EYE ON SJC/PAGE

What’s Up With...

TOP NEWS SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO SHOULD KNOW THIS WEEK

SJC Resident Writes Self-Help Book Encouraging Men to Embrace Connections

BY COLLIN BREAUX

Mark Warren was at an event 18 years ago when he was approached by someone asking about his network of friends and how he creates accountability in his life.

That question spurred Warren to get together regularly with a small group of friends for breakfast, where they talk about what’s going on in their lives—the good, bad and ugly.

He calls these gatherings the “Power of 4,” a concept he encourages other men to embrace. Warren, along with friend Steven D. Bagley and writer Michael Ashley, wrote a self-help book about this idea called Power of 4: How Christian Men Create Purposeful Lives By Not Going it Alone.

“The Power of 4 concept is—generally speaking—as men age, they start to lose relationships and friendships. They also lose the opportunity to be vulnerable with others,” said Warren, who lives in San Juan Capistrano and has worked in the financial services industry for more than 30 years. “Because of that, it puts them in the position where they can get stuck and they can’t change, or they don’t have the opportunity for change or growth as they’re aging.”

Warren and his friends modeled their dynamic after Jesus’ group. Though Jesus had 12 disciples, he also had an inner circle of three other men with him, Warren said.

“What we call it when we’re together is coming ugly. We have this opportunity to just discuss what’s going on in life,” he said. “Because of that, it’s helped us become better husbands, better fathers and better stewards of the community.”

Warren and Bagley began writing the book during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, because they thought about other men who weren’t able to meet then.

“What about other men that made connections that just kind of withered away with COVID?” Warren said. “We just worked on it during the two years of the COVID epidemic and published it (in November of last year).”

Warren and Bagley drew on their own experiences for the guide, because they’ve dealt with divorce, addiction and “other trials of men.”

“Our prayer would be for men to get into groups with other men so they can share what’s going on in their lives in a healthy way on a consistent basis to create deeper relationships and bonds,” Warren said. “Also, because it’s a Power of 4, it gives you a chance to have other men to look at you from different perspectives—how to solve problems and

San Juan Capistrano resident Mark Warren has co-written the advice book Power of 4: How Christian Men Create Purposeful Lives By Not Going it Alone. Photo: Collin Breaux

identify challenges and blind spots in your life.”

Warren feels such connections are missing for a lot of modern men.

As for his own background, Warren came to California from Baltimore in 1979 for college and started his career in the financial sector afterward. In his spare time, he is one of the lacrosse coaches at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School and even helped start the program 22 years ago.

“That’s a real joy for me there, because I get to speak with high school kids about leadership and character development,” Warren said. “I love that part of my life. Twenty-two years, we’ve impacted a lot of really nice young men and women at St. Margaret’s.”

Like many other South Orange County residents, Warren also enjoys surfing.

“My family and I have been really blessed, and we just want to help other people,” Warren said.

Power of 4 is available for purchase on Amazon.

Proposed South OC Charter School Seeks Approval from OC Board of Education

BY COLLIN BREAUX

After not getting approved by the Capistrano Unified School District, a proposed new charter school in South Orange County named California Republic Leadership Academy is instead looking to get the green light from the Orange County Board of Education.

The OCBE, which hears appeals for charter school petitions, is expected to give a final vote on whether to approve CRLA in February.

Leadership Academy had an appeal hearing before OCBE on Jan. 4.

Proponents behind the charter school—which would have a classical-focused education and require students to wear uniforms—turned to OCBE after the CUSD Board of Trustees rendered split votes on both approving and denying the charter, which essentially resulted in no definitive action.

Several OCBE trustees announced their support for CRLA during the Jan. 4 hearing.

“How many charter schools have we approved that are doing extremely well? All of them,” Trustee Ken Williams said. “This is the type of public school that parents want. They want to have leadership. They want to get back to the basics and teach our kids critical thinking skills. That’s what this classical education is going to do.”

Williams also said he disagreed with CUSD staff’s earlier assessment of the charter that said the curriculum was unclear and would not be successfully implemented by the school’s operators.

Gary Davis, California Charter Schools Association Vice President of Civic and Political Affairs, and San Clemente parent Kevin Pratt, instrumental figures behind the charter petition, spoke about the school’s aim during the hearing.

CRLA plans to instill an appreciation for America’s national heritage, and foster creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit in students.

“Our goals are to develop thinkers, entrepreneurs, statesmen and stateswomen to lead our community, our state, our nation,” Davis said. “We’re putting our faith in our ability to impact the next generation and get it right. We will teach our scholars how to think, not what to think, in a nonpartisan, nonpolitical way.”

Cellphones will not be allowed in classes. CRLA will also make use of mentors and community service projects to emphasize servant leadership.

Pratt said their model is based on the John Adams Academy in Northern California and FranklinCovey Leader in Me program. Pratt’s children were previously enrolled in a Texas charter school, which he’s using to pattern CRLA’s rules.

He found no similar options after moving to South Orange County.

“We did a little survey, just through our grassroots efforts, to say if there was a K-12 classical academy, would you be interested in it?” Pratt said. “Ninety-eight percent of the people said definitely or maybe so. Now, of course, that’s biased. That’s just our own network. That’s not totally representative of the whole area, but it was encouraging.

Salaries in Job Postings, Permitting Jaywalking: What to Know About New California Laws in 2023

BY COLLIN BREAUX

A new year is upon us, and so, in California, there is a slate of new laws.

Legislation going into effect for 2023 covers a wide variety of issues, from labor to court trials. Here’s an overview of some legislative changes in the Golden State:

Pay Transparency

Senate Bill 1162 requires an employer to include the pay scale in a job posting if they have 15 or more employees. The bill was introduced by State Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) and approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2022. State Assemblymember Cristina Garcia and State Sen. Nancy Skinner are co-authors.

In a news release issued in February 2022, Limón’s office said SB 1162 is intended to “help close the wage gap by requiring the disclosure of salary ranges on all job postings, and to make employer internal promotional opportunities available to current employees.”

Protection Against Liabilities for Abortions

Abortion has been a hot topic of national discussion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year.

Several state measures are addressing the matter, including Assembly Bill 2223, which prohibits a person from being subject to civil or criminal liability, “or otherwise deprived of their rights,” for an abortion or actions related to pregnancy.

The bill would also authorize anyone whose rights are protected by the Reproductive Privacy Act to take legal action if those rights are interfered with by a statute or other state or local rule.

State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) authored AB 2223.

A slate of new laws in California for 2023 includes those addressing pay transparency, the price gap in gender-marketed items and jaywalking. Photo: Breeana Greenberg

Minimum wage

The minimum wage in California will increase to $15.50 an hour—a $1.50 increase for employers with 25 or fewer employees, a 50-cent increase for employers with 26 or more employees.

Senate Bill 3, enacted in 2017, sought to gradually increase the minimum wage over the years. The minimum wage was $10 back in 2017.

Jaywalking

If you’re at a crosswalk where no cars are coming and the pedestrian go sign hasn’t signaled, you’re free to cross without a risk of being ticketed.

Assembly Bill 2147 allows pedestrians to go over a crosswalk without being stopped by police or ticketed “unless a reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger of collision with a moving vehicle or other device moving exclusively by human power.”

AB 2147, also known as the Freedom to Walk Act, was authored by State Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco).

“It should not be a criminal offense to safely cross the street. When expensive tickets and unnecessary confrontations with police impact only certain communities, it’s time to reconsider how we use our law enforcement resources and whether our jaywalking laws really do protect pedestrians,” Ting said in a prepared statement.

“Plus,” he continued, “we should be encouraging people to get out of their cars and walk for health and environmental reasons.”

Using Rap Lyrics in Court Trials

Prosecutors may sometimes use lyrics recorded by hip-hop artists in criminal cases against a defendant.

That will be limited in California this year.

Assembly Bill 2799 requires a court, in criminal proceedings, to balance “creative expression” against “the substantial danger of undue prejudice.” In other words, rap songs recorded by a defendant—which may discuss crime—can’t automatically be used against them.

Whether songs or other artistic works would be allowed at trial would be determined beforehand and away from the jury.

State Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer wrote AB 2799. The governor’s office said rappers Tyga, YG, Meek Mill, Too $hort, Killer Mike, E-40 and Ty Dolla Sign partnered with Jones-Sawyer and Newsom on the legislation.

Pink Tax

Women may no longer be charged more for products marketed to them under what’s known as a “pink tax.”

Assembly Bill 1287, introduced by State Assemblymember Bauer Kahan (D-Orinda), intends to prohibit similar items being priced differently based on gender.

“ ‘The ‘pink tax’ is a gender-based penalty that harms women who are already paid less,” Bauer-Kahan said in a prepared statement. “This type of arbitrary gendered pricing has no place in California. It’s long past time to eliminate this type of inequality.”

(Cont. from page 3)

Cary Johnson, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for CUSD, said district staff identified several categories of concern when recommending CUSD trustees not approve the petition.

“One, the petition presents an unsound educational program. Two, the petitioners are demonstrably unlikely to implement the program set forth in the petition,” Johnson said. “Three, the petition does not contain reasonably comprehensive descriptions with the 15 required charter elements. Four, the charter school is demonstrably unlikely to serve the interests of the entire community in which the school is proposing to locate.”

Johnson said the educational philosophy is “copied” from multiple sources, but the program itself has not been developed into a “coherent” plan specific to CRLA.

“While the petition does include standards and multiple resources, specific curriculum and instructional designs are missing,” Johnson said. “This is evident in the fact that the curriculum map, by grade level, does not integrate the FranklinCovey curriculum, nor do they include the specific classical literature being taught with the standards and activities.”

An exact location has not been selected for CRLA. Pratt has mentioned looking into using existing campus space at underutilized schools under existing legislation known as Proposition 39. A list of campuses viewed as having low enrollment provided by Pratt included Marblehead Elementary School in San Clemente.

District officials and staff have said that if Proposition 39 were enacted, the district would need to first do an analysis of available school sites before making any such decision—and that decision would be up to the district.

CRLA’s proposal has drawn backlash from some parents and community members, including in the Marblehead community, because of concerns the new school could take over an existing school’s campus.

Rainstorm Delays Completion of South OC Train Track Stabilization

BY COLLIN BREAUX

Recent rainfall in California has impacted daily life in the Golden State, as numerous communities have been threatened with flooding and mudslides.

In South Orange County, it’s also slowing down the overall construction schedule of railroad track stabilization in south San Clemente.

A project update given to the Orange County Transportation Authority Board of Directors on Monday, Jan. 9, said construction is now expected to be complete later than initially expected because of the torrential rain.

“We are losing some time right now due to equipment getting stuck in muddy conditions after the heavy rains last week,” said Jim Beil, executive director for capital programs with OCTA. “We have more significant rain predicted this week, and that may require some dry-out periods, so it’s looking like this will push our critical installation work out into March.”

The OCTA Board of Directors authorized emergency work last fall because of movement on the track, which is near a slope that frequently gets hit by ocean waves. Construction began in November, and it initially was expected to be completed in February.

“The slope in San Clemente has continued to hold up well against the rain and high surf, and work continues as much as possible through the heavy rains,” OCTA spokesperson Eric Carpenter said in an email. “Monitoring for any track movement is ongoing and around the clock. Substantial work has already been completed on the project, including the installation of the first row of soil nails and tie backs.”

Communication between OCTA and its partners, including the contractor and Metrolink and Amtrak, is ongoing and a decision about when to safely resume passenger service is expected in February, Carpenter said.

“The schedule remains subject to change, depending upon weather conditions,” Carpenter said.

The recent rain has drawn national attention, including from CBS News, which reported that the storms were responsible for at least 14 deaths as of early Tuesday morning, Jan. 10.

“The National Weather Service said rain was expected to continue through Tuesday after dumping up to 14 inches at higher elevations in central and Southern California,” CBS News reported. “After a brief respite, another storm was expected to barrel into the state in a few days, adding to the misery and further saturating areas

Final touches on emergency train track stabilization in south San Clemente have been pushed back because of recent rainstorms. Photo: Shawn Raymundo

already at risk of flooding and debris flows.”

Storms have flooded roads, caused power outages for some people and further contributed to concerns about ongoing coastal erosion and mudslides.

Amid Tuesday’s storm, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued multiple advisories for hazardous weather conditions in San Clemente.

According to OC Public Works, the county was expecting to receive 2-3 inches of rainfall through Tuesday evening.

The NWS said the downpour is the result of an atmospheric river that’s moving slowly southeastward.

Capo Unified Trustees Announce Termination of Superintendent’s Contract

BY COLLIN BREAUX

Days before Christmas, the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees announced that Superintendent Kirsten Vital Brulte’s contract would be terminated on Dec. 31.

Trustees voted on the matter during a special closed session meeting on Dec. 21. Board President Krista Castellanos did not give a reason for the termination when announcing the decision following the closed session.

Trustees Gila Jones, Lisa Davis and Judy Bullockus voted against ending Brulte’s employment with the district. Jones and Davis left the meeting after the closed session.

Brulte had been the superintendent since 2014.

In an email sent to CUSD families afterward, Castellanos said the board voted, 4-3, on the decision to terminate Brulte’s contract.

“It is important to emphasize that the action taken was not for cause, and we wish the Superintendent the best in her future endeavors,” Castellanos said. “The District’s contract with the Superintendent, like most contracts with school district superintendents, contains provisions that allow either party to terminate the contract before it expires, without cause.”

“The contract has included a severance provision since 2014, and counsel for the District and for the Superintendent will be working on an agreement to implement that provision,” Castellanos continued.

As of Jan. 1, Deputy Superintendent Clark Hampton assumed the role of interim superintendent while CUSD engages in the recruitment and hiring process for the district’s next chief, Castellanos further said.

“We want to assure our students, employees, and families that this will not affect the extraordinary work of our teachers, classified staff, and administrators who provide an excellent instructional program every day. We will keep our CUSD community informed as we move through this process,” Castellanos said.

Board Vice President Michael Parham said he would not provide any additional information about the rationale behind the decision, because “personnel matters are highly delicate.”

“I look forward to beginning the process to identify a permanent replacement, a process which will include public input and a thorough search to attract the best candidates from around the state,” he said.

Davis said she, Jones and Bullockus voted to keep Brulte on as superintendent.

“She is an excellent superintendent that has led CUSD with strength, integrity and grace,” Davis said. “She has gotten us out of the mess we were in before she came on board.”

Brulte was instrumental in the “safe and early reopening of CUSD schools,” a decision that “reduced the learning loss that all other districts are dealing with today,” Davis further said.

“She stood up for kids, kept CUSD schools open, not forced the vaccine but worked on choice, and protected our district from the influences of neighboring counties,” Davis added.

Trustee Amy Hanacek, who voted to end Brulte’s contract, had no additional information but, as a personal comment, said “it is fairly unique in K-12 (schools) to have a Superintendent serve as long as Kirsten Vital-Brulte has and that I appreciate her service to Capistrano Unified School District.”

Brulte’s salary under her most recent contract, which was due to end on June 30, 2026, was $361,262.