the capistrano dispatch

J U LY 2 2–AU G U S T 1 1 , 2 0 1 1VOLUME 9, ISSUE 14

www.thecapistranodispatch.com

YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS, EVENTS, SPORTS AND MORE

Photos of Capistrano Unifi ed School District students, taken by students, line the walls of the district headquarters at Superintendent Joseph Farley’s request, to remind visitors what CUSD is all about: students. Photo by Jonathan Volzke

Settlement Between City and Caltrans Will

Allow Ortega WideningEYE ON SJC/PAGE 3

Roller Derby Team

Takes a Hit SPORTS/PAGE 24

Film Festival Coming toCapistrano

EYE ON SJC/PAGE 6

Ready in Reserve

E Y E O N S J C / PAG E 4

After one year on the job, Superintendent Joseph Farley is credited with pushing CUSD forward

Fixing the Focus

THE LATEST: A stop light will be installed at Ortega Highway and the Hunt Club entrance as part of a settlement between San Juan Capistrano and the state over a proposed widening of the state route through town.

Caltrans proposed widening Ortega Highway to four lanes from the Hunt Club to the city’s eastern limits—it is already four lanes on either side—but Capistrano sued, contending the wider lanes would make Capistrano a driveway to the San Diego (I-5) Freeway.

Under the settlement announced Tuesday, Caltrans will replace every tree removed from the scenic portion of the highway with three new trees, and a stop-light will be installed to ensure residents can enter and leave the Hunt Club safely. The state will also pay to move the Hunt Club guard gate away from the roadway. On the south side, transparent panels will be used in the sound walls rather than solid block.

WHAT’S NEXT: The settlement also calls for creation of an “esthetics committee” of residents and city offi cials to ensure the design meets Capistrano’s standards.

FIND OUT MORE: See www.thecapistranodispatch.com

—Jonathan Volzke

What’s Up With...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 C S

...Settlement with Caltrans?

1

1LOCAL NEWS & IN-DEPTH REPORTINGEYE ON SJC

www.thecapistranodispatch.comThe Capistrano Dispatch July 22–August 11, 2011

...Guns in Parks?2THE LATEST: City Council members on Tuesday blasted a proposal to allow un-loaded guns in parks.

Councilman Derek Reeve proposed eliminating the city’s prohibition of

...Drifter Bandit Arrested?

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THE LATEST: The alleged “Drifter Bandit” was arraigned July 12 for robbing two Capistrano banks and two others in South County between May and June.

Michael David Marano, 45, is charged with four felony counts each of second-de-gree robbery and second-degree com-mercial burglary and sentencing enhance-ments for eight prior strike convictions.

About 11 a.m. on July 8, Marano was pulled over in his vehicle and arrested by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, who had the defendant under surveillance.

On May 3, Marano is accused of enter-ing a Chase Bank in San Juan Capistrano. He is accused of presenting a note which stated “bank robbery” and demanding money from the teller. He repeated that pattern on May 26 at the U.S. Bank in Dana Point, then again on July 5 at the Citibank in Laguna Niguel and on July 6, again in San Juan Capistrano, at the Farm-ers & Merchants Bank, authorities said.

He is accused of taking about $30,000.

WHAT’S NEXT: Marano faces a maximum sentence of 110 years to life in prison. He was being held without bail in Orange County Jail and is next due in court July 29.

FIND OUT MORE: See earlier reports at www.thecapistranodispatch.com —JV

...Redevelopment in Town?

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THE LATEST: San Juan Capistrano of-fi cials on Tuesday asked staff to begin compiling a strategy in reaction to Gov. Jerry Brown’s elimination of redevelop-ment agencies, even as two cities and two state agencies have fi led a lawsuit to overturn the governor’s move.

The City Council, acting as the redevelopment agency board of direc-tors, scheduled four meetings through August in which to develop the strategy, which may include creating a housing authority or repaying existing debt between the redevelopment agency and the city.

Redevelopment agencies are voluntary organizations started by cities that allow the city government to identify an area for improvement, then capture additional

...Capo Terrace Bankruptcy?

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THE LATEST: The owners of Capistrano Terrace Mobile Home Park in San Juan Capistrano have fi led bankruptcy, the latest twist in the saga of the 60-year-old park, where residents already faced the prospect of losing their homes.

In a news release issued Friday, owners of the park, Capistrano Ter-races Ltd., said they were forced into bankruptcy protection by the city’s rent control ordinance, lawsuits by residents and other issues.

An Orange County Superior Court Jury awarded more than 100 plaintiffs $1 million in a 2007 lawsuit by residents alleging park owners had not main-tained Capistrano Terrace. The previous owner paid more than $1.5 million in a similar suit before Capistrano Ter-races purchased the Valle Road park. The same ownership is involved in the ownership of the neighboring Distrito La Nova/San Juan Meadows project.

WHAT’S NEXT: Park owners had already started the process of shutting down the 17.5-acre park on Valle Road park, home to 143 occupied units.

FIND OUT MORE: See www.thecapistra-nodispatch.com. —JV

SAN CLEMENTESan Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was

forced to declare a low-level emergency after one of its non-nuclear security monitoring sys-

tems failed to work properly Saturday, July 16. At 6:12 a.m., parent company Southern California

Edison issued what’s called an “unusual event,” the lowest of four emergency classifi cations at

a nuclear power plant, according to a state-ment by SCE. The affected system, which is one

of multiple monitoring systems, was restored within 45 minutes, and the “unusual event” was

exited at 9:50 a.m., the statement said. “Both San Onofre units operated safely throughout the event, which posed no risk to the facility, workers

or the public,” the statement said. Spokesman Gil Alexander said in an email that the cause of the system problems is still being investigated.

The last “unusual event” occurred April 4, 2010 after an earthquake in Baja California.

NEWS NEXT DOOR

DANA POINTThe mixed-use Makar development at Del Obispo and Coast Highway can move forward after the state 4th District Court of Appeal ruled the developer does not have to take steps to warn or protect potential residents from a neighboring sewage-treatment plant. State law mandates studies to ensure a development won’t impact the environment, but in this case SOCWA was suing over how the environment might impact the development. SOCWA sued out of fear future residents would complain about the plant. While this concern on SOC-WA’s part appears to be public spirited, in reality SOCWA had another agenda. The justices’ June 30 ruling says, “Its recommended method of dealing with the bad smells…was to cover the plant’s aeration tanks, at Makar’s expense,”—a cost of over $6 million.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN OUR NEIGHBORING

TOWNS1weapons in parks, saying it was in con-fl ict with state laws that allow residents to openly carry unloaded sidearms. He also said it was in confl ict with federal law.

Reeve said he believes more people carrying guns makes for a safer society. He said Tuesday he was also concerned Capistrano could be sued.

He failed to gain any support from his council colleagues. Councilman Larry Kramer called the proposal “ridiculous” and lambasted it as a distraction and waste of city resources to even discuss.

WHAT’S NEXT: Reeve said he plans to introduce a policy requiring businesses to pledge to use E-verify to confi rm em-ployees’ work eligibility before receiving a business permit.

FIND OUT MORE: See www.thecapistra-nodispatch.com . —JV

property tax from projects in the redevelopment area. That money is supposed to be used for infrastructure or funding additional projects that offi cials believe would benefi t the area.

On Monday, the California League of Cities, the California Redevelopment Agency and San Jose and Union City fi led a lawsuit to overturn Brown’s actions.

WHAT’S NEXT: The city redevelopment agency will meet at 5 p.m. on July 28, at which time staff will present a techni-cal analysis of the agency’s assets and obligations.

FIND OUT MORE: See www.thecapsitra-nodispatch.com —JV


EyE on SJC

hen Dr. Joseph Farley was hired to lead the Capistrano Unified School District, he was the seventh superintendent for the 52,000-student

district in just four years. That was a year ago. Now, by all accounts, the revolv-

ing door on the Superintendent’s Office at Capistrano Unified School District has not only been locked down, it’s been torn out.

Board meetings that once drew sheriff’s deputies as they degenerated into shouting matches have been replaced by cordial, professional sessions. In the past, crowds were so numerous school officials would only let in new attendees as others left, like a trendy nightclub, to comply with fire codes. Now, meetings are sparsely attended by PTA officials and those concerned with a particular issue.

In a district dominated by politics for years, another focus has emerged: On students and learning. And many are quick to give Farley much of the credit.

“Our recent past has not always been quite so smooth,” Tom Ressler, principal of San Juan Hills High School, told trustees in June. “This year it has been a really exciting time on our campus … because of this man who sits before us, Dr. Farley, weve actually been tasked with dealing with students and dealing with learning and deal-ing with teaching strategies…

“It’s been a very, very good year and we’re appreciative of Dr. Farley and the board for that.”

Farley was a unanimous selection for the board last June, when they voted 6-0 (Trustee Anna Bryson was absent but issued a statement lauding him) to hire Farley away from Anaheim Union High School District, where he’d been superintendent for five years. He earns a base salary of $275,000, plus additional contributions to his retirement account and $600 a month in a car allowance.

Farley said he recognized Capistrano Unified had lacked leadership when he arrived, and that had taken a toll on the district’s employees as well as the community. Restoring trust with both groups was a top priority. He held community forums, created advisory groups with stakeholders and launched a “Back to the Classroom” tour to meet district employees as well as parents.

His game plan: To be accessible, visible, available and outgoing.

“I had to become the face of the district,” Farley said during an interview in his office. “And if I said I was go-ing to do something, I did it.”

It wasn’t always good news. Farley told parents at the South Orange County School of the Arts at Dana Hills High School that their hopes of raising enough money to build a new theater there were unrealistic and that the district would focus its efforts elsewhere. He was the point man when the district delayed awarding a bid for much-anticipated swimming pool at San Juan Hills High School.

“Frankly, at the time, he gave us answers we didn’t want to hear,” said Eric Wersching, a Ladera parent

‘The Mason of Capistrano Unified’Superintendent Joe Farley’s first year seen as success

By Jonathan VolzkeThe Capistrano Dispatch

W

supporting the pool. “But he told us there were ques-tions with the bid, and as a taxpayer I was pleased to hear that. He was candid, competent and he’s honest. As a result of that, there’s much a better attitude and feeling here at the district.

“What a difference a year makes.”The pool bid was ultimately awarded, and construc-

tion is underway. The district has also settled a lawsuit the original landowner at San Juan Hills, which will al-low construction of the football stadium move forward, too. Additionally, Capistrano Valley High is getting a long-awaited campus theater. Under Farley, the district also launched a “curb appeal” effort to use district workers to spruce up the appearance of campuses. A 1940s teacherage adjacent to San Juan Elemen-tary School—where the teachers and headmaster once lived—was restored, and large photographs of students, taken by students, now grace the walls of the CUSD administration building. With even something seemingly as small as the portraits, It all matters, Farley said.

“When visitors come to district office, the photos are a daily reminder about the kids in our schools,” Farley said. “That’s why we’re here.”

Internally, Farley immediately flattened out the district’s rigid top-to-bottom organizational chart, mak-ing it clear his door was open to anyone. The district’s system of hiring administrators was reviewed and improved, giving employees more faith in promotions and appointments. Since he started, 14 administrators have been replaced, by resignations, retirements, or “other means,” Farley said. But, acknowledging tight budget times, no new positions have been created.

He also centralized many processes that had been decentralized over the years, intentionally, through budget cuts or even lack of attention. “The leader-ship at the school sites wasn’t getting the support it needed,” Farley said. “In a well led district, there has to be centralized expectations and standards.”

The district in the 2010-11 school year rolled out a new educational model that focuses entirely on the elements of how a lesson is designed, and how it is taught. The program started with 21 schools, Farley said, and became so popular among the educators that

21 more schools will use it next year.Marco Forster Middle School Principal Carrie Bertini

said Farley visits her campus often, which initially made staff nervous because they weren’t used to the school’s chief being so visible.

“Once it became clear to all that his only objective was the same as ours, student learning, and what bringing to table, in his support and experience, those feelings diminished,” Bertini said.

But Farley was hired by a different board of trust-ees—two members were recalled and a third replaced in elections just five months later—and apprehensions remained. Farley, who has a four-year contract, said his focus didn’t change after the election.

And parents, who led not only the recall but an initia-tive to make trustees elected by local area instead of district wide, said they’re happy with the focus. Farley has made parent volunteers, formerly some of the loud-est critics of top district administration, his allies.

“For the first time in a long time, we’ve had a chance to talk about classroom instruction, school safety and cleanliness and we had all of our questions answered,” said Michele Langham, president of the Capistrano Uni-fied Council of PTSA.

Farley said he appreciates the support, and is quick to credit trustees, staff, teachers and volunteers with the successes of the past year. Even as he says Capistrano Unified is again the best district in the state—“maybe the country”—he admits, “you can always be better.” Particu-lar areas of focus include closing the “achievement gap” between English and English-learner students and also working with school leaders statewide at changing, sta-bilizing, how schools are funded. One potential solution: Using a combination of sales and property taxes, instead of relying on property taxes alone. Trustees in June ap-proved a $372 million budget, the first since 2007-08 that did not require cuts.

But for the first year, Farley believes he has met his goals. District leaders agree.

“By all measures, he is not only meeting but exceeding expectations,” said Trustee John Alpay, who represents San Clemente.“In some respects, you can call him the mason of Capistrano Unified School District, laying a solid foundation from which to rebuild the school district.” CD

Capistrano Unified School District Joseph Farley with students. One of the positive things observers have said about Farley’s first year is his willingness to visit campuses and work with staff and students. Courtesy photo


EyE on SJC

All information below is obtained from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Web site (www.ocsd.org) and reflects data available from calls placed from the field by the responding officer(s). An arrest doesn’t represent guilt. The items below are just a sampling of the entries listed on the OCSD Web site.

Monday, July 18

CITIZEN ASSITAvenida Aeropuerto/Camino Capistrano (7:42 p.m.) Police were told a railroad crossing arm was missing. The caller advised authorities to contact Metrolink or Amtrak.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCESCalle El Sauzal, 26600 Block (10:21 a.m.)A male neighbor with ongoing complaints was taking pictures of caller over a fence into backyard.

Sunday, July 17

DISTURBANCE Paseo Santa Clara, 26500 Block (9:19 p.m.) Police were sent to a disturbance when a caller said eight men were drink-ing outside a home. The caller said it sounded like they wanted to fight each other.

INVESTIGATE PERSON DOWN La Novia Avenue, 31600 Block (5:07 p.m.) A high school female was found in a gutter and bleeding from head. The caller waited while Orange County Fire Department was called to the scene.

ASSIST OUTSIDE AGENCY

SJCSheriff’s BlotterCOmpileD by eVelyN CAiCeDO

Avery Parkway/Camino Capistrano (1:22 p.m.) Caller asked police to a soccer field where a dog was left in a car. The dog was left with no window space. Animal Control was advised to the location.

ASSIST OUTSIDE AGENCY Verdugo Street, 26700 Block (10:47 a.m.)A passenger a on Metrolink train did not want to exit at the train depot. There was no subject description and it was un-known which car he was aboard.

Saturday, July 16

DISTURBANCE Via Solana, 31000 Block (10:39 p.m.)A caller reported a man yelling in the streets. He was walking up the street near a white vehicle. No further informa-tion was given.

DISTURBANCEOrtega Highway, 27100 Block (8:24 p.m.)A loud party in a residential area spurred a caller to tell authorities they were will-ing to sign a complaint against someone selling alcohol without a permit and for the noise.

BRANDISHING A WEAPON Camino Del Avion/Alipaz Street (8:30 p.m.) A caller from the Community Cen-ter said people were waving handguns around at birthday party. The caller said that when he left, he heard a gunshot that was possibility shot in the air. He thought others at the party may have had guns as well.

DRUNK DRIVING Alipaz Street/Del Obispo Street (8:13 p.m.) A caller reported a drunken driver parking in various spots after leaving a restaurant. The driver ended up leaving the parking lot and headed to the streets.

DISTURBANCE Via Limon/Via Buena Vista (5:29 p.m.)Two males were reportedly lying on the bed of truck having a rifle of some sort

to shoot at animals. The caller thought it could have been Airsoft guns.

DISTURBANCE Avenida Larga, 27500 Block (1:07 p.m.)A caller and their and roommate were in an argument after the caller accused the roommate of having marijuana illegally. The roommate declined a request of showing the marijuana card to the caller. No weapons were involved.

Friday, July 15

DISTURBANCE Camino Capistrano, 29900 Block (10:38 p.m.) Workers near or on the railroad tracks were flashing their high beam lights onto residents’ homes. The caller reported they could not see the subjects clearly through the trees.

SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES Camino Capistrano, 31900 Block (4:11 p.m.) A man in his 60s was said to be urinating and touching himself on the sidewalk and on a planter.

SUSPICIOUS PERSONVia Capri, 27200 Block (8:44 a.m.)Someone reported a man on a golf course was sitting in the sand trap near the second hole. The caller was con-cerned that he might be connected with the recent robberies in the area. Male was carrying a backpack.

INVESTIGATE PERSON DOWNRancho Viejo Road/Spotted Bull Lane (6:40 a.m.) A caller reported a man sleep-ing in a sleeping bag on the sidewalk with his feet hanging off sidewalk to the street.

Thursday, July 14

INVESTIGATE DEAD BODY La Zanja Street, 26400 Block (8:01 p.m.)A woman went to her step brother’s house and found him dead. She said he suffered from heart problems. The Orange County Fire Department was sent to the location.

DISTURBANCE Camino Capistrano/Del Obispo Street (3:13 p.m.) A caller reported a verbal dispute while at a laundry mat. The caller said a woman was trying to fight with her.

CITIZEN ASSIST Monarch Drive, 29800 Block (2:16 p.m.)A man called authorities to report several bullets found in his yard after his return from vacation.

Wednesday, July 13

DISTURBANCE Camino Capistrano/Junipero Serra Road (3:25 p.m.) A woman reported her passen-ger jumped out of the car when she told her she was taking her for a drug test.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON IN VEHIClE Avenida Aeropuerto, 26000 Block (8:46 a.m.) A caller reported a man who ap-peared to be sleeping in his vehicle. The caller confronted the man, who appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

DISTURBANCE Roundtree Court, 26300 Block (12:00 a.m.) A woman called 9-1-1 after a fire-work was thrown at her front door.

Tuesday, July 12

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCESAlipaz Street, 32300 Block (11:17 p.m.)A man on the bike trail reportedly was yelling about killing someone.

CITIZEN ASSIST Alipaz Street, 32200 Block (9:13 p.m.)A landlord threatened to kick the caller out in two days after a recent domestic dispute.

PATROl CHECK Blue Fin Drive/Del Obispo Street (5:39 p.m.) Authorities were sent to check intersection where a caller reported a swarm of bees. Motorists were panicking and swerving onto oncoming traffic, the caller said.


EyE on SJC

Welcome to the Festival

By Megan BiancoThe Capistrano Dispatch

any people dream of becoming a part of Hollywood and making their own big projects and hits.

Though not everyone can say they’ve actually been a part of a big-budget, No. 1 box-office smash, aspiring filmmak-ers and actors all over the world can say they’ve shown their film at a legitimate film festival: A public, organized conven-tion celebrating and presenting films by local and determined filmmakers.

Beginning in Venice, Italy in 1932, near-ly 80 years later, film festivals are now experienced all over the world. The big and famous festivals come with the titles Sundance, Toronto, Cannes and Tribeca, but plenty of respectable events can be found at more local places such as Palm Springs, Temecula, and other cities.

And now the city of San Juan Capist-rano will join that list. From August 21 through August 25, residents Robert Kline and Stephanie Heredia, along with Warner Bros. and the new Regency Theatre, will host the West Coast Film Festival of San Juan Capistrano.

Locals said they’re excited. “The film festival could be a great

opportunity to bring the arts and cul-ture and bring more visitors to San Juan Capistrano,” Mayor Sam Allevato said. “Everyone loves movies, so it’s going to be fun and positive.”

Chamber of Commerce President Stephanie Frisch said she the Chamber will promote the festival on its website. The event, she added, will generate excitement in town.

Like Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto, the West Coast Film Festival plans to

M

have many films to be exhibited and enjoyed, but also to be appreciated, as these are films made with genuine passion and determination with rather small budgets compared to the flicks of the current Hollywood studio system. Some of the most successful movies, financially and critically, actually began as independent films screened at film festivals. Napoleon Dynamite(2004), Garden State (2004) and (500) Days of Summer (2009) first premiered at Sun-dance in Park City, UT; while Sideways (2004), Juno (2007) and Rachel Getting Married (2008) saw their first audi-ences at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada. And on foreign land, Pulp Fiction (1994), The Pianist (2002) and Elephant (2003) were screened at Cannes in France.

What’s amazing about these films shown at these festivals is that with just one-night showing, with one audience word of mouth can be powerful enough to make known if the film they’ve just viewed is brilliant and memorable or dull and boring in just a short amount of time. As well as receive, usually, personal input from the filmmakers themselves with a Q&A that can’t be found in regular movie theaters.

A little unique about the theme and

schedule for the West Coast Film Festi-val of San Juan Capistrano will be mul-tiple themes and types of films screen-ing. While most film fests stick to just one theme and feel throughout the week schedule—such as new releases or short films to even more specific genres such as horror or holiday features.

With Capistrano’s festival debut, the hosts and sponsors will hold a different setting and subject for every night. As a festival with movie buffs and film lovers behind its production, each night is set up to be a tribute to film in a special and original style to be experienced. Docu-mentaries, classic films from the golden age of Hollywood, short films, cartoons and local indie films are planned. As well as finding enough space, time and op-portunity to the city San Juan Capistrano itself and even its place in film history and a few features previously screened at Sundance, Tribeca and the Southwest festivals to acclaim.

The West Coast Fest will also pay tribute to the city’s 50th anniversary of incorporation by presenting iconic films shot and set in San Juan. On the list: Clint Eastwood’s war epic Heartbreak Ridge (1986) and D.W. Griffith’s western silent film Two Brothers (1910), starring Mary Pickford.

Capistrano to host film festival in August

Heartbreak Ridge included shots from the Swallow’s Inn, while Two Brothers spent some of its filming at the Mission. (A year later, Pickford herself would be married to first husband Owen Moore with a low-key ceremony in the same setting.)

In the same spirit as San Juan’s an-niversary, Kline and Heredia have also a tribute to Gene Autry and the Anaheim Angels’ 50th anniversary, with a spe-cial feature titled Angels and Cowboys scheduled for a night. Plus another Autry film, Bells of Capistrano (1942) will be shown, too.

Nearly 52 years after its initial release, MGM’s Ben-Hur (1959) is seeing the light of day digitally remastered for the silver screen. Even a new documentary on the making and legacy of the Oscar-winning film produced by Laurent Bou-zereau and Fraser Heston (the son of the actor himself who portrayed and won an Oscar for Ben-Hur on film, Charlton Heston). The filmmakers will appear for a public Q&A on stage in the Regency theater for the end of the documentary.

And to bring special attention to the shorter features, a rare cartoon of Tom & Jerry will be included and new independent film called Spork by local filmmakers Kevin and Gerrick Green. Salaam, a new documentary by filmmak-er David Fine, makes up the non-fiction portion of the event.

Co-founder and host of the West Coast Film Festival, Stephanie Heredia, has accomplished a dream of hers: “I’ve wanted a film festival to happen in San Juan for almost 10 years, so this is really exciting for me.” Husband and partner, Robert Kline thinks the festival is “just the beginning of honoring both cinema and San Juan Capistrano.”

Daytime tickets will be $10, while nighttime screenings with Q&A will be $20. Warner Bros. memorabilia may also be available for attendees who are interested. Just as Park City, Toronto and Cannes are unanimous with holding great film festivals, San Juan will soon be as well. CD

aul Murai became the 75th San Juan Capistrano Rotary president on the club’s Rotary Scout Hut patio during

a July 6 ceremony. Rotary District Gover-nor Greg Owen officiated at the ceremony during the club’s weekly summer bar-beque and meeting.

Prior to Murai’s installation, outgoing president Greg Sykes recalled the names of past community leaders who served as Rotary president. He noted that seven

PThe Capistrano Dispatch

Paul Murai Installed as Rotary President

Rotary district governor Greg Owen (left) installs Paul Murai as 75th San Juan Capistrano Rotary club president on Rotary Scout Hut patio. Courtesy Photo

area schools carry the name of past and present Rotarians, and that many have led the community as school board and City Council members. Murai pledged to keep Rotary’s tradition of giving alive.

Murai and his wife Yvonne moved their family to San Juan in 2000 after an active strawberry farming career in Orange County. In that period, he served as president of the Orange County Farm Bureau and later served as a director of the California Farm Bureau.

In recent times, Murai has consulted

with the city and San Juan’s Open Space Foundation mapping out potential plans in developing community-use farming projects on the northwest side of San Juan Capistrano.

His attraction to Rotary grew from his friendship with longtime Rotarian Shig Kinoshita, who encouraged him to join, knowing of Murai’s history of giving back and his involvement in local issues.

For more information on San Juan Capistrano Rotary, see www.sanjuancapistranorotary.org. CD

Residents Robert Kline, who co-founded Lifetime television, and filmmaker Stephanie Heredia are the creators of the West Coast Film Festival of San Juan Capistrano. Photo by Danielle Johnson


VIEWS, OPINIONS AND INSIGHTSSOAPBOX

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

The Capistrano Dispatch, Vol. 9, Issue 14. The Dispatch (www.thecapistranodispatch ) is published twice monthly by Picket Fence Media, publishers of the DP Times (www.danapointtimes.com) and the SC Times (www.sanclement-etimes.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 2011. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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Letters to the Communitying Kathy Holman: Her stables are not closing. For you to; fi rst believe that lie (before checking it out for yourself) then to spew out the lie for all to see is despicable. Think about it: If her stables were closing, she surely wouldn’t have any benefi t from the new stables since they won’t be built for at least three to four years.

I have no monetary interest in this whole thing, I just believe in the truth and in the best direction for SJC.

And for John Perry: You and your ilk are the ones who lied through this whole thing. Just as Kathy Holman said: “Cast of characters’ spewing lies and exag-gerating the facts.” I personally was one of the thousands who you all lied to. I asked numerous times specifi c ques-tions to see how you all would answer. Your answers were all lies, meant to fool voters to vote the way “you” thought they should vote!

So both of you, it’s time to move on. You lost simply because the voters were much smarter than you anticipated—no other reason. They saw through your lies. Now live with it.

NO GUNS IN PARKS—Christine Speed, San Juan Capist-

ranoI am opposed to permitting the carry

of unloaded handguns in parks. It will divert local police to expend

scarce resources enforcing that those things remain unloaded. Meanwhile, all the rest of us get to feel intimidated every time we see someone with their gun strapped on because we don’t know if it’s “really” unloaded.

Council member Reeves, recommend-ing guns in parks, claims it will promote safety. Whose? His very proposition confi rms that guns carried in plain sight are intimidating. Yes they are. So what

THANK YOU FOR MEASURE B SUPPORT

—Larry Kramer, San Juan CapistranoI would like to thank everyone who

voted Yes on Measure B. I believe its ap-proval is in the best interests of our resi-dents and the city of San Juan Capistrano.

For our residents:• The intersection of Valle Road and

La Novia with the I-5 off-ramp will be improved;

• Valle Road will be widened and fi nally have a sidewalk;

• The trail connections to the south-east trail system will be completed;

• Our stable systems will be enhanced;• There will be new lookout points for

walkers, bicyclists and horse riders;• There will be open space on the

meadows open to residents; • We will have a new small shopping

area. For the city:• The city will see increase revenue

from property tax, sales tax and about $11 million in development fees;

• Much of this should enable to city to provide a higher level of basic main-tenance service including roads and utilities;

• There will be increased employment opportunities in both the short and long term;

• The city’s programs for seniors and youth should be enhanced.

I thank all of you who took the time to vote. No matter how you voted, as Councilman Derek Reeve put it, this will still be a great place to live.

Larry Kramer is a San Juan Capist-rano City Councilman.

MEASURE B CRITICS SORE LOSERS—Carole Matson, San Juan CapistranoWow! Talk about sore losers! First, I

want to respond to Ms. Kincer, regard-

kind of elected offi cial thinks it’s a fi ne thing to scare families with children in our parks?

What’s the underlying agenda here? Encouraging citizens to take the law into their own hands? Encouraging citizens to form white supremacist militia-type groups to stifl e free speech during political rallies? Encouraging citizens to start taking pot shot target practice in the open space where people are biking, jogging and horseback rid-ing...oops didn’t see you?

As for fi sh, please think this through. Free fi sh will attract too many people to the creeks. With no regulation, the creeks will be fi shed out in a matter of days. That will ruin the ecological

balance of the creeks. To do this cor-rectly, you have to sell fi shing licenses and enforce fi sh quotas per day. You have to patrol the streams, ask to see licenses and ask to see the catch. You have to create fi sh hatcheries to replenish the fi sh that are taken so you don’t ruin the ecology of the stream. Is this really the way we want to spend our scarce community resourc-es? Why don’t fi shermen just go to the Eastern Sierra where this entire fi shing structure is already in place?

Guns in our ParksPHILLIP SCHWARTZE: Guest View

and heavy but it will solve problems and I am sure my right to carry it on public property is covered under some Constitutional ruling.

Speaking of guns, we need to provide all of our local gang members with some quality pistols, not those Saturday Night specials they use that no one can shoot straight. The reason innocent bystanders are often injured in these gang-related shoot-ings, is because of the continued use of these inferior fi rearms. The gang members also need to be required to take a small arms training class. A good course in the use of small arms and a new high quality pistol for each gang member will be a service to the citizens of San Juan Capistrano.

Phillip Schwartze is a former Mayor of San Juan Capistrano.

think the idea of citizens carrying guns openly in

our parks is a great idea. Not just pistols but rifl es and other stuff like swords and spears.

I have some cool-looking rifl es so I want to be able to carry one or more of them, in addition to a pistol or two when I take my grandkids to the swing set.

I would also like to carry my fl ame-thrower on my park visits. The way I see it, if something happens while I am at the concert in the great city park, a guy with a fl ame thrower will command a great deal of attention from any potential troublemakers. Sure the fl amethrower might be big

I

Phillip Schwartze


SOAPBOX

like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood play-ing a tough guy in one of their movies and we can slap our hips and repeat the mantra: “I’m baad. I’m reeeaal bad, yessir I… AM …BAD—uh huh!”

My brother Denis and I used to play cowboy until the age of 12. We watched the movie makers in Chatsworth set up false fights and Indian raids, watched Bob Steele, our hero because he never kissed girls or his horse, watched Gabby Hayes and the crew playing craps by an old stage coach between shots, hundreds of dollars on the blanket, cursing and praying for seven or 11 or the “number.” We were even in one movie—under the bridge because we heard the stagecoach coming around the bend and the camera car in front, so we ducked and hid as our

Grandmother told us because we’d ruin the shot. We could never convince our friends at the Rialto theater in Medford, Oregon that we were in the shot but hiding under the bridge. We stayed twice to see the movie just to see the shot that we were in but not in. Not even members of SAG (Screen Actors Guild). So we saw the phoniness of it all, that it was just play acting, not real and

PATRICK O’BRIEN: The Way I See It

Open Carry, Open Threatpen carry? Derek Reeves seems to be champion-

ing a Tea Party agenda. The notion that San Juan residents should be al-lowed to carry a weapon on their hips in San Juan

parks suggests a failure by Mr. Reeves to realize the implications of such an act. It reminds me of the threat made by “I’m tired of people calling me wacky” Sharron Angle who suggested that if she didn’t get elected to the Senate from Nevada then “Second Amendment rights will be invoked.” That’s like saying that if you don’t buy my fire insurance I’m going to burn your house down.

They tried “open carry” in Huntington Beach and the local merchants were less than pleased by the plan. One merchant told an LA Times reporter “that having people walking the streets with weapons hitched to their hips was a business killer.”

Open carry—a brilliant idea. After all we are living in the Wild West and there are all kinds of bad guys out there we must intimidate. And we don’t need the tax money to run the town. Yes, lets look

O

the tough guys were nice enough to buy a couple of kids lunch from the chuck wagon and to sit with us on a blanket and talk about real hardworking cowboys who didn’t wear guns, men who worked the cattle and said “Yes, m’am” and “No, m’am.” And Bob Steele said that guns were dangerous and he’d served in the military during WWII and that we best stay away from them. He didn’t like them, despite the fact that he was one of the best quick-draw movie cowboys and that it was all pretend and that real men didn’t need guns. He was a beautiful man. My brother and I thought we were hearing the wisdom of god himself.

So? What about this wonderful idea of open carry? Open swagger. Open threat? That should do wonders for our children. While hardworking teachers are trying to tell children that differ-ences should be resolved by negotiation and peaceful discussion, their fathers and older brothers will be prowling the streets of San Juan being bad, real bad, suggesting that you best not negotiate with them because they could put a bul-let right between your eyes, even though the bullets are in the other pocket.

I for one, who loves to shop at DeNault’s because the folks there are kind and helpful and honest and courteous and pleasant and offer good

value for the dollar, will probably find my way heading out to Home Depot. I don’t want some pantywaist with a gun on his hip deciding that he can shove in line ahead of me because he has a gun. I don’t feel up to the argument.

I suppose I could wear one. After all, in the Army I taught recruits how to shoot an M1, a carbine, “pea shooter,” a 50-caliber machine gun that has frightening power and will mow off the top of a pine tree, a grenade launcher and a number of other lethal weap-ons. I’m with Bob Steele. I don’t own a gun. I stopped playing with guns at 12. Others can play with them, but I’d prefer not on the streets—or parks—of San Juan.

Open carry? Nothing but open swag-ger for those who can’t do the real hard work of herding cattle or whatever other hard work is out there—a case of arrested development, nothing more. Time to grow up and get real, or get an agent and learn to spit tobacco like they guys I worked with in the lumber mills with when I was a teenager. Now there were real tough guys. They didn’t have guns, but you best not excite them too much, they might knock you down in the middle of their Virginia Reel in the bunkhouse. Nope it’s all inside, not outside.

Open carry? Open foolishness.Capistrano resident Patrick O’Brien is a

college professor and author.

Patrick O’Brien

uch has been recently written about Council-

man Reeve’s foolish plan on allowing guns in our city parks, which caused well over an hour of

Council time and countless staff hours to be spent on this issue before it was voted down by all the other council members. While this issue was making the head-lines (and not exactly improving the image of our city), there were a number of other substantive issues acted upon by the council that were pretty much ignored by the press.

One of these issues was an action to spend about $40,000 on a consultant to do a study leading to a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) on the widening of San Juan Creek Road at the I-5 bridge. Such a finding would fast track the plan and determine that no Environmental Impact Report was needed, though I be-lieve there are serious issues with it. This follows about $400,000 that was previously approved for design and planning work

Guns vs. Roadways

M

on the project. The MND would ignore alternatives that could accomplish the same result without the significant aesthetic and safety impacts that the proposed plan causes.

I previously voted against this project on a number of occasions while I served on the council because of the significant safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists, the unnecessary costs, as well as the impact it will have on the aesthet-ics of the area. And perhaps of equal concern is that it will set the stage for future arguments that San Juan Creek Road itself should be made into a four-lane major roadway much like Ortega to at least La Novia.

It also calls into question the claim that the city would not do anything to in-crease the likelihood of San Juan Creek Road being extended to La Pata. Adding more lanes than future traffic generated from our citizens can only mean the real goal is to encourage more out-of-town commuter traffic to use this road in or-der to access the Interstate. The massive increase in concrete that is planned in front of the Plant Depot is unnecessary for our community’s needs in the future, and adds at least $1.5 million in costs compared to alternatives supported by our Transportation Commission. In fact, the traffic analysis assumes the county’s Master Plan of Arterial Highways that

still shows San Juan Creek Road going through to La Pata, and the number of vehicles projected in 2025 increases so much that it can only be coming from significant development to the city’s east, as there is extremely limited future development within the city limits along San Juan Creek to the east.

The alternative (known as Option F) would save $1.5 million, reduce to two the number of lanes under the bridge Eastbound, remove one of the left-turn lanes on San Juan Creek Road onto Valle, and separate the pedestrian and bike lane under the bridge from the traffic lanes with concrete barriers. Yet the projected traffic flow would have the same level of service as the proposed Option C.

Instead, the city is currently focused on a plan that costs more, adds a mas-sive swath of concrete in front of Plant Depot, and that I believe puts pedestri-ans and bikes at greater risk due to shar-ing a lane and sidewalk under the bridge behind a concrete barrier, instead of only pedestrians and cyclists being behind the concrete barrier.

At the very least, the fact that a viable alternative exists that can achieve the same traffic service levels with far less impact to the environmental issues would argue against the MND (not to mention saving us taxpayers well over

a million dollars). I would also argue that the premise used by staff and Caltrans for this massive expansion to the roadway is driven by unwarranted assumptions as to the real future traffic that will traverse San Juan Creek Road. Unless you assume San Juan Creek Road is opened to La Pata (an assumption I would hope this and any City Council would fight to the bitter end), the numbers just don’t make sense. Perhaps one could make the argument that Ortega traffic would divert to this longer route if the I-5 interchange at Ortega wasn’t being significantly improved, but that is not the case. Therefore, I urge the council and each of you to reconsider how much of our town do we want to be paved over un-der the argument that we need to do so in order to save an extra few minutes during one or two hours a day?

I would much rather see our City Council and the media spend more time on issues such as this that will have a long-lasting impact on the character and rural ambience of our community, instead of wasteful philosophical and legal arguments about contrived constitutional issues that have no bearing on the daily lives of our citizenry.

Mark Nielsen is a business executive who was Mayor in 2009 during his four years on the City Council. He is a director of the SJC Open Space Foundation and has lived in San Juan Capistrano for more than 20 years.

MARK NIELSEN: Straight Talk

Mark Nielsen

VON COTTON 8:30 p.m. Live music at Swallow’s Inn. 31786 Camino Capistrano, 949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

BURTON CUMMINGS 8 p.m. Concert at The Coach House, also with Suburban Skies. Tickets $37.50. 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.496.8930, www.thecoachhouse.com. ESTATE BUYERS 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Premiere Estate Buyers is searching for rare antiques, collectibles, coins and more at the Holiday Inn San Clemente. Bring your antiques to fi nd out what they’re worth. Continues Saturday. Free. 111 S. Avenida de la Estrella, San Clemente, 217.726.7590, www.thrassociates.com. OKLAHOMA BUZZ NIGHT 7:30 p.m. Saddleback Col-lege Arts Department presents a fresh and vibrant take on an American classic onstage in McKinney Theater with performance through July 31. Tonight is 2-for-2 night; with general admission $27. 28000 Marguerite Pkwy., Mission Viejo, 949.582.4656, www.saddleback.edu/arts.


YOUR TWO-WEEK EVENT PLANNER

GETTING OUT

THE LISTA day-by-day guide to what’s happening in and around town this week. COMPILED BY TAWNEE PRAZAK

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THIS WEEK’S WEATHER7.22 Mostly Sunny H: 71° L: 59°7.23 Mostly Sunny H: 74° L: 61°7.24 Partly Cloudy H: 77° L: 64°

7.25 Partly Cloudy H: 75° L: 63°7.26 Partly Cloudy H: 73° L: 62°7.27 Sunny H: 73° L: 63°7.28 Sunny H: 72° L: 62°

(Cont. on page 17)

CHILDREN’S PLANT WALK 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Walk is for children ages 6 to 12 (but open to anyone) wanting to learn the common names for some of our most common native plants at

The Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy. Donation $5-$10. Call for info and directions, 949.489.9778, www.theconser-vancy.org.

EVITTE PALMER 7:30 p.m.-11 p.m. Live music at The Vintage Steakhouse with the female artist this Saturday and next Saturday, July 30. 26701-B Verdugo St., San Juan Capistrano, 949.661.3407, www.thevintagesteakhouse.com.

PAN FOR GOLD 12 p.m.-2 p.m. Try your luck at fi nding the gold in the Mission trough at Mission San Juan Cap-istrano. Free with paid admission of $5–$9. 26801 Ortega Hwy., 949.234.1300, www.missionsjc.com.

PET ADOPTION 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Visit dogs (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) and cats (12 p.m.-4 p.m.) who need a home at the Ark’s pet adoption at PetSmart in the Costco plaza. 949.388.0034, www.arkofsanjuan.org.

MUSIC UNDER THE STARS CONCERT SERIES 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Mission San Juan Capistrano’s concert series continues with headliner, The Long Run: Experience the Eagles and opening act, Fortunate Son: Tribute to John Fogerty & Creedence Clearwater Revival. Call for ticket info. 26801 Ortega Hwy., San Juan Capistrano, 949.234.1315, www.missionsjc.com.

LOCAL SUNDAY SES-SIONS 6 p.m. Event at Cabrillo Playhouse featuring live music from local artists from Greg Gardner, Leslie Lowe and John Sotter. $5

suggested donation. 202 Avenida Cabrillo, 949.492.0465, www.cabrilloplayhouse.org.

MIKE DEBELLIS AND FRIENDS 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Jazz music on the patio at Ciao Pasta Trattoria every Sun-day. 31661 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.496.5002, www.ciaopasta.net.

PHIL VANDERMOST 2:30 p.m. Live at Swallow’s Inn. 31786 Camino Capistrano, 949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

CERAMICS CLAY CAMP 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Mission San Juan Capistrano offers the summer camp for children ages 6-12 to learn both ceramic handbuild-ing techniques and how to

throw clay on the wheel. Cost $300. Runs through Aug. 5. 26801 Ortega Hwy., San Juan Capistrano, 949.234.1300, www.missionsjc.com.

KNITLIT: THE KNITTING BOOK GROUP 6 p.m. The group meets the last Tuesday of the month at the library. Bring your knitting or other craft project and discuss the book, The

Three Weissmann’s of Westport, by Cathleen Schine. Copies available at the checkout desk. 31495 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano, 949.493.1752, www.ocpl.org.

CHEESE & WINE PAIR-ING - 2ND CLASS OF OUR SUMMER SERIES! 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. San Clemente Wine Company welcomes Starr Cornwall,

cheese monger extraordinaire, and Eric Reichenbach, Som-melier. Tasting fee is $35 for four cheeses paired with wines. Reservations and Pre-payment Required. 212 1/2 Avenida Del Mar, 949.429.7067, www.scwinecompany.com.

OLD CAPISTRANO FARMERS MARKET 3 p.m.–7 p.m. Every Wednesday at El Camino Real and Yorba; 949.493.4700.

RINGLING BROS. BARNUM & BAILEY CIRCUS 7:30 p.m. The circus lands at the Honda Center starting today through August 7. Tickets

$16.50-$101.50. 2695 E. Katella, Anaheim, 714.704.2500, www.hondacenter.com.

ROD PIAZZA 8 p.m. Lively blues concert at The Coach House, also with Kettleblack, Home Cookin’, Reverend Blue. Tickets $15. 33157 Camino

Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.496.8930, www.thecoachhouse.com.

JOHN SLOAN SINATRA TRIBUTE 7:45 p.m.-11 p.m. Live music at The Vintage Steak House. 26701-B Verdugo St., San Juan Capistrano, 949.661.3407, www.thevinta-gesteakhouse.com.

As part of the observation of Capistrano’s 50th anniversary of incorporation, several non-profi t agencies are teaming up to present an abbreviated version of the communi-ty’s history. San Juan Capistrano—200 Years in 20 Minutes is showing July 23 at Zo-omars Petting Zoo in the Historic Los Rios District. The play is written and directed by Gary McCarver, who has penned all of the melodramas for the Camino Real Playhouse. “We are presenting a fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek, living history play highlighting the city’s progression from outpost of the Spanish Crown to the thriving community that we know today,” the playhouse’s Beverly Blake said. “This short play is fun for the whole family!” The playhouse partnered with Zoomars and the San Juan Capistrano Histori-cal Society for the production. The play runs at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. at Zoomars. All performances are free. Zoomars is at 31791 Los Rios Street. For more information, call Zoomars at 949.831.6550. Capistrano roots go back to the Native Americans, even before the founding of the Mission in 1776. The town didn’t incorporate as a formal city until 50 years ago, however, partially out of fear, the city would be taken over by San Clemente after the school board decided to close Capistrano Union High and build the new campus in the beach community. —JonathanVolzke

GO.SEE.DO 200 YEARS IN 20 MINUTES

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Capistrano resident Gary McCarver wrote ‘200 Years in 20 Minutes’ for the city’s 50th birthday celebration.

Photo by Jonathan Volzke

WIN FREE CONCERT TICKETS!The fi rst three people to email us with Dispatch Free Con-cert Tix in the subject line will receive a pair of free concert tickets from The Coach House to see Rod Piazza on Friday, July 29th . Please include your name and phone number in the e-mail. EMAIL: [email protected]

Chamber Connection

The Chamber is Just a Call or Click Away949.493.4700 or www.sanjuanchamber.com

L O C A L N E W S A N D E V E N T S B R O U G H T T O Y O U B Y

T H E S A N J U A N C A P I S T R A N O C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

SHOP LOCALSupport Your Friends & Neighbors • Keep Tax Revenue in Town • Promote Job Growth • Get Unique Gifts • Conserve Energy

ach year, hundreds of people in the community pitch in to help accomplish the goals and mission of the San Juan Capistrano Chamber

of Commerce.Whether it’s serving on a committee that plans our

strategic policy decisions, or simply greeting people as they enter the Vintage Food & Wine Festival (our big annual fundraiser event at the Mission), getting involved with the Chamber is a great way to help enhance our community and give a boost to the local economy.

Are you interested in volunteering with the Cham-ber? Here are some of the many opportunities to get involved:

AMBASSADORS � e Ambassadors serve as the good-will arm of the chamber, providing volunteer support for chamber events as well as city events that the chamber participates in such as San Juan Summer Nites concert series. In addition, Ambassadors visit new member busi-nesses & provide welcome packets to the new members. Monthly meeting are held on the 1st Tuesday of the month at 5:30 pm.

EQUESTRIAN COUNCIL � e main mission of the Equestrian Council is to promote equine recreational and educational opportunities using the parks, facilities, volunteers, and local organizations of the San Juan Cap-istrano area. � e council is also active in the promotion of multiuse trails and open space. � e San Juan Capist-rano Equestrian Council (SJCEC) is dedicated to the preserving & enhancing the equestrian community with Experience, Quality and Congeniality. � e Council has launched its own website: www.sanjuanhorses.com.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE � e Chamber’s Governmental Aff airs Committee (GAC) reviews issues of business and public interest in San Juan

Capistrano. � e committee vets the issues and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors for organi-zational policies and positions. � e Government Aff airs Council believes that eff ective government depends on the greatest possible participation of those being governed. Meets every forth Wednesday at 8am at San Juan Hills Golf Club.

LATINO BUSINESS COUNCIL � e Latino Council is the offi cial ‘liaison’ between the Chamber and the Latino business community in San Juan. � e Council’s mission is to encourage commerce across cultural boundaries and to ensure San Juan Capistrano’s diver-sity is leveraged as a tool for economic development. � e Council plans events, conducts outreach in the community and meets monthly on Monday evenings.

VINTAGE COMMITTEE Help to plan the San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce’s Premier Event. � e Vintage is a Farewell to the Swallows Wine and Food Festival. � is year’s Vintage is on Saturday, Octo-ber 1st from 6-10pm. � e Committee helps to plan the festivities and we also have a number of day-of-event volunteer positions available as well. It’s the most fun you’ll have volunteering all year!

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS � is is a new group for this chamber and it is focused on the young (gener-ally under 40) business professional. It provides a great networking environment to encourage & advance their business careers. Meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of the month from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

� ese are just a few of the opportunities to get involved at the Chamber. If you’d like to learn more, please give us a call (493-4700) or email ([email protected]) and we’ll fi ll you in on all the details.

EGet involved in a Chamber Committee!

Check out the NEW Chamber Website!he San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the launch of it’s new, updated website!

� e site, www.sanjuanchamber.com, will be more interactive and more useful for San Juan businesses and residents wanting to know more about the Chamber and the local economy. � e site was redesigned by Gary

T McCarver of Simply Great Webistes.� e Chamber’s main page is just part of our web presence.

� e Chamber also oversees the websites for our town’s group of Auto Dealers (www.southocautogroup.com) and the local Equestrian community (www.sanjuanhorses.com).

In addition to the Chamber’s main website, we will be launching two more sites in the coming months. A dedicated

site to promote tourism in San Juan Capistrano is set to launch in early fall and a website that will focuses on events, dining and entertainment in our town will follow a few months later.

Please take a moment to review the new Chamber site when you have a moment. We’d love your feedback on tools and resources that you’d like to see added.

SHOP SAN JUAN!S U P P O R T Y O U R L O C A L C H A M B E R B U S I N E S S E S

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

The Chamber is Just a Call or Click Away949.493.4700 or www.sanjuanchamber.com


GETTING OUT

Go to www.thecapistranodispatch.com and under “Getting Out” share your thoughts about this week’s restaurant.

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

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

CraCk of Dawn Hike6 a.m.-8:30 a.m. Start your day with a brisk paced, moderate, 4.5 mile summer early morning nature hike at The Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy. Donation

$5-$10. Call for info and directions, 949.489.9778, www.theconservancy.org.

Gin Blossoms 8 p.m. Hit rock band plays at The Coach House. Tickets $29.50. 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.496.8930, www.thecoachhouse.com.

mariaCHis at tHe mission 10 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Mission San Juan Capistrano presents live music every Saturday in the courtyard through Sept. 3. Free with paid admission $5–$9. 26801 Ortega Hwy., San Juan Capistrano, 949.234.1300, www.missionsjc.com.

(Cont. from page 12)

saturday 30

UkUlele niGHts 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Sing along or listen to the music at Hulaville’s ukulele night. Every Sunday. 2720 Camino Capistrano, San Clemente, 949.369.1905, www.hulavillecafe.com.

DeBra’s roCk anD roll revival 2:30 p.m. Live music at Swallow’s Inn. 31786 Camino Capistrano, 949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

oklaHoma 2:30 p.m. Saddleback College Arts Depart-ment presents a fresh and vibrant take on an American clas-sic onstage in McKinney Theater with performance through July 31. General admission $27. 28000 Marguerite Pkwy., Mission Viejo, 949.582.4656, www.saddleback.edu/arts.

storytime witH tHe sUnsHine reaDers 11 a.m. Children and caregivers are in-vited to the library for energetic stories by the Sunshine Readers. 31495 El Camino Real, San Juan

Capistrano, 949.493.1752, www.ocpl.org.

DJ PaUl 7:30 p.m. Music, beer pong, drink specials, tacos and more at Swallow’s Inn. 31786 Camino Capistrano, 949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

ComPUter laB 11:15 a.m. Computer instruction and help at the library. 31495 El Camino Real, San Juan Capist-rano, 949.493.1752, www.ocpl.org.

karaoke 7:30 p.m. Joel and Les host Karaoke at Swallow’s Inn. Plus $2 tacos and free popcorn. 31786 Camino Capistrano, SJC,

949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

twiliGHt tHUrs-Days 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Tree of Life Nursery hosts a special event every Thurs-day in July and August with community presenta-

tions, discussions, bird walks, garden tours, refreshments and much more. 33201 Ortega Hwy., San Juan Capistrano, 949.728.0685, www.californianativeplants.com.

BeaCH ConCert6 p.m. Don’t Stop Believing, a Journey tribute band, plays at the SC Pier as part of the ongoing summer concert series. www.san-clemente.org.

iBiza Ultra loUnGe 7 p.m.-close. European-style nightlife featuring a DJ spinning in the ultra lounge at Tannins Restaurant & Wine Bar. 27211 Ortega Hwy., Suite C, San Juan Capistrano, 949.661.8466, www.tanninstrestau-rant.com/ibiza.

GarDen anGels & free lUnCH 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Volunteer at Los Rios Park Garden and get a free lunch at Ramos House Café. 31661 Los Rios St., 949.606.6386, San Juan Capistrano, www.goinnative.net.

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Del mar raCe traCk triP Swallow’s Inn hosts it an-nual Del Mar race track trip with room for 35 people only, so book now. Includes brunch, limo bus ride with cock-tails, reserved seating in the clubhouse level and more. Cost $75. Call for info and reservations. 949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

networkinG Breakfast 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m. SJC Chamber event at The Vintage Steakhouse. Members $10, others $20. 26701-B Verdugo St., San Juan Capistrano, 949.661.3400, www.thevintagesteakhouse.com, www.sanjuanchamber.com.

1402 S. El Camino Real, San Clemente, 949.492.2210

BEST KNOWN FOR: American food with an eclectic twistMOST POPulaR ITEM: Breakfast burrito

A revamped restaurant to San Clemente’s food scene, The Surferosa Café, is taking the place of Love Burger. Owner John Haghor bought out the old burger joint and completely overhauled it. “I want to re-invent it,” Haghor said. The new eatery features classic American food with fresh ingredients and what he calls gourmet options. The restaurant offers walk-up counter service during the day and table service at night.

The breakfast menu includes staples like omelets, pancakes and huevos ranchero. Haghor is spicing up the lunch and dinner menu with options such as the basil turkey melt, fresh salads and meals of grilled salmon, tilapia and burgers. Customers can also bring in their own wine for meals. The interior has been completely redone and is now filled with new, modern décor. The outdoor patio will include a big screen television for business meetings and private parties. The grand opening for The Surferosa Café will be next Saturday, July 30 with a raffle for a $500 shopping spree at Bliss and a new surfboard. Tickets will be handed out Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and the raffle will be Saturday night. Haghor said customers at The Surferosa Café will enjoy a gourmet meal and experience at an inexpensive price.

PRICE RaNgE: $8-$12 RESERvaTIONS: No PayMENT: Cash, credit HOuRS: Sunday – Thursday 7 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday – Saturday 7 a.m. – 11 p.m.

By Krysta WorthenDispatch Restaurant SpotlightThe Surferosa Café

Photo by Krysta Worthen

t’s the end of an era as the media and public have been saying for the past six months. And even for some younger people, the end of part of their childhood. In the same way

Star Wars ended for many in 1983 or Lord of the Rings’ films in 2003, the film adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter has reached its ending point with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. For every generation’s epic, supernatural franchise, there seems to be a trio in the lead roles. This generation’s trio known as Harry, Ron and Hermione have all grown up and are ready to face battle against their longtime nemesis Voldemort.

Taking off where Deathly Hallows Part 1 finished, dark times are upon the school of Hogwarts as a magical civil war be-tweeen the dark wizards (Voldemort and his army) and good wizards (Harry and the staff and students of Hogwarts). The three best friends (played by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) are on their own and fighting through near death and struggles of evil dementors and dark magic to stop the villain (played by Ralph Fiennes). Students Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis), Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) and Prof. McGonagall (Maggie Smith) try to fend off Bellatrix LeStrange (Helena Bonham Carter), Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) and Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs) on campus while Harry and Voldemort finish some personal business.

Part 2 stylistically looks and fits the mood and theme of the series’ final chapter. But while Part 1 was heavy on dia-logue and emotionally charged, Part 2 is half action scenes and half memoir of a decade of adventures and drama. A sequence called “The Prince’s Tale,” which plays as a mon-tage of the meaning behind the whole series, is arguably the best scene in the film. An awkward epilogue at the end of the film could have been better off left for the deleted scenes. The Harry Potter movies might not be the most ac-curate adaptations, but they have been for the last 10 years entertaining and a centerpiece of pop culture. CD

Megan Bianco is a senior at Cal State Northridge majoring in Screenwriting and Film Criticism. A 20-year resident of San Clemente, Bianco is also a graduate of the California Conservatory of the Arts and JSerra Catholic High School.

AT THE MOVIESHARRY POTTER: The end of a franchise

BY MEGAN BIANCo

I

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures


4LIFE IN OUR COMMUNITY

SJC LIVING

4COMMUNITY CALENDARfriday 7.22

Coffee Chat 8 a.m. The Capistrano Dispatch hosts a spirited town hall forum on community issues. All are welcome. Camino Real Playhouse, on El Camino Real, just south of Ortega Highway. Occurs every Friday.

tuesday 7.26

Utilities Commission Meeting 8 a.m., City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto

Cultural Heritage Commission Meeting 5 p.m., City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto

Planning Commission Meeting6:30 p.m., City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto

monday 8.01

Open Space, Trails & Equestrian Commission Meeting 6 p.m., City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto

tuesday 8.02

City Council Meeting6 p.m., City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto

friday 8.12

Next regular issue of The Dispatch publishes.

*Meeting agendas at www.sanjuancapistrano.org

National Charity League, Inc. Capistrano Coast Chapter presented 15 seniors at The Ritz Carlton in Dana Point earlier this year. The young ladies completed hun-dreds of hours of community service in the 7th through 12th grade mother-daughter organization.

NCL Capistrano Coast Chapter serves 26 local philanthropies in Laguna Niguel, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point and San Cle-mente. Some of the philanthropies include Laura’s House, Family Assistance Minis-tries, Ocean Institute, Boys & Girls Club of San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano senior centers, Mission Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, OC public libraries and J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center. The mothers and daughters participate in philanthropic work, educa-tional activities, leadership development and cultural enrichment.

NCL was founded in 1925 by a group of women in the Los Angeles area, and now consists of more than 170 chapters in 17 states nationwide with more than 40,000 members. NCL Capistrano Coast Chapter was nationally recognized as the “Most Outstanding Chapter” in April 2010.

NCL Capistrano Coast Chapter

First Row Left to Right: Nina Gutierrez, Mia Gutierrez; 2nd row left to right: Katelyn Lindsey, Alyssa Graham, Sarah Kiddoo, Nicole Roberts; 3rd row left to right: Alexia Stamos, Carolyne Copley, Laurel Rigsby, Hilary Elizabeth Jonus, Kaitlin Halleron; Back row left to right: Stephanie Stamos, Silken Jones, Kelsey McKeag, Elizabeth Kaufman. Courtesy photo

NCL Capistrano Coast Chapter Ticktockers from

LAGUNA NIGUEL:

Kaitlin Halloran Saddleback Community College

Sarah Kiddoo UC Berkeley

Kimberly RobertsUC Davis

Elizabeth Kaufmann UCLA

DANA POINT:

Stephanie Stamos University of Arizona

Kelsey McKeagUniversity of Florida

Alexia StamosWashington State University

SAN CLEMENTE:

Silken Jones Princeton University

ALISO VIEJO:

Mia Gutierrez University of San Diego

Andonina GutierrezUC Santa Barbara

LAGUNA BEACH:

Hilary Elizabeth JonusUniversity of Arizona

NCL CAPISTRANO COAST CHAPTER TICKTOCKERS FROM SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO:

Carolyne CopleyLoyolla Marymount University

Alyssa Graham University of San Francisco

Katelyn LindseyUniversity of San Diego

Laurel RigsbySan Francisco State University


SJC LIVING

scammers, they will dramatically decrease their chance of having a bad experience.

Also, most mature singles don’t go to bars to meet potential mates, however, there are an endless number of other places to go to mingle with singles.

And then Karen revealed the biggest reason she isn’t meeting any eligible men: “All of my friends are either mar-ried and have families they are always

involved with; or, they have multiple married brothers and sisters with kids, so they have many nieces and nephews they are always doing things with and or for.

“I enjoy doing things with my friends, but when we get together they constantly talk about this child or grandchild, or that niece or nephew so I just sit and listen. I don’t have any children (so obviously no grand-children) and no similar stories to tell; they just don’t seem to get that I feel left out.

“I am still close to many of the friends and colleagues of my late husband and because of this, don’t feel I can move into another relationship.”

Without a major, major overhaul in attitude and ac-tions, Karen won’t meet an eligible man unless one falls from the sky. However, if she truly wants to meet a man, here are four steps I feel she needs to take:

1. Look in the mirror and say, “OK, Karen, it is my fault that I don’t meet any eligible men. I am ready and eager to make major changes in my social life. I must stop rationalizing and blaming my dull and boring life

on others or on circumstances. I realize it will take time and effort, but I am a new woman starting today.”

2. Get off the pity pot. After seven years of being wid-owed, to feel she can’t move on because of being around her deceased husband’s friends is self-imposed guilt. Since she feels “left out” by them, she needs to get away from them.

3. Expand her circle of friends to include single men and particularly single women. That doesn’t mean she should never see her old friends, but she needs to make a major effort to get out and pursue activities that will lead her to new faces and places. A good, no-cost, place to begin is www.Meetup.com.

4. Become assertive. Not only is it OK for single women to ask a man out, it is wise. In that way, she will select the type of person she’d like to be with. Notice that the word is “assertive,” not “aggressive.” There is a difference.

Perhaps there is hope for Karen. She said, “Many of the issues I have regarding senior dating (not being in a situation to meet men, not trustful of dating websites, etc.), I must admit are mine.”

So, Karen may decide to change her life. Or, she may decide to continue, as Jim Morrison sang in Light My Fire, “to wallow in the mire.”

The ball is in her court. Tom Blake is a Dana Point business owner and San

Clemente resident who has authored books on middle-aged dating. To comment on his column, email him at [email protected]. See his website at www.FindingLoveAf-ter50.com CD

ON LIFE AND LOVE AFTER 50: By Tom Blake

ON LIFE AND LOVE AFTER 50

By Tom Blake

Four Steps Widow Needs to Take to Meet Eligible Menne of the responses to my most recent column came from Karen, a widow of seven years, who stated that dating for her is non-existent.

Karen said, “After reading many things on senior dating (including your articles for quite some time now), I am still very fearful of that whole scene, not to mention simply not involved in it (i.e. I never meet any eligible men).

“I am a very young 58, in good health. I do a lot of major projects on my own because if I don’t, they won’t get done, and this keeps me in fairly good shape.”

My initial reaction: I wonder why she never meets any eligible men.

Karen added, “I feel that many of the men my age and older couldn’t keep up with me. I love dancing, but the friend I used to dance with passed away 13 years ago. I love doing things outdoors, but many things are too dangerous to do by myself.”

By now, I was even more perplexed. Why can’t a “young 58” woman in good health who loves to dance meet any eligible men? But as I read more, I started to understand why.

Karen continued, “I hear great things about the dating websites, but just one bad story scares me off. I don’t go to bars because I don’t drink or smoke; I can’t stand the smell or noise anyway.”

All dating websites are going to have the occasional bad story. That goes with the territory of Internet dating. But if singles prepare themselves to Internet date by reading the warning signs and red fl ags the dating sites publicize, and study sites such as www.RomanceScams.org to learn how to protect themselves and recognize

O

More than Just Business

By Cory SaulThe Capistrano Dispatch

oan Johnson ran a steady business in a little San Juan Capistrano strip mall. Through three decades she was booked and her clients had the same time

slot monthly. Her offi cial job title was rejected by those who knew what she did and how she did it. Instead they called her a stylist. She was good, really good, at her job, but when Johnson died, she proved to be more.

She left a legacy stronger than any dog groomer could ask for.

Johnson, owner of Ali Paws, died July 11 from septic shock following an unknown infection. A Capistrano standby for more than 30 years, Johnson had a compro-mised immune system since a car accident in the seven-ties forced the removal of her spleen. She was 62.

“She knew the risks,” said longtime customer Harriett Perry, “and understood her limitations, but she loved dogs too much to care about that stuff.”

Among her customers and friends, Johnson was seen as someone who understood the animals she cared for better than their owners. “It’s almost as if she endured the people so she could be with their dogs!” Perry said.

J

On Saturday, two days before her passing, a dog Johnson was grooming bit her. “We don’t know whether it was a result of the bite or from something as simple as a scraped knee,” said Johnson’s husband, John Howard.

Ali Paws, a business with a name playing on its street address (32141 Alipaz Street) is a place dogs were excited to visit. “They would just prance up to her. She had special names for all the dogs,” Perry said. “Joan would give them homemade scarves for every season, and would let them roam around the store and play with one another.”

Johnson was committed to taking time with the pets. She would use scissors instead of clippers, and stay gentle with the older dogs. Her customers called her a stylist, not a groomer.

“Joan introduced me to the dog world,” Howard said. “She had a love for all of them, especially those in need. Custom-ers of hers would pass away and we’d end up adopting their dogs.”

Howard remembered a time when he and his wife were in Tijuana. Johnson saw a group of children in a parking lot abusing a puppy. She broke the kids up and picked up the puppy, hiding it under her shirt until they had crossed the border. Today, Tecate is one of two dogs still living at home.

Dogs would come to her shop monthly. They would

have the same day and time every month. There was no room in Johnson’s schedule to add more clients—which could be why many of her customers have been with her for so long. Johnson got her customer base early and her passion and expertise kept it with her for

decades. Hurlbut says it will be tough to fi nd a

new groomer. “There will be no one to replace her.”

While Howard is hoping to have a memorial service for his wife, it has yet to be planned. He encouraged those who were touched by Joan Johnson to send no fl owers, but instead make a donation to her favorite charity, Delta Rescue. The group saves and provides sanctuary and homes to animals abandoned in the wilderness and can be reached at 661.269.4010.

It’s not just the customers who miss Johnson. Howard said the family’s second dog still living at home is Kymshih, a shih tzu who may be the only dog Johnson ever actually bought. But true to her desire to

help those who need it most, it was the runt of the litter. “Kymshih has been waiting at the door every night for Joan,” said Howard. “Just waiting for her to come home.”

Ali Paws will reopen Friday for regular grooming. Howard is heading up the search for a new groomer and says he wants to continue his wife’s legacy of care and quality. “I don’t know if we’ll ever fi nd another person like Joan, but we can try. And then it’s up to the custom-ers to decide.” CD

Family, customers mourn loss of longtime pet groomer replace her.”

memorial service for his wife, it has yet to be planned. He encouraged those who were touched by Joan Johnson to send no fl owers, but instead make a donation to her favorite charity, Delta Rescue. The group saves and provides sanctuary and homes to animals abandoned in the wilderness and can be reached at 661.269.4010.

Johnson. Howard said the family’s second dog still living at home is Kymshih, a shih tzu who may be the only dog Johnson ever actually bought. But true to her desire to


SJC LIVING

Domon, Mark Eddy, Rosalis Estes, Deb Perretti, Karen Propper, Wendy Wells, Joe Ruhl and Sherry Stephens.

The evening honors continued with executive director Dana Butler-Moburg’s inaugural introduction of the Mark E.

Shea Honors Volunteers

he J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center honored its 550 active volun-teers at the center’s yearly celebra-

tion and awards program for those who generously give their time to improve the lives of people with disabilities. More than 100 volunteers, Shea board members and others attended the ceremony.

The honored Lesson Volunteer of the Year was Bonnie Eastman of Mission Viejo, while Gabby Pattinson of San Juan Capistrano was honored as Youth Volun-teer of the Year.

The Shea Center’s volunteer develop-ment manager Kathy Gehlke also handed out awards of appreciation to Bonnie

T

Aldrich Board Leadership Award. In its fi rst year, this honor went to the award’s namesake Mark Aldrich, who is conclud-ing a second term as the Shea Center’s Chairman of the Board of Directors. The award was presented to Aldrich by

The Capistrano Dispatch

three former board chairs of the Shea Center, Janet Deacon, Jon Fosheim and Susie Roof.

The incoming slate of offi cers is headed by new board chair and longtime board member Marcia Jager. Jager is an expe-rienced nonprofi t leader having chaired several boards in Orange County including Human Options and Stop Gap.

Humans weren’t the only honored mem-bers present in this equestrian setting. “Shea,” a 19-year-old bay Morgan/draft cross mare was named Horse of the Year for her more than 11 years of service to the program.

During the year, volunteers give over 15,000 service hours to the operation of the Shea Center’s various programs for kids and adults with diagnoses such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and over 50 other disabilities.

For more information about the Shea Center and its volunteer programs go to www.sheacenter.org. CD

Ostensen, Rea and Regency Theatre Honored

Left: Youth Volunteer Gabby Pattinson of San Juan Capistrano and Lesson Volunteer of the Year Bonnie Eastman of Mission Viejo. Right: (l to r) Janet Deacon, Jon Fosheim, Susie Roof, Jennifer Hambel, Mark Aldrich and Allison Cordaro at the Shea annual meeting. Courtesy photos

the Moose,” which appears in The Capistrano Dispatch. Toulouse also has a website at http://www.toulousethe-moose.com.

Like Ostensen, she has also been active in the Fiesta Asso-ciation. Both are also gradu-ates of the city’s Community Emergency Response Team training.

Manager Lorenzo Porricelli accepted the Business of the Year award on behalf of Re-gency, delivering a heartfelt and entertaining speech peppered with lines from movies. He credited Capistrano as a charming town unlike any other. CD

onsummate volunteers Tom Ostensen and Monique Rea were honored as Capistrano’s Man and

Woman of the Year at a July 14 ceremony at El Adobe de Capistrano.

The Man and Woman of the Year are selected by a group of previous winners. The event is hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, who that night named the Capistrano Regency Theatre as Business of the Year. Waste hauler CR&R was hon-ored as Green Business of the Year.

Also receiving honors were David Malt, of Malt and Associates Insurance, as Ambassador of the Year and Mark McKissick from California Bank and Trust was honored as a new volunteer.

Ostensen is President of the Historical Society and a member of the city’s Open Space, Equestrian and Trails Commission. He is a past member of the Open Space Committee had served seven terms as President of the Fiesta Association.

Ostensen, a construction-management consultant, can often be found watering a garden at the Historical Society grounds, speading dust-control groundcover at the Northwest Open Space or building fences at either location.

Rea is a 38-year resident often seen wearing period clothing with her hus-band, Charles. She is active at the Mission and known for rescuing hum-mingbirds. She also gives seminars and teaches classes on garden plantings that can attract hummingbirds.

She is also the cartoonist for “Toulouse

C

By Jonathan VolzkeThe Capistrano Dispatch

Ostensen and Monique Rea were honored as Capistrano’s Man and

Woman of the Year at a July 14 ceremony

of the Year. Waste hauler CR&R was hon-

gency, delivering a heartfelt and

Mark McKissick of California Bank and Trustee, Best New Volunteer

Rachelle Paris of CR&R, Green Business of the Year

Lorenzo Poricelli of Regency Theatres, Business of the Year Nina and Tom Ostensen,

Man of the Year

David Malt, of David Malt Insurance, Ambassador of the Year

Charles and Monique Rea, Woman of the Year

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FOR RentPErfEct HOusE fOr LEAsE IN sAN JuAN cAPIstrANO - $2650/mo Looking for great people to take over this wonderful house. This 3 bedroom, 2 bath is in one of the best neighbor-hoods in San Juan - Mission Woods area. 3 car garage, Open backyard. Updated kitchen with granite counters, double oven, wood foors, new carpet, paint. Gardner incl. Call me 626-862-5757 or email me at [email protected].


Outdoor Fitness Adventure ClubDana Point HarborJuly 27, 5:30 p.m.

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5 BEST BETSSarah DeMille 5K Memorial RunSanta Margarita Catholic High SchoolJuly 23, 7 a.m.

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RUNNING BASEBALL SOCCER KAYAKING HIKING

Rattlesnake Avoidance ClassOrtega EquestrianJuly 31, 10 a.m.

OEC and the Ortega 4-H Rangers offer dog owners a specialized instructional clinic with Herpetologist Richard (Andy) Andreuss on Rattlesnake Avoidance Training for Dogs. Fee is $60 for 20 minute session.Info: Kathy Holman at 949.661.31305

By Evelyn Caicedo The Capistrano Dispatch

Roller Derby Team Takes a Hit, Stays Optimistic

hristy Wilson is a San Clemente mother who teaches preschool on the weekdays and kicks roller derby

butt on the weekends.She co-founded the non-profi t sports

organization South Coast Roller Derby in June 2009 along with Kelli Bristol and Laurel Cole, skate-mates at the time. The team has played at the rink behind Del Obispo School in San Juan Capistrano.

“I have been skating roller derby for a few years and had a very long commute to get to the other league I was skating at, so it was basically me needing to spend more time at home,” said Wilson, also known as Cris Cross in the SCRD leagues.

But after a few years at their home rink in Capistrano, the SCRD teams face a new challenge, as their space was taken from under them like a jammer getting wiped out by a line of blockers. Members of SCRD were celebrating at their July 4 gathering when they fi rst got wind that they could lose their rink. They were shocked, said Sean Carr, known as Carrdi-nal Sinner to derby skaters, to face being forced out of the city where they once felt so welcome.

“It was completely out of left fi eld,” Carr said. “A representative of the city came to [our] booth and said that we could not pro-mote our bouts or practice at Capo Sports Rink because the contract expired [on July 1].”

He declined to say what the rent was, or how much the city wants now.

SCRD members—the junior league is from 10 years old to 17 years old and the senior league is 18 and over—are looking at the glass as half full and are taking full advantage of their neighboring beach city parks. They practice three times a week.

C

South Coast Roller Derby, launched by San Clemente Woman, might lose home rink

“We have been skating along the beach from Doheny to Capo Beach, around San Clemente and in various parks,” Carr said. “To be honest, they have been the best practices we have had in a while. [They have been] fun, differ-ent and free.”

If negotiations fail with Capistrano offi cials, they will look into Laguna Hills, Saddleback College, Camp Pendleton Marine Base and other locations, Carr said. Most of the players are from the San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano areas.

Their goal remains to become part of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Associa-tion.

“We are applying for our WFTDA apprenticeship, so basically getting WFTDA status means we would be adhering to their standards and will be

able to participate with other WFTDA leagues,” Wilson said. “It adds legitimacy to our league and it distinguishes us from other leagues that may not have as high standards.”

SCRD will participate in the bout in Oceanside at Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Saturday, July 23 where doors will open at 5 p.m. and the skating will start at 6 p.m. Spectators are welcome, Carr said.

The coach for the Junior South Coast team, Roxanne Bond—who goes by Toxic Rox—is an ex-cop and she said that both the Junior and Senior South Coast teams feel “like a big family event, be-cause all of us get together and just have a good time and some even get involved in skating.”

Alexis Garcia, also known as Lexx Pistol, is in the junior league and has always felt that roller derby is a home

away from home.“Roller Derby is a family because we

get to be with our best friends and beat them up,” Garcia said, jokingly. “There are never any hard feelings and it is always exhilarating.”

Although there have been some set-backs with losing the Capo rink, SCRD still hopes to grow the league from girls 10 years old and older.

“I feel that if more people knew about roller derby they would do it,” Bond said. “If girls want to have better self-esteem, feel better about themselves, and com-pletely come out of their shell then they should come out and try it out. This is such a safe environment.”

For more information on the South Coast Roller Derby leagues, visit their Facebook fan pages or their website at www.south-coastrollerderby.org. CD

Roxanne Bond (left), 45, or Toxic Rox to her Roller Derby league, jams her way through the blockers to score points for the South Coast Roller Derby league. Photo by Danielle Johnson


SPORTS & OUTDOORS

Capistrano Valley Christian Hires Division I CoachThe Capistrano Dispatch

apistrano Valley Christian Schools has hired Tuonisia Turner Lewis as the girls varsity head basketball

coach, an 18-year coaching veteran.Turner, a former JSerra Catholic High

coach, replaces Ken Nipp, who resigned to pursue other opportunities.

“Coach Turner has coached and played at the highest levels in women’s basketball. She is an excellent coach and Christian role model. She brings a wealth of experience to our Lady Eagles’ Basket-ball program. She is arguably the finest teacher of the game in Orange County,” Dan Dodd, Athletic Director and head football coach of Capistrano Valley Chris-tian Schools, said in a statement. “CVCS is blessed to have her.”

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“Coach T” has coached at a number of levels, including middle-school club level, high school and college. She returns to the West Coast after spend-ing another year at Winthrop University, the 2010-2011 season, with her former col-lege coach, Bud Childers.

From 2007-2010 she was the head coach at Cal State Los Angeles, where she built a stable, competitive and academically motivated program. From 2005-2007 Turner served as Director of Impact Mentor/Leader-ship program, faculty mem-ber in Social Studies department and head girls basketball Coach at JSerra Catholic High School. Turner-Lewis led the program to an overall record of 36-17

in her two seasons there.Turner Lewis began her coaching

career at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she was an assistant coach from 1993-96. She then moved on to Long Beach State, where she was an assistant coach and later an associate head coach. Turner-Lewis was at Long Beach State from 1996-2004 and during that time she was responsible for coordinating national and international recruiting efforts, scouting opponents, developing practice plans,

training programs and monitoring the academic progress of her student-ath-letes. With players she helped to recruit to Long Beach State, the program

produced seven professional basketball players, one WNBA player, two confer-ence Player of the Year recipients, eight first-team All-Conference selections, eight second-team All-Conference picks, four All-Freshman Team selections, two De-fensive Player of the Year award winners and two Sixth Man of the Year recipients.

Turner-Lewis received her degree in communications from the University of Louisville, where she played for four years. She is one of only four players in Louisville history to score more than 1,000 points and have more than 500 as-sists in a career. She is fourth all-time on the Louisville career assist list with 543 and she is fifth in steals. She finished her career with 1,048 points.

Capistrano Valley Christian Schools is on Del Obispo Street. See www.cvcs.org for more information. CD

Capistrano Senior All Stars Claim District Title, Fall in Hard-Fought Playoffs

By Krysta WorthenThe Capistrano Dispatch

he San Juan Capistrano Little League Senior All Star Team won the District 68 Championship, the

first time a Capistrano team has claimed the title.

This marks the first championship for Capistrano since the district was estab-lished in 2004.

The team of 13 boys, all 15-16 years old, has played together as a unit for only two months. Most of them, however, grew up together playing ball for SJCLL.

The boys had a solid regular season, finishing with a record of 7-5 and then in the round-robin tournament beat Viejo 6-3, Trabuco Canyon 10-5, and finally beat Trabuco Canyon again, 7-1, for the championship. Player Mario Morales attributes their championship to pitcher Willie Quiros’ great game.

After taking the title, the team went on and played the Robinwood team, from Huntington Beach, on July 16, losing 8-4, and played the team again on July 18, los-ing again 11-7, eliminating the team from advancing further.

The final game, at Hausdorfer Field at the Sports Park, was a back-and-forth battle. Capistrano held the lead until the fourth inning, when Robinwood jumped out to a three-run lead. Capistrano roared back in an exciting rally to tie the game, only to see Robinwood batters knock a

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series of singles to again take the lead, this time for good.

The game stretched more than three hours and ended just as the field lights turned off automatically.

The team, “played hard, didn’t give up and played with all our hearts,” Morales said of the final game.

“They have been friends for many

years and were all committed to try and win a Championship as a team,” League President Mike Morales said. “The kids really supported each other and played with a never-give-up attitude. They gave their all for the team.“

The team consisted of players from San Juan Capistrano and Ladera Ranch Little League, and was led Manager Raul

Navarrete, Coaches John D Ornellas and Florencio Romero.

The players were Mario Morales, Josh Robison, Brain Hessling, Nick D’ Ornellas, Steven Cervantes, Jason Bray, Jairo Zamariipa, Jayson Core, Gary Elkins, Willie Quiros, Austin Major III, Marcos Romero and Danny Navarrete. CD

Courtesy photo

the capistrano dispatch

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