SAN CLEMENTE
LOCAL NEWS & IN-DEPTH REPORTING
More than 3,000 San Clemente High School students spent their first day of school in the campus football stadium and gym, after Marine investigators discovered writings on base that seemed to indicate a Navy hosptialman had left an incendiary device on campus. Students were evacuated about 8:45 a.m. to the stadium after authorities searched it, then later moved to the gym to avoid the scorching heat. The man, who had failed to show for his duties Wednesday, was being held by military authorities. He was identified as Daniel P. Morgan. Authorities said they were unable to find any connection between San Clemente High and Morgan. No devices were found, and classes resumed Thursday.
DANA POINT Walter Lawrence Dalie, 52, a former Dana Hills High School student, has been extradited to Orange County to face charges for the 1978 murder of Laguna Beach architect Brent Tobey. Dalie, who was 19 at the time, is accused of going to the Laguna Beach home of Tobey, 55, stabbing him 17 times in the back and then fleeing. In August of 2010, he was linked to the murder scene through DNA evidence while serving a 50year sentence in a Connecticut jail for the 1985 murder of his girlfriend. She was bludgeoned to death with a hammer. Dalie is being held without bail at the Central Jail in Santa Ana and will face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
S a n J u a n C a p i s t r a n o ’ s T o p 5 H o t t e s t T o p i cs
What’s Up With... ...The Power Outage? THE LATEST: Capistrano residents were without power for well over three hours Thursday, as power officials reported an interruption in the power grid between Southern California and Arizona. The power went out about 3:35 p.m., spurring city workers to place stop signs at the city’s major intersections. The two reactors at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station were tripped when the plant’s systems detected the outage and proceeded to shut down. The plant, which receives its power from San Diego Gas & Electric, shut down safely and poses no danger to workers or the public, said Lois Pitter Bruce, an SCE spokeswoman. WHAT’S NEXT: As of The Dispatch’s press time at 8 p.m. Thursday, the power was still off. It was unclear if the interruption would cause the paper to be delivered late. FIND OUT MORE:Watch www.thecapistranodispatch.com for updates. —Jonathan Volzke
...The Utilities Department? THE LATEST: Capistrano water customers are not due a refund ,even though the city set water rates to raise enough money to pay back a bond that was never issued, a second attorney told the City Council on Tuesday. Attorney Michael G. Colantuono, a noted authority on the regulations governing how California cities can raise rates and fees, said taxpayers were not due a
refund, even if projections used to set the rates anticipated expenditures – such as the bond – that never occurred. Residents John Perry and Clint Worthington have contended the city should refund the $1.3 million collected annually to repay the bond, since the bond was never issued. But Colantuono, hired to review the same decision by City Attorney Omar Sandoval, said the city was fine as long as the money collected through the rates were used for the utilities department. WHAT’S NEXT: Perry was accompanied to Tuesday’s meeting by an attorney hired by residents. That attorney said the money should be refunded. At the same meeting, the council agreed to spend $44,900 on a consultant to review the operations and finances of the Utilities Department, in an effort to ensure it is operating efficiency and to try and pinpoint how the department ended up with an $8.2 million deficit. FIND OUT MORE: See www.thecapistranodispatch.com —JV
…A Sound Wall on I-5? THE LATEST: Caltrans will proceed with a concrete block soundwall on the west side of the I-5 between Ortega Highway and Camino Capistrano, despite the objections of merchants who say it will block freeway views of their shops. Business owners in the Capistrano Home Center, along with city and Chamber of Commerce officials, protested Caltrans’ plans for the block wall, but Caltrans District Director Cindy Quon said in a September 2 letter the agency will proceed with the original plans because the wall was
The Capistrano Dispatch September 9-22, 2011
included in the plans unveiled in 2005. Additionally, she said, homes on Avenida Padre need to be protected from the freeway noise. The wall is part of the improvements Caltrans is making to the southbound on and off ramps. Quon said going with clear soundwalls would add too much money to the project, especially at this late date, as would other changes. “Any significant changes to the project at this late juncture would be adverse to the public interest, either in terms of escalated project cost and delay or in terms of the need to start over with an analysis of the impacts of a changed project,” Quon says in the letter. “Either would be unacceptable.” WHAT’S NEXT: Quon said businesses can join the Adopt-A-Highway program so their names would appear on freeway signs, and that two of the businesses in the plaza were a benefit to the city and residents and therefore could qualify for a freeway sign – if they were willing to pay for it. FIND OUT MORE: See the three-page letter at www.thecapistranodispatch.com —JV
…The Christmas Train? THE LATEST: The City Council on Tuesday agreed to spend $2,000 to bring the Metrolink Toy Train to Capistrano. The train has traditionally stopped in Capistrano, but did not last year because of Metrolink budget cuts. The train, which runs through Southern California, features thousands of lights, animated characters and even Ole’ St. Nick.
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The train costs $310,000, and Metrolink this year has asked cities to contribute $2,000 to defray the costs. City Manager Karen Brust said the Chamber of Commerce and 50th Celebration Committee declined to pay the money. WHAT’S NEXT: The train will likely stop in town on December 4 this year – the night after the city’s Holiday Tree Lighting Event. While that initially concerned Councilwoman Laura Freese, other councilmembers thought it would be an advantage, as it would be another event to draw residents downtown. FIND OUT MORE: See www.thecapistranodispatch.com —JV
…E-Verify for Businesses? THE LATEST: Councilman Derek Reeve is proposing that any business that gets a San Juan Capistrano business license promise to not knowingly hire an illegal immigrant. Reeve said his proposed ordinance would require businesses make a good-faith effort, using E-verify, and that complaints would be investigated by a City Manager designee. Filing a false complaint maliciously would be a misdemeanor, he said in a news release announcing the move. Reeve said other cities, such as Temecula, have similar ordinances in place. Capistrano already requires city contractors to pledge to use E-verify. WHAT’S NEXT: Reeve said he will introduce his proposal at the September 20 council meeting. FIND OUT MORE: See his entire release at www.thecapistranodispatch.com. —JV www.thecapistranodispatch.com