting her shirt, expos-ing her breasts.

Friday, January 9

DISTURBANCEEl Camino Real, 300 Block (9:54 p.m.)A male transient was inside a store, sitting in the corner. The man was breathing through his nose and talking to newspa-pers. The caller said the business was about to close and the employees were afraid he would cause problems when he was asked to leave.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCEEl Camino Real/Avenida Pico (6:02 p.m.)A woman kept crossing the street against

The Dana Point Planning Commission approved the CDP in May 2014. Soon after, Boaters 4 Dana Point Harbor president Bruce Heyman fi led an appeal, concerned that the plan would have negative impacts on boater amenities such as storage and parking. Following the City Council’s June 2014 denial of his appeal, Heyman took it to the Coastal Commission and two members of the commission also fi led appeals.

Courtesy rendering

a red light and was in a parking lot waving her arms around for no reason.

DISTURBANCEAvenida Vista Hermosa/Avenida Talega (2:33 p.m.) A caller reported a possible road rage incident. A male subject was out of his vehicle yelling at a woman after making illegal turns to follow her. The caller was not involved.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCEAvenida Pico/Interstate 5 (10:34 a.m.) A woman was speeding on the freeway and swerving. It appeared she was hiding papers at the checkpoint. The car was then seen parked in a lot and the woman was sleeping.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCEVia Socorro, 200 Block (8:10 a.m.) A man was sitting on a curb near a school. He had two bags, one was messenger-style.

Thursday, January 8

TRESPASSINGEl Camino Real, 1600 Block (7:13 p.m.) A woman, who had been told repeatedly not to come to the business, was there and refused to leave.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCECalle Escuela, 300 Block (9:43 a.m.)A strange man was lurking in the park. He had confronted another patron and was staring at his dog.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCEAvenida Salvador, 900 Block (9:29 a.m.)Three teens were walking slowly down the street away from Avenida San Juan, look-ing at houses.

Part of the $140 million Harbor Revitalization Plan in the works for more than 15 years, the plan calls for the razing of more than a dozen build-ings, just over 30,000 square feet of new retail/restaurant/offi ce space, a 35,000-square-foot festival park, dry-stack boat storage, a two-level parking structure and other infrastructure and landscape improvements.

The approval allows the county to move for-ward with building permits and construction.

WAVELENGTHS By Jim Kempton

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 refl ect those of the SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at [email protected].

VIEWS, OPINIONS AND INSIGHTSSOAPBOXSC

San Clemente

San Clemente Times January 15–21, 2015 Page 8 www.sanclementetimes.com

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San Clemente Times, Vol. 10, Issue 3. The SC Times (www.sanclementetimes.com ) is published weekly by Picket Fence Media, publishers of the DP Times (www.danapointtimes.com) and The Capistrano Dispatch (www.thecapistranodis-patch.com). Copyright: No articles, illustrations, photographs or other editorial matter or advertisements herein may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, art, photos or negatives. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

PUBLISHER Norb Garrett

EDITORIAL

Picket Fence Media Group Senior Editor,City Editor, DP Times> Andrea Swayne

City Editor, SC Times> Jim Shilander

City Editor, The Capistrano Dispatch> Allison Jerrell

Sports Editor> Steve Breazeale

Special Projects Editor> Andrea Papagianis

ART/DESIGN

Senior Designer> Jasmine Smith

ADVERTISING/MULTI-MEDIA MARKETING

Associate Publisher> Lauralyn Loynes

> Susie Lantz (San Clemente)

> Debra Wells (San Juan Capistrano)

Real Estate Sales Manager> Michele Reddick

OPERATIONS

Finance Director> Mike Reed

Business Operations Manager> Alyssa Garrett

Accounting & Distribution Manager> Tricia Zines

SPECIAL THANKSRobert Miller, Jonathan Volzke

CONTRIBUTORS Megan Bianco, Kevin Dahlgren, Catherine Manso, Dana Schnell, Steve Sohanaki, Tim Trent

PICKET FENCE MEDIA

HOW TO REACH US

FOLLOW THE SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Join the San Clemente Times for Beachside Chat, Friday, Jan. 16 at 8 a.m. at Café Calypso.Raad Ghantous, President of the San Clem-ente Historical Society, will be the guest at this week’s chat. Beachside Chat is a spirited, town hall forum on community issues, hosted by SC Times editor Jim Shilander every Friday at Café Calypso, 114 Avenida Del Mar. All are welcome.

GUEST OPINION: Wavelengths By Jim Kempton

Cuba Libre

Letters to the Editor

resident Obama’s surprising move to open relations with Cuba caught many of us off guard—and caught

the wrath of others. Cuba is a harsh, hos-tile, antagonistic, authoritarian, corrupt communist government. This certainly lends reasons for taking a hard stand against its leaders. So with any scale-back of our strict sanctions, accusations of “selling our ideals down the river” surface straight away. Yet when looking at how we treat the rest of the authoritarian regimes around the globe, does our previous Cuba policy seem consistent?

One justifi cation for our longstand-ing anti-Cuba policy is the belief that we should never trade with a communist country. That of course would make it dif-fi cult to continue with our largest trading partner—China.

Détente detractors demand that we

OPPOSITION COMES FROM GOOD INTENTIONS

RICARDO NICOL, San Clemente

I would like to clarify some impressions that may have been formed as a result of my public opposition to the design of the city’s proposed parking lot at North Beach.

As a retired architect, I am very interested in the city’s architectural and planning issues. But rather than just being a nay-sayer about something on which I disagree, I prefer to offer constructive crit-icism which, because of my background, I can best explain with drawings.

Those illustrations are not intended as defi nitive design solutions because I don’t usually have all the necessary information to formulate them. Furthermore, I have not been requested, nor do I desire, to be offi cially considered to design anything. I am retired, I no longer practice my profes-

P

To submit a letter to the editor for possible inclusion in the paper, e-mail us at [email protected]. San Clemente Times reserves the right to edit reader-submitted letters for length and is not responsible for the claims made or the information written by the writers. Please limit your letters to 350 words.

never open relations with a nation that has tried to be hostile to us. Do they mean Iraq and Afghanistan?

One argument contends corrupt leaders should not be appeased. How then would we explain our cozy relationship with the current Pakistani regime? Or Mexico’s for that matter?

Some claim we should never open rela-tions with a nation that suppresses its people. Would that include the removal of our Embassy in Rwanda where the militants now in offi ce slaughtered over a mil-lion civilians? Or Bosnia where the state offi cials encouraged the rape of over 20,000 women?

Another argument insists we should never capitulate to a state where torture has been used. Our own Senate report on the CIA ”enhanced interrogation” not withstanding, we need look no further than our great friends and primary oil suppliers Saudi Arabia, where beheadings, perse-cution and assassinations are common practice by the ruling family.

Others reject the notion of friendly con-tact with those (like Cuba) we have fought and who forced us from their shores. But Vietnam is now one of our best Asian trade partners. American businesses and citizens have benefi ted—and would ben-efi t—from trade with Cuba, too.

We openly do business with repressive,

sion. But, as any other citizen, I expect to be listened to and not ignored by our city’s elected offi cials.

My reason for becoming involved is nothing more than to stimulate awareness and add to the design process by pointing out problems and suggesting improve-ments, as I see them, but also to protest publicly and try to change the plans, when I think the wrong decisions have been made for our city. Two other involved citizens, Tom and Vonne Barnes, and I did just that, successfully, at the Califor-nia Coastal Commission hearing on the North Beach parking lot where the city’s proposed design was rejected last week.

CITY NEEDS MORE CHOICES

LEO GALCHER, San Clemente

You may have received a mailer from AT&T recently, offering high speed in-ternet for $14.95 a month and nationwide calling for $20 a month. I am not in any way associated with AT&T, however I am currently paying over twice this combined rate to the only internet provider available to most residents of San Clemente. In July, I discussed this situation with our former City Manager, Pall Gudgeirsson, who was

authoritarian, previously hostile nations all across the globe. Meanwhile, how suc-cessful has our “get tough” policy been in Cuba? After 50 years of American animos-ity and sanctions, Cuba has a literacy rate as good as ours, a lower infant mortality rate, and a free health care system. And the same Havana despots have survived nine U.S. administrations; in spite of a crushing American embargo for half a century.

Maybe the fastest way to undermine a corrupt and authoritarian regime is to let their citizens see just how much they are missing. Nixon opened relations with Communist China; Reagan made détente with the Russians. Open engagement and diplomatic relations have been effective in Libya, Ukraine, Algeria, East Germany and Egypt, in helping move those nations towards free-market, republican rule. Hard line isolation has been American policy in North Korea, Iran, Myanmar and Cuba. As Sarah Palin used to say, “How’s that been workin’ for ya?”

Jim Kempton advocates America bomb-ing the world’s most repressed nations—with relentless payloads of Taylor Swift CDs, Almond Joy candy bars, water purifi cation kits, and copies of the Declaration of Inde-pendence. Collapse, he believes, would be imminent. SC

concerned, but retiring. Assistant City Manager Eric Sund informed me he would look into this matter. I heard nothing, so this month I sent a letter to the City Man-ager and the City Council asking them to look into this matter, contact AT&T and see what can be done to allow citizens to have a choice of internet providers. We should have the chance to look at the choices, since the potential savings per household is not inconsiderable.

Cubans are a strong proud people yearning for freedom. Should we help them rather than hobble them?

YOUR SEVEN-DAY EVENT PLANNERGETTING OUTSC

San Clemente


Photo: Courtesy A24

For our full calendar, visit the “Event Calendar” at www.sanclementetimes.com.

Have an event? Send your listing to [email protected]

Thursday | 15AGRICULTURE, WELLNESS + ENVIRONMENT LECTURE 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Taylor Parker of Tidal Influence gives a visually stunning and inspiring talk on local endangered species, where to see them and what we can do to protect them. Free. The Great Park, Art-ists Studios, Irvine, 866.829.3829, www.ocgp.org.

GONE COUNTRY8 p.m.-midnight. Country music and danc-ing at The Point Restaurant. 34085 Pacific Coast Hwy, Dana Point, 949.464.5700, www.thepointrestaurantandbar.com.

Friday | 16DJ AND DANCING9:30 p.m. Dance the night away as the DJ spins the tunes every Friday and Saturday night. The Point Restaurant, 34085 Pacific Coast Hwy, Dana Point, 949.464.5700, www.thepointrestaurantandbar.com.

Saturday | 17ASTRONOMY NIGHT 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Join the Reserve for Astron-omy Night, where you can see celestial phenomena in urbanized Orange County. Ages 8 and up. Adults $10, children $5. The Richard and Donna O’Neil Conser-vancy, call for directions, 949.923.2210, www.rmvreserve.org.

THE MEMPHIS KINGS7 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Live music at Iva Lee’s. 555 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, 949.361.2855, www.ivalees.com.

BIG KAHUNA KONCERT FOR CAUSE7 p.m. Concert remembering Terry “Tubesteak” Tracy. Tickets are $20 at the door. The event will also include raffles and a silent auction. O.C. Tavern will be donat-ing 20 percent of all food and drink pur-chases. Proceeds will go to support Rock the Autism, Surfers Healing, TheraSurf, Vocational Visions and Great Opportuni-ties. 2369 S. El Camino Real, San Clemente, 949.542.8877, www.octavern.com.

POWDER AND POOFF!8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Female impersonator show. Dinner Reservations recommended

The ListWhat’s going on in and around town this week

Tuesday | 20TAPPED OUT TUESDAY4 p.m.-10 p.m. Draft beer is half price on Tuesdays at Salt Creek Grille. Monarch Bay Plaza, 32802 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point, 949.661.7799, www.saltcreekgrille.com.

DREAM BROTHER7 p.m.-10 p.m. Live music at The Cel-lar. 156 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente, 949.492.3663, www.thecellarsite.com.

Wednesday | 21LIVE2FREE5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. An educational event on trafficking targeting middle and high school students. San Clemente Presbyte-rian Church, 119 Avenida De La Estrella. 5:30 p.m. for middle schoolers, 7 p.m. for high school students.

URINETOWN THE MUSICAL7 p.m. San Juan Hills High School presents “Urinetown The Musical.” “Urinetown” is the winner of three Tony awards and is a comical musical satire. San Juan Hills High School, 29211 Vista Montana, San Juan Capistrano, 949.234.5900, www.sjhhs.org.

COMEDY NIGHT9:30 p.m.–11:30 p.m. Live comedy at Molly Bloom’s Irish Bar. 2391 S. El Camino Real, San Clemente, 949.218.0120, www.mollybloomsirishbar.com.

COMPILED BY STAFF

BY MEGAN BIANCO, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

starting at 6 p.m. for best seating. Show reservations can be made by calling in advance at 949.481.1222, 2600 Avenida Del Presidente,www.adelesanclementeinn.com.

LIVE MUSIC AT PIERSIDE 8:30 p.m. Live music featuring local artists and DJs. 610 Avenida Victoria, San Clem-ente, 949. 218.0980, www.piersidesc.com.

Sunday | 18SAN CLEMENTE FARMERS MARKET 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Bundles of flowers, fresh produce and much more every Sunday on Avenida Del Mar. Rain or shine.

SERRA CHAPEL TOUR11:15 a.m. In honor of Father Serra’s 300th birthday celebration, tour the Serra Chapel, the oldest operating church in California. Tours are every Sunday, $2 for members, $3 for adults and $2 for children, in addition to museum admission for non-members. 26801 Ortega Highway, 949.234.1320, www.missionsjc.com/activities/holiday-crafts.php.

Monday | 19NEWPORT BEACH RESTAURANT WEEKSTwo weeks of award-winning restaurant dining featuring prix-fixe menus with lunches from $10-$25 and dinners from $20-$50. Runs through Feb. 1. www.dinenb.com.

At the Movies: ‘A Most Violent Year’ Evokes NYC’s Gritty Past

eleased on New Year’s Eve comes J.C. Chandor’s A Most Violent Year as the last movie

released in the 2014 holiday season. Coming to theaters during the busiest time of the year, Chandor’s dark period piece isn’t an extravagant musical like Into the Woods or war epic like Un-broken, but a slow burn for those who enjoy smaller features that are heavy with tension. Led by Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year channels The Godfather (1972) and Scarface (1983).

The title refers to the film’s setting, New York City 1981, on record as the year with the most murders and theft in the city’s history to date. During this time, immigrant Abel Morales (Isaac) runs a business transporting fuel in trucks with corrupt money while balancing life as a family man at home with wife Anna (Chastain). When his trucks start getting stolen and his drivers beaten up, Abel has to become more dangerous than ever.

Albert Brooks and David Oyelowo co-star. A Most Violent Year follows Chandor’s one-man piece All is Lost (2013), and just like his previous fea-ture, the new crime thriller has some pretty tense sequences that make the audience jump or gasp in shock. Isaac is fine as the main lead, but Chastain makes the film as the no-nonsense mob wife with a tough edge. The pacing and direction of Violent Year may be too slow for some but the very reason oth-ers find it enthralling. SC

R

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16: AN INSPECTOR CALLS8 p.m. Play written by J.B. Priestly opens at the Cabrillo Playhouse on Friday, January 16. Set in an English industrial city, a young girl is thought to have committed suicide and an eminently respectable British family is subject to a routine inquiry. During the course of his questioning, all members of the group are implicated lightly or deeply in the girl’s un-doing. The play runs Friday, Jan. 16 through Sunday, Feb.8 with performances Thursday, Friday and Sat at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at www.cabrilloplayhouse.org or by calling the box office at 949.492.0465.

EDITOR’S PICK

LIFE’S A BEACH By Shelley Murphy

PROFILES OF OUR COMMUNITYSC LIVINGSC

San Clemente

“ So far my son’s received some college correspon-dence acknowledging his applications, but no com-munication from his top schools. For now the second six months of my calendar stay blank and uncertain.”

PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide va-riety 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 refl ect those of the SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at [email protected]


Kelly Rudnicki of San Clemente says her whole life had to change when her son was diagnosed with multiple food allergies. She is now an activist and cookbook author for those dealing with severe food allergies. Photo: Courtesy

GUEST OPINION: Life’s a Beach by Shelley Murphy

San Clemente Mom becomes spokesperson for allergy-aware cooking and entertaining

Pulling the wool from my eyesBY JIM SHILANDER, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Safety FirstA New Year, A New College Calendar

K Telly Rudnicki said before her oldest son was born, she wasn’t much for cooking.

That changed, however, when John, now 12, developed allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, peas and legumes.

“I did not know how to cook before my son was born,” Rudnicki said. “When my son was diagnosed, he was only seven months old. We were living in Chicago at the time and I was accustomed to being a city mom, dining out all the time, ordering in food. It was defi nitely a shock to my family, because I had zero experience in cooking. But life as I knew it completely changed when I got the diagnosis.”

Rudnicki, who moved with her fam-ily to San Clemente three years ago, is now a blogger (www.foodallergymama.com) and cookbook author. She is also a spokeswoman for the “Anaphylaxis 101” initiative, which aims increase awareness of the issues faced by those suffering from food allergies and the people who care for them.

At the time of her son’s diagnosis, 2003, Rudnicki said she had to do a lot of the information gathering herself, not just in terms of cooking for those allergies, but also how to do things like setting your child up for play-dates, making schools aware or dining out.

“Those basic things that parents take for granted, I had to rethink and change how I approach my daily living,” she said. “I’m always learning, there’s always a new part of life we have to navigate to keep him safe and alive but also like any other kid,” Rudnicki said.

Rudnicki said she’s learned a number of lessons over the years, such as read-ing labels carefully, even with familiar

he Chinese calendar declares 2015 the Year of the Sheep. My calen-dar proclaims 2015 the Year of the

Empty Nest.As I say goodbye to 2014, I say hello to

12 months of change and uncertainty as my last lamb leaves for college in 2015.

As I do every year, I’ll rely on a desk calendar to map the 365 days of 2015. My smart phone begs me to buy an app and sync my calendar to my computer, but I still prefer paper over programs.

I also don’t believe my phone is as smart as it thinks and I don’t trust it to track the decisive dates occurring in 2015. With im-portant collegiate deadlines fast approach-ing, I don’t have time to chase through cyberspace searching for lost data.

My desk calendar is a trustworthy friend serving a dual purpose. In addition to tracking important dates and special occasions, throughout the year I scribble milestone moments of our lives in its mar-gins, much like a diary.

Each New Year, I chronologically trans-fer dates from my old calendar to my new calendar while refl ecting on the previous year’s timeline of events. It’s tedious, time consuming and I love it.

and helpful reminders in my monthly calendar.In two weeks, my younger son attends

his last winter formal and he takes the last fall semester fi nal of his senior year.

April is my son’s last week-long spring break spent under our roof and likely his last spring break spent sans red Solo cup.

In May my calendar is dotted with Ad-vanced Placement testing dates. And if my son is like his brother before him, in May he’ll also contract a very contagious strain of Senioritis. My son’s symptoms will start the second he puts down the pencil fi nish-ing his fi nal AP test.

I fl ipped to September and circled my son’s birthday thinking how different this birthday will be from all the others. For the fi rst time in 18 years, he won’t wake up as usual in his bedroom at our family home.

Instead he’ll likely awake in a dorm room at an unfamiliar college.

As the calendar closes in on June and the sun sets on my son’s senior year, I’ll begin to sense the shockwaves. The confi guration of our family will undergo a tectonic shift signaling

something big is coming soon.So far my son’s received some college

correspondence acknowledging his applica-tions, but no communication from his top schools. For now the second six months of my calendar stay blank and uncertain.

I wait, wondering if in September he’ll be a plane trip or car ride away, if his academic calendar will operate on the semester or quarter system and if my sons will ever share the same school schedules again.

Too soon, envelopes will arrive addressed to my son and I’ll have new dates to enter in my calendar. I’ll reluctantly add Parent and Student Orientation, Move-In Day and Parents’ Weekend to my calendar; but, I’ll ea-gerly race to ink the weeks in winter, spring and summer when my son will return home.

When I look back at my 2014 calendar, it traces the transition of my little lamb from adolescent teen to young adult. Look-ing ahead at my 2015 calendar reminds me I’ve only eight short months to mark milestone moments in its margins before it sits empty, just like our nest. SC

products, since ingredients can change, and having a plan of action in case of a reaction. In cases of parties or school functions, she suggests contacting parents of all the attendees well ahead of time to check on food allergies, or alerting a host well ahead of time of any issues. She also suggests place cards to be placed in front of foods to let people know the ingredients.

“Very minor, quick fi xes, can assure the well-being of everyone attending your event,” she said. SC

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 diffi cult. Level: Medium

SudokuLast week’s solution:

BY MYLES MELLOR

See today’s solution in next week’s issue.

This year marks the fi rst time in a de-cade and a half that the entire 12 months of my calendar isn’t controlled by the Capist-rano Unifi ed School District academic cal-endar. June ends my noting minimum days, administrative holidays, week-long breaks and fi rst and last days of school years.

I won’t record times in August to pick-up a registration packet in the parking lot of San Clemente High School and I’ll skip the frustration of completing the time consuming forms.

This year my ties to the CUSD calendar offi cially unravel at 4 p.m. on June 19.

I spent Jan. 1 jotting down signifi cant dates

SC LIVING

Writers to appear at annual ‘Friends’ event next month

Eduardo Santiago (above) says his research into his latest novel helped him better understand his own story. He will speak at the San Clemente Friends of the Library’s annual “Meet the Authors” luncheon. Michelle Latiolais (far left) and Tod Goldberg (left) will also speak at the luncheon, held Saturday, Feb.14 at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa in Dana Point. Photos: Courtesy

ook lovers will have the opportunity to hear from a diverse group of writ-ers next month at the San Clemente

Friends of the Library’s annual “Meet the Authors” luncheon, being held Saturday, Feb.14 at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Re-sort & Spa in Dana Point.

This year’s authors include writers of stories that explore the worlds they’ve lived in, as well as taking a journey back in time that brings the experience of their parents into focus.

A Journey of UnderstandingEduardo Santiago was born and spent

his early life in Cuba, in the early years of Fidel Castro’s rule, before he and his fam-ily left in 1969.

“It completely shaped my career,” Santiago said. “I’ve always had a curiosity about what happened in Cuba at the time I was being born and how it affected, not just my family, but people like my family.”

Santiago’s father, for example, was imprisoned by the regime of Fulgencio Batista.

“My father risked his life to put Castro in power and two years later, the man revealed himself to be a Communist and allied with the Soviets,” he said. “It made it impossible for my father and a million other people like him to remain in their country.”

The story he wanted to tell, he said, was one about the ordinary people of Cuba at the time of the revolution. Growing up in Los Angeles, rather than the Cuban exile community in Miami, he said, gave him a more rational perspective, as has spending

Meet the Authors of ‘Meet the Authors’

B

much of his life traveling.His latest work, “Midnight Rumba,” is

a coming-of-age tale about a young girl growing up in the decade leading up to Castro’s seizure of power, 1949-1959. For research, Santiago interviewed a number of older Cubans who’d grown up in the country during the period. He said it gave him a type of perspective he couldn’t have had otherwise.

“People always want to know what happened,” he said. “That’s why I decided to historically follow the trajectory, but emotionally follow my protagonists, who are normal people.”

Santiago said he now understands “the price” his parents paid more than before.

“I understand their sadness better, their bitterness better and their hatred and anger better,” he said. “The things I write about were not talked about at the dinner table. It was too volatile. I had to do a dif-ferent kind of research.”

Santiago said the recent move to open up relations between the two countries is one he hopes proves fruitful. The people of the two countries, he said, have no quarrel with one another, only their governments.

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It’s time to expect more… Established 1963

BY JIM SHILANDER, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Rejecting LabelsMichelle Latiolais, a writer and profes-

sor at UC Irvine says when she’s asked by strangers what she does, she typically says “dental hygienist.”

Part of that, she said, is because her writing doesn’t necessarily fit into a specific box, and instead embraces poetry, nonfiction, short stories and novels.

“The labels, it seems to me, come from people selling books,” she said. “I tend to write all over the map, depending on what the piece or the material needs.”

Her most recent work, “Widow,” a collection of essays, some fictional and some not, was not, as some might expect a form of therapy after losing her husband. Quite the opposite.

“It’s a bit of a myth,” Latiolais said. “I don’t think writing is ever therapy. Many of the pieces were actually written long before Paul died. One was actually a love letter to him.”

The collection, she said, was actually the idea of an editor at her press. But her hus-band’s death, she said, helped to bring new meaning, an “aegis,” to the pieces written be-fore his death that changed their meaning.

“It’s interesting to me that those pieces could be read with some sort of urgency,” she said.

The Birth of a SloganTod Goldberg’s new novel, “Gangster-

land” is drawn from a very specific time and place.

Goldberg, who lived in Las Vegas for several years at the end of the ’90s, took his inspiration from a time where the Ma-fia still had a foothold in the city while, at the same time, an effort was being made to make the image of Las Vegas more family friendly.

“I wanted to write about the strange ethos that exists in the city, where crimi-nals and criminal behavior have always been celebrated,” Goldberg said. “You can go to Las Vegas and pretend your life is different from what it really is. And I wanted to talk about the way that that affects people.”

That people are allowed to “mess up,” in Las Vegas—that it becomes expected behavior there—makes it a nice setting for a book, he said. The idea of “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” was essentially born during the period of the novel, Goldberg said, and he wanted to examine how that changed people.

“Everyone is somebody else there for a little while,” Goldberg said.

Goldberg said he likes speaking at events like the Friends luncheon because he has an audience willing to listen.

“They’re really readers, and to have a captive audience that’s really interested in words and literature and the creation of those things is really cool,” he said.

Such audiences are also much more interested in the process behind the creation of a work, he said. Having access to the creator of a work often made the en-tire effort more understandable, he said.

Often, Goldberg noted, he’s asked how much of what he’s written is true. Since he often writes works about violent people, he said, very little is, at least per-sonally. In a previous work called “Living Dead Girl,” for example, a character “may or may not have’” murdered his wife and child.

“When people asked how much of this is true, I had to tell them, ‘Well, I haven’t killed my wife and I don’t have any chil-dren,’” he said.

For information on tickets for the event, contact Alma Savage at 949.493.5504 or www.sanclementefol.com. SC

STORIES, SCORES, SCHEDULES AND MORE

SPORTS & OUTDOORSSCSan Clemente


SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

YOUTH SOCCERThe California Football Academy Boys

U13-Foy team won the 4th annual Aware-ness Cup hosted by California Premier League in San Juan Capistrano on Jan. 11. The team, which went 2-1 during the two-day event, defeated Legacy FC Inter of Dia-mond Bar 2-0 in the championship match. Carter Fann, the team’s goalie, made eight saves to earn man of the match honors.

The CFA Boys U13-Foy team has now won three out of their last four tourna-ments and have been promoted to the league’s silver division next year.

The team includes: Ethan Grush, Gar-rett Gonzalez, Sean Sullivan, Blake Lipof-sky, Daniel Armijo, Wesley Georgieff, Clay Mosher, Jack Martin, Asher Foy, Seth Cusick, Dane Glaze, Miles Miller, Carter Fann, Shiva Kumar, Marcello Rossi. The team is coached by Daniel Foy

Scoreboard

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

Tritons Soccer Topples Cougars 1-0

The San Clemente girls soccer team picked up an important South Coast League win on Jan. 13, defeating Capist-rano Valley 1-0 at home.

Sarah Rawle netted the lone Tritons goal in the fi rst half.

The win evened the Tritons (3-6-2) to 1-1 in league play. San Clemente opened league with a 2-0 loss to defending cham-pion Aliso Niguel on Jan. 8.

San Clemente will continue league play Jan. 15 when they travel to play Mission Viejo.

Triton Wrestlers Prepares for Hawks

The San Clemente High School wres-tling team is off to a 14-4 start to their season and had a successful run at the Es-peranza tournament last weekend, where they had fi ve place-winners.

It’s a good start, but the biggest match of their league season is on the horizon.

BY STEVE BREAZEALE, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Triton Report

San Clemente’s Molly Engel challenges Capistrano Valley’s Jennifer Munoz during a game on Jan. 13. Photo: KDahlgren Photography

Anthony Aleman. Photo: Courtesy

The CFA Boys U13-Foy team won the Awareness Cup in San Juan Capistrano on Jan 11. Photo: Courtesy

The Tritons will host defending league champion and perennial favorite Laguna Hills on Jan. 20. The Hawks and the Tritons have spent the last few years battling it out for the league title. The Tritons record in league is currently 1-2, with a lone win over Mission Viejo. The Tritons fell to Dana Hills and Trabuco Hills earlier this season, the fi rst time a San Clemente team has lost more than one league match in 26 years, according to head coach Mark Calentino.

At the Esperanza tournament on Jan. 10 the Tritons had three wrestlers win their respective weight divisions. Seniors Noah Fiegener (147 pounds), Mike Marshall (184 pounds) and Alex Ames (197 pounds) pulled off fi rst-place fi nishes. Senior Zack

Henserson (162 pounds) and sophomore Hunter Gallaher (128 pounds) fi nished second and fi fth, respectively.

This weekend the Tritons will send a handful of their top wrestlers to the Tem-ecula Invitational Jan. 16-17 before hosting the Hawks.

Mendez Ties Assist Record in Tritons Hoops Win over Wolverines

San Clemente senior point guard Victoria Mendez recorded a game-high 14 assists in the Tritons convincing 79-44 win over Aliso Niguel on Jan. 13, tying the

program’s all-time one-game mark. The Tritons, who are now 1-1 in South

Coast League play, were led by Jenna Rodriguez’s 20 points and 16 rebounds. Senior Emma Bankson knocked down seven 3-pointers in the win.

A road game against fi rst-place San Juan Hills on Jan. 22 now awaits the Tritons, who are looking for a third straight league title.

Tritons Tabbed for All-CIF-SS Football Selections

The CIF-SS All-CIF selections were announced Jan. 13 and the San Clemente High School football team was well rep-resented. The Tritons had seven players named on the list, the most of any school in the Southwest Division.

Senior quarterback Sam Darnold was named the division’s offensive player of the year. Senior linebacker Riley Whimpey was named the defensive player of the year.

Junior running back Vlad Dzhabiyev and junior offensive linemen Donte Har-rington and Tucker Scott were named to the offensive team.

Senior defensive back Jake Russell and senior defensive lineman Chicho Rodri-guez were named to the defensive team.

In other football news:

San Clemente senior linebacker Riley Whimpey picked up an offer from Utah State this past week, head coach Jaime Ortiz said in an email.

Whimpey, the Sea View League co-defensive player of the year, now has two offers, including one from Boise State University.

YOUTH BASEBALL San Clemente’s

Anthony Aleman was selected to compete in the USA Baseball Youth All-Ameri-can Games in Vero Beach, Fla. from Jan. 1-4. Aleman was selected as the Majestic Grey team’s primary catcher and served as a pitcher at the event.

Aleman had a standout performance at the games, claim-ing the 12U Home Run Derby Champion-ship and was a part of a fi rst-place effort in the Around the Horn team competition with the 12U Majestic Grey. It was the second time Aleman has been selected to compete in the event.

207 Chop HouseABC PilatesBob & Cathy AdamsDr. Kent & Laurie AdamsonLupe AlvarezAlways Inn San Clemente Bed & BreakfastAmuse SocietyAngels BaseballAquaman Pool & Spa Service/ RepairsArcade CameraJohn ArchambaultArroyo Trabuco Golf ClubASAP Appliance ServiceASICS American CorporationAwards ‘N MoreBeach Garden CaféBella Collina Towne & Golf ClubFred BergBill Metzger PlumbingBillabong“thebillzone” Golf Performance CenterBonded CleanersAlessia BotturiBrick PizzeriaGary BridgeBronzed Airbrush TanningGlenn & Mary BroscheDon & Karen BrownDr. Carla Bryan, DDS & Dr. Tricia Williams, DDS, Family DentistryMike & Sue BurkeCafé RaeCamino Veterinary ClinicCamp Bow Wow San ClementeMike & Margaret CampbellCarbonara Trattoria ItalianaReuben CaseyCasino San ClementeCatalyst ShopThe CellarRichard Cheski PhotographyCity of San ClementeBill & Lynn ConlanCox CommunicationsCreative ImagesCycle Werks San ClementeDana Point Jet Ski & Kayak RentalDana Wharf SportfishingDick & Sharon DavidsonBud DavisDe Nault’s Hardware & Home Centers

Ruth De NaultDe Palma EnterprisesDelanty Studio & GalleryKathryn Stovall DennisDewey’s TV & Home AppliancesDiana & Company Jewelry DesignsDisneyland ResortTom & Mary Jo DohertyDon Roberto JewelersAndrew & Lori DonchakWallace E. DueslerEDCO Distributing Inc.ElectricEstrella Veterinary HospitalSharyn EvertJohn T. EzellScott & Pattie FalvoFarmers & Merchants BankFirewire SurfboardsFisherman’s Restaurant & BarFlair LightingFlowers & Friends of San ClementeCarolyn Gallegos, Sage Salon & SpaMike & Karen GarzaJohn & Jan GrazerGreen Dermatologic Medical GroupRandy & Peggy GriffinHair Affair SalonHampton Inn & SuitesBob Hannis, Daniel Paul SalonDon HansenCaptain Robert A. Harrison, Jr.Doug & Nina HealyGary & Sharon HeinHolley’s Tire ServiceMary C. HoltIva Lee’sIzza Neopolitan PizzeriaJay’s Car RepairJay’s Catering “Jewels to You” by Terry GartonChuck Jones Galleries / Linda Jones EnterprisesBob KeilholtzJen Keller, Studio BKelly’s Hallmark ShopJeff & Linda KidwilerKimberly’s FlowersSarah KramerKrikorian Premiere TheatresLaguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & SpaLake Forest LimousinesScott G. Lamming, DDSThe Lash LoungeCol. Denny Lindeman, USMC (ret.)

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Lorin Backe PhotographyLos Angeles LakersLos Patios Mexican CocinaLuciana’s RistoranteLuna LandscapeEd & Peggy LynchChristy MacBride PhotographyJeremy MadridBob & Julie ManginoPaul & Marilyn MillerMinart’s Boutique & Beauty SalonThe Mole HoleMolly Bloom’s Irish Bar & RestaurantMontana Sporting ClubMontebello Container CorporationNauman ElectricNew EraJulie Nguyen, Sage Salon & SpaNic’s Vacuum & Small AppliancesOakleyThe OC Shippie CrewWilliam T. O’GilvieDave & Paula OhanesianO’Neill Clothing / Metal MulishaOrange County Fire Fighters Station 50Original Olamendi’s Mexican RestaurantPacific Coast Veterinary HospitalParadise Designs, Inc.Gerry & Pat PardoenDave & Marcy PeterPetit BonhommeSteve & Debbee PezmanPhenix Salon Suites / Shear CharmPlum Precious Antique & Estate JewelryDr. Karen Potter, DDSDr. Phil & Lorraine PotterQuiksilverRainbow SandalsTabitha RaineyLarry & Karlena RannalsJohn Redmond OrthodonticsDr. John & Georgia RedmondRip CurlRJ’s CaféLydia Rosenberger, Sage Salon & SpaJeff RoosRoxyRussell StationersSalon IncognitoNicholas Salvati, D.M.D.San Clemente Balloons

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Over $155,000 was raised for educationally enriching and impactful youth programs!

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SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS

San Clemente Chamber of CommerceSan Clemente FloristSan Clemente InnSan Clemente JournalSan Clemente Optometry / Dr. David J. NotaSan Clemente TimesSan Clemente Wine CompanySan Diego ChargersSan Diego Speed Boat AdventuresSandbox HelmetsPeter SavageMark & Kitty SchmittStan & Sheri SchroferJustin & Sandy ScopazShadetree AutomotiveThe Sheckler FoundationShirt GraphicsShore Gardens NurseryKelly SlaterThe Soco GroupSola ProductsSonny’s Pizza & PastaSouth Coast DistributingSouthwest AirlinesStanceSte. Michelle Wine Estates / Kyle TwitchellSudioArtique by Timothy’sThe Surfin Cowboy Sports Bar & GrillSurfin’ DonutsThe Surfer’s JournalSurflineTom SwimmTan-talizing Custom Airbrush TanningAnneli TaubTequila’s Mexican GrillTony’s LocksmithTooker Vacation PropertiesTrue Grits School UniformsUCLA AthleticsMark Van DamRussell Van HooserVillage Book ExchangeVillage Mediterranean RimVine Restaurant & BarVISSLAVolcomKendall S. WagnerDaria WaplesWestern Digital FoundationWheenk! Physical TherapyBarry Wolvin, Sundara SalonXtremeadventures

Mary AverytBob & Pam BakerSteve & Kathy BariFred & Vicki BergBieber CommunicationsBilly’s Meat, Seafood & DeliWilma Bloom

Jack & Deborah BoatmanFred BoumanCJK PropertiesBill & Lynn ConlanKen & Barbara ConnLarry & Susan CorwinJohn & Kay Davidson

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We extend GREAT thanks to our Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year, Elba Martinez & Tanner Macpherson, and to members of our Torch Club & Kids Care Club for their enthusiastic support during our event!

Don & Karen Brown • Mike & Sue Burke • CR&R IncorporatedEric Johnson, DDS • Don Hansen • Mary Holt • Bob & Nancy Hunt

Paul & Marilyn Miller • Pacific Quartz & Mark OpticsLarry & Karlena Rannals • Justin & Sandy Scopaz

Dave Anderson & Creative Images • Lucy Brosche • Katie Brosche Casey Campbell • Troy Campbell • Eileen Hayden & Event Solutions

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GARAGE SALES

Jean SevorJean Sevor,

former proprietor of the Sea Breeze Café in San Clemente, passed away Wednes-day, November

26, 2014 at home surrounded by family. Jean, age 78, was born in Brookville, Indiana; prior to mov-ing to San Clemente, she worked for many years as a bank teller in Cincinnati, Ohio and also as a real estate agent. Jean, along with her son Dennis Grimes, was the former proprietor of the Sea Breeze Café--a favorite breakfast spot of San Clemente locals. In 2008, Jean retired from the restaurant business, closing the Sea Breeze Café and relocating to Temecula. Jean loved cooking, gardening, and spending time with her family. She is survived by her son, Dennis, of Temecula and San Clemente, her daughter, Gayle Grimes, of Dana Point, her grandson, Jonathan Grimes of San Clemente, and her sisters Helen Hertel and Bon-nie Estridge and brothers Glen Sampson and Larry Keith Sampson of Brookville, Indiana. Jean was preceded in death by her parents Ezra Ray and Della Baker Sampson, her son Jeff Grimes, and her sisters Hazel Nobbe and Wanda Sampson Kennett Furnish. A memorial service and reception will be held to celebrate the life of Jean on Sat-urday, January 17 at Capo Beach Church (formerly Calvary Chapel), 25975 Domingo Avenue, Capo Beach. The service and reception will take place from noon to 2 p.m. If you need more information, please call 949-291-3535.

OBITUARY

ADDICTION RECOVERY TREATMENT

Body Mind Spirit Intensive Outpatient Program 2411 S. El Camino Real, 949.485.4979,www.bodymindspiritiop.com

AIR CONDITIONING

Oasis Heating & Air31648 Rancho Viejo Rd. Ste. A, 949.420.1321, www.oasisair.com

APPLIANCES

South Coast Furniture & Mattress109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com

APPLIANCE SERVICES & REPAIRS

ASAP Appliance Service3200 Legendario, 949.361.7713, www.asapapplianceservice.com

ART GALLERIES

San Clemente Art Association100 N. Calle Seville, 949.492.7175, www.scartgallery.com

BOOKS

Village Books99 Avenida Serra, 949.492.1114, www.DowntownSanClemente.com

CHIROPRACTIC

Thompson Chiropractic629 Camino De Los Mares, Suite 104,949.240.1334, www.thompson-chiro.com

CHOCOLATE/CANDY

Schmid’s Fine Chocolate99 Avenida Del Mar, 949.369.1052, www.schmidschocolate.com

CONCRETE

Costa Verde LandscapeLic.: 744797 (C-8 & C-27) 949.361.9656, www.costaverdelandscaping.com

DENTISTS

William Brownson, D.D.S.3553 Camino Mira Costa, Ste B, 949.493.2391, www.drbrownson.com

Eric Johnson, D.D.S.647 Camino de los Mares, Ste. 209, 949.493.9311, www.drericjohnson.com

Kristen Ritzau DDS122 Avenida Cabrillo, 949.498.4110, www.KristenRitzauDDS.com

EDIBLE LANDSCAPING

Organics Out Back949.354.2258, www.organicsoutback.com

ELECTRICAL

Arcadia Electric949.361.1045, www.arcadiaelectric.com

FURNITURE

South Coast Furniture & Mattress109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589,www.southcoastfurniture.com

GRAPHIC DESIGN

IMAGES/Creative Solutions117 Del Gado Road, 949.366.2488, www.imgs.com

HARP LESSONS & RENTALS

Wendy-Harpist949.482.9025, www.orangecountyharpist.com

HEATING

Oasis Heating & Air31648 Rancho Viejo Rd. Ste. A, 949.420.1321, www.oasisair.com

HOME DÉCOR


LANDSCAPING

Costa Verde LandscapeLic.: 744797 (C-8 & C-27) 949.361.9656, www.costaverdelandscaping.com

MATTRESSES


MORTGAGES

Brian Wiechman, Equity Coast Mortgage A division of Pinnacle Capital Mortgage

949.533.9209, www.equitycoastmortgage.com

MOTORCYLE PARTS & SERVICE

SC Rider Supply520 S. El Camino Real, 949.388.0521, www.scridersupply.com

MUSIC LESSONS

Danman’s Music School949.496.6556, www.danmans.com

OFFICE FURNITURE


PERIODONTICS & DENTAL IMPLANTS

Dr. Alice P. Moran, DMD1001 Avenida Pico, Ste. K, 949.361.4867 (GUMS), www.moranperio.com

PHARMACIES

Sea View Pharmacy665 Camino De Los Mares, #101, 949.496.0123, www.seaviewpharmacy.com

PLUMBING

Bill Metzger Plumbing929 Calle Negocio Suite D, 949.492.3558, www.billmetzgerplumbing.com

Chick’s Plumbing949.496.9731, www.chicks-plumbing.com

POOL SERVICE, REPAIR, REMODEL

SC Pool & Spa Works1311 N. El Camino Real, 949.498.7665, www.scpoolworks.com

Radiant Pool & Spa ServiceLic # 985800, 949.290.5616,www.radiantpoolservice.com

REAL ESTATE

Marcie George - Star Real Estate South County949.690.5410, [email protected]

“Sandy & Rich” - ReMax949.293.3236, www.sandyandrich.com

RESTAURANTS

Café Calypso114 Avenida Del Mar #4, 949.366.9386

SALONS

Salon Bamboo150 Avenida Del Mar, Ste. A, 949.361.3348, www.salonbamboo.com

Salon Bleu207 S. El Camino Real, 949.366.2060, www.scsalonbleu.com

SCHOOLS

Capistrano Valley Christian Schools 32032 Del Obispo Street, San Juan Cap-istrano, 949.493.5683, www.cvcs.org

SECONDHAND/CONSIGNMENT SHOPS

South Coast Furniture & Mattress109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com

TERMITES

Colony Termite Control1402 Calle Alcazar, 949.361.2500, www.colonytermite.com

WEBSITE DESIGN

San Clemente Website Design949.246.8345, www.sanclementewebsitedesign.com

FORD MUSTANG 2002, 6 CYN. Color black. Pri .party, original owner, very good conditionservice records available $5500.(949)369-5288

GARAGE SALE 1/17 8AM TO 12Clothes, kitchen items, jewelry, bicycle, misc tools, and elec-tronics.... 2385 S Ola Vista San Clemente Ca 92672...

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SPORTS & OUTDOORS

“ I really hammered these guys. This summer, we were at the stairs every Monday and this season, they’ve been doing bleachers and all kinds of stuff they’ve never done before. They’re reaping the rewards in the second half of games. We’re shutting teams out in the second half of the game and that’s based on fitness.” – Assistant Coach Craig Hartley

The Dana Rugby Club is currently 5-0 on the season and in first place in the Southern California Youth Rugby white Los Angeles division. Photo: Courtesy

Dana Hills senior Drew Falk, middle, is one of the Dana Rugby Club co-founders. Photo: Courtesy

Dana Rugby on the Rise

TBY STEVE BREAZEALE, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

he Dana Rugby Club’s Dec. 12 match against Mira Costa was just the second game on the sched-

ule for both teams. The 2015 Southern California Youth Rugby high school white division season had just got underway and teams were beginning to find their identi-ties. While remaining atop the standings is always important, the playoffs were still over one month away. A slipup here would not derail an entire season that lay ahead.

But for the Dana Rugby Club, that game meant a lot.

Last season, playing in the league’s developmental blue division, Dana Rugby Club and Mira Costa squared off in the di-vision’s championship match. Mira Costa, an established program with several strong players, was able to outmuscle Dana, playing in their inaugu-ral season, and claim the title.

In 2014, both teams were promoted to the league’s white division, which requires schools have 70 percent of team members hail from a home school which, for Dana Rugby, is Dana Hills High School.

In the rematch on Dec. 12, Dana Rugby proved that they had come a long way since last year’s successful season by defeating Mira Costa 35-12.

The winning did not stop there. Dana Rugby is currently 5-0 on the season and remains the only unbeaten team in league. They will look for a sixth straight win, and a perfect regular season, this Saturday when they host St. John Bosco at Vista Hermosa Sports Park at 10 a.m.

“We ended up playing (Mira Costa) and we were able to beat them this year,” Dana Hills senior and team co-founder Drew

Falk said. “It was great to get them back and hopefully we can get back in the final for this division and bring home a trophy.”

The Dolphins had the skill and athleti-cism to win games last season, but lacked the big bodies up front to win a champion-ship. The Dana veteran leadership focused on attracting football players, especially linemen, to join the team.

After student-run presentations were made and word of mouth spread on cam-pus, not only did the football players join up, dozens of athletes from Dana Hills, Trabuco Hills, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano high schools signed up for the team. In the span of one year Dana Rugby has nearly doubled in size. The roster now

boasts 40 players and even has a developmental squad of their own, which is similar to junior varsity.

The big bodied forwards up front have meshed to allow the Dana skill players, such as Falk, senior Gabe Wahl, and All-American junior fly-half Anton Grigoriou to make an impact. Dana Rugby has outscored their opponents by a combined 191-65 margin this season.

The bigger players have helped, but so has the Dana Rugby Club’s new training regimen and game strategy that came with assistant coach Craig Hart-ley, a former USA National Team captain and coach.

Hartley instilled a demanding workout plan for the team members, which has boosted the level of play, especially late in games.

“I really hammered these guys. This summer, we were at the stairs every Monday and this season, they’ve been do-ing bleachers and all kinds of stuff they’ve never done before,” Hartley said. “They’re reaping the rewards in the second half

Local high school rugby squad builds on last year’s success, find themselves in first place

of games. We’re shutting teams out in the second half of the game and that’s based on fitness. Our guys are sitting there ready to go for more while the other teams are bent over on their knees. It’s a noticeable difference.”

Following the match against St. John Bosco, the Dana Rugby Club will head to the division playoffs, likely as a top seed.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTUREHigh school rugby has been growing

in popularity across Southern California. Although there have been dozens of pro-grams sprouting up in San Diego and Los Angeles counties, Orange County remains a relatively uncharted space.

Team board member Keith Falk, Hart-ley and team President Laurence Wahl are hoping rugby in Orange County will take on a life of its own and, eventually, become a sanctioned high school sport, much like what happened with the sport of lacrosse several years ago.

Wahl and Falk said there were major roadblocks and district red tape to navi-gate before Dana Rugby’s creation. But after learning the ropes and following the proper channels, they have made strides. In a mini landmark victory earlier this year, Dana Rugby Club got to play under the lights at Dana Hills High School for

the first time. The team parents and coaches believe

rugby can not only serve as a vehicle for student-athletes looking to excel in a new sport, it can even go so far as earning a player a ticket to college.

“Some might not have the opportunity to play, say, football in college, but they can play rugby. Just about every major and small college in the United States has a rugby program and they can be a part of that,” Hartley said.

Wahl cited several instances when players, struggling with grades in school, righted the ship and improved their grade-point average to the required minimum needed to be on the team.

The Dana Rugby Club has taken plans to safeguard against the club folding up af-ter only two years, Falk said. A parent-run board has been named, which includes a line of succession to insure there will always be leadership.

On the student side, Drew Falk said the team has made it a priority to recruit younger players.

“It’s great having it grow. Our whole goal wasn’t just to create a team while we were here. We wanted to keep it going throughout after we graduate and see this become a big powerhouse program,” Drew Falk said. SC

Dana Rugby Club Remaining

Season Schedule

Jan. 16 vs. St. John Bosco, TBA

Jan. 23BYE

Jan. 30- Feb. 14Playoffs

San Clemente Times January 15-21, 2015 Page 22 www.sanclementetimes.com

SC SURF IS PRESENTED BY:

SCOOP ON THE LOCAL SURF COMMUNITYSC SURFSC

San Clemente

RESULTSSurfing America Prime, Event No. 4, Jan. 10-11 Santa Cruz, Steamer Lane

BOYS U14: 1. Taro Watanabe, Malibu, 9.30; 2. Zane Booth, Santa Barbara, 9.03; 3. Hagan Johnson, San Clemente, 7.04; 4. Crosby Colapinto, San Clemente, 6.40. BOYS U16: 1. John Mel, Santa Cruz, 12.34; 2. Josiah Amico, Ventura, 9.73; 3. Luke Gordon, 8.67; 4. Noah Hill, Venice, 6.53. BOYS U18: 1. Colt Ward, San Clemente, 14.83; 2. Ben Coffey, Santa Cruz, 11.33; 3. John Mel, Santa Cruz, 9.00; 4. Griffin Colapinto, San Clemente, 8.17. GIRLS U16: 1. Alyssa Spencer, Carlsbad, 9.10; 2. Autumn Hays, Santa Cruz, 9.00; 3. Cameron Duby, San Juan Capistrano, 5.16; 4. Alexxa Elseewi, San Clemente, 3.86. GIRLS U18: 1. Caroline Marks, Florida, 16.60; 2. Meah Collins, Costa Mesa, 10.94; 3. Ashley Held, Santa Cruz, 7.37; 4. Samantha Sibley, San Clemente, 4.37.

Doheny Longboard Surfing Association 2015 DLSA Gathering of the Tribes, Jan. 10-11, San Onofre State Park, Church Beach

BOYS 14U: 1. Barrett Miller, 2. Matt Perraeault, 3. Orion Lehrmann, 4. Aidan Sautner, 5. Chance Hendricks, 6. Trevor Shores. JUNIOR MEN 15-19: 1. Evan Trauntvein, 2. Nathan Strom, 3. Daniel Williams, 4. Nick Anderberg, 5. Perry Rohr, 6. Ricky Cunningham. SENIOR MEN 20-29: 1. Ben Cardoza, 2. Dakota Faircloth, 3. Jerry Swearingen, 4. David Arganda, 5. Cody Waton, 6. Nico Espinosa. SENIOR MEN 30-39: 1. Josh Rapozo, 2. Kahle Shane, 3. Matt Dalton, 4. Alex Altamirano, 5. Ryan Devine, 6. Wes Holderman. MASTERS MEN 40-49: 1. Kevin Connelly, 2. Todd Messick, 3. Terry Gillard, 4. Josh Baxter, 5. Bing Cosby, 6. Jeremy Porfilio. GRAND MASTERS MEN 50-59: 1. Mike Emerson, 2. Mike Gillard, 3. Ozstar de Jourday, 4. Brando Brandelius, 5. Rubio Smith, 6. Pier Moore. LEGENDS MEN 60-69: 1. Pablo Smith, 2. Joel Baldwin, 3. Whitney Guild, 4. John Gillem, 5. John Willson, 6. Otis Sistrunk. EXTREME LEGENDS 70+: 1. Dave McLeod, 2. Ron McLeod, 3. Gary Stellern. GIRLS 14U: 1. Liv Stokes, 2. Betsey Lee, 3. Sydney Zoehrer, 4. Aine Dwyer, 5. Madeline Perreault, 6. Cate Stokes. JUNIOR WOMEN 15-25: 1. Makala Smith, 2. Rachael Tilly, 3. Tara Franz, 4. Teresa O’Connor, 5. Sara Schwab, 6. Emma De Jourday. WOMEN 26-35: 1. Jen Smith, 2. Kaitlin Maguire, 3. Michelle Connelly, 4. Raquel Dakota, 5. Jessica Ayers, 6.

olohe Andino of San Clemente became the first ever World Surf League event winner at the WSL

Shoe City Pro QS1000, Jan. 8 on the south side of the Huntington Beach pier.

Andino blasted through the event with an unbroken string of heat wins to face Ian Gouveia in the final where he bested the Brazilian 15.56 to12.73.

“I’m stoked to win. This event was really good for me, it just gave me that confident feeling on my board and put me back in a competitive mindset after a little break,” said Andino in a post event WSL interview. “When I was younger I used to do events every weekend and I felt like I would get into a really good rhythm, so that’s kind of what I wanted to do here. It was also cool to compete against guys like Griffin

Andino Tops Inaugural Huntington Beach EventFive other local surfers also make season debuts

KBY ANDREA SWAYNE, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Kolohe Andino of San Clemente took top honors Jan. 8 at the WSL Shoe City Pro in Huntington Beach. Photo: Kurt Steinmetz

Colt Ward. Photo: Jack McDaniel

(Colapinto) and (Ian) Crane and Nate (Yeomans) from San Clemente who I surf with all the time. Everyone was just push-ing me super hard this event and I had to try my very hardest to win.”

A number of other surfers from the San Clemente/Dana Point area also made their WSL QS season debut at the event—Griffin Colapinto, Nate Yeomans, Ian Crane, Josh Benjoya and Cody Can-zoneri.

Colapinto had the next highest finish among the local crew, making it to the semis where his campaign came to an end with Andino beating him 16.50 to 11.16.

The event kicked off the new season and was the first World Qualifying Series event to use the Association of Surfing Professionals’ (ASP) new name—World Surf League (WSL). SC

GROM OF THE WEEK

COLT WARDolt Ward, 17, of San Clemente is on a tear and Steamer Lane was his latest victim. The Surfing America Prime

event, Jan. 10 and 11 in Santa Cruz marked his third straight Boys U18 victory in the series and solidified his position as the No. 1 division seed. The Lane was going off, and so was Colt, scoring some of his best waves ever. His best ride came in the semifinals. Colt was the deepest in the lineup, having waited until the horn to jump off the cliff, when a big set wave came through. He took full advantage of it, carving out a series of five turns and showing a variety of technical skill that the judges awarded a 9.40, out of 10. “It was the most perfect right I’ve ever caught at The Lane and my highest wave score of the year,” Colt said. “Steamer Lane was perfect, overhead, no wind, and I felt pretty confident for the whole event. I was super happy to win my third in a row. That’s never happened to me before so I was pretty stoked.”

Colt is finishing up his last year of high school—with all ‘As’ and one ‘B’—in an independent study program, a format he

C

SHOE CITY PRO RESULTS

FINAL: Kolohe Andino (USA) 15.56 def. Ian Gouveia (BRA) 12.73

SEMIFINAL: Heat 1: Kolohe Andino (USA) 16.50, Griffin Colapinto (USA) 11.16. Heat 2: Ian Gouveia (BRA) 11.00, Cory Arrambide (USA) 8.97

QUARTERFINAL: Heat 1: Kolohe Andino (USA) 13.66, Ian Crane (USA) 8.50. Heat 2: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 15.47, Josh Benjoya (USA) 12.00. Heat 3: Ian Gouveia (BRA) 17.23, Taylor Clark (USA) 16.47. Heat 4: Cory Ar-rambide (USA) 14.73, Colin Moran (USA) 11.24

ROUND 4: Heat 1: Kolohe Andino (USA) 16.00, Josh Benjoya (USA) 15.44, Nathan Yeomans (USA) 15.03, Nolan Rapoza (USA) 9.44. Heat 2: Griffin Colapinto 13.53, Ian Crane 10.83, Jake Davis 9.90, Kirk Weissinger 6.70. Heat 3: Ian Gouveia (BRA) 17.37, Cory Arrambide (USA) 12.17, Kilian Garland 11.90, Jake Marshall (USA)

11.43. Heat 4: Colin Moran 12.84, Taylor Clark 11.80, Cody Canzoneri 11.33, Jean Da Silva 10.44

ROUND 3: Heat 1: Kolohe Andino (USA) 13.60, Kirk Weissinger (USA) 10.50, Noah Collins (USA) 7.83, Danny Berk (USA) 7.10. Heat 2: Nolan Rapoza (USA) 12.50, Jake Davis (USA) 12.33, Derek Peters (USA) 9.90, Ryland Rubens (USA) 8.47. Heat 3: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 13.57, Nathan Yeomans (USA) 11.77, Makai MacNamara (HAW) 11.50, Chase Wilson (USA) 10.10. Heat 4: Ian Crane (USA) 12.37, Josh Benjoya (USA) 11.40, Luke Marks (USA) 8.20, Nate Dorman (USA) 5.53. Heat 5: Ian Gouveia (BRA) 15.87, Cody Canzoneri (USA) 13.54, Jake Kelley (USA) 11.07, Quinn McCrystal (USA) 8.97. Heat 6: Kilian Garland (USA) 12.33, Colin Moran (USA) 12.33, Kalani David (HAW) 6.60, Jamie Meistrell (USA) 5.30. Heat 7: Taylor Clark (USA) 14.90, Jake Marshall (USA) 13.17, Jacob Szekely (USA), Rob Kelly (USA) 10.37. Heat 8: Jean Da silva (BRA) 14.27, Cory Arrambide (USA) 13.37, Mikey McCabe (USA) 10.74, Johnny Noris 9.20 (USA).

Erin Ashley. MASTERS WOMEN 36-49: 1. Beth O’Rourke, 2. Lisa Carulli, 3. Jennifer Perry, 4. Ida Chi, 5. Jane Mold, 6. Phoenix Coverly. GRAND MASTER WOMEN 50+: 1. Mel Rogers, 2. Jill Limieux, 3. Joyce Sisson, 4. Katie Calkins, 5. Leah Conroy, 6. Jeannette Prince. MEN SHORTBOARD 49U: 1. Sean Johnson, 2. Dakota Faircloth, 3. Lucas Dirkse, 4. Micky Davey, 5. Niles Mikkelsen, 6. Alex Altamirano. MASTER MEN SHORTBOARD 50+: 1. Mike Gillard, 2. Mike Brown, 3. Robbie Jones, 4. Mark Calkins, 5. Jean Pierre Pereat, 6. Stan Searfus. WOMEN SHORTBOARD 39U: 1. Sophia Bartlow, 2. Jen Smith, 3. Kaitlin Maguire, 4. Rocky Bartlow, 5. Michelle Connelly, 6. Rachael Wendel. WOMEN SHORTBOARD 40+: 1. Lisa Carulli, 2. Jill Lemeiux, 3. Joyce Sisson, 4. Leah Conroy, 5. Katie Calkins, 6. Jen Bordine. STAND-UP PADDLE: 1. Chuck Glynn, 2. Dan Hughes, 3. Jeff Warner, 4. Derek Erickson, 5. Sophia Bartlow, 6. Brent Pascoe. TANDEM: 1. Bobby Freeman and Breana Schroeder, 2. April and Jeremy, 3. Brian and Illa McEvilly, 4. Geoff Wilson and Melanie Glancy. CURRENT CLUB PRESIDENTS: 1. Bing Cosby, 2. Josh Hall, 3. Jeremy Porfilio, 4. Mark Calkins, 5. John Gillem, 6. Otis Sistrunk.

hopes to continue next year in college. He has an interest in real estate and investing and would like to prepare for a second ca-reer in the field, after surfing professionally.

Colt headed to Oahu’s North Shore on Tuesday and will be there until Jan. 29 to train and compete in the Sunset Beach Pro Jr.

His main goal for the season is to win a U.S. Championship title, to be able to travel with the USA team for a second time and to finish his fourth year on the team in high style.

“This is my last year in the junior ranks and looking forward it’s really a wake-up call,” Colt said. “The next step is the WQS, and that’s a long, hard road you have to be both physically and mentally prepared for.”—Andrea Swayne

SURF FORECASTWater Temperature: 60-62 degrees FWater Visibility and Conditions: 8-12’+ Fair-Thursday and Friday: Holding mix of primary WNW swell and secondary SSW swell. Many spots through Orange County will see surf in the waist-shoulder high zone over Thurs/Fri, while winter standouts produce occasional head high to slightly overhead WNW sets/peaks (strongest overall in North OC through the HB area). Expect moderate offshore NE wind through most of the morning (moderate to breezy offshores for Newport through South OC), becoming moderate onshore in the afternoon. Mostly clear/sunny skies.Longer Range Outlook: The mix of WNW and SSW swells will be easing over the weekend, but a new pulse of reinforcing WNW swell will move in for Sunday, with more WNW swell for early next week. Conditions remain favorable each morning. Check out Surfline for more details!

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January 15, 2015