February 2, 2023

FEBRUARY 2-8, 2023 | VOLUME 18, ISSUE 5

L O C A L

N E W S

Y O U

C A N

INSIDE: Special Section

U S E

A Doggone Big Improvement

Pet Project Foundation Provides $350K for Renovation to Local Animal Shelter E Y E O N S C / PAG E 8

Volunteer Renee Ripley on Tuesday, Jan. 31, walks one of the dogs at the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter, which will receive new kennels by April of this year. Photo: Breeana Greenberg

sanclementetimes.com

Resident, World War II Vet Turns 100

Artifex Releases New AI-Created Brew

Tritons Battle for League, Playoffs in Final Week

EYE ON SC/PAGE 3

EYE ON SC/PAGE 4

SPORTS/PAGE 28

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 2

sanclementetimes.com

EYE ON SC

COMMUNITY MEETINGS THURSDAY, FEB. 2

Golf Course Committee 6-7 p.m. The city’s Golf Course Committee will conduct its regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall.

910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente.

949.361.8200. san-clemente.org SATURDAY, FEB. 4

Challenging Cancer 10-11:30 a.m. The Challenging Cancer group is conducting weekly meetings through Zoom video conferences. To join, email donnavigil2@gmail.com or linda_crdv@yahoo.com. heritagesc.org.

TUESDAY, FEB. 7

Tom Fitzpatrick, a former B-24 pilot who has lived in San Clemente since 1982, turned 100 years old on Jan. 25 with a special drive-by celebration at the Dorothy Visser Senior Center. Friends and family, along with dignitaries and public safety officials, gathered to celebrate the town’s latest centenarian. Photos: C. Jayden Smith

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8

What’s Up With...

Carole described those years as some of the best times of her father’s life.

While at UCLA, Tom sought a place to live, as he didn’t have much money apart from the tuition that was paid through the GI Bill. He found an opening for a baseball coach at the Urban Military Academy, a prestigious all-boys boarding school in Hollywood.

Tom didn’t know a thing about coaching baseball, but he managed to secure the job. Immediately, he went to find a book about coaching the sport, learned how to do it, and found success in developing a good, well-run team.

The story was a microcosm of how he approached life, according to Carole.

“My greatest lesson from my dad is perseverance: ‘Don’t give up; try.’ If you don’t think you can do something, don’t say you can’t. Just try, and you’ll be surprised at what you can do,” she said.

Along with her brother, Thomas, who was two years older, the Fitzpatrick family had its roots in Whittier. Carole recalled that Tom was “great, lots of fun,” and enjoyed spending time with his children both in the pool at their residence and on their boat on Lake Powell near the Colorado River.

Another story came from time they spent at Bass Lake in Central California, where both Fitzpatrick children learned to water ski.

Thomas got the hang of it first, and with Carole struggling, her father said it was time to pack it in for the day.

“I said, ‘No, no, I gotta ski, I gotta do it today. (Thomas did); I gotta do it today,’

TOP NEWS SAN CLEMENTE SHOULD KNOW THIS WEEK

Longtime San Clemente Resident, World War II Vet Turns 100

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

The Fitzpatrick family, which has resided in San Clemente for 41 years, celebrated the birthday of its oldest member on Jan. 25.

Tom Fitzpatrick turned 100 years old, celebrating with a drive-by event in front of the Dorothy Visser Senior Center, followed by a small, private party inside. This past weekend, he had a larger family gathering of around 50 people.

Tom’s 59-year-old daughter, Carole Fitzpatrick, spoke with San Clemente Times to share part of Tom’s life story.

Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, Tom overcame a significant battle with pneumonia at the age of 5 and lived through The Great Depression, his residence being less than 15 miles from the center of New York City when the stock market crashed in October 1929.

“When he was a little boy, he would see planes flying over, and he really was interested in flying,” Carole said. “He thought, ‘Man, I’d really like to do that.’ … There wasn’t a lot of money, but his dream was to fly.”

Tom took the opportunity to attend San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

San Clemente City Council 5 p.m. The San Clemente City Council will conduct its regularly scheduled meeting in the Council Chambers at City Hall, as well as virtually. The meeting will be livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel. 910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente.

949.361.8200. san-clemente.org.

the technical high school in town as the first step toward gaining the necessary mechanical knowledge. He later got a job as a toolmaker at the manufacturer that would eventually be named the Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

After World War II began and the United States entered the conflict, Tom was concerned about getting drafted into the military for fear of contracting sickness while in the trenches because of his history with pneumonia.

Instead, he signed up for the Army Air Forces, according to Carole, and was thrilled that they accepted him.

“He trained, he went to school, and he learned to fly (Consolidated B-24 Liberators),” she said. “He never had to go overseas. I think the war ended just a couple of weeks before he was scheduled to go over.”

His time with the military afforded him opportunities to study at Norwich University in Vermont and at the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating from the latter school with a degree in business.

Page 3

Human Affairs Committee 3-5 p.m. The city’s Human Affairs Committee will conduct a special meeting at City Hall. 910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente.

949.361.8200. san-clemente.org Planning Commission 5-10 p.m. The city’s Planning Commission will conduct its regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall, with a study session scheduled for 5 p.m. and the business meeting at 6 p.m.

The meeting will be livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel.

910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente.

949.361.8200. san-clemente.org.

because I always wanted to do anything my brother did,” Carole said. “My dad, being the great guy that he is, took that boat around for another—I don’t know—two or three hours until I finally stood up on those skis.”

Apart from his personality as a father, Tom has always been known to be the “life of the party.” Carole added that he likes to have conversations, enjoys laughter, and getting people to have fun together whether or not they’re strangers.

Tom stayed active in building projects, including a front porch and a wall, up until his early 90s.

As his milestone birthday approached, he was looking forward to listening to classic Frank Sinatra songs and punctuating a century of life on Earth with his family. sanclementetimes.com

EYE ON SC

Artifex Releases Beer ‘Created by AI, Brewed by Humans’

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

The expanded availability of artificial intelligence (AI) software has allowed the public to test AI’s ability to write anything, from short stories to social media captions. San Clemente’s Artifex Brewing team recently decided to take that to the next level by releasing a new beer recipe written by computer technology.

The “A.I.pa,” a West Coast IPA in the tradition of the company’s brewing style, was released to the public in a limited sample size at the company’s two taprooms in town late last month.

Artifex co-owner and head brewer Johnny Johur told San Clemente Times that the idea to use the service ChatGPT originated while the team was hanging out one day after work and chatting about the exploding popularity of AI. They initially wanted to get a basic understanding of the software’s capabilities, taking it further after receiving an encouraging first recipe draft.

“It started out as just, ‘Hey, can you write a beer recipe?’, and it wrote a beer recipe,” Johur said. “Then we said, ‘Hey, can you write a unique recipe that no one’s written before?’, and it did that.”

The process led them “down a rabbit hole,” Johur added, as they continued to ask the AI to do increasingly intricate tasks in creating a recipe that could be produced. The final result was a unique recipe profile and combination of ingre-

San Clemente-based Artifex Brewing released a new West Coast IPA created by artificial intelligence on Jan. 25.

Photo: C. Jayden Smith

you could call it, in terms of volume and how you’re looking at the quantities of the ingredients being used.”

Another aspect Artifex asked ChatGPT to try out was writing and designing an image and label for potential cans.

The team knew it wanted a character wearing an apron while holding a beer in one hand and a broom in the other, so it let the AI generate new images repeatedly. Johur said they will send their current image to the can designer they normally work with for feedback, but that the AI will continually handle most of the tasks related to the beer.

“It’s responsive, it does what you want it to do, but, yeah, it’s not perfect,” he said.

Overall, however, the team was “blown away” by what ChatGPT accomplished

dients that only required minor tweaks from the brewers to help scale the quantity to Artifex’s equipment.

Included in the A.I.pa are 2-Row and Pilsner malts, and Amarillo, Cascade, Mosaic and Simcoe hops, all from the Pacific Northwest. ChatGPT also wrote out the schedule in which Artifex would include the ingredients, matching up almost completely with the actual format used.

Most of the process went smoothly, according to Johur, but the computer did have trouble using the terminology familiar to the brewers in terms of writing out quantities.

“I’m brewing a 15-barrel batch, (and) it was equating stuff into gallons and pounds and not barrels,” he said. “There was some miscommunication, I guess

Planning Commission Gives Go-Ahead to Mixed-Use Development South of Downtown

DRSC in June and November of 2022 during the design process.

Commissioner Brent Davis commended DRSC’s help in previous meetings to get the project in front of the full body of the Planning Commission.

“It’s a nasty eyesore, and I’m thrilled that we’re this far along in the process to getting a project like this approved,” Davis said.

Of the affordable housing component, Economic Development Director Jonathan Lightfoot said the project does not meet the city’s own Inclusionary Housing standard of reserving at least 4% for very-low-income renters.

Lightfoot said the developers must pay an in-lieu fee of $95,267.

McKhann questioned whether the potential name for the development, “Moana Landing,” would fit with the required Spanish Colonial Revival architecture once it’s completed and

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

After three decades of visitors seeing a vacant lot when exiting near Avenida Valencia onto El Camino Real, that property is closer to boasting a new development per a Planning Commission vote two weeks ago.

The commission on Jan. 18 unanimously voted to approve the Calvada mixed-use project at 1430 S. El Camino Real, which includes 10 apartments and four commercial suites with offices on the second floor, as well as a combined 49 parking stalls and more than 20,000 square feet.

Additionally, the inclusion of one unit reserved for low-income rent (10%) qualifies the structure for CaliforSan Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

nia’s Density Bonus Law, allowing the project’s architectural firm to receive one concession in installing guardrails on the building’s third story.

Planning Chair Scott McKhann said he thought the building, as designed by Hannibal Petrossi, owner of the Petrossi & Associates architectural firm, was “absolutely extraordinary.”

“I know that staff and the Design Review Subcommittee worked on it a bunch, but the architect and the owner were willing to make the changes,” he said, adding: “I think the finished, designed product is absolutely fantastic.

It’s a 10-plus.”

Petrossi and his team met with the Page 4

in writing the recipe, designing a cover image, and writing a press release.

Johur said the team has been excited about the beer and went through a whole keg of it on Jan. 25, when it was first produced.

In a media release from Artifex announcing the AI-created beer, Johur said he was “excited to see how the public will respond to this unique creation.

We believe that A.I. opens the door to countless new brewing possibilities.

We even had ChatGPT write this press release!”

The public feedback for the A.I.pa has also been positive, as Johur said people have been surprised that a “computer-generated recipe is tasting like this.”

Artifex has scheduled another batch to be made in the next few weeks, but they wanted to merely test out how the IPA would be received before scaling up the production fully.

Johur commented on how in the previous 13 years he has spent as a brewer, he was always certain in the ways he was taught to conceptualize a recipe.

That he can use AI now is a sign of times changing and traditions evolving, he said.

“This was something that, 10 years ago, if you told me I would have a computer writing a beer recipe, I would’ve lost my mind,” said Johur. “I would’ve been like, ‘You’re crazy.’”

He added that he enjoyed the creative process, and that he expects to see more examples with brewing in the future.

Artifex has two locations in San Clemente, its brewery and taproom located at 919 Calle Amanecer, Suite A, and its taproom in downtown at 98 Avenida Del Mar.

whether to change the name. City staff said the city didn’t have the authority to require a name change, leading McKhann to simply encourage the developers to reconsider.

Throughout the discussion, commissioners also discussed giving the design team flexibility in urban open space uses on the first floor of the parking garage and ensuring that mechanical units on the roof would be hidden from the public.

Petrossi said his team was thrilled to be on the corner of El Camino Real and Avenida Valencia, right in front of people visiting San Clemente.

He also expressed that they are speaking with numerous restaurants to find a tenant. They are also looking forward to eventually breaking ground once the project gets all of its approvals.

(Cont. on page 6) sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 5

sanclementetimes.com

EYE ON SC

Local Electric Bike Company Anticipates Year of Growth with New Partnership

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

Coming off what it says was its best year yet, the San Clemente-based MURF Electric Bikes announced last week that it has partnered with an investment firm as the local company looks to grow significantly in 2023.

Its collaboration with GEF Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on climate change and sustainability efforts, will allow the company to work toward opening a new retail storefront, releasing two new models of bikes and finding more dealers to sell its bikes this year, according to MURF’s Jan. 25 announcement.

Co-founder and CEO Josh Jones told San Clemente Times that the process to identify a partner was over a year in the making, as the company wanted someone to help take MURF to the “next level.”

“The next level would be selling more bikes, bringing on more staff, and making our product even better,” said Jones.

He added that working with professionals to better design bikes fit within the company’s definition of involving more staff, in addition to hiring sales representatives.

Kiara Jones, the other co-founder, chief operating officer, and Josh’s wife, said the pair realized how much farther MURF had grown past their initial expectations. They didn’t want to stunt

the company’s growth, so they started the search for a financial partner.

Throughout that process, according to Kiara, MURF keyed in on finding a firm that expressed a belief in its brand, especially as private equity firms carried a generally negative reputation.

“During the process, (they) flew out and met us in person,” she said. “We had lots of conversations outside of just the nitty-gritty research and numbers.”

In the announcement, Josh further explained the reason for partnering with GEF Capital.

“As a family-founded company, we were immediately drawn to GEF Capital’s unique approach towards investing, which centers supporting management teams and aligning values,” he said.

“We’re thrilled to have found a partner that will support our close-knit team and continued growth.”

The announcement added that GEF Capital’s “true partnership philosophy” in backing the pre-existing staff at MURF was another factor.

Josh said he also felt the firm’s managing partner, Stuart Barkoff, could relate to MURF, in that both businesses have been trying to grow in recent years, he told SC Times.

Kiara said the move was important in terms of honoring the staff who have been at the company by providing them with more resources to succeed.

The biking company’s goal in releasing its newest update to customers and others who come across the information

was to let people know that its team, full of San Clementeans, as Kiara noted, is striving to do better than before.

“Our goal is to really improve the lives of the community through our products,” Kiara said. “So, we want to make great-performing products and continue to elevate them, but we also want to impact people’s lives.”

MURF’s partnership with GEF Capital will help the company expand that desire, she said, and Josh echoed her sentiments.

“When (people) get on a MURF (bike), there’s just a feeling of love when you ride it,” Josh said. “You love doing it, and it makes whatever you’re doing more enjoyable. We just want to spread that feeling.”

(Cont. from page 4) The main obstacle that Petrossi’s team is concerned with is seeking approval from the California Coastal Commission.

“Other than that, the final design is really a combination of all the comments and the recommendations from staff,” he said. “We’re thankful for that.”

Former Mayor Tim Brown, assisting Petrossi on the project, told the commission that the team was not married to the “Moana Landing” name, and they were open to various possibilities.

“The relationship (between staff and the applicant) has been very collaborative to date, and, candidly, there’s been a lot of really great outcomes just (from) conversations, even here tonight,” Brown said. “So, I think we can continue that same repartee going forward.”

Commissioner Gary McCaughan later

opined that he was fine with letting the applicant choose the development name.

Chair Pro Tem Steven Camp, who sits on the Design Review Subcommittee, commended Petrossi’s team, as they’d met numerous times in the months leading up to the Jan. 18 meeting for their continuous effort in improving the design.

He did, however, say that cursive typeface displaying the development’s name on the front of the building’s northern and southern ends was “not appropriate” and needed to be improved. Commissioner Cameron Cosgrove pointed out that he remembered suggesting the design team place the letters on the south side in an arch to outline a fountain included there.

Amid debate over numerous signs on the building, McKhann asked staff

whether the discretionary sign program needed to be approved at the same time as the other permits.

Deputy Community Development Department Director Adam Atamian said staff prefers to have things approved all at once to speed up the process for applicants, but that isn’t required.

“It could be continued to a date certain,” Atamian said. “If the Planning Commission would like it to go back to the DRSC or some other action and come back to the Planning Commission for a subsequent approval, that would be fine.”

He added that Petrossi could seek a Coastal Development Permit from the Coastal Commission for just the building alone and then obtain a smaller approval for the signs.

The commission went on to approve a

Discretionary Sign Permit for the project after giving Petrossi guidance on changes it would prefer to see.

McCaughan mentioned that it would be difficult for people driving south on El Camino Real to see the building number because it was tucked away on the southern end. To that point, Camp added that the Orange County Fire Authority would likely have more input on the number’s visibility than the commission.

Commissioner Karen Prescott-Loeffler said that apart from not being in love with the dome feature and wanting to see more creative tile elements, she was OK with the project.

Before the commission gave its approval, Commissioner Barton Crandell also praised Petrossi and his team for their work on the project.

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Local company MURF Electric Bikes looks to release new models as part of a productive year in 2023. Photo: Alan Gibby

Page 6

sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 7

sanclementetimes.com

EYE ON SC

Pet Project Foundation Provides $350K for Renovation to Local Animal Shelter

BY BREEANA GREENBERG, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

B

y April 2023, the Pet Project Foundation aims to unveil renovations to the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter that will provide a more calming environment for its population of furry friends.

Construction of the $350,000 project kicked off in early January with the demolition of half of the shelter’s kennels.

Pet Project Foundation Chair Vickie McMurchie explained that she looks at the PPF as the fundraising arm of the local animal shelter. Thanks to funding from the Pet Project Foundation, the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter, run by the Coastal Animal Services Authority, can remain a pro-humane, nokill shelter, McMurchie explained.

“A big reason for (the renovation) is to be able to provide the best possible safe refuge for these animals while they’re with us,” McMurchie said.

McMurchie said she feels as if the improvements will not only be more aesthetically pleasing and more functional, but “also—with some planned improvements to the yard, etcetera—behaviorally, it’ll be better for the dogs, as well for calming their anxiety and just trying to make them more adoptable.”

After demolishing half of the kennels along one side of the shelter, Pet Project Foundation plans to replace the floors and put in brand-new kennels. The foundation will replace both the shelter and kennel flooring, create more barriers between each kennel to help decrease anxiety among the dogs, and implement a new system for quarantining dogs

from other shelters.

“The entire project is estimated to take about three months, and it’s going to cost the Pet Project Foundation approximately $350,000, which we have committed to the shelter,” McMurchie said.

The foundation will replace one side of the kennels at a time so as not to displace the entire dog population, McMurchie said.

“The new kennels will look a lot like the existing structure that we currently have, but with more stainless steel that is going to stand up to rusting in our coastal atmosphere better,” McMurchie said.

Funding for the renovations is an ongoing process, McMurchie explained.

“So, we are committed to providing the funds, which, as we’re paying for it, it’s come from our generous donors throughout the years,” McMurchie said.

“But we’ll be fundraising off of the project as well, and offering people the opportunity to be able to honor a loved one or a loved pet in some capacity with the project by sponsoring a permanent kennel.”

The kennels that Pet Project Foundation are replacing are 25 years old, McMurchie explained.

“A lot of the kennels themselves became rusted, or the mechanisms inside of them just wore down and became unusable, and we had a good percentage of kennels that became unusable because they were unsafe for either the dogs or our volunteers,” McMurchie said.

“Recognizing that we are working with a shelter that looks to assist as much of our lost and abandoned

animals of San Clemente and Dana Point as possible, we knew that this was something that couldn’t be ignored any longer,” McMurchie continued.

Pet Project Foundation looked to begin the renovation efforts in 2019. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation paused the project for the foreseeable future, “not knowing what the future of donations and fundraising would look like,” McMurchie said.

“Luckily for us, we fared pretty well through the pandemic, as far as our supporters stepping up and continuing to support us and help us meet our fundraising goals,” McMurchie added.

“So, it’s something that we were able to prioritize once again, once we felt comfortable in the fact that we would be able to meet our basic fundraising needs for the year.”

Every year, Pet Project Foundation commits to spending $400,000 for the animal shelter, with funds going toward paying for food, dog trainers, medical treatments and procedures and a portion of staffing for the kennel attendants.

The foundation pays for animals to be spayed and neutered, as well as receive vaccinations and life-saving medical procedures. The foundation will continue to pay for medical treatment past the adoption date to ensure that the animal’s medical conditions don’t preclude the pet’s adoption.

In addition to financially supporting the shelter, Pet Project Foundation also supplies and trains roughly 125

Pet Project Foundation is looking to soon complete renovations on the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter, which includes fully replacing the shelter’s dog kennels by this April. Photos: Breeana Greenberg

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 8

volunteers who spend their time at the shelter, “working in the dog yards, cat room, rabbit area and the front office,” McMurchie said.

All the Pet Project Foundation’s support of the shelter helps keep it a pro-humane, no-kill shelter.

“Pet Project Foundation is 100% volunteer-run, so there’s literally no staff,” McMurchie said. “Everything is run by volunteers, so all the monies that I’ve mentioned are raised by people just doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.”

There are lots of ways to get involved and support the Pet Project Foundation, McMurchie said.

“From donating, volunteering, to committing to running a fundraiser, to attending one of our events, you can foster an animal and, of course, you can adopt animals,” McMurchie said. “So, there’s kind of no shortage of ways to get involved.”

Pet Project Foundation aims to complete the renovations by this April.

Pet Project Foundation’s next fundraising event will be at the Festival of Whales in Dana Point on March 4. The foundation’s Whales, Tails and Ales event features dog-friendly vendors, local craft brewers, live music and more.

“The entire event is a fundraiser for Pet Project Foundation,” McMurchie said. “We will also be back with Barks and Brews at the Outlets in San Clemente this summer, as well as our annual fall gala, which will take place on Sept. 10.” SC sanclementetimes.com

SOAPBOX

34932 Calle del Sol, Suite B, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624 phone 949.388.7700 fax 949.388.9977 sanclementetimes.com

HOW TO REACH US MANAGING EDITOR Shawn Raymundo • 949.388.7700, x113 sraymundo@picketfencemedia.com SPORTS Zach Cavanagh • 949.388.7700, x110 zcavanagh@picketfencemedia.com ADVERTISING Lauralyn Loynes • 949.388.7700, x102 lloynes@picketfencemedia.com DISTRIBUTION Racks, Driveways, Subscriptions Inna Cazares • 949.388.7700, x111 icazares@picketfencemedia.com GENERAL MANAGER Alyssa Garrett • 949.388.7700, x100 agarrett@picketfencemedia.com

PICKET FENCE MEDIA CEO/FOUNDER Norb Garrett

Advertising Sales Debra Wells (CD)

EDITORIAL Managing Editor Shawn Raymundo

ART + DESIGN Art Director-Special Projects Jasmine Smith

City Reporter, SC Times C. Jayden Smith City Reporter, DP Times Breeana Greenberg City Editor, Capo Dispatch Collin Breaux Sports Editor Zach Cavanagh Digital Producer Evan Lancaster Columnists Tom Blake Special Projects Editor Andrea PapagianisCamacho Copy Editor Randy Youngman ADVERTISING Associate Publisher Lauralyn Loynes (SC + DP)

Graphic Designer Chelsie Rex Advertising Design Marc Hostetter OPERATIONS General Manager Alyssa Garrett Group Operations & Production Coordinator Inna Cazares FINANCE Accounting & Finance Manager Tricia Zines CONTRIBUTORS Megan Bianco, Jake Howard

Since March 2022, the Fed started increasing the rates rapidly to combat inflation. Mortgage rates went from 3% to more than 7%. By October, buyer affordability eroded, and demand subsided.

But buyer demand is still strong and increasing steadily.

In a previous column I wrote, I predicted that the mortgage rates will soften to about THE REAL ESTATE 5.5% by July. Why? GURU Because the Fed

BY PHIL IMMEL overreacted by increasing rates this past year, which hit the housing market the worst.

The number of homes sold dropped nearly 50% from 2021 to 2022. Real estate is about supply (listings available) and demand (qualified buyer demand).

When rates more than doubled within six months, it blocked many buyers’ ability to qualify for a home. As rates subside from over 7% to 5.5-ish%, it will open up the opportunity for buyers to qualify again.

Just as sales fell nearly 50%, so did the number of listings (inventory). Why? Over half of the homeowners took advantage of refinancing their homes to the lowest rates in decades.

Why would owners sell and buy a new home to double the interest rate and double or triple their property taxes?

They likely wouldn’t, but there are always exceptions such as divorce, death, and relocating to tax-free states.

Less inventory and buyer demand will keep home prices firm. Many buyers say: “I will wait until the market crashes, then buy.” Numerous economists and so-called “experts” are convinced that home prices will drop 20-30% this year.

GUEST OPINION | The Real Estate

Guru® by Phil Immel

Timing of the Market Question: I am considering buying a house within the next two years. How do I “time” the market for the best deal?

–Samantha A., San Clemente

Answer: Dear Samantha, everyone

would like to “time” the market and purchase “right.” Just like the stock market, there is no secret formula. Here are some key factors to consider.

Seasonality in real estate is the annual cycle where buyer demand fluctuates.

Ideally, buy when you have less competition. The best months are January and October-December. December is the premier month, as most buyers are preoccupied from Thanksgiving through the New Year.

It is typically slow through Super Bowl Sunday. The second and third quarters are the most competitive months, with Daylight Savings Time starting in March.

The rainy season fades, the flowers bloom, and spring is in the air.

I disagree. Their models have little correlation to the reality in our coastal market.

Past experts’ predictions have often been inaccurate. That’s why buyers are confused about timing. A home is a home. It is a commodity, like a stock certificate. Homes hold real value and often are the biggest asset in one’s life, creating wealth, and an enhanced retirement.

Ask your parents what they paid for their house 40 years ago. Now, it’s probably worth at least 10 times more.

Real estate values and interest rates move slowly. Don’t expect interest rates to drop to 4% or less again. That happened because of COVID. In my more than 40 years of selling homes, I have seen mortgage rates go from 2.5% to 18.5%. Believe it or not, rates below 6% are a relative deal based on historical data. The other benefit is the interest deduction for loans up to $750,000.

As a young family starting out, get serious about buying a house this year. Get pre-approved for a loan. Hire a seasoned realtor and be ready to take the leap in the months ahead. SC Have a real estate question? Email Phil Immel at phil@realestateguru.com. Visit realestateguru.com. The Guru has more than four decades of experience listing and selling homes in South Orange County. As a licensed real estate broker, Phil majored in Real Estate at San Diego State University and is also an expert in mortgage, title, escrow, appraisal and negotiations.

PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, the SC Times provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared.

The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of the SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@sanclementetimes.com.

GUEST OPINION | The Downtown Buzz by Kelly LeClair San Clemente Times, Vol. 18, Issue 5. The SC Times (sanclementetimes.com ) is published weekly by Picket Fence Media, publishers of the Dana Point Times (danapointtimes.com) and The Capistrano Dispatch (thecapistranodispatch.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 2023. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. San Clemente Times is published weekly by Picket Fence Media, 34932 Calle Del Sol, Suite B, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at San Clemente, CA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: San Clemente Times, 34932 Calle Del Sol, Suite B, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624.

FOLLOW SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

FACEBOOK.COM/SANCLEMENTETIMES • INSTAGRAM @S_C_TIMES TWITTER.COM/SCTIMESNEWS • LINKEDIN PICKET FENCE MEDIA

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Lucky You—the Shamrock Run 5K/10K Is Back!

A fter the tremendous, sold-out success of last year’s Shamrock Run, we are thrilled to present the second outing of the Shamrock Run San Clemente 5K/10K on March 4.

The San Clemente Downtown Business Association hosts this feel-good

morning event to attract serious and casual runners, families, visitors and local businesses to enjoy the beauty of our town. And, yes, we think it’s pretty special to allow hundreds of people to run the pier together.

If you were lucky enough to join the runners and supporters near the San

Page 9

Clemente Pier last year, you already understand the value of this energetic event. This year, you’ll notice some improvements.

The city has approved an updated course that still includes our magnificent pier, but it will give mercy to your (Cont. on page 11) sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 10

sanclementetimes.com

SOAPBOX

(Cont. from page 9) calf muscles and not include running on the sand. While still being finalized, we also plan to include Avenida Del Mar to bring attention to our businesses. We anticipate racers and spectators will stick around after the race to explore shops and restaurants.

For the second year in a row, Jennifer Elliott, owner of San Clemente Estate Law, is helping support the SCDBA as the Shamrock Run’s Emerald Sponsor.

(Lucky for us, Jennifer is also an avid runner, so you can try and catch her on the course!)

Stop by the finish line to visit sponsor booths and thank them for their support.

Setting the tone for an Irish-inspired day, we will have bagpipes playing near the starting line. Julie Moss, an Ironman Hall of Fame triathlete and motivational speaker, will join us again to announce the race and keep the crowd informed.

The SCDBA Shamrock Run committee expects this year’s race to sell out again.

Letters to The Editor SUBMISSIONS NEEDED FOR SAN CLEMENTE HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY TIME CAPSULE! LAURIE GOOCH, San Clemente On March 19, the San Clemente Historical Society celebrates a Golden Anniversary. Join in on the festivities by filling a time capsule.

What do you want San Clemente residents in 2073 to know about our town? Write down your favorite memories. Take photographs of or draw your quintessential spots.

Then send them to us: San Clemente Historical Society, PO Box 283, San Clemente, CA 92672-0283.

More details to follow about the party at Casa Romantica. Save the date!

RESPONSE TO WATER DESALINATION JIM SMITH, San Clemente I was on board with Mr. McKernan about desalination, but he lost me with the criticism of farmers.

With a little research, he would see that water use and pricing are complicated and ultimately managed by the

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Good news, though, as there are more runner spaces, and you can still sign up via the SCDBA website. Each runner will receive the very popular Shamrock Run multi-cotton T-shirt, a goodie bag from our sponsors, and a chipped timTHE DOWNTOWN ing bib.

BUSINESS BUZZ Results are posted

BY KELLY LECLAIR once all runners have crossed the finish line. Moss will announce the awards to top finishers for women’s 5K and 10K, men’s 5K and 10K, and kids’ 5K and 10K. Come cheer on the racers and feel the positive energy of a well-organized event. This year, you can spectate along Avenida Del Mar and down near the pier.

After the race, stick around downtown and enjoy the SC Village Art Faire—located on the community center lawns— where dozens of local artists display their unique items from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Run the race, support local businesses,

grab a bite to eat—what a fantastic downtown Saturday.

Prospective runners can sign up at scdba.org/shamrockrun. Yes, we have more spots this year, but we still anticipate the event to sell out. Race time is 7 a.m. Packet pickup takes place the morning of, as well as the day before, at HH Cotton’s from 4-6 p.m.

This year, I’m a gold sponsor through LeClair Real Estate. A special thanks also goes to fellow gold sponsor Chris Aitken of Aitken Aitken Cohn Trial Lawyers Our very affordable $150 bronze sponsorships are a great way to get exposure for your brand, as you’ll have the opportunity to insert a flyer or item in more than 350 goodie bags, plus lots more. Businesses wanting to get involved and provide swag for our goodie bags, please visit scdba.org/shamrockrun or email info@scdba.org.

Also, mark your calendar for the 27th annual San Clemente Car Show on June 10. More info can be found at sccarshow.com.

If you’d like to join the SCDBA and learn more about our promotions and

State Water Resources Control Board.

Like most western states, California “water laws” provide the highest priority to the earliest water users. This is known as the “Doctrine of Prior Appropriation,” sometimes called “first in time, first in right.”

As far as California government fixing things, they had a choice years ago. They picked spending $100 billion on a light rail system over a fraction of that for rainwater harvesting (RWH). Go figure.

charged by the Metropolitan Water District and our local districts.

It is environmentally safe and will not hurt marine fish or plant life, because the ocean water is being pulled through shafts drilled through the sand under the ocean floor. The salt that is extracted from the ocean water is returned to the ocean at the same saline level as normal ocean water, because it is properly diluted with treated wastewater and placed several miles out to sea via the existing discharge pipeline.

Further, the amounts of energy used for ocean water filtering and reverse osmosis treatment are reasonable, considering the fact that we will have an unlimited source of water, immune from the precarious levels of Sierra snowfall, severe droughts and other natural disasters.

The Doheny Desalination Water Project has intelligently addressed all the environmental and technical issues. This is why the California Coastal Commission, well-known for environmental care and sensitivity, unanimously approved this important project as a bulwark against the certainty of future droughts.

Desalination is a common-sense solution to the 400-mile-long, problem-prone water canal system, built a century ago using technology dating back to the ancient Egyptians.

Building the Doheny Desalination Project will prevent our children or grandchildren from one day having to look at each other, ashen-faced, bemoaning: “Why on Earth did they not build it?”

ANOTHER RESPONSE TO WATER DESALINATION STEVE KNOBLOCK, San Clemente mayor pro tem I am writing in response to Steffen McKernan’s letter claiming that ocean water desalination is bad because agriculture uses too much water. Desalination is the right idea whose time has come.

The Central Valley of California is the agricultural breadbasket of California, our nation and much of the world. Many thousands of acres of highly productive food-growing land are currently being furloughed because of the water shortages plaguing California.

The Doheny Desalination Project will provide much of our local water requirements and will help free up imported water for essential food production.

Despite what many naysayers think, current desalination technology is not environmentally damaging. It is cost-effective when comparable to the rates

Page 11

Join SC Times for Beachside Chat on Friday, Feb. 3, at 8 a.m.

Beachside Chat is a spirited, town hall forum on community issues every Friday. Tom Marshall and Larry Culbertson of the San Clemente Historical Society will lead this week’s discussion. The chat will be held at Dorothy Visser Senior Center, 117 Avenida Victoria. All are welcome.

events, email membership@scdba.org. SC Kelly LeClair sits on San Clemente Downtown Business Association’s governing board and is the owner of LeClair Real Estate at Pacific Sotheby’s.

PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, the SC Times provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared.

The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of the SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@sanclementetimes.com.

CORRECTIONS: On page 21 of the San Clemente Times’ Jan. 26 edition, the Triton Report reported on the San Clemente High girls basketball team defeating San Juan Hills High in a pivotal league game. The story incorrectly reported the outcome of the Tritons’ Jan. 24 game against Aliso Niguel High.

The Wolverines defeated the Tritons, 62-57, at Aliso Niguel High.

On page 6 of the same issue, an article about the death of community volunteer Hank Snyder inaccurately reported the date of his passing, as well as misstated Wayne Eggleston’s involvement with local organizations.

Hank died on Dec. 20. Eggleston is the executive director of the Heritage of San Clemente Foundation.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY San Clemente Times reserves the right to edit reader-submitted letters for length and is not responsible for the claims made or information written by the writers. Have something you’d like to say? Email your letter to sraymundo@picketfencemedia.com no later than 8 a.m. on Monday morning. Limit your letters to 350 words or less. Please send with your valid email, phone number and address for verification by staff. Your address and phone number will not be published.

sanclementetimes.com

GETTING OUT

a helmet, water, snacks, and a fix-a-flat/ repair kit. San Clemente Dog Park, 301 Avenida La Pata, San Clemente.

Editor’s Pick

ZERO TRASH DANA POINT SATURDAY CLEAN-UP 10 a.m. Help keep the oceans clean by preventing trash from reaching the water and join Zero Trash Dana Point for a neighborhood clean-up event.

Volunteers will be meeting at Girl in The Curl surf shop to pick up supplies. Girl in the Curl, 24800 34116 East Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point.

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

THURSDAY | 02 LIVE MUSIC AT STILLWATER 7 p.m. Live music is featured at this popular South Orange County venue.

Neil Diamond tribute artist I Am … I Said will perform. StillWater Spirits & Sounds, 24701 Del Prado, Dana Point.

949.661.6003. danapointstillwater.com.

LIVE THEATER AT CABRILLO PLAYHOUSE 7:30 p.m. Through Feb. 12, enjoy the production of Leading Ladies, set in the 1950s and focusing on two English Shakespearean actors, Jack and Leo, who find their careers in a rut. When they hear that an old lady in York, Pennsylvania is about to die and leave her fortune to her two longlost English nephews, the actors resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash, only to find that the nephews are actually nieces. Tickets are $28. Cabrillo Playhouse, 202 Avenida Cabrillo, San Clemente. 949.492.0465. cabrilloplayhouse.com.

FRIDAY | 03 WOOD CRAFT WORKSHOP 6-9 p.m. Craft your own wood sign, plank tray or photo frame with this fun DIY workshop. Customize your project with designer paints and non-toxic colors.

Participants can register online beforehand. AR Workshop San Juan Capistrano, 31107 Rancho Viejo Road, Suite B2, San Juan Capistrano. 949.482.1362. arworkshop.com.

LIVE MUSIC AT IVA LEE’S 7 p.m. Live music is featured at this popular San Clemente restaurant.

Smokin’ Roosters will perform. Iva Lee’s Restaurant & Lounge, 555 N. El Camino San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Restaurants will offer samples of their dishes during the annual Taste of San Juan event this Thursday evening at Reata Park. Photo: Collin Breaux

THURSDAY | 02 TASTE OF SAN JUAN 6-9 p.m. The Swallows Day Parade season is in full swing again, and that means the return of this annual showcase for local restaurants. Numerous eateries, including The Rooftop Kitchen + Bar, will be on hand to offer samples and compete for recognition in various categories—including best dessert. There will also be live music.

Tickets are $50. Reata Park, 28632 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano. 949.615.1920. swallowsparade.com.

Real, Suite E, San Clemente. 949.361.8255. ivalees.com.

LIVE THEATER AT CAMINO REAL PLAYHOUSE 7:30 p.m. Watch a live performance of Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train at San Juan Capistrano’s local theater.

Showings for the mystery thriller will continue through Feb. 19. Camino Real Playhouse, 31776 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano. 949.489.8082. caminorealplayhouse.com.

DANA POINT SYMPHONY CONCERT 7:30-9 p.m. Enjoy the music of Mozart and Schubert with the Dana Point Symphony at the St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for seniors, students and active military. St. Edward Church, 33926 Calle La Primavera, Dana Point.

949.542.6282. danapointsymphony.com.

SATURDAY | 04 SAN ONOFRE BACKCOUNTRY HIKE 8-11 a.m. Join California State Parks Naturalist Heather Rice to experience the local state park. Meet at the City of San Clemente’s dog park off Avenida La Pata to participate in this 4-mile hike.

Baron Von Willard Memorial Dog Park, 301 Avenida La Pata, San Clemente. cryssie.moreno@parks.ca.gov.

SOUTH OC CARS AND COFFEE 9-11 a.m. South OC Cars and Coffee, dubbed the world’s biggest weekly car meet, attracts a mix of 500-1,000 hypercars, supercars, exotics, vintage, classic, muscle and sports cars, hot rods, rat rods, pickups, 4x4s and motorcycles.

Those attending are encouraged to practice responsible social distancing.

Face masks are not mandatory, but they are recommended. No cars in before 8:30 a.m. Cars should enter and leave slowly and quietly—no revving, speeding or burnouts. The Outlets at San Clemente, 101 West Avenida Vista Hermosa, San Clemente. southoccarsandcoffee.com.

VILLAGE ART FAIRE 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Hosted by the San Clemente Downtown Business Association on the lawn of the SC Library, the Village Art Faire offers a variety of work, including photography, fine art, jewelry, ceramics, fused glass, home decor, botanicals, textile art, and more. Visitors can expect to find many of their favorite artists, as well as some new faces. San Clemente Library, 242 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente. 949.218.5378. info@scdba.org. scdba.org.

TRAIL RIDE 9:45 a.m. Join The Path Bike Shop for an intermediate level e-bike ride starting near the San Clemente Dog Park. Be prepared with ride essentials, including

Page 12

CAMPESINO BRUNCH 10 a.m.-noon. The Ecology Center is providing a preview of its upcoming café menu. The sneak peek will include a four-course, family-style meal. The Ecology Center, 32701 Alipaz Street, San Juan Capistrano. 949.443.4223. theecologycenter.org.

LIVE MUSIC AT TREVOR’S 11 a.m. 3 Mile Radius will perform. Enjoy the entertainment on the outdoor patio while you chow down on food and sip drinks. Trevor’s at the Tracks, 26701 Verdugo Street, San Juan Capistrano.

949.493.9593. trevorsatthetracks.com.

AFFORDABLE PET VACCINE CLINIC 3:30-5 p.m. Pets Plus San Clemente is offering low-cost vaccinations for all dogs and cats, with veterinary services provided by Vet Care Vaccination Services, Inc. Services include diagnostic testing, physical exams and prescription flea control. All pets must be on a leash or in a carrier. Pets Plus San Clemente, 638 Camino de los Mares, Suite A-140, San Clemente. vetcarepetclinic.com LIVE MUSIC AT BEACHFIRE 8 p.m. Live music is featured at this popular San Clemente restaurant. Classic rock cover band Mike Staggs & The Soul will perform. BeachFire Bar & Grill, 204 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente.

949.366.3232. beachfire.com.

LIVE MUSIC AT THE POINT 8:30 p.m. Live music is featured at this popular South Orange County venue.

Infl80ees will perform their 100th show.

The Point Restaurant and Bar, 34085 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point.

949.464.5700. thepointrestaurantandbar.com.

SUNDAY | 05 FARMERS MARKET 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Shop for a wide selection of fruits, vegetables and artisanal goods from organic growers along Avenida Del Mar. 949.361.8200. san-clemente.org.

(Cont. on page 14) sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 13

sanclementetimes.com

GETTING OUT

(Cont. from page 12) MONARCH BUTTERFLY HABITAT PLANTING 9 a.m.-Noon. Join the City of Dana Point in creating habitats for Monarch butterflies in parks throughout the city.

Water, tools and snacks will be provided.

Volunteers will meet at Sea Canyon Park.

Sea Canyon Park, 33121 Santiago Drive, Dana Point. jriyhani@danapoint.org. danapoint.org.

D. YODER FAMILY SUNDAYS: LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Celebrate Lunar New Year at Casa Romantica with a traditional lion dance performance and family-friendly activities. Casa Romantica Cultural Center & Gardens, 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente. 949.498.2139. casaromantica.org.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO ‘FRIENDS OF MUSIC’ CONCERT 3 p.m. The San Juan Capistrano Friends of Music chamber music concert series is back after a three-year hiatus and kicks off the return with the Ocean Winds woodwind quintet. The performers, all local professionals who met playing in symphony orchestras and whose instruments include the flute and clarinet, will perform a selection of music, from the Baroque era to ragtime. Admission is free, though donations are welcome.

Community Presbyterian Church, 32202 Del Obispo Street, San Juan Capistrano.

TUESDAY | 07

CONCERT AT THE COACH HOUSE 7 p.m. Enjoy some rollicking sounds over dinner at this intimate and popular South Orange County venue. Doug Starks will pay homage to the music of Stevie Wonder. Local stalwarts Family Style will also perform. Tickets are $20. Doors open at 5 p.m. The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano.

949.496.8930. thecoachhouse.com

TRIVIA TUESDAY 6:30 p.m. Test your knowledge every Tuesday night. Teams of two to six people are welcome to join in for a chance to win prizes. Call beforehand to reserve a table.

Selma’s Chicago Pizzeria, 31781 Camino Capistrano, Suite 201, San Juan Capistrano.

949.429.3599. selmaspizza.com.

MONDAY | 06 BRIDGE GAME 12:30 p.m. The South Orange County Bridge Club hosts bridge games, Monday through Saturday. The club is a nonprofit owned by the members and welcomes people to use their minds and develop new friendships. They also offer classes for bridge players of different levels.

31461 Rancho Viejo Road, Suite 205, San Juan Capistrano. galesenter@cox.net.

OPEN JAM 7-10 p.m. Play your own percussion, acoustic or electric instruments every Monday night at Knuckleheads. Amps are allowed, but drums are not. Knuckleheads, 1717 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente. 949.492.2410. knuckleheadsmusic.com.

WEDNESDAY | 08 BINGO AT THE SENIOR CENTER 1:30 p.m. Every Wednesday, the Dorothy Visser Senior Center will host Bingo. The center will begin selling cards at 1 p.m., with the game starting promptly at 1:30.

The buy-in is $12 for 10 games with four cards and a special pick-your-number game.

For more information, contact the center at 949.498.3322. Dorothy Visser Senior Center, 117 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente.

into assuming it wasn’t rape by the men on the commune, the group of women comes together to decide what they should do about their situation.

Married Mariche (Jessie Buckley) believes they should just continue living their lives; Salome (Claire Foy) wants to physically fight back against her abusers; while pregnant Ona (Rooney Mara) thinks it might be best for

the women and children to secretly leave the community and start over.

Once you accept the gray, washed-out aesthetic, Women Talking is a mostly interesting drama on women torn between their home, ethics and what they believe is right. Buckley and Foy have been getting the most attention for their emotional performances, but I was drawn most to Mara’s quiet, calm portrayal among the main trio.

Ben Whishaw is also effectively sympathetic and understanding as the one man we see on screen. Polley, an atheist, has done her homework (as did Toews, who was raised Mennonite), and doesn’t belittle or stereotype the group’s religious virtues.

We can successfully see how women from this type of environment would process and argue or challenge each other over their options.

What took me out occasionally wasn’t ultimately the color scheme, but how low the film was lit for most of the movie, even during daytime scenes. There were also a few moments of awkward comic relief, mostly from two teen characters, which landed completely flat, and I could have used less.

Generally, I think I prefer Women Talking to She Said in terms of relevant content. SC

BY MEGAN BIANCO, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

A

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

will host this live music showcase to feature talented local musicians from around the area and will occur in the restaurant’s Hamilton Room (the back room). H.H. Cotton’s, 201 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente. hhcottons.com.

H.H. COTTON’S LIVE MUSIC 7-10 p.m. Every Wednesday, H.H. Cotton’s

Women Are Talking About Many Things

Photo: Courtesy of Michael Gibson/Orion Pictures

tation, essentially because of how difficult it would be to try to find a demographic for the film.

Women Talking attempts to be both feminist and naturally spiritual, with the victims a part of a Mennonite commune on a rural farm who haven’t lost their faith.

After experiencing too many attacks in the middle of the night and being gaslit

sanclementetimes.com/weekender

OPEN MIC NIGHT AT KNUCKLEHEADS 8-10 p.m. Knuckleheads is open for food, drinks and live music. Performers of all skill levels are welcome. If you are a musician, do stand-up comedy or the spoken word, this is the place to be on Wednesday nights. So, come down, grab a drink and go for it. Knuckleheads Sports Bar, 1717 North El Camino Real, San Clemente. 949.492.2410. knuckleheadsmusic.com.

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

AT THE MOVIES

lot of filmmakers choose unflattering visuals to reflect a harsh theme or character in a movie. With Sarah Polley’s Women Talking, it’s easy to see that’s what she was aiming for with the cinematography.

This is a story about rape victims coping with abuse, so their world appears how they feel. Much like Maria Schrader’s She Said (2022), Polley’s film is underperforming, partly because most people don’t want to spend time at the movie theater focusing on such a serious subject matter.

Based on Miriam Toews’ 2018 novel of the same name, United Artists also heavily dropped the ball on Polley’s screen interpre-

Get a curated list of the weekend’s best events sent straight to your inbox every Friday! Sign up for The Weekender at

Page 14

sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 15

sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 16

sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 17

sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 18

sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 19

sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 20

sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 21

sanclementetimes.com

SC LIVING

GUEST OPINION | Historical Happenings by Tom Marshall

The Last Great Train Robbery of Orange County

T

he old “Wild West” had long been tamed and settled before Ole Hanson rode into the area to establish San Clemente in the 1920s. What had been an Old West-style cattle ranch was being plowed under to form this modern Spanish Village by the Sea. It was assumed that all vestiges of the wild and sometimes deadly past had also been bulldozed away. However, one iconic scene, often featured in movies of the day, had not yet fully played out.

Here, then, is the story of the last “Great Train Robbery” in Orange County.

According to news accounts of the day and research by the Orange County Historical Society, it happened right here on Aug. 24, 1925. San Clemente hadn’t even been incorporated—just a few buildings waiting for a city to be built around them.

It was a dark night (aren’t they all?) when Sante Fe Railway passenger train No. 75 departed Oceanside at 7:40 (no Daylight Savings Time) and headed to its next stop an hour later in Santa Ana.

ADOPTABLE PET OF THE WEEK

Marlowe

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

As the train rattled north, one or more men climbed on top of the rolling baggage car, pried open a ventilator and promptly shot the startled express agent, 62-year-old Elmer Campbell, in the head. The intruder then climbed down a rope and into the express car HISTORICAL as Campbell lay HAPPENINGS unconscious and

BY TOM MARSHALL bleeding.

Reconstructing the timeline of the events, the incident appeared to happen about the time the train was rolling through what’s now San Clemente. Detectives later determined the robber was looking for a gold shipment from San Diego to the U.S. Mint in San Francisco.

After ransacking the mail and unable to open the safe with a hatchet, the robber made off with only $27 from a strong box. Then, breaking a door window, the robber jumped off the train.

Railroad employees at the Santa Ana depot noticed the broken side door and the rope hanging from the baggage car roof. They called police, who swarmed the area, according to reports in the Santa Ana Register. Campbell was found still breathing and rushed to a Santa Ana hospital. No suspects were found.

The railroad and express companies offered a $1,000 reward for “information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the party or parties” responsible. That led to tips from all over Orange County, some reporting a large, dark-colored car racing through their towns that night.

Newspapers and “Wanted” posters spread throughout the Southwest, often exaggerating the amount of the robbery and the award offered.

Police arrested two known Los Angeles criminals and a Santa Ana hairdresser, but they were all released. A Monterey Presidio commanding officer was then arrested after being accused by his supply sergeant of being the mastermind of the robbery.

SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Sleek and svelte, this panther look-alike is our sweet boy Marlowe. Marlowe is a big kitty with an outgoing personality. A year old, he is very affectionate and just loves to play. Marlowe gets along with other cats and would be a wonderful addition to almost any family.

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

Photo: Courtesy of the San Clemente Historical Society

FROM THE ARCHIVES Can you identify the man in this

picture? Contact the San Clemente Historical Society at tom.marshall@cox.net. This photo can be purchased from the San Clemente Historical Society at sanclementehistoricalsociety.org.

Every week, the San Clemente Times will showcase a historical photo from around the city. If you have a photo you would like to submit for consideration, send the photo, your name for credit, as well as the date and location of the photo to sraymundo@picketfencemedia.com.

That story fell apart immediately when the sergeant was arrested for attempting to rob a theater safe in Monterey County.

Days after being taken to the hospital, baggageman Campbell died without regaining consciousness. The robber, or robbers, were never caught—an unhappy ending to the story of the last “Great

Train Robbery” in Orange County. SC Tom Marshall is a member of the San Clemente Historical Society and a retired journalist.

PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, the SC Times provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared.

The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of the SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@sanclementetimes.com.

Sudoku

BY MYLES MELLOR

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION:

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3x3 squares.

To solve the puzzle, each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9.

Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult. Level: Medium

Page 22

See the solution in next week’s issue.

sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 23

sanclementetimes.com

PUBLIC NOTICES TO ADVERTISE: 949.388.7700, EXT. 111 • LEGALS@PICKETFENCEMEDIA.COM PUBLIC NOTICE SUMMONS (CITACION JUDICIAL) NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): Phillip David Willis and DOES 1 through 10, inclusive YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (LO ESTA DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): Anthony Brian Fisch NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below.

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plvaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo. ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form.

If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court.

There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. ¡AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 días, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su versión. Lea la información acontinuación. Tiene 30 DÍAS DE CALENDARIO después de que le entreguen esta citación y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefónica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y más información en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede más cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario de la corteque le dé un formulario de exención de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podrá quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin más advertencia.

Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remisión a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www.sucorte.ca.gov) o poniéndose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 ó más de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso.

CASE NUMBER: (Numero del Caso): 30-2022-01285190-CU-PA-CJC Judge David A. Hoffer The name and address of the court is: (El Nombre y direccion de la corte es): Superior Court of California, County of Orange, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701 The name, address and telephone number of plaintiff ’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: (El nombre, la direccion y el numero de telefono del obogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): Robert Oliver, Esq., SBN 180318, Sweet Lawyers, LLP, 4590 MacArthur Blvd, Suite 650, Newport Beach, CA 92660 DATE: (Fecha) 10/07/2022 David H. Yamasaki, Clerk of the Court, by (Secretario) B. Sanchez, Deputy Clerk(Adjunto) Published: San Clemente Times, Feb 2, 9, 16, 23, 2023 PUBLIC NOTICE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. 30-2023-01301448 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner FARZANEH MOKRI ARGANEH filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present Name FARZANEH MOKRI ARGANEH Proposed Name FARZANEH MOKRI THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

Notice of Hearing Date: 03/08/2023 Time: 8:30 a.m. Dept: D100.

Room: Remote Appearance. The address of the court is Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Your hearing will be held REMOTELY via video at the date and time indicated on the notice or order to which this message is attached. You are NOT to physically appear at the courthouse on the date of your hearing. To obtain instructions on how to appear remotely for your hearing, you MUST do the following no later than the day before the hearing (or no later than Friday, if the hearing is on Monday): 1. Go to the Court’s website at www.occourts.org; 2. Click on the “COVID-19” button; 3. Click on the “Civil” button; 4. Click on the “Remote Hearing Instructions” button; 5.

Follow the instructions. IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you or your witnesses, do not have the ability to access the court’s website above, or are unable to follow the instructions on the Court’s website, or are otherwise unable to appear remotely, you MUST call the courtroom or call (657) 622-8513, prior to your hearing, to request an alternate means to appear. Failure to do so may result in your case being dismissed, or a ruling issued against you.

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: San Clemente Times Date: JANUARY 12, 2023 JUDGE LAYNE H. MELZER, Judge of the Superior Court Published: San Clemente Times, Jan 26, Feb 2, 9, 16, 2023 PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20236654313 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: YOUR AUCTION SOLUTION 4101 CALLE ABRIL SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92673 Additional Fictitious Business Name(s): 1B. ALL ABOUT AUCTIONS Full Name of Registrant(s): GFTW LLC 4101 CALLE ABRIL SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92673 This business is conducted by a California Limited Liability Company The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: n/a GFTW LLC/s/ PAUL FINNELL, PAUL DAVID FINNELL RANSONET, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 1/26/2023 Published in: San Clemente Times Feb 2, 9, 16, 23, 2023 PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20236654168 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: PTA CALIFORNIA CONGRESS OF PARENTS TEACHERS & STUDENTS INC 1101 CALLE PUENTE SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92672 Additional Fictitious Business Name(s): 1B. LAS PALMAS ELEMENTARY PTA Full Name of Registrant(s): PTA CALIFORNIA CONGRESS OF PARENTS TEACHERS & STUDENTS INC 1101 CALLE PUENTE SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92672 This business is conducted by a California Corporation The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: 11/18/1943 PTA CALIFORNIA CONGRESS OF PARENTS TEACHERS & STUDENTS INC /s/ KATE MUDGE, KATE MUDGE, TREASURER This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 1/25/2023 Published in: San Clemente Times Feb 2, 9, 16, 23, 2023

Page 24

PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20236652980 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: SALES4PROS 16 VIA BELLEZA SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92673 ADDITIONAL FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME(S): 1B. ELEVATING HCM Full Name of Registrant(s): RB DIRECT, INC. 16 VIA BELLEZA SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92673 This business is conducted by a California Corporation The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: n/a RB DIRECT, INC/s/RYAN BURTON, RYAN BURTON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 1/11/2023 Published in: San Clemente Times January 19, 26, Feb 2, 9, 2023 PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20236653388 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: CRANK WATERPROOFING 134 COMMERCIAL WAY COSTA MESA, CA 92627 Full Name of Registrant(s): CALIFORNIA DECK COATINGS INC 134 COMMERCIAL WAY COSTA MESA, CA 92627 This business is conducted by a California Corporation The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: 05/01/2018 CALIFORNIA DECK COATINGS INC/s/ADAM JONES, ADAM JONES, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 1/17/2023 Published in: San Clemente Times January 26, Feb 2, 9, 16, 2023 PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20236653610 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: LAGUNA URGENT CARE 303 BROADWAY STREET UNIT 103 LAGUNA BEACH, CA 92651 Full Name of Registrant(s): PRESS HEALTH INC 303 BROADWAY STREET UNIT 103 LAGUNA BEACH, CA 92651 This business is conducted by a California Corporation The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: n/a PRESS HEALTH INC/s/AMILA NISSANKA, AMILA NISSANKA, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 1/19/2023 Published in: San Clemente Times January 26, February 2, 9, 16, 2023 sanclementetimes.com

PUBLIC NOTICES

CLASSIFIEDS

TO ADVERTISE: 949.388.7700, EXT. 111 • LEGALS@PICKETFENCEMEDIA.COM PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: WILLIAM H. GREEN Case Number: 30-2022-01268189-PR-PW-CJC To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will and or estate, or both, of WILLIAM H. GREEN A Petition for Probate has been filed by MARTHA BANKS in the Superior Court of California, County of ORANGE. The Petition for Probate requests that MARTHA BANKS be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

The Petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

The Petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: Date: 3/30/23 Time: 01:30 p.m. in Dept: C08 Address of Court: 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701. (1) If you plan to appear, you must attend the hearing by video remote using the court’s designated video platform; (2) Go to the courts website at: http://www.occourts.org/ media-relations/probate-mental -health.html to appear for probate hearings and for remote hearing instructions; (3) If you have difficulty connecting to your remote hearing, call (657)622-8278 for assistance.

If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California Statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (Form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner: Charles A. Lucero, 870 Market Street, Suite 1128, San Francisco, CA 94102 Ph: (415) 982-1510 Published in: San Clemente Times, February 2, 9, 16, 2023

SUBMIT YOUR CLASSIFIED AD AT SANCLEMENTETIMES.COM

HELP WANTED ALBERTSONS SAN CLEMENTE TALEGA IS HIRING!!

We are looking to set up Interviews for open positions within our store. 949.369.5466 ask for Kaleka, Scott or Ray so we can set up an interview. Walk in interviews are Monday,

Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10am-3pm. Open Positions: Stock Clerks, Bakery Clerks, Bakery Decorator, Bakery Baker, Meat Department, Service Deli Clerk, Front-end service and many More.

989 Avenida Pico, San Clemente, CA 92673.

(Albertsons companies is an equal opportunity employer)

PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20226651416 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: CORNCOB CLEETUS PRODUCTS 131 W CANADA SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92672 Full Name of Registrant(s): NORMA PATRIDIS 131 W CANADA SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92672 This business is conducted by an individual.

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fi name or names listed above on: N/A /s/Norma Patridis This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Orange County on 12/20/2022 Published in: San Clemente Times, Jan 12, 19, 26, Feb 2, 2023

Complete your required legal or public notice advertising in the San Clemente Times.

EMAIL legals@picketfencemedia.com CALL 949.388.7700, ext. 111

Page 25

sanclementetimes.com

LOCALS ONLY

BODY MIND SPIRIT ARE YOU HAPPY? Let us assist you in creating a life plan for the life & relationships you want & deserve. Body Mind Spirit, 949.248.7377, bodymindspirit.com

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

DENTISTS

Want to be featured as our business spotlight?

Contact Lauralyn Loynes for pricing at 949.388.7700, ext. 102

PROSTHODONTICS

Benjamin Stevens, D.D.S. 3553 Camino Mira Costa, Suite B, San Clemente, 949.493.2391, benstevensdds.com

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

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

ENVIRONMENTAL INSPECTIONS 3West Environmental, Inc. www.3westenviro.com Residential & commercial inspections for mold, asbestos and lead paint. 949.482.1357

ELECTRICAL

Arcadia Electric 949.361.1045, arcadiaelectric.com

MUSIC LESSONS

PERIODONTICS & DENTAL IMPLANTS

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

Dr. Raymond L. Wright Jr., DDS 1001 Avenida Pico, Ste. K, San Clemente, (949)361-GUMS (4867), scgums.com

HUMAN RESOURCES JH Consulting - Your HR Partner 1001 Avenida Pico, Ste. 313 714.321.2279, jhconsultingcompany.com

LIST LOCALS ONLY USE LOCALS ONLY For pricing contact Lauralyn Loynes at 949.388.7700, ext.102 or lloynes@picketfencemedia.com

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

REALTORS

“Sandy & Rich” RE/MAX Coastal Homes 949.293.3236, sandyandrich.com

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

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE Call Lauralyn Loynes at 949.388.7700, ext. 102 or lloynes@picketfencemedia.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 26

sanclementetimes.com

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE Call Lauralyn Loynes at 949.388.7700, ext. 102 or lloynes@picketfencemedia.com

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE Call Lauralyn Loynes at 949.388.7700, ext. 102 or lloynes@picketfencemedia.com

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE Call Lauralyn Loynes at 949.388.7700, ext. 102 or lloynes@picketfencemedia.com

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE Call Lauralyn Loynes at 949.388.7700, ext. 102 or lloynes@picketfencemedia.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 27

sanclementetimes.com

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

TRITON REPORT

BY ZACH CAVANAGH, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

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

Girls Soccer Clinches Back-to-Back South Coast League Titles The San Clemente girls soccer team put its destiny in its own hands on Saturday, Jan. 28, and the Tritons finished the job on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

The Tritons finished chances early at San Juan Hills on Saturday, 3-0, to leapfrog into first place in the South Coast League, and San Clemente posted another shutout in a dominant showing over Tesoro this past Tuesday, 4-0, to clinch its second consecutive league championship.

San Clemente (14-1-6, 4-0-3) can finish unbeaten in league play for a second straight season with a win or draw at Capistrano Valley on Thursday, Feb. 2. CIF-SS playoff brackets will be released on Saturday, Feb. 4. The Tritons, ranked No. 8 in CIF-SS Division 1, will open the playoffs on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

San Clemente took the wheel for the South Coast League title race with its win at San Juan Hills (13-3-3, 5-3-0) on Saturday.

Following a pair of disappointing draws, the Tritons got to work right away with three goals in three ways in the first half and held San Juan Hills without many meaningful chances in a physically played shutout road victory to move into first place in the South Coast League.

“We needed that,” San Clemente coach Stacey Finnerty said. “We were not going to have a tie again. We came in by bringing it all together. We’ve had different parts of the game we’ve been working on, and we finally said after the last game, that’s it. We’re done. We had stuff in the Aliso game that worked, but it just wasn’t finishing.

We weren’t going to wait this time. This was the priority to fix our team and our game, and they did it.”

Malia McMahon stepped up for a curling free kick to the left side to put San Clemente ahead in the 14th minute, and Charlotte Yeskulsky scored two goals with a penalty kick in the 29th minute and a cracking strike six minutes later in the run of play,.

Rylie McLeish and Addison Robertson combined again for the clean-sheet shutout.

At home against Tesoro on Tuesday, the Tritons spread around the scoring with goals from Maddie Finnerty, Lizzy Martin, Mia Owens and Rachel Millard to support another shutout effort to clinch the South Coast League championship.

Girls Basketball Set Up for South Coast League Championship Game The South Coast League championship will come down to a season-finale showdown when San Juan Hills hosts San Clemente on Thursday, Feb. 2., at 7 p.m.

The Tritons (21-6, 6-1) had taken control of the league title race with a fourth-quarter surge to defend home court against the Stallions (22-5, 6-1) on Jan. 21. However, a shocking defeat at Aliso Niguel (8-17, 3-4) on Jan. 24 San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

San Clemente girls soccer won its second consecutive South Coast League championship with shutouts over San Juan Hills and Tesoro. Photo: Zach Cavanagh

brought the two title contenders back to level.

San Clemente had doubled up Aliso Niguel at home, 62-31, on Jan. 10, but the suddenly hot Wolverines knocked off the league leaders at Aliso Niguel, 67-62.

The Tritons followed up with big home wins over Trabuco Hills, 58-40, last Friday, Jan. 27, and over Tesoro, 6546, on Tuesday, Jan. 31. Gianna Melton led San Clemente over Trabuco Hills with 15 points on five 3-pointers, and Kiley Quillin scored 22 points over Tesoro.

Now, San Juan Hills hosts San Clemente on the final day of the regular season in a game that will determine the South Coast League champion and a top-four seed in the CIF-SS Division 2AA playoffs. San Clemente is ranked No. 3 in the division, and San Juan Hills is ranked No. 4.

CIF-SS playoff brackets will be released on Sunday, Feb. 5 with the first round next Thursday, Feb. 9.

Girls Water Polo Clinches Another League Championship San Clemente girls water polo cemented its seventh season of domination on top of the South Coast League.

The Tritons haven’t lost a league game since 2016 and have at least a share of the South Coast League championship locked down with two games to play. San Clemente hosted Dana Hills on Wednesday, Feb. 1, but results were not available at press time. The Tritons close the regular season at Trabuco Hills on Thursday, Feb. 2.

CIF-SS playoff brackets will be released on Saturday, Feb. 4. San Clemente, which has blown away its league competition but is unranked in Division 1, will likely open the CIF-SS playoffs on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

Boys Soccer Sits Second in South Coast League

Boys Wrestling Hosts Division 3 Dual Tournament, Falls on Ninth Tiebreaker in Second Round

San Clemente boys soccer got the edge on second place in the South Coast League with a shutout of Mission Viejo, 2-0, on Monday, Jan. 30. Kai Trager and Jonah Levandofsky scored for the Tritons to support another clean sheet from goalkeeper Ryan Savoie, San Clemente’s sixth of the season.

The Tritons (8-3-7, 4-1-2, 10 points) still had a shot at taking the South Coast League championship entering Monday, but Aliso Niguel (11-1-1, 6-1-1, 13 points) took care of Capistrano Valley, 5-1, in its season finale to clinch the league title.

San Clemente held a slim one-point lead over Mission Viejo (10-3-3, 4-2-1, 9 points) in the league standings with one game to play. The Tritons played at San Juan Hills on Wednesday, Feb. 1, and Mission Viejo hosted Capistrano Valley. Results were not available at press time.

CIF-SS playoff brackets will be released on Saturday, Feb. 4. The Tritons will open the playoffs on Thursday, Feb. 9.

The San Clemente boys wrestling team put forth a scrappy performance on Saturday, Jan. 28, but the defending three-time CIF-SS dual meet champions couldn’t get through on their home floor.

The Tritons, hosting the Division 3 dual meet tournament, edged out a win over Laguna Hills, 40-33, in the first round, but San Clemente fell to No. 1 seed Trabuco Hills on the ninth tiebreaker following a 36-36 draw.

The ninth tiebreaker is the greater number of firstpoints scored, following tiebreakers relating to unsportsmanlike conduct, total number of matches won and total number of forfeits, falls or decisions.

The Triton boys will next wrestle in the CIF-SS Eastern Division individual tournament on Feb. 10-11 at Capistrano Valley High School.

The San Clemente girls wrestling program will grapple at the CIF-SS Southern Division individual tournament on Feb. 10-11 at Corona High School. SC

Page 28

sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 29

sanclementetimes.com

SC SURF

Saying Goodbye to Pat Curren

SURF FORECAST Water Temperature: 56-58 Degrees F Water Visibility and Conditions: 8-12’ Thursday: Combination of NW swell and SSW swell with thigh to chest high waves, (2-4’).

Light offshore winds most of the morning, shift to a light+ sea breeze in the afternoon.

From board design to big-wave bravado, Curren was a pioneer in the purest sense

Outlook: The swell blend picks up on Friday then holds over the weekend, for waist to shoulder high surf, (3-4’) at good exposures, while best breaks see head high sets, (5’).

Pattern of light offshore winds in the early mornings, followed by light+ afternoon onshores continues Friday and Saturday, then moderate+ WNW winds are due by Sunday afternoon.

BY JAKE HOWARD, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

A

fter 90 years of circling the sun, iconic board builder and big-wave pioneer Pat Curren died on Sunday, Jan. 22, with his family by his side.

Father of three-time world champ Tom Curren, Pat’s star burned brightest in the late 1950s and early ’60s before he became more reclusive, largely shying away from a much-deserved spotlight.

“From the fall of 1957 through the spring of 1962—the first five seasons of Waimea Bay’s (post-World War II) history—nobody rode the Bay bigger, better or with more calculated precision than Pat Curren. He also shaped the finest bigwave guns of his time,” recalled journalist Bruce Jenkins.

And while he didn’t have much of a local connection to the San Clemente or Dana Point surf scenes, Curren’s impact can be directly linked to the heavy-water strategies applied today by someone such as Greg Long.

The quiet stoicism and knack for putting themselves on the biggest, best waves of the day are hallmarks of both surfers. And, of course, son Tom influenced pretty much every aspiring surfer

Pat Curren (far left) was the archetypal surf pioneer of the 1950s: a dedicated big-wave explorer, an expert board builder all mixed with a bit of good, old-fashioned pirate. His impact was immense, his loss great. Photo: Courtesy of SHACC

in the ’80s and ’90s.

Born in Carlsbad in 1932, Curren ran with a hardscrabble group of misfits from La Jolla early in his surf life.

Among the first to stake a claim on Oahu’s now-famed North Shore, it was in the big surf of Hawaii that Curren really seemed to have found himself.

At the end of the ’50s, Curren and his La Jolla crew settled into what would come to be known as Meade Hall. A three-bedroom, fully furnished joint on the North Shore, they rented the place for a paltry $65 a month.

“He lined up everybody for a meeting and the plan unfolded. Two days later, they had completely gutted the place. Just

tore the insides out of it. With the leftover lumber, they built surfboard racks along the side and a giant eating table down the middle. Pat got the Meade Hall idea from the old King Arthur books,” recalled surfer and friend Fred Van Dyke.“That was the meeting place for all valiant gladiators.”

“When it was finished, Pat stood back. ‘I think this will do; I’m going surfing.’ With that, he strolled into the backyard, picked up a machete, and hacked a couple of branches from a Hale Koa tree. He tied these to the top of his battered car and secured his board to the new rack. Pat disappeared in a cloud of fumes, headed toward Sunset,” continued Van Dyke.

While Meade Hall was in the midst of all

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY CAPISTRANO VALLEY TOYOTA

GROM OF THE WEEK

MARLO LEIGH HARRIS

BY JAKE HOWARD, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Last week, a pumping winter swell greeted the SLO CAL Open at Pismo Beach for the WSL’s Qualifying Series first event of the season.

The draw was stacked with local talent from San Clemente and Dana Point, and when the contest was over, San Clemente’s Sawyer Lindblad and Bella Kenworthy

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Marlo Leigh Harris. Photo: Courtesy of the Harris Family

finished first and second in the women’s division, respectively, while Crosby Colapinto landed in third for the men.

Getting among the competitive fury was

Dana Point’s Marlo Leigh Harris, who broke the seal and competed in her first-ever Qualifying Series event. And not only was it her first event, she advanced out of her first heat.

In the round of 32, she was eliminated by a mere 0.4 of a point, ultimately settling for a very respectable 17th-place finish.

Training hard and competing every chance she gets, Harris has been putting a lot of hard work into her surfing, and the results are showing. Getting her boards from shaper Chris Borst and her wetsuits and gear from Rip Curl, she’s also well-armed with the right tools for the job.

With a graceful, flowing style and hardcharging approach, Harris continues to be one of the shining lights of the up-and-coming Dana Point scene. SC

Page 30

its glory, one day Curren got bit by a moray eel while out diving. Filmmaker Bruce Brown later recalled their conversation.

“Pat, I heard you got bit out there?”

Brown asked.

“Yup,” answered Curren, who was famously tight-lipped.

“Yeah, well, what happened?” continued Brown.

“I guess I scared him,” Curren answered.

“Is it bad?” Brown asked.

“Umm ... naw,” Curren said.

“All the while, Pat’s holding his hand in his pocket,” Brown described. “I asked if I could see it, and he begrudgingly pulls it out, just a piece of hamburger, covered with old tobacco and pocket lint, unbelievably bad.” “(Mike) Diffenderfer and those guys tried to get him to a doctor, but Pat just sat and rocked in a chair for a couple of days,” Brown continued. “Finally, he just fell out of the chair with blood poisoning. We had to drag him to the hospital.”

In the ’90s, Curren settled down in a beat-up old trailer down in southern Baja Mexico. Every so often, he’d reappear long enough to shape a board for a collector or just to remind the world that he was still alive.

In 2000, Pat, Tom and younger brother Joe Curren took a trip together to Ireland.

It was the only “surf trip” the father and his two sons would make together. SC Jake Howard is a local surfer and freelance writer who lives in San Clemente. A former editor at Surfer Magazine, The Surfer’s Journal and ESPN, today he writes for a number of publications, including Picket Fence Media, Surfline and the World Surf League. He also works with philanthropic organizations such as the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center and the Positive Vibe Warriors Foundation. sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 31

sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times February 2-8, 2023

Page 32

sanclementetimes.com