VOLUME 11, ISSUE 5

www.thecapistranodispatch.com

Nation’s Motto ‘In God We Trust’ Coming

Soon to City HallEYE ON SJC/PAGE 3

Pre-application Submitted for New Downtown Hotel

EYE ON SJC/PAGE 3

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Evanne Wilkes and the San Juan Hills baseball team looks to reach the playoffs for the second year in a row. Photo by Brian Park

OUR COMMUNITY, OUR VOICE MARCH 8–21, 2013

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S P O RT S / PAG E 1 6

San Juan prep sports teams prepare for a run at league

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New Gatehouse at the Mission Open, Gift Shop to Follow

EYE ON SJC/PAGE 3

THE LATEST: The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday, March 5, to include the nation’s motto, “In God We Trust,” at City Hall. The city will accept a donation from resident Jeff Péo, who offered to collect funds to pay to display the words.

According to Péo, a similar display cost the city of Santa Ana about $750. Péo said the funds would be collected from interested members of his congregation from the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints but not the church itself.

Additionally, the council approved adding a “freedom shrine,” a collection of historical documents, to go along with the motto and add historical context.

The only objection to the display came from 15-year-old Erica Delamare.

“I am Catholic and I believe in God, but I believe that city hall should remain a neutral zone,” Delamare said.

WHAT’S NEXT: Councilman Derek Reeve and Mayor Pro Tem Sam Allevato were appointed to a subcommittee to decide where to install the display.

FIND OUT MORE: For the full story, visit www.thecapistranodispatch.com.– Brian Park

THE LATEST: City, church and community leaders were on hand to get their fi rst glimpse of Mission San Juan Capistrano’s new gatehouse entrance and street-front gift shop on Tuesday, March 5.

“We no longer have to work so hard to convince you to come inside and explore

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

…‘In God We Trust?’

…the Mission Gatehouse?

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1LOCAL NEWS & IN-DEPTH REPORTINGEYE ON SJC

www.thecapistranodispatch.comThe Capistrano Dispatch March 8–21, 2013

…the Call for Harkey’s Resignation?

5

THE LATEST: Last week, jilted investors involved in a fraud lawsuit against an Orange County real estate lender that names a state assembly member, called upon the offi cial to step down.

The lawsuit accuses Dan Harkey of defrauding more than 80 investors—many of whom are elderly—out of more than $43 million, and alleges that investor money helped fund the elections of Har-key’s wife, state Assemblywoman Diane L. Harkey (R-Dana Point).

Harkey announced her candidacy last month for the state Board of Equalization in 2014. Something former investors in her husband’s Point Center Financial Inc., of Aliso Viejo, said she should reconsider.

“That money came from elderly people who’d lost their life savings,” said Lloyd Charton, the lead plaintiff in the suit.

WHAT’S NEXT: Plaintiffs in the Orange County lawsuit are seeking relief from the bankruptcy fi ling, in order to proceed with the suit. The case could proceed to trial if a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge removes an injunction at a hearing on Tuesday, March 19 in Santa Ana.

FIND OUT MORE: For the full story, visit www.thecapistranodispatch.com. – Andrea Papagianis and Jim Shilander

…the New Downtown Hotel?

…School Facility Upgrades?

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THE LATEST: Irvine-based development company Urban Village has submitted a pre-application for a new hotel in down-town San Juan Capistrano.

The plan proposes to build a 130- to 150-room hotel, 5,000 to 10,000 square feet of banquet and meeting space, restaurant and retail space and 17 to 20 single-family homes on a three-acre property, located south of Forster Street, behind the Egan House.

The proposed site, listed at 31878 Camino Capistrano, exists within the Historic Town Center Master Plan, which was approved by the City Council last April.

“The project represents the fi rst major private development proposal within the

THE LATEST: Capistrano Unifi ed School District Superintendent Joseph Farley said Wednesday, February 27, that facil-ity upgrades at school campuses could cost more than $1 billion.

During an informal discussion with the school board, Farley briefl y outlined a few of the district’s goals and objec-tives for the remaining school year, as well as the next one.

Facility upgrades at several campus-es, including modernization efforts, will be among the district’s top priorities, according to Farley.

The district will also look to improve school safety, security and student supervision. Farley also said the district will continue to emphasize its instruc-tional initiatives, and staff is currently doing work to upgrade and update CUSD’s strategic plan.

“We’re proud of what we’ve done. We’ve accomplished all of this in the worst economic crisis of any school district in California,” Farley said. “But I think the most important thing is not letting our fi nancial crisis stop us from moving forward.”

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SAN CLEMENTEThe City Council unanimously approved a controversial apartment development on

Arenoso Lane in the Pier Bowl at Tuesday’s meeting. The three-story, fi ve-unit Reef Pointe

Villas complex came before the council last month, after Planning Commission approval in January. Opponents of the development, however, had asked that story poles be put

up in order to show the effect the height of the building would have on views in the area, as well as potential “canyonization”

on the street. The applicant agreed to send the proposal back to the Planning Commis-sion for consideration with the story poles.

The poles were erected and the commission approved the application at a meeting last month. Council members voiced hope that

future development in the city might follow the example of this development.

NEWS NEXT DOOR

DANA POINTShort-term vacation rentals are one step closer to being allowed but regulated in Dana Point after a divided City Council vote moved the dis-cussion along Tuesday night. The council voted 3-2, with councilmen Carlos Olvera and Bill Brough dissenting, to continue the development of an ordinance to regulate rentals of less than 30 days, under conditions the minimum night stay and required number of parking spaces re-main open for debate. Current city code is silent on the subject—meaning short-term residential rentals are prohibited, but enforcement is rare. The proposed ordinance would allow such rentals, but place strict regulations on the use of property, length of stay, allotted number of vehicles and impose penalties of up to $1,000 for incompliance. At a public hearing, residents expressed concerns over the city’s ability to enforce such restrictions.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN OUR NEIGHBORING

TOWNS1WHAT’S NEXT: Board President John Alpay will collect written comments from his fellow trustees and submit them to Farley and district staff for discussion during the next board meeting, Wednes-day, March 13.

FIND OUT MORE: For updates, visit www.thecapistranodispatch.com. – BP

Town Center Zone District,” according to City Manager Karen Brust’s weekly report.

WHAT’S NEXT: According to Urban Village’s website, the project is still in its conceptual design phase and the company is currently seeking the city’s feedback.

FIND OUT MORE: For updates, visit www.thecapistranodispatch.com. – BP

this place,” the Mission’s Executive Di-rector Mechelle Lawrence Adams said.

The $3.3 million project rehabilitated the original gatehouse, which was built in 1919, to include a new ticket booth and welcome area. The gift shop has also been relocated from the 18th cen-tury Sala building to the street front, so it can be made available to patrons after hours.

“It’s the start of a new revitalization in the city,” said George O’Connell, presi-dent of the Mission Preservation Society Foundation, which raised the funds to pay for the project.

WHAT’S NEXT: The new gift shop is set to open in July.

OUT MORE: To view photos from the event, visit www.thecapistranodispatch.com. – BP

All information below is obtained from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department website (www.ocsd.org). The calls represent what was told to the deputy in the field by the radio dispatcher. The true nature of an incident often differs from what is initially reported. No assumption of criminal guilt or affiliation should be drawn from the content of the information provided.

Wednesday, March 6

DISTURBANCE-FAMILY DISPUTEHillside Terrace, 30000 Block (12:36 a.m.) Police responded to a call regard-ing a family dispute. A 51-year-old, 6-foot-tall, blonde man was arrested and taken to the Intake Release Center. Bail was set at $130,000 and he was scheduled to appear in court on March 7.

Tuesday, March 5

DISTURBANCEVia Sonora/Calle Belmonte (7:25 a.m.) A woman in her 50s, wearing a beige jacket was going through trash cans. This is an ongoing problem and the informant “is tired of it.”

Monday, March 4

SHOTS HEARDVerdugo Street, 26700 Block (11:58 p.m.) A caller reported hearing a shot fired near the train station.

DISTURBANCE-FAMILY DISPUTEVia Cordova, 31200 Block (2:14 a.m.) A loud argument was going on behind the caller’s location. The dispute sound-ed like a domestic issue and was be-lieved to be taking place on Via Sonora.

Sunday, March 3

BURGLARY ALARM-AUDIBLE Oceana Del Mar, 28300 Block (5:57 p.m.) Deputies responded to a burglar alarm at a location where two dogs were known to be present. The size of the dogs and whether they were confined was unknown. There had been a previ-ous break-in at the location through upper windows facing the back yard.

Saturday, March 2

HIT AND RUN MISDEMEANOR REPORTOrtega Highway, 27100 Block (12:41

COMPILED BY GARRETT YANCEY

The Capistrano Dispatch March 8–21, 2013 Page 4

p.m.) The driver of a white Mazda rear ended the caller’s red Mitsubishi Eclipse in a parking lot and then took off.

TRAFFIC HAZARDDel Obispo Street/Alipaz Street (11:53 p.m.) Three drunken males, wearing baggy clothing, were reportedly stum-bling in traffic lanes.

Friday, March 1

DISTURBANCE-MUSIC OR PARTYVia Monterey, 26100 Block (11:09 p.m.) Deputies warned a group of males mak-ing noise at the neighborhood pool and, although police do not enforce Home-owners’ Association Rules, advised the group of the after-hours complaint and HOA rules. A resident of the HOA was present.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCECalle San Diego/Calle San Antonio (5:15 p.m.) Twenty juveniles were seen gathering in the alley behind Calle San Diego and near the pool. No weapons were seen.

Thursday, February 28

DISTURBANCE-FAMILY DISPUTEDel Obispo Street, 31900 Block (8:03 p.m.) A man reported that his brother was acting aggressive and was possibly on drugs. According to the caller, his brother is a known user of methamphet-amine.

DISTURBANCECalle Arroyo, 27100 block (10:07 a.m.) A male guest at 24-Hour Fitness was in a loud argument with the staff and refused to leave.

Wednesday, February 27

SUSPICIOUS PERSONSCamino Las Ramblas, 26700 Block (9:15 p.m.) A woman called police after seeing someone in her backyard. She said she had also seen a shadow of a hand five minutes prior.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCEAlipaz Street/Del Obispo Street (3:26 p.m.) Juveniles were seen talking to older people in a silver Lexus. The caller was just a passerby who thought the interaction looked suspicious

SUSPICIOUS PERSON IN VEHICLE Paseo Amante, 31900 Block (5:52 a.m.) A large sedan, with its flashers on and the alarm sounding, was last seen heading south bound on La Novia. The vehicle was not swerving and no description of the driver was given.

SJC Sheriff’s Blotter

EYE ON SJC

ederal authorities seized nearly $700,000 in illegal drugs Saturday morning at the U.S. Customs and

Border Patrol checkpoint south of San Clemente, according to a department press release.

A 23-year-old man was arrested after officials found more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine and heroin hidden inside the spare tire-well of his vehicle.

Agents stopped the man for display-ing a “nervous demeanor” around 7:45 a.m. during the routine, but random, highway checks. Through a K-9 unit

inspection, agents found a single bundle of heroin and 29 bundles of metham-phetamine. The 31.2 pounds of meth-amphetamine seized had an estimated street value of $624,000 and the heroin, which weighed 3.9 pounds, a value of about $54,000.

The alleged smuggler and narcotics were taken into custody and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administra-tion for further investigation. To see photos from the stop, visit www.thecap-istranodispatch.com. CD

—Andrea Papagianis

A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent searches the spare-tire well of a Volkswagen Passat, Saturday at the I-5, San Clemente checkpoint. Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol

U.S. BORDER PATROL MAKES LARGE NARCOTICS SEIZURE

F

www.thecapistranodispatch.comThe Capistrano Dispatch March 8–21, 2013 Page 6

NEWS BITESP R O P S , R E C O G N I T I O N S A N D M O R S E L S O F I N F O

Compiled by Andrea Papagianis and Brian Park

Fiesta Association ‘Hangs’ Mayor to Mark 2013 Swallows Festival

Trumpeted by their board president Steve Weekes’ call, “Let’s get him!,” a throng of residents, all from the Fiesta As-sociation, stormed the council dias Tues-day to “hang” Mayor John Taylor during his proclamation of the 2013 Fiesta de las Golondrinas season. With a noose placed loosely around his neck, Taylor recited the city’s proclamation, which recognized the Fiesta Association as the lead organizer of the Swallows Day Parade and other as-sociated events. The Fiesta Association’s next event, the El Presidente Ball, is set to take place Saturday, March 16, from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., at El Adobe de Cap-istrano. The 55th Swallows Day Parade and Mercado will take place on Satur-day, March 23. The Mercado opens at 9 a.m., while the parade starts at 11 a.m. in Downtown San Juan Capistrano.

MADD Honors Local Sheriff’s Deputies

San Juan Capistrano Sheriff’s deputies Kasey Marshall and Bill Simandl were honored Tuesday by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for their work in appre-hending impaired drivers last year. In 2012, Marshall and Simandl arrested 25 and 44 impaired drivers, respectively.

“These two deputies truly set the stan-dard for the DUI apprehension effort,” Sgt. Ray Ulmer said. “Both of these deputies have strived to make the streets safe for everyone in the city of San Juan Capist-rano and they continue to remain vigilant for impaired drivers.”

MADD recognizes law enforcement personnel who reach 25 or more DUI arrests in a year with their MADD Deuce Award. Marshall is now a five-time recipi-ent of the award, while Simandl earned his third.

Capo Valley Seniors Named National Merit Finalists

Two seniors from Capistrano Valley High School are among the 14 Capistrano Unified School District students selected as finalists for the National Merit Scholar-ship.

The Cougar scholarship finalists are: Christopher Healy and Nicholas Burakoff.

The National Merit Scholarship Pro-gram is an annual academic competition for recognition and scholarship opportuni-ties. Finalists are eligible for some 8,000

Have something interesting for the community? Send your information to

bpark@thecapistranodispatch.com.

EYE ON SJC

financial awards worth more than $34 million.

“These students have worked hard and proven themselves academically,” Superintendent Joe Farley said in a press release. “This honor recognizes their hard work and dedication to academic excel-lence.”

Last year, 11 students from CUSD were named National Merit Scholars, out of the 1.5 million students from nearly 22,000 high schools across the country that entered. Students enter the program by taking the preliminary SAT, which acts as a screening process in the competition. Scholarship winners will be named this spring and summer.

Local Resident Rings NASDAQ Stock Exchange Closing Bell

On Friday, March 1, James Williams of Dana Point helped ring the NASDAQ Stock Exchange closing bell in celebration

of a real estate trust merger.Williams an investment advisor of

Williams Financial Advisors Inc., in San Juan Capistrano, was chosen by American Reality Capital Properties to participate in the ceremony, celebrating the company’s acquisition of a non-traded investment trust.

Williams Financial Advisors is a family firm that has served Southern Orange County for more than 30 years. Visit www.williamsfinancialadvisors.com for more information.

College Scholarship Applica-tions Available Until March 15

Applications for Coral Thrift Shop’s col-lege scholarship awards are available until March 15 for all graduating seniors in San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente. Last year, more than $34,000 in scholarship money was awarded to seniors, and this year, Coral Thrift Shop expects to exceed that amount. Since opening in 1964, Coral Thrift Shop has awarded more than $1.9 million through its community youth and scholarship programs. Applications are available through high school counselors and can be obtained at the shop, located at 534 North El Camino Real in San Clemente. For more information, contact Arlene Weller at arleneweller@yahoo.com or call 949.498.7746.

Historian to Speak at Casa on Rancho Settlements

Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens will host the second installment of its 2013 Speaker Series March 14 at 7 p.m. by American history expert, author, educator and international speaker, Doug

Westfall. Westfall will talk about the two-dozen Hispanic ranchos that settled in the region we know today as Orange County.

Westfall has published America’s his-tory for over 18 years and is an authority on the history of California. Ticket prices for individual presentations are $10 for general admission, $5 for Casa Romantica members and free for students and chil-dren. Tickets may be purchased by calling 949.498.2139, ext. 10.

Immigration Attorney to Speak at South Orange Democratic Club

The monthly dinner meeting of the South Orange County Democratic Club will be held on Wednesday, March 13, at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino del Avion, San Juan Capistrano.

This month’s featured speaker is John Alcorn, an immigration attorney from Irvine who was a captain and judge advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1974-1977.

Buffet dinner is at 6 p.m. The cost is $17 for members and $20 for non-members. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Please RSVP by March 9, via e-mail, to ken-ton805@cox.net.

Reduced Fishing, Hunting Licenses for Service Members

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is offering reduced-fee sport fishing and hunting licenses to military service members who are recovering from service-related injuries or illnesses.

Recovering service members are defined as members of the Armed Forced, including the National Guard and Reserve, who are undergoing medical treatment, recuperation or therapy and are in outpatient status while recovering from a serious injury or illness related to military service. Reduced-fee licenses are also available to those who may have a temporary injury or illness.

The fee was authorized by State Senate Bill 1287, which was signed in September 2012 by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Interested service members are asked to submit an application and a letter from their commanding officer, or from a military medical doctor, verifying their eligibility. For more information, visit dfg.ca.gov/licensing/

With members of the Fiesta Association at his side, Mayor John Taylor is “hung” during an annual tradition marking the city’s proclamation of the Fiesta de las Golondrinas season. Photo by Brian Park

Mary Beth Griffin, a representative from the Orange County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, recognizes the work of Sheriff’s deputies Kasey Marshall (left) and Bill Simandl. Marshall and Simandl arrested a combined 69 impaired drivers in 2012. Photo by Brian Park

www.thecapistranodispatch.comThe Capistrano Dispatch March 8–21, 2013 Page 7

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. 11, Issue 5. 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 2013. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

PUBLISHER Norb Garrett

EDITORIAL

Senior Group Editor> Andrea Swayne

City Editor, The Capistrano Dispatch> Brian Park

Sports Editor> Steve Breazeale

City Editor, SC Times> Jim Shilander

City Editor, DP Times> Andrea Papagianis

ART/DESIGN

Senior Designer> Jasmine Smith

ADVERTISING/MULTI-MEDIA MARKETING

Associate Publisher > Lauralyn Loynes

> Michele Reddick (San Clemente)

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Sales Associates> Angela Edwards

OPERATIONS

Finance Director> Mike Reed

Business Operations Manager> Alyssa Garrett

Accounting ManagerDistribution Manager> Tricia Zines

SPECIAL THANKSRobert Miller, Jonathan Volzke

CONTRIBUTORS Megan Bianco, Victor Carno, Elysia Gamo, Tawnee Prazak, Dana Schnell, Garrett Yancey

CITY EDITORSTORIES, NEWS, CALENDAR, ETC.

Brian Park, 949.388.7700, x108 bpark@thecapistranodispatch.com

ADVERTISINGPRINT AND ONLINE

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DISTRIBUTION RACKS, DRIVEWAYS, SUBSCRIPTIONS

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BILLINGAlyssa Garrett, 949.388.7700, x100 agarrett@thecapistranodispatch.com

HOW TO REACH US

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Habitat Restoration in San Juan Capistrano

Letters to the Community

In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, The Capistrano Dispatch provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the colum-nist alone and do not refl ect those of The Capistrano Dispatch or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editor@thecapistranodispatch.com.

ecause there has been some dis-cussion recently about the habitat restoration worked being done in

the northern end of San Juan Capist-rano, on the hillsides and along Trabuco Creek, I thought it might be of value to provide some background on that

restoration effort. The Orange County

Transportation Author-ity (OCTA) is expand-ing the Orange County freeway system by adding lanes to certain freeways (5, 405, 91, etc.). As part of that ex-

pansion, OCTA is legally required under state and federal law to restore open space in Orange County to compensate for impacts resulting from freeway con-struction. The habitat restoration proj-ect is not funded by city funds; OCTA and other third party grantors fund it. The project will result in considerable public benefi ts, including improved open space recreational opportunities, improved scenic resources, enhanced

GUEST OPINION: By Larry Kramer, San Juan Capistrano City Councilman

B

Larry Kramer

public amenities and increased environ-mental values. Already the project has removed more than 50,000 pounds of illegally dumped debris and trash from the site.

Any city staff or project costs (includ-ing water costs) are reimbursed by OCTA or other non-city grant funds, including the irrigation lines. The condition of the property is not natural, but full of debris and non-native species such as spiny artichoke thistle, which degraded the public open space and merited improvement. The irrigation lines will support establishment of oak trees, wildfl owers and other species that represent the natural condition of the property before 100 years of cattle graz-ing resulted in mainly weeds occupying the site. At project completion, the site

will be a signifi cant improvement and will offer the public numerous benefi ts. Watering should only be required while establishing the native plants.

There are surprisingly many people who walk, bicycle or ride horses in this area. It is open to the public. I like to ride my (non-motorized) bicycle through the area. If anyone is ever inter-ested I would be glad to arrange for you to tour the area or tour it with you (have bike, will ride).

Larry Kramer is a 11-year resident of San Juan Capistrano. He was elected to city council in 2010 and served one year each as mayor and mayor pro tem. He is also a member of the Open Space Foun-dation and member and former president of the Rotary Club. CD

NEW DOWNTOWN HOTEL—Dave SwerdlinI wondered why the baseball kept get-

ting bigger, and then it hit me.Little Nellie is my fi rstus and very

bestus mule in all of San Juan Capist-rano. It seems we haven’t found our way out of the bar all winter. So, I call up my friends and neighbors to chew the fat and to reacquaint with our buddy Jack Daniels, along with hot coffee for our single tea drinker, Bobby Sue.

Then, on the way to Sally’s House of Some Repute, this cold winter morn-ing, we picks up the local rag, the Capo Squealer, and fi nds out a slick Willie developer is before staff and council, trying to make a buck by densifying and congesting up our beloved historic town center, the very foundation of our small

village-like feel.Seems this slick Willie developer

group named “Urban Village” be want-ing to tear down half the historic town center and put in some boutiquey hotel, 15 or 20 homes, and a bunch of hoity-toity retail, not more than 400 or so feet from that already council-blessed Gretchen Strocheim hotel being built next to the Mission.

Well, those of us who were around here in the 1980s or so went through and around about with another city slicker development group named Oliver McMillan, who wanted to build a hotel and uppity-scale retail, right where our beloved Historic Town Center Park is located.

Must be spring time and that there deja vu stuff in the water again ‘cause

our council and staff is again being blinded by that awesome sight of a mega tax base for the city, and only at the expense of our small town feel.

For this development to succeed means a lot more traffi c must be gener-ated to support the hotel and retail components—and combined with 15 or 20 new homes, apartments and condos equals about 2,000 car trips a day, right in the center of town. If you think traffi c is bad now, this ain’t gonna make it bet-ter. It will surely decimate the existing retail with even more vacancies, as our little town supports only a given amount of retail.

Well, friends and neighbors, this slick Willie, “Urban Village” group of city slickers, led by Mr. Host, is a-looking for our input.

The best input we can think of is to tell them slickers to output, as in get outta town before we gets up some of farmer Bob’s tar and rails. Tell ‘em we ain’t fooled a bit by their promises that ev-erything will be better than ever—been there, done that and know it ain’t true.

They get the money, and we get a mas-sive serving of big city congestion and pollution.

Let city staff and council know that increased density in historic town center ain’t ever worth the extra tax base. The loss of our small village-like feel that gives us our sense of family, community and tradition isn’t worth the price we’d have to pay.

I can see why Roy Byrnes is on the council again. I might just have to join him.

The Capistrano Dispatch March 8–21, 2013 Page 8

SOAPBOX

Patience and Patronage a Must during Interchange Construction

In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, The Capistrano Dispatch provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the colum-nist alone and do not reflect those of The Capistrano Dispatch or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editor@thecapistranodispatch.com.

y now, I am sure most everyone has seen the

construction activity at Ortega Highway and the Interstate 5 freeway. This construction will be a disruption to our com-munity for the next two

years but promises to provide improved mobility and safety when completed.

We have had a lot of traffic construc-tion improvements over the last several years and I would hope that you would agree that the inconveniences have been worth the wait. To list a few: Camino Capistrano and Del Obispo; the widen-ing of the Del Obispo bridge over Tra-buco Creek; Camino Capistrano and I-5; and the construction of the enhanced safety crossings at the railroad tracks.

All of these projects have caused some inconvenience but are now functioning at better levels of service for our motor-ing public. In addition, the City Council recently declared our railroad crossings as “quiet zones,” which will now elimi-nate the need for the train engineers to blow their horns as they travel through town. Additionally, the decades-old “ghost train” phenomenon will be elimi-nated by August of this year.

My point to all this is that with incon-venience comes progress, and we are seeing great indicators of our town mov-ing aggressively ahead on many fronts.

One major indicator is the 17 percent increase in sales tax revenue that the city has collected this year over the same period as last, which indicates to me that we are showing a modest recovery.

But we must not rest on our laurels. The Ortega/I-5 construction should not dissuade our residents from continuing to “shop local.”

We have the best restaurants, special-ty shops, entertainment venues (Camino Real Playhouse, Regency Theater, Zoomars, etc.) auto dealers, markets

and big box retailers in south Orange County. And remember that not all our shopping is “downtown.” We also have fine shopping and eating areas on the east side of town, at the Ortega Business Center and Marbella Plaza. These shop owners are committed to providing the best quality service and products to our residents; so please patronize them as much as you can.

And when was the last time you visited our beloved Mission San Juan Capistrano? Celebrate the arrival of the swallows on March 19 and renew your spirit by visiting the beautiful gardens of the Mission, dropping by Serra Chapel for a moment of prayer or enjoying the “Mission Treasures Exhibit,” a display of rare paintings, religious artifacts and documents related to Mission history. A new gatehouse and gift shop welcomes all visitors with a new entry and shop-ping for special mementos of your visit.

And let’s all promise to be a bit more tolerant and courteous during the con-struction. Let that one last car in ahead of you at the light and the favor will be returned when you are in the same predicament. Plan your trips a bit more carefully and allow yourself more time to complete them. Your City Council has been meeting with Caltrans on a regular basis in order to coordinate our emer-gency response and community involve-ment during construction and have obtained extra funding from OCTA for public outreach to keep you informed. Our city is encouraging more events dur-ing this project with reduced and waived fees for use of public facilities and services in order to stimulate business and tourism. The following resources will aid you in keeping abreast of the construction: www.ortega.dot.ca.gov ; www.sanjuancapistrano.org; www.san-juanchamber.com; www.facebook.com/ortegainterchangeproject; and www.twitter.com/ortegahighway.

Our town has weathered earthquakes, floods and droughts in the past. When these unfortunate incidents occur, we pull together and make things better for all by sharing ourselves and our trea-sure. So please, consider shopping local for your needs and entertainment. Our local merchants will appreciate it and the local tax revenue will go a long way toward providing for vital city services.

Sam Allevato is a 37-year resident of San Juan Capistrano. He is currently serv-ing on the city council as mayor pro tem and has served on the council for the last 9 years, including two years as mayor. CD

GUEST OPINION: By Sam Allevato, Mayor Pro Tem of San Juan Capistrano

B

Sam Allevato

The Capistrano Dispatch March 8–21, 2013 Page 9

SOAPBOX

SJC Chamber Supports the Zoomars Dinosaur

In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, The Capistrano Dispatch provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the colum-nist alone and do not reflect those of The Capistrano Dispatch or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editor@thecapistranodispatch.com.

ne of the best aspects of my job is frequently agreeing with the people that I’m technically

“disagreeing” with. In other words, I find that people speaking in opposition to a Chamber policy usually have the same goals and big picture vision that we do. It’s subtle nuances and minor differences of perspective that put us on opposing sides of an issue.

For example, we might advocate for relaxed sign ordinances yet totally un-derstand those who want to protect the charm of the community by avoiding too many signs, banners, etc. I take that as a sign of how good things are in San Juan Capistrano and how many people are passionate about doing what’s best for the community. The issue of the dinosaur at Zoomars fits this model exactly. I understand the spirit of the arguments against the statue but the Chamber believes it’s right to keep the statue where it is.

The three main questions that drove the Chamber’s decision were: One, what precedents have been set? Two, how will it impact the Los Rios Historic District? And three, what is best for the community overall?

“Precedent” in the Los Rios District is a little hard to pin down. It’s still a residential neighborhood but a stroll down the street obviously highlights many variances from that. I’m no histo-rian, but I think it’s safe to say gift shops and outdoor dining weren’t part of the historic fabric of the neighborhood. Yet they’ve become a fun and welcomed facet of Los Rios Street and are a big part of what draws visitors to experience the area. More specific to Zoomars, the most obvious precedent-setter is the train ride. Its addition to the property signifies that a prior council determined that features above and beyond a “pet-ting zoo” are appropriate.

Protecting the historic appeal of Los

Rios and its special designations is very important to the Cham-ber. We believe efforts to preserve history are greatly valuable to the community. However, we feel that the dinosaur doesn’t significantly

detract from the overall historic appeal of the neighborhood. The statue has been on the property at Zoomars for the better part of a year and Los Rios still feels like Los Rios.

The statue isn’t directly on, or even visible from, Los Rios Street. It’s tucked back in a space that actually isn’t part of the most highly restricted part of the Los Rios District’s historic zone. There have been more visitors at Zoomars but not so many that it’s substantively disrupting residents or other businesses.

The final factor in our position was the Chamber’s belief that keeping the dinosaur statue is good for San Juan Capistrano overall. Keeping the dinosaur means adding an activity for kids that is educational, outdoors and doesn’t in-volve a screen, such as an iPad or video game. Keeping the dinosaur also sends a message that our city supports business and economic development.

Communities, especially those like San Juan Capistrano whose economy is highly reliant on tourism revenue, are always looking for ways to bring in new visitors and create tax revenue that sup-ports the city’s operations. The dinosaur statue has proven to do just that, at no cost to our city.

Zoomars Petting Zoo is a great local business that brings joy to children from all over the region. It attracts thousands of tourists who can experience the beau-tiful history of Los Rios and all of San Juan Capistrano during their visit.

We want to encourage and promote their continued growth and respectfully urge the City Council to do so as well by approving the dinosaur statue.

Note: Carolyn Franks, owner of Zoomars, is a member of the Board of Directors for the SJC Chamber. Ms. Franks had an obvious conflict of inter-est and therefore was not a part of the board’s discussion of or vote on a posi-tion relative to this issue.

Mark Bodenhamer has served as CEO and executive director of the San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce since 2010. CD

GUEST OPINION: Mark Bodenhamer, CEO of the San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce

MARK BODENHAMER

O

www.thecapistranodispatch.comThe Capistrano Dispatch March 8–21, 2013 Page 10

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

FRIDAY NIGHT WITH FROGS AND TOADS6 p.m.-8 p.m. Evening hike to search for frogs and toads with an expert at the Reserve/Rich-ard and Donna O’Neill Land

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

LAURENCE JUBER 7:30 p.m. Grammy winner, who was the lead guitarist for Paul McCartney’s Wings band, per-forms for the Lord of the Strings concert series at the Dana Point Community House. $30. 24642 San Juan Ave., Dana Point, 949.842.2227, www.lordofthestringsconcerts.com.

DANA POINT SYMPHONY CONCERT 7:30 p.m. Concert titled “Opera and the Ocean with the Festival of Whales” at St. Edward’s Church. $10-$15. 33926 Calle La Primavera, Dana Point, www.danapointsymphony.com.

friday 08

SECOND SATURDAY ART FAIR 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Local and regional artists feature their arts and crafts, also includes local musicians, business and restaurant specials and more in

downtown San Juan Capistrano. More info: 949.493.4700, www.sjcartfair.org.

TONY RODRIGUEZ SCHOOL BOY CRUSH 7:45 p.m.-11 p.m. Live music at The Vintage Steak House. 26701-B Verdugo St., San Juan Capistrano, 949.661.3400, www.thevintagesteakhouse.com.

BACKYARD SKILLS LECTURE: RAINWATER HAR-VESTING 11 a.m. The Ecology Center holds a class on how to harvest and feed your garden rainwater and reduce harmful run-off. Free. 32701 Alipaz St., San Juan Capist-rano, 949.443.4223, TheEcologyCenter.org.

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. St. Mar-garet’s students perform the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama in the Marcus D. Hurlbut Theater. $18.75. 31641 La Novia Ave., San Juan Capistrano, 949.661.0108, www.smes.org.

saturday 09

MARILYN MONROE SEARCH 3 p.m. Audition to be the next Marilyn on Stage II at Camino Real Playhouse. Dress the part and be ready to perform for 1-2 minutes. 31776

El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano, 949.489.8082, www.caminorealplayhouse.org.

MURDER BY THE MISSION DINNER THEATRE6:30 p.m. Murder mystery dinner theatre Camino Real Playhouse. Make reservations at Sarducci’s. Tick-ets $59. 31776 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano, 949.493.9593, www.caminorealplayhouse.org.

DAWSON’S GANG 2:30 p.m. Sunday Funday at The Swallow’s Inn. 31786 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Cap-istrano, 949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

WHALE OF A CONCERT Noon-5 p.m. As part of the Festival of the Whales, three bands perform at Baby Beach area in the Dana Point Harbor (The Dave Silver Band, Mobility and Savor). Free. Food and drink avail-able for purchase. 34451 Ensenado Place, Dana Point, 949.248.3530, www.danapoint.org.

GOOD NEIGHBORS CLUB OF CAPISTRANO VALLEY MEETING 11 a.m. The ladies group meets at Irons in the Fire for lunch to discuss local groups of interest and an entertaining

program by musicians from High Hopes University. 150 Avenida Magdalena, San Clemente, 949.361.0586.

CURIOSITY CARTS 10 a.m.-noon. A hands-on learning experience for kids 5 and older with replicas of Mission artifacts used by the Juaneño Indians at Mission San Juan Capistrano. 26801 Ortega Hwy., 949.234.1300, www.mis-sionsjc.com.

WHALE AND DOLPHIN TOURS Capt. Dave’s Sa-fari has whale and dolphin watching tours on a high-tech catamaran with underwater viewing pods and more. Call

for times and reservations. Cost $55 adults, $35 children, 2 and younger free. 24440 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point, 949.488.2828, www.dolphinsafari.com.

sunday 10

tuesday 12

monday 11

MISSION GARDEN TOURS 10 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Guided tours of the Mission gardens. Free with paid admission $5-$9 plus $1-$2 for tour. 26801

Ortega Hwy., 949.234.1300, www.missionsjc.com.

KARAOKE WITH LES AND JOEL 7 p.m. The Swallow’s Inn. 31786 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

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

STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS AND DINNER 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. The SJC Cham-ber of Commerce and Mayor John Taylor present the 2013 State of the City Address at El

Adobe de Capistrano, 31891 Camino Capistrano. Tickets $60. Call for info: 949.493.4700, www.sanjuanchamber.com.

JUSTIN FOUTZ 7:30 p.m. Live music at The Swallow’s Inn. 31786 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

DOUG WESTFALL 7 p.m. Casa Romantica SpeakerSeries continues with a presentation on the history of Orange County ranchos with American history expert, author, educator and international speaker, Doug Westfall. Admission $10; Members $5. 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, 949.498.2139, www.casaromantica.org.

thursday 14

wednesday 13

Two months ago, audiences got a silly grown-up retelling of Hansel and Gretel, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, with Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner and British actress Gemma Arterton. This month brings Warner Brothers’ live-action new vision of Jack and the Beanstalk called Jack the Giant Slayer, with newly rising star, Nicholas Hoult, established movie veteran, Ewan McGregor and favorite character actor Stanley Tucci.This revamped version includes Jack (Hoult), a wimpy farm boy with heart, Elmont (McGregor) is an Errol Flynn-esque hero with brawn, and Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlin-son), the princess at the top of the beanstalk waiting to be rescued. Then there’s the Basil Rathbone-like villain (Tucci) Elmont has to defeat, and of course, giants galore to be slain. Co-starring Bill Nighy, Ian McShane and Ewen Bremner and directed by Bryan Singer of X-Men fame, Jack the Giant Slayer features CGI of The Hobbit variety and a love story similar to a Disney fi lm. McGregor seems to phone in his performance, while Hoult is a bit too dweeby for an underdog hero. But Tucci plays a fi ne villain, and Tomlinson is given her own armor and horse rather than just being left in distress. Giant Slayer doesn’t bring anything new to the table direction or story wise, but it is an easy go-to fl ick for parents looking to entertain their kids. —Megan Bianco

AT THE MOVIES: JACK NO KILLER OR GIANT, BUT STILL FUN

© Warner Bros.

FESTIVAL OF WHALES The second weekend of events including parades, music, art show and sale, street faire, contests, water sports, SUP demonstra-tions, family activities, food, drinks and much more in the Dana Point Harbor area. Go online for schedule and more details: www.festivalofwhales.org.

GRUNION RUN 7:45 a.m. As part of the Festival of Whales, head to Doheny State Park and participate in a fl at, fast and scenic run along the coast and through the state park with age group awards and more. Distances: 10k, 5k (or both), kids’ 1k. Cost $15-$55. 25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point, www.festivalofwhales-grunionrun.com.

www.thecapistranodispatch.comThe Capistrano Dispatch March 8–21, 2013 Page 11

GETTING OUT

Melvin Seals & JGB, the latest incarnation of the Jerry Garcia Band—Melvin Seals (organ/keyboard), Dave Hebert (guitar), Jimmy Tebeau (bass guitar) and Pete Lavezzoli (drums)—are bringing the unique sound the band has long been known for to the Coach House, Thursday, March 21. We caught up with Seals to talk about the band and the upcoming show. Here’s what he had to say:

SC TIMES: What kind of set are the fans in store for?

SEALS: They are in for a true Jerry Garcia experience full of songs from the ’90s shows at the historic Warfield in San Francisco. It will be a great show.

Besides the obvious, what has influenced the band’s musical style?

ON STAGE AT THE COACH HOUSE

MELVIN SEALS & JGB

Melvin Seals & JGB. Photo © Bob Minkin

We mix blues, funk, rock, jazz, with a little R&B and gospel thrown in, to spice things up. We are exploring the possibility of what Jerry’s band would have sounded like today. JGB is excited to take it even further.

What’s next for JGB?Perhaps in the future, writing some of our own

material will be explored. We are also looking to tour internationally. We hope to go “where no man has gone before.”

Catch Melvin Seals & JGB at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on March 21. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $23 at the door. For tickets or dinner reservations, visit www.thecoachhouse.com or call 949.496.8930.

— A.J. Bardzilowski

WINERY RIBBON CUTTING AND GRAND OPENING2 p.m.-6 p.m. The Chamber hosts the grand opening of Hamil-ton Oaks Winery. Free. 29943 Camino Capistrano, San Juan

Capistrano, 949.493.4700, www.sanjuanchamber.com.

WINE AND MUSIC CRUISE 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. Dana Wharf’s cruise on a luxury catamaran with wine, snacks, music and more. Tickets $49. 34675 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, 949.496.5794, www.danawharf.com.

COVERFIRE 6 p.m. Montego Restaurant and Bar. 27211 Ortega Hwy., San Juan Capistrano, 949.481.2723, www.montegorestaurant.com.

EDWIN MCCAIN 8 p.m. The Coach House. Tickets $20. 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.496.8930, www.thecoachhouse.com.

friday 15

EL PRESIDENTE BALL 6:30 p.m.-11 p.m. The Fiesta As-sociation presents the Western-themed formal event at El Adobe de Capistrano. 31891 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano,

949.493.1976, www.swallowsparade.com.

BACKYARD SKILLS WORKSHOP: GREYWATER 1 p.m.-3 p.m. The Ecology Center hosts an event on how to recycle water from household sinks and laundry to your garden with a greywater system. $10 for members and $15 for non-members. 32701 Alipaz St., San Juan Capistrano, 949.443.4223, TheEcologyCenter.org

THE ARK OF SAN JUAN PET ADOPTION 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dogs at the Petco, 32391 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. Cats and kittens from noon-4 p.m. at PetSmart, 33963 Doheny Park Road, San Juan Capistrano, 949.388.0034, www.arkofsanjuan.org.

ST. PATRICK’S DINNER AND DANCE 5 p.m.-10 p.m. The San Clemente Exchange Club and the city host the 46th annual event in the SC Community Center featuring a corned beef and cabbage dinner, live band, authentic Irish dancers, drawings and more fun. Admission $20 donation. 100 N. Calle Seville, San Clemente, 949.498.3602, www.san-clemente.org.

saturday 16

SUNDAYS AT SUNSET CONCERT SERIES: OP-ERA NIGHT 6 p.m. South Orange County School of the Arts at Dana Hills High School presents the concert

series in the Dana Point Yacht Club. This week’s theme is “Opera Night.” Tickets $10-$14. 24399 Dana Drive, Dana Point, www.socsarts.org.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY LEPRECHAUN HUNT 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Pursuit of the mischievous Irish fairy, the leprechaun, and more fun at the Reserve/Richard and Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy. $5-$10. Call for info and directions, 949.489.9778, www.theconservancy.org.

FUNNIEST HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY8 p.m. Comedy at The Coach House. Tickets $20. 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.496.8930, www.thecoachhouse.com.

ANNUAL ST. JOSEPH’S DAY FESTIVAL AND RETURN OF THE SWALLOWS CELEBRA-TION 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Mission San Juan Capistrano’s annual event to welcome back the swal-

lows featuring ringing of the historic bells, live mariachi music, folklorico and flamenco performances, community presentations and much more. 26801 Ortega Hwy., San Juan Capistrano, 949.234.1300, www.missionsjc.com.

GARDEN CLUB: TOMA-TOES, FROM A TO Z 10 a.m. Master gardener Tom Farrell will be at the SJC Garden Club’s meeting at San Juan Hills Golf Club

to discuss tomatoes. 32120 San Juan Creek Rd., San Juan Capistrano. For more info, contact Valerie Drey: 949.584.1680, www.sanjuancapistranogardenclub.com.

Have an event?Send your listing to events@thecapistranodispatch.com

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

sunday 17

tuesday 19

monday 18

LUNCH LOCAL 11:30 a.m. Chamber networking lunch at The Olive’s Branch Mediterra-nean Grill. 31105 Rancho Viejo Road, #C13, San

Juan Capistrano, 949.493.4700, www.sanjuanchamber.com.

HART AND SOUL 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Live music at Montego Restaurant and Bar. 27211 Ortega Hwy., San Juan Capistrano, 949.481.2723, www.montegorestaurant.com.

FIESTA GRANDE 6 p.m.-9 p.m. A night of Wild West en-tertainment at The Swallow’s Inn with four contests: Best Dressed Old West Man, Best Dressed Old West Woman, Best Belt Buckle and the “Smooth-Puss”/Hairiest Man contest. Contest entry fee $5. 31786 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

JANN BROWNE AND BEER CHUGGING CONTEST7:30 p.m. Live music starts and at 9 p.m. the beer contest begins, at The Swallow’s Inn. 31786 Camino Capistrano, San

Juan Capistrano, 949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

FARM TO FORK: ADULTS 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Explore The Ecology Center gardens and prepare a meal along-side a professional local chef. $35 member/$45 non-yet-member. Ages 18+. 32701 Alipaz St., San Juan Capistrano, 949.443.4223, www.theecologycenter.org.

thursday 21

wednesday 20

TONY RODRIQUEZ SCHOOL BOY CRUSH7:45 p.m.-11 p.m. Live music at The Vintage Steak House 26701-B Verdugo St., San Juan Capistrano, 949.661.3400, www.thevintagesteakhouse.com.

SHAMROCKER FAMILY FESTIVAL Noon-8 p.m. Kaleidoscope and The Derby Manhattan Grill host the event benefiting the Fallen Fire Fighter Relief Fund fea-turing live music, drinks, kids activities, raffles, games, food and much more. Kaleidoscope, 27741 Crown Val-ley Pkwy., Mission Viejo, www.gokaleidoscope.com.

ARCHITECTURAL WALKING TOUR 10 a.m. Dis-cover 200 years of San Juan Capistrano architecture on a 90-minute guided walk. Meet at Verdugo Street. Oc-curs every Saturday; a $5 donation supports the Friends of the Library. For more info, call 949.489.0736.

4LIFE IN OUR COMMUNITY

SJC LIVING

4COMMUNITY CALENDARTuesday 3.12

Planning Commission Meeting 6:30 p.m. City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adel-anto. www.sanjuancapistrano.org.

Wednesday 3.14

State of the City 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mayor John Taylor will give the annual State of the City address during a dinner event hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. Tickets cost $60. For more information, call the Chamber at 949.493.4700 or visit www.sanjuanchamber.com.

Friday 3.15

Coffee Chat 8 a.m. A spirited town hall forum on community issues, hosted by The Capistrano Dispatch founder Jonathan Volzke. Occurs every Friday. All are welcome. El Adobe Restaurant, 31891 Camino Capistrano.

Tuesday 3.19

City Council and Successor Agency Meeting 6 p.m. City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto. www.sanjuancapistrano.org.

www.thecapistranodispatch.comThe Capistrano Dispatch March 8–21, 2013 Page 13

Wednesday 3.20

Oversight Board to the Succes-sor Agency Meeting 3 p.m. City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto. www.sanjuancapistrano.org.

Thursday 3.21

Design Review Committee Meet-ing 4:30 p.m. City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto. www.sanjuancap-istrano.org.

Friday 3.22

Next issue of The Dispatch publishes.

How long should singles wait to meet a new mate’s friends and family?

Dating Milestone: Meeting Family and Friends

In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, The Capistrano Dispatch provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not refl ect those of The Capistrano Dispatch or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editor@thecapistranodispatch.com.

ach Friday, I publish an online e-newsletter. Julie, one of my subscribers, emailed, “I’ve been

dating a man for almost a year. We had only known each other for a month or two when he was diagnosed with throat cancer. Our relationship was put ‘on hold’ during his surgery and treatment, which ended six months ago. Since then, all of the tests have come back negative for cancer.

“Here’s the issue: He has met my friends and family, but he has yet to introduce me to anyone in his life. I’ve asked him a few times about when I will meet his kids, and his answer has always been ‘eventually.’ I am trying to be patient, knowing that the health issues he has dealt with are a big reason for him holding back. But, this is beginning to bother me. Should I just give him some more time, or should I be seeing this as a red fl ag?”

Six e-newsletter subscribers emailed advice:Alicia—Austin, Texas, “Julie has gone above and

beyond supporting the man. If he cared deep down for Julie, he would have treated her like a gem and intro-duced this loyal light in his life to his family and friends by now. Julie needs to shine bright for someone else and let him go.”

Jennifer—Aliso Viejo, Calif., “Something is defi nitely off in Julie’s relationship. A man who doesn’t level with you about his situation after a year is often being dishon-est.”

Wayne—Dana Point, Calif., “This is a huge red fl ag. Family and friends are a major part of one’s life. If Julie’s friend is the least bit interested in her for the long

E

GUEST OPINION: On Life and Love After 50 By Tom Blake

ON LIFE AND LOVE AFTER 50

By Tom Blake

haul, he would want to introduce her to his family and friends.

“I suspect he is either not interested for the long haul or has something to hide. One’s interaction with family members and friends speaks volumes about a person’s character as they are the ones that have known him or her the longest.”

Gale—N.C., “There’s something that doesn’t ‘feel’ right about this scenario. After this long, one would think trust and closeness would have been established. She needs to decide that perhaps cutting the cord is what needs to be done.”

Jon—Olympia, Wash., “The reason is only one of two possibilities: One, there is something about her that he doesn’t want his family to see, or two, there is some-thing about his family that he doesn’t want her to see. Considering that distance is not a problem, she should

at least have had some interaction with them by now.” Stella—Costa Mesa, Calif., “Do not back away from

him. Six months is a relatively short healing time for such a traumatic illness. If within the next three or four months, there isn’t any sign that he’s moving in the right direction, confront him again. Be prepared to hear that he’s just not that into you. It’s better to know than to wonder.”

Singles over 50 meet and greet events are scheduled for Thursday, March 14, and Thursday March 28, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Tutor and Spunky’s Deli, 34085 Pacifi c Coast Hwy #116.

Tom Blake is a San Clemente resident and Dana Point business owner who has authored three books on middle-aged dating. For dating information: www.fi ndingloveafter50.com To comment: tompblake@gmail.com. CD

SJC LIVING

The Fiesta Association Celebrates 50 Years of Hard WorkIn an effort to provide our readers

with a wide variety of opinions from our community, The Capistrano Dispatch provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the colum-nist alone and do not reflect those of The Capistrano Dispatch or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editor@thecapistranodispatch.com.

his year marks the 55th Swallows Day Parade in historic San Juan Capistrano. But it has an extra

bonus celebration this year: It’s also the 50th anniversary of the Fiesta Associa-tion.

Prior to 1963, what became known as the Fiesta Association was a committee sponsored by the Chamber of Com-merce.

In January 1963, the newly formed Fiesta Association elected Walter Porter president and C. Fulton Shaw as execu-tive vice president. Three other vice presidents were Ralph Clarke, parade chair; Merrill Wood, finance chair; and Mrs. Jack Sheahan, membership chair.

T

Mrs. Antonio Olivares was elected treasurer; Mrs. Richard Fitzpat-rick, recording secre-tary; and Mrs. Walter Porter, corresponding secretary. Committee chairmen included Mrs. John Hancock, town decorations; Rich-ard Farwell trail drive;

Mrs. C. Fulton Shaw, reservations; Mrs. Lucana Isch, hospitality; and Bud Curtis, trophies.

To encourage membership, three categories were made available. A $5 or working membership was for those who spent at least 50 hours during the year working on parade week. A $25 or associate member was for those who gave time only during the week of the fiesta. A $100 annual membership was for those who supported the association but did not work.

While it did rain on parade day in 1963, the event was not cancelled. Pa-rade participants totaled 168, which was a then a new high. The Grand Marshal for the parade was Buddy Ebsen, star of the top-rated television show “The

Beverly Hillbillies.” In spite of the rain, over 12,000 people came to watch the two-hour parade.

The Fiesta Association was a four-day event. Horsemen began to gather on Friday evening. A trail ride for Sunday was cancelled because of the rain, but the hundreds of horsemen who camped on the Matt Belardes ranch did undertake informal rides over the countryside, in between the intermittent rains. Saturday was parade day, which included booths and entertainment. An outdoor dance that evening had to be moved indoors as a result of the weather. Tours of the Rios Adobe, the oldest home continuously inhabited by the same family, were of-fered throughout the day and Sunday. Sunday also saw the return of booths and entertainment. Tuesday was St. Joseph’s Day at the Mission which included a pageant and procession and Mass.

Despite the weather, most observ-ers reported in the Coastline Dispatch, “The parade was one of the best in the history of San Juan’s annual Swallows Day events.”

The Fiesta de las Golondrinas season

MOMENTSIN TIME

By Jan Siegel

GUEST OPINION: Moments In Time by Jan Siegel

celebrates the legend of the return of the swallows to the Mission every March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph, and their departure on October 23. The swallows became popular in the lore of San Juan Capistrano from a story pub-lished in Capistrano Nights by Father St. John O’Sullivan. October 23 coincides with the death of the Mission’s patron saint, San Juan Capistrano. The two dates are celebrated as feast days in the Franciscan Calendar.

The Fiesta Association’s weekend events have grown into a month-long celebration and culminate with the parade. As you enjoy the event this year, spend a Moment in Time and reflect on the last fifty years and all of the hard work and dedication of a few people who have made the Swallows Day Parade the largest non-motorized parade in the United States.

A 26-year resident of San Juan Capist-rano, Jan Siegel has served on the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission for 11 years. She was named Woman of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce in 2005, Volunteer of the Year in 2011 and was inducted into the city’s Wall of Recogni-tion in 2007. CD

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Abby’s Fine Jewelry Design 949.493.363232382 Del Obispo, Ste. C-3, www.abbysdesigns.com

JEWELER

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Vermeulen’s Landscaping Inc. 949.661.0967bvland@cox.net

MOLD REMOVAL

LANDSCAPING

San Juan Photo & Digital 949.661.566832301 Camino Capistrano, www.sjcphotodigital.com

PHOTO & DIGITAL LAB

A to Z Leak Detection 949.499.4464www.atozleakdetection.comChick’s Plumbing 949.496.9731www.chicks-plumbing.com

PLUMBING

Excel Electric - CA #793860 949.493.776932238 Paseo Adelanto E-I, www.excelelectric.com

ELECTRIC CONTRACTORS

Excel Electric 949.493.776932238 Paseo Adelanto E-I, www.excelelectric.com

ELECTRICIANS

Oasis Air Conditioning & Heating 949.420.132131648 Rancho Viejo Rd., Ste. A, www.oasisair.com

AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING

Independence Bank 949.373.896332291 Camino Capistrano, Suite A,www.independence-bank.net

BANKING

San Clemente Computer & Network Servicesdaniel@sanclementecomputer.com 949.276.1581

COMPUTER SERVICES

GraCorp Coins & Collectibles 949.350.4692www.gracorpcoins.com

COINS

Call Angela Edwardsat 949.682.1667 or e-mail

aedwards@thecapistranodispatch.com

Jarvis Restoration 949.362.538831942 Paseo Sagrado, www.jarvisrestoration.com

WATER DAMAGE

Bryan Krueger Enterprises, Inc. 949.212.049933208 Paseo De Cerveza, Ste. B

ROOF MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Capistrano Valley Christian Schools 949.493.568332032 Del Obispo Street, www.cvcs.org

SCHOOLS

Printing OC 949.388.488827134 Paseo Espada #B 203, www.printingoc.com

PRINTING

Bayside Window Cleaning, Inc. 949.215.2323 www.baysidewindowcleaning.comClear Windows 949.485.8793San Clemente, www.clearwindows-llc.com

WINDOW CLEANING/PRESSURE WASHING

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GARAGE SALES

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SKATEBOARD/LONGBOARD EQUIPMENT & DRE BEATS FOR SALE Sector 9 Roxanne $100 (Great Condition); Jet Peanut $15; Jet Revolver $10; Gunmetal Trucks $40; Comet Grease Hammer $110 (Great Condi-tion); Rad Releases 81a $35; Sector 9 Race Forms $35; Abec 11 Free Rides $10; Cult Classics (green) $25; Blue Sector 9 Race Forms (slide) $15. Dr. Dre Beats Studios (red) $200. Call 949.533.9761 for more info

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NEIGHBORHOOD GARAGE SALE Saturday, March 16. Mesa Vista South neighborhood in San Juan Cap. Our two streets are Via Montoya and Paseo Segovia. Times: 7AM to Noon.

5STORIES, SCORES, SCHEDULES & MORE

SPORTS& OUTDOORS

5he Spring sports season is here for the San Juan area prep teams. Some squads have league title as-

pirations, others are focused on staying competitive, and all of them are coveting the ultimate goal of succeeding in the CIF playoffs.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter @SouthOCSports all season long for in-game updates, news and more.

SAN JUAN HILLS

BASEBALL Drawing from a deep talent pool in south Orange County, head coach Jeremy Wooten has seen his young program grow by leaps and bounds in fi ve years, including an 18-12 fi nish and the team’s fi rst playoff berth and victory in 2012.

League realignment brings San Clemente and Dana Hills into the fold in 2013. And with Aliso Niguel coming off a championship game appearance last year and Laguna Hills playing well in the early going, Wooten said the Stal-lions have their work cut out for them in the ultra-competitive Sea View League.

If the Stallions can fi ne tune their small-ball approach by the start of league play, Wooten believes his team will most certainly contend for a second consecutive playoff berth.

Senior shortstop/pitcher Dylan Diaz and senior second baseman Colby Schultz will once again keep the Stal-lions offense rolling. Junior centerfi eld-er Jacob Duhey, a left-handed hitter, and junior catcher Jack Reisinger will also bring balance to the Stallions’ lineup.

Spring Sports PreviewBy Steve Breazeale, Brian Park

and Victor CarnoThe Capistrano Dispatch

Senior pitcher Evanne Wilkes is slated as Wooten’s clear No. 1 starter. Senior Ben Goldman is slotted behind Wilkes, but an elbow strain will keep him out for one to two weeks. Juniors Marco Cianciola and Riley Knechtel are part of a young bullpen that Wooten hopes to see grow during the season. –Brian Park

Key Games: 3/20 vs. San Clemente, 3:30 p.m.; 3/22 at Dana Hills, 3:30 p.m.; 3/26 at Aliso Niguel, 3:30 p.m.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL The proverbial cupboard wasn’t left bare for fi rst-year head coach Matt Prosser when he took over the Stallions boys volleyball pro-gram in November. Former head coach Justin DeBlasio, who took the head job at his alma mater, Santa Margarita, left Prosser with a strong crop of young and experienced talent to work with in 2013.

“I knew I was taking over a program with a good foundation,” Prosser said.

Prosser comes to San Juan Hills with 15 years of coaching experience at the high school, club and collegiate levels. He’s a 10-year professional beach vol-leyball veteran and was also a four-year starting middle blocker at Long Beach State.

“Whenever he talks, we absorb everything he says,” junior setter Logan Zotovich said.

The 2013 season is already underway for the Stallions, with a home victory against Beckman and road losses at regional rival Capo Valley and Trabuco Hills. Based on their fi rst three games, Prosser said his team has proven itself to be extremely athletic but must be-come more aggressive with their serves and more consistent with their passing.

Prosser will likely rely on three

players with club experience: Zotovich, senior setter Parker Gentry and junior outside hitter Ryan Shickling. – BP

Key Games: 3/19 at Laguna Hills, 6:15 p.m.; 3/28 at El Toro, 6:15 p.m.; 4/4 vs. Aliso Niguel, 6:15 p.m.

TRACK AND FIELD The Stallions track and fi eld team hopes their new home will help them run, jump and throw their way to a top fi nish in the reformed and competitive Sea View League.

The new all-weather track has already helped the Stallions during offseason training, and for the fi rst time in the school’s history, throwers will be able to practice in new shot put and discus rings, and the team will fi nally be able to compete in the pole vault.

“Last year, we just use the dirt and we’d forfeit nine points every meet,” head girls coach Catherine Nolan said.

Although the league loses San Clem-ente and Tesoro, they are replaced by Aliso Niguel and El Toro, both histori-cally competitive programs.

The second annual Jeffrey Adam Memorial Regatta is set to take place on March 10 as part of the Festival of Whales in Dana Point Harbor.

The regatta is being organized by Dana Point sailor Liz Fletcher to honor her friend Jeffrey Adam, who died in June 2011 after being diagnosed with meningitis.

Fletcher and Adam learned the ins and outs of sailing through the Mari-

SECOND ANNUAL JEFFREY ADAM

MEMORIAL REGATTA

ners Sea Scouts Program, Westwind Sailing and the Dana Point Yacht Club and both were fi xtures on the local sail-ing scene around town, according to a press release.

The fi rst rendition of the regatta took place last year, as part of Fletcher’s community service project in the Mari-ners Sea Scout program.

The regatta is open to youth and adults and the race is for those who want to compete or just have fun in the water. Sabots, Lasers and 420s are among the classes of boats that will be featured. Entrance fee to the regatta is $30 and includes a bracelet, lunch and dinner. Proceeds benefi t the Dana Point Youth Charitable Foundation.

Racing begins at 11 a.m. with dinner following at 4:30 p.m. Dinner is open to the public and tickets are $20. For reg-istration and dinner tickets, visit www.DPYC.org. —Steve Breazeale

OUTDOOR SPOTLIGHT

The Jeffrey Adam Memorial Regatta will take place in the Dana Point Harbor on March 10 at 11 a.m. Courtesy photo

www.thecapistranodispatch.comThe Capistrano Dispatch March 8–21, 2013 Page 16

Head boys coach Robert Summers said junior Chris Camarena is an athlete to watch out for this spring. Camarena is part of the Stallions’ stellar sprint medley team, but his forte is the 800, in which he’s posted a personal best of 2:01:75 and is eyeing the school record.

On the girls’ side, Nolan beams when she talks about senior heptathlete Kylee Vandenberg, who is a strong competitor in the 800 and has registered discus and javelin throws of 115 feet and 125 feet, respectively. —BP

Key Meets: 3/9 at Irvine Invitational, 7:45 a.m.; 3/14 at El Toro, 2:45 p.m.; 4/15-16 at Arcadia Invitational, TBA

CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN

BASEBALL Coming back from a CIF-SS Division 6 Championship loss, Capistrano Valley Christian’s baseball team seems more optimistic than ever.

The big question seems to be what CVC is going to do without their stand-out No. 1 pitcher Sam Eichler, who car-ried a lot of the pitching load last year

T

San Juan area prep sports teams prepare for new season

San Juan Hills senior track and fi eld standout Kylee Vandenberg will compete in the 800 meter run as well as the javelin and discus throws this year. Photo by Brian Park

and went on to play at Eastern Tennes-see State.

Head coach Clemente Bonilla touched on the fact that instead of relying on one player to carry his pitching staff, he now has three pitchers that he believes have proved themselves in the past few seasons. Those three are DJ Suturious, AJ Discenzo and Dallas Klone.

“We’ve grown in depth with (our) pitching…We only lost three or four seniors since last season,” Bonilla said.

While the Eagles are a young team, having been in the CIF championship game last season, Bonilla feels his team has gained experience and is poised to make another deep playoff run.

Some key players to keep an eye out for this season include junior Parker Coss (the team’s No. 3 hitter), and se-nior captain Aaron Anast. –Victor Carno

Key Games: 3/19 at Fairmont Prep, 3 p.m.; 5/7 vs. Saddleback Valley Chris-tian, 6 p.m.

SOFTBALL “Energy, dedication, per-sistence, and the willingness to learn is what this team needs because they are so new and young,” Capistrano Valley Christian head softball coach Shannon Justice said.

Justice explained that, for a lot of the girls, this is their first time swinging a bat or throwing a ball.

The team is coming off of a first round elimination last year in the CIF-SS playoffs and have a brand new coach.

“New” seems to be the recurring theme amongst this team, and this is why Coach Justice is focusing on fun-damentals and working towards a more solid defense.

As for this year’s line-up, seniors Chloe Jurgason and Christine Giralamo return as captains. Justice describes Jur-gason as the team’s foundational player. Jurgason, the Eagles No. 3 hitter, also balances a 4.65 grade point average.

Rachel Matranga and Faith Grady are two freshman pitchers joining the rotation.

Justice couldn’t stress enough that while she and her team just wanted to have a fun, stay positive and energetic, the main goals everyone on the team were working for were claiming the number two spot in league and, more importantly, gaining experience. –VC

Key Games: 3/27 vs. Saddleback Valley Christian; 5/9 vs. Liberty Christian, 3:15 p.m.

JSERRA

GIRLS SWIMMING With five girls, including four freshman, and no divers, the JSerra girls swim team ended up winning the CIF-SS Division 1 Champi-onship in 2012. It was a season that head coach Mary McLaughlin described as

“unexpected.” Because they were such a young team

last year, the Lions return every single member of that five person roster in 2013.

The success and experience gained by some of the team’s swimmers in the offseason could make them even more formidable in the coming months.

In June, Kaitlyn Albertoli and Katie McLaughlin both qualified to compete at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. Albertoli, now a sophomore, will look to stay solid in the 50 and 100-meter freestyle. McLaughlin, also a sopho-more, will compete in the four events she qualified for in the Olympic Trials, the 100 and 200 meter freestyle and the 100 and 200 meter butterfly.

Senior Rebecca Millard will return and will most likely compete in the 50 and 100-meter freestyle.

Sophomores Brittany Kahn (500 meter) and Karli Thuen (200 individual medley and 500 freestyle) will specialize in the longer distances for the Lions.

“They’re doing a great job. They’re all training really hard and swimming very fast,” McLaughlin said. “All of them are

swimming faster this season than they have last season.” –Steve Breazeale

Key meets: 3/23 at Capo, Millikan Relays. 3/21 Mater Dei at JSerra . 4/16 at Santa Margarita.

BASEBALL After losing 13 seniors to graduation, JSerra baseball head coach Brett Kay knew that his team had to put in a lot of hours over the offseason in order them to come together and learn how to play as a cohesive unit.

That meant pitchers emerging to replace the top two in the rotation who graduated. It meant players coming out and battling for spots on defense.

The lengthy split-squad offseason also helped Kay and his coaching staff better understand their players to prepare for what will be a tough regular season schedule in 2013.

“I was pleased with (the offseason)…We got a lot of guys playing time which made our depth a little bit better…It was a feeler,” Kay said. “It was critical to find out who is going to play where, what seniors were going to lead, how the pitching staff lines up…and where (players) can be successful.”

Although many graduated, the Lions return a deep and talented roster.

Sophomore lefty Quentin Longrie has solidified himself as the ace of the pitching staff and makes the most out of his 5-foot-10-inch frame. Junior righty Parker Joe Robinson is the No. 2 and has become a more complete pitcher, according to Kay. Seniors Dominic Bastone and Logan Escudero round out the staff.

Casey Worden, who hit .360 last year, will be behind the plate at catcher for the Lions again.

Center fielder Dane McFarland, who is currently No. 73 on the Baseball America Top 100 Prospect List, is com-ing off hand surgery and Kay hopes for him to return before league play.

Kay stressed how pitching has been a strength so far, but the team will need to be more rounded as the season pro-gresses.

“I’ve been happy with how they’ve been playing. We’ve pitched well but haven’t been very offensive…We haven’t got all three cylinders running yet,” Kay said. –SB

Key Games: 4/2-5 Boras Baseball Clas-sic at JSerra; 5/7 vs. Mater Dei, 6 p.m.

SADDLEBACK VALLEY CHRISTIAN

SOFTBALL Fifth year head coach Dave Martin saw his team go unde-feated in San Joaquin League play last season, only to be ousted from the CIF-SS playoffs in the first round.

This year, Martin has put together a strong preseason slate for the Saddle-back Valley Christian softball team to navigate, in order to better prepare the team if they replicate last season’s suc-cess and make it to the playoffs again.

Games against bigger schools like Dana Hills, San Juan Hills, Corona Del Mar and Laguna Beach dot the Warriors schedule as they prepare to defend their San Joaquin League crown.

“We anticipate another strong show-ing in league…Hopefully we’ll be able to put a good foot forward to defend the league championship,” Martin said.

The team lost only one senior to graduation and returns a deep roster with experience.

Sophomore pitcher Sydnee Martin pitched 100 innings last year, going 14-5 overall, en route to claiming San Joaquin League MVP honors. She will carry the workload for the Warriors once again.

Syndey Gallina is the team’s lone senior and will hold down first base and the No. 4 spot in the lineup. The William Jessup University commit and a first-team all-league selection has a career .485 batting average and 13 home runs in two varsity years.

Junior shortstop Madisyn Moynihan(Cont. on page 18)

www.thecapistranodispatch.comThe Capistrano Dispatch March 8–21, 2013 Page 17

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

Senior Dominic Bastone is returning from injury and will help solidify the JSerra baseball pitching rotation. Courtesy photo

www.thecapistranodispatch.comThe Capistrano Dispatch March 8–21, 2013 Page 18

SPORTS & OUTDOORS(Cont. from page 17)

will be the No. 3 hitter and is another all-league selection from last year’s squad poised to make an impact. —SB

Key Games: 3/18 at Laguna Beach, 4 p.m.; 3/27 at Capistrano Valley Chris-tian, 3:15p.m.

BOYS VOLLEYBALLThe Saddleback Valley Christian boys

volleyball team made it to the quarter-finals of the CIF-SS Division 5 playoffs last year. It was an historic mark for the small San Juan school. Now, following a productive offseason and just one game under their belts in 2013, head coach Ryan Van Rensselaer thinks this team is already playing at a higher level than they were last year and enter the new season ranked No. 1 in the CIF-SS Divi-sion 5 coaches poll.

The addition of 6-foot-3-inch freshman club player Noah Dyer to the Warriors offense has provided them with an extra luxury. Dyer, an experienced setter, now plays alongside returning senior setter Nico Bonetto in the Warriors new-look 6-2 offense.

With two talented setters on the floor, the Warriors big attacking players, like senior middle blocker Nick Worrel, senior outside hitter Marcus Molina and junior outside hitter Torrey Karlsen, will be able to strike from the back and front row.

“I think the maturity of (Bonetto), now coming in to his second season is huge by itself, but throwing (Dyer) in as a seasoned setter…now we can run a com-plex offense,” Van Rensselaer said. “Not only are we big and strong and fast, but we have consistent setting…We already look better now than we did at the end of last season.” –SB

Key Games: 3/27 at San Juan Hills, 5 p.m.; 4/30 vs. Capistrano Valley Chris-tian, 5 p.m.

BOYS AND GIRLS SWIMMINGA strong group of returning seniors

and a few new faces to the Saddleback Valley Christian swim teams look to lead the program in 2013.

Last season both the boys and girls team finished third at the Academy League Finals. The girls followed that up with an 18th place finish at CIF while the boys placed 33rd.

This season, the team returns plenty of swimmers who have already im-pressed head coach Bert Bergen in the early going.

Juniors Ryan Dale and Jason Jewell are poised to have a breakout season on the boys team and Bergen described how they both have preseason times that would rank them in the top-10 in CIF. Dale is primarily a 200-500 freestyler and will be a part of the Warriors relay team. Jewell is a pure sprint racer and recently

set a personal best in the 100-meter free-style with a time of 51.61seconds. They will be joined by senior co-captains Bud Davis and Peter Haverkamp.

On the girls squad, senior co-captain Devan Carpentier looks to take the lead in the 50, 100 and 200 meter freestyle events. Carpentier was a CIF finalist in the 50-meter freestyle last season. Kylie Owen, a freestyler and backstroker, will return. Freshman Casey Cunningham, who Bergen says has the versatility to swim every event, will add depth and speed to the Warriors roster. —SB

Key Meets: 4/10 vs. Whitney at Capist-rano Valley, 3 p.m.; 4/16 at St. Marga-ret’s at San Juan Hills High, 3:15 p.m.

ST. MARGARET’S

BOYS GOLF The St. Margaret’s boys golf team has a long tradition of domi-nant league performance. Last season the team claimed the co-Academy League championship, which was the 10th time in 11 years they’ve either won the title outright or shared it with another school.

Every one of the Tartans players who were integral in their scoring from last year is returning again this season.

Senior Robert Deng, who is com-mitted to play at Harvard next fall, will captain the team. Deng has a four-year stroke average of around 37, which is a solid score on most southland courses. Head coach Rocky Parker said Deng is a very cerebral player, who thinks his way around the course in order to go low.

Junior Anthony Cecere had the best stoke average on the team last year and got off to a hot start this preseason when he fired a 30 in a nine-hole compe-tition. He followed that up with a 32 (-2) at Marbella Country Club in the team’s opening match against Fairmont Prep on February 26.

Senior David Freed returns and will

be a co-captain for the Tartans. Junior Will Morrison is a raw player

who is just getting back into the swing of things after playing for the Tartans basketball team. —SB

Key Matches: 3/27 vs. Sage Hill, 3 p.m.; 4/23 vs. Sage Hill, 3:30 p.m.

BOYS LACROSSE With the arrival of first-year head coach Glen Miles, the St. Margaret’s boys lacrosse team looks to avenge an early first-round exit from last year’s playoffs.

The 2013 version of the Tartans will feature a lot of talented athletes who have backgrounds in other sports as well.

Junior midfielder Josh Davis, who is the football team’s quarterback, will be among the focal points of the offense and enters his third year on the varsity roster. He’s played under two head coaches and has enjoyed the transition to Miles’ style of play.

“It’s a really…organized approached that keeps us motivated,” Davis said. “Everything is planned out and it’s based off time and effort and how much work you put in…We’ve adapted super well…I think it’s a cool approach.”

Joining Davis up top will be senior attacks Chase Williams and Alex Waller, both of whom have a knack for goal scoring.

Senior Austin Birch, who was the team’s backup goalie last year, will start in net for the Tartans while senior Bran-don Suchand will hold down the back line defense.

The Tartans have had a tough early season schedule and currently stand at 1-2. They had a 9-8 win over Oak Park on March 2 and suffered two losses against San Clemente and Foothill. They will get their chance at a rematch against Newport Harbor on March 16. —SB

Key Games: 4/9 at Santa Margarita, 7 p.m.; 4/16 vs. JSerra Catholic, 4 p.m.

BASEBALL The 2012 season ended in heartbreaking fashion for the St. Mar-garet’s baseball team. They had a two run lead in the final inning with two outs and two strikes against their opponent in the semifinals of the CIF-SS Division 6 playoffs. They ended up losing 6-5.

The fact that they made it to the semifinals and return a strong, veteran team has the Tartans believing they can go one step beyond last year’s efforts in 2013.

“They got a taste of winning last year, they understand how to win and they believe in themselves…It came down to the last inning, last out, and guys just didn’t give up and they tasted it and they have a desire,” head coach Mel Taylor said. “The nucleus of this team is back and they understand and the expecta-tions they have for themselves is higher than what it has been in the past.

The returning players have devoted themselves to a solid offseason regimen. A consistent group of around 10 players took part in offseason Saturday practice sessions that stretched to two hours. It was a way for the team to practice funda-mentals that are usually stressed in the preseason. But this team wanted to get a head start.

“It was loose and fun but we still practiced all the fundamentals,” senior Harrison White said.

The one-two pitching duo of White, a Yale commit, and junior lefty Chaz Williams will be back on the mound for the Tartans. Williams spent the offsea-son working with the Quakes baseball academy and has added a changeup to his repertoire.

White will also be a big bat in the Tartans lineup, as will Williams.

The team is also eagerly anticipating the return of senior Max Carr, who was not able to play his junior year due to an injury. —SB

Key Games: 3/14 vs. Oxford Academy, 6 p.m.; 3/19 vs. Crean Lutheran, 6 p.m. CD

Saddleback Valley Christian’s Peter Haverkamp (second from left) and Bud Davis (second from right) will be a part of the Warriors speed oriented team in 2013. Courtesy photo

St. Margaret’s senior shortstop/pitcher Harrison White believes the Tartans have what it takes to reach the CIF-SS Championships. Photo by Steve Breazeale