Capistrano Beach

Pie Society Bar Opens Behind Pitfire Pizza in Costa Mesa

Somehow, after many, many months of successfully dodging media events and previews and other assorted occasions where I actually have to behave myself in front of my esteemed colleagues, I ended up at four events in a week. The one I was looking most forward to, because I have this dream of being a ... More >>

Aztec Revolver at the Surfin' Cowboy, Our Drink of the Week!

I'm not sure what to make of the Surfin' Cowboy, which replaced Coconuts in Capistrano Beach. On the one hand, it's got a kind of schizophrenic theme (cowboys who surf?) and they're still shaking off the Affliction-shirted, vodka-Red Bull-drinking UFC wannabes who infested the location's previous it ... More >>

The Surfin' Cowboy, New Craft Cocktail and Burger Bar, Opens In Capo Beach

Ever wonder what happened to David Valiante, the tequila-loving bartender at Fullerton's Matador Cantina? Well, for a while he was tending bar for Gabrielle Dion at Broadway by Amar Santana, but then left to pursue his own mysterious projects.Well, he's surfaced, and his project was the Surfin' Cowb ... More >>

Temple Israel Vandalized by Nazi Douchebags

Just a week ago, Temple Israel in Long Beach was rededicated after major improvements were made to the synagogue complex at 269 Loma Ave. "Improvements" added last night were not improvements at all but disgusting swastikas and slogans sprayed onto the place for worshipers from greater Long Beach an ... More >>

Shane Chris Christensen Allegedly Used Lady Employee's Computer to Spy on Her Remotely

How creepy is this? A Capistrano Beach man is accused of hiring a woman to work for his tire business from her home, with a computer he supplied--and then used it to spy on her remotely.Shane Chris Christensen, 41, is facing charges of eavesdropping, computer fraud, videotaping without consent and, ... More >>

Christopher John Aragon Gets 25 Years for Leading Sophisticated Credit Card Crime Ring

Christopher John Aragon, who pleaded guilty in March to leading a crime ring that stole thousands of personal identities for counterfeit credit cards used to buy high-end goods that were re-sold online, has been sentenced to 25 years in state prison. The Capistrano Beach 52-year-old is the final of ... More >>

A Closer Look At OC's Anti-Vaccination Cluster

South County parents are opting out of the CDC schedule altogether

Dr. Robert Sears Takes on Both Sides of the Great Vaccination Divide

The author of 'The Vaccine Book' presents his own alternatives to the CDC-recommended schedules kenneth m. ruggiano

OC Fishermen Are Out to Sea

Thanks to overregulation in the name of conservation, these hard-working men face extinction

What We Learned, March 24-30

​The week flew by, but we still learned from it.MARCH 24: Octomom Nadya Suleman earns $8,000 posing nude for a British magazine. She is not using the money to save her La Habra house, as that's listed for sale as a foreclosure, but to rent a new pad for her, her 14 kids and the gaggle of gossip re ... More >>

Christopher John Aragon Guilty of Leading Crime Ring That Stole I.D.'s, Made Fake Credit Cards and Bought Goods Resold on Web

​Way back in January 2010, then-Weekling Spencer Kornhaber shared a video where a Newport Beach Police detective displayed the machinery hacker Christopher John Aragon used to forge credit cards based on real names and account numbers stolen off the interwebs. Aragon, 51, of Capistrano Beach, ple ... More >>

Promised Land Sees Israel Through the Eyes of Surfers

​A film about surfers of different faiths coming together in Israel, of all places, makes its U.S. premiere at a sold-out screening in Dana Point this evening.Promised Land, which was directed by Todd Morehead and produced by Morehead and Carlsbad Christian nonprofit Walking on Water, screens at 6 ... More >>

Capistrano Beach Church Rocked by Swastikas, Obscenities and Other Vandalism

​Sheriff's investigators are treating as a hate crime the application of swastikas to the walls of Palisades United Methodist Church in Capistrano Beach over the weekend. Using lipstick and black markings, the international sign of Nazism and other obscenities were painted onto a preschool wall be ... More >>

Nike U.S. Open of Surfing: Crowds Arrive, Trialists Decided, Main Event Ready to Begin

Kevin Lara/OC WeeklyThe action in the water rarely stops.**See Our Slideshow.**​If you know anything about the U.S. Open of Surfing, you know that the opening weekend serves sort of like a test-run. The scaffolding is up, but work is still being done. The crowds come out, but not nearly in the num ... More >>

Tales From the Surf Ghetto

Meet the ragtag band of craftsmen, entrepreneurs and weirdos at the heart of OC's surf industry

A Mexican Dinner in 1890s Orange County with Madame Helena Modjeska

Wikimedia CommonsThe caption says it all...​In doing general research for my book on the history of Mexican food in the United States, I've unearthed numerous accounts of non-Mexicans enjoying Mexican food for the first time, or quickly learning how to love the stuff. One of the earlier accounts I ... More >>

[UPDATED: Recovered, Back in OC] San Clemente Surfer In Critical Condition After Hold-Down While Surfing Maverick's

Wikipedia CommonsAn example of the power of Mavericks.​UPDATE, JAN. 27, 2:40 P.M.: Jacob Trette is walking and talking the way he was before the frightening multiple-wave hold-down at Maverick's, a big-wave surf break near San Francisco.He was released from Stanford Medical Center yesterday, accor ... More >>

A Year of Navel Gazing: The Virtual Orange County

Looking back at 2010 on our news blog, one Top 10 List at a time

Malinda Traudt, Blind, Wheelchair-Bound Woman's Medical Marijuana Appeal Proceeds

​Now that an Orange County Superior Court judgment has been formally entered tossing out the lawsuit that claims the city of Dana Point's medical marijuana dispensary ban unconstitutionally interferes with Malinda Traudt's fundamental rights to life and safety under the California Constitution, th ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Judge's Ruling Tosses Blind Woman's Suit to Keep Her Pot Clinic Open

​UPDATE: Orange County Superior Court Judge Nomoto Schumann stuck to her temporary ruling and issued a final judgment tossing the lawsuit aimed at keeping open the medical marijuana dispensary relied upon by a 29-year-old San Clemente woman who was born with epilepsy, blindness and cerebral palsy. ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Dispensary Hails Court Ruling as a Victory. Lake Forest Does Not

​Lake Forest Wellness Center and Collective, which is the last of the dozens of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city to remain open, is hailing an appellate court ruling as "a major victory for the collective."The city, which has been hellbent on shutting down such business, sees the ruling ... More >>

Malinda Traudt's Attorney Hails Small Victory in Blind Woman's Medical Marijuana Suit

​The 4th District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana has stopped a lower court hearing that could have immediately shut down a Capistrano Beach medical marijuana dispensary.The appellate justices' temporary stay of Tuesday's scheduled preliminary-injunction hearing is related to the lawsuit filed in Or ... More >>

Play Time!

[Summer Guide] From archery to volleyball, your alphabetical primer on getting off your butt this summer

Malinda Traudt's Suit Argues State Constitution Should Keep Her Dana Point Collective Open

From Beach Cities Collective's Facebook page​A San Clemente woman born with epilepsy, blindness and cerebral palsy has filed the first lawsuit by a medical-marijuana patient alleging Dana Point's dispensary ban unconstitutionally interferes with her fundamental rights to life and safety under the ... More >>

OC Lifeguard Costs Rise

It's still safe to go into the water​Anticipating an increase in the number of people visiting local beaches during the remaining 10 months of 2010, the Orange County Board of Supervisors recently agreed to boost lifeguard related spending by a quarter of a million dollars to $1.8 million.U.S. Oce ... More >>

2010 OC Restaurant Week Participants Announced

​The OC Restaurant Association came out with their final list of participants for the 2010 OC Restaurant Week taking place February 28th - March 6th. As it seems they signed on virtually every restaurant in existence, perhaps an easier thing to do would be to list who's NOT participating.  ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

OC Register Says Advertisers, Clients Screwed Them Out of $350,000

Lawyers for the Orange County Register have filed nine lawsuits in the last nine months--including two in recent days--seeking more than $350,000 in outstanding debt from advertisers, commercial printing clients and at least one distributor of OC's largest daily newspaper.According to Superior Court ... More >>

Howard Ahmanson Jr. Only the Second Biggest Hater

Gustavo's pal Howard F. Ahmanson Jr. just missed the top spot on the Dishonor Roll published online by Californians Against Hate. The Knights of Columbus of New Haven, Conn., gave $1.425 million to the campaign for the same-sex-marriage-barring Prop. 8, while Howie only ponied up $1.395 million.Hey, ... More >>

High Frequency

A local minister has his sights on Orange County community radio

Letters

Vacuuming in the Nude!

Candy sets the summer on fire

The Hot 14!

Theyre hot! Theyre 14! (Not 14 years old. That would be wrong.)

Night-Lite

Famous Food

Conductors! Rock Stars! Restaurateurs! Poets!

January-March