Category: San Clemente

San Clemente Officials Call for Transparency, Cap Campaign Donations

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—The San Clemente City Council unanimously voted May 25 to bring greater campaign finance transparency to the city’s website, providing easy access to public notices and tax documents, all while capping donations for councilors up to $500. Mayor Gene James compared what he called the “cesspool” of campaign money and “dark money” in…


Judge Vacates Murder Convictions of 2 Men in Killing of San Clemente Boy

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Two men involved in the 1993 melee that killed a 17- year-old San Clemente boy had their murder convictions overturned May 5 by an Orange County Superior Court judge based on a new law prohibiting the convictions of defendants not directly involved in a murder. Rogelio Vasquez Solis, 45, and Saul Penuelas, 46,…


San Clemente Looking to Cash in on EV Sales

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—After identifying a lack of tax revenue from vehicle sales, officials are looking at ways to be a city friendly to electric vehicle dealers, citing the predicted rise in such car sales and the ease consumers purchase cars these days with just a click online. “Electric vehicles are the wave of the future,”…


San Clemente Calls on State Lawmakers to End State of Emergency

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—San Clemente city officials voted 3–2 on a resolution April 5 that supports calling upon California lawmakers to revoke Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 State of Emergency powers. “I brought the resolution to City Council in order to express my overwhelming concern regarding Governor Newsom’s overreach of executive power,” Mayor Gene James told The…


San Clemente Officially Disapproves Storing Nuclear Waste From San Onofre Plant

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—San Clemente officially disapproved on April 5 of the storage of nuclear waste—several millions of pounds—at the permanently retired San Onofre nuclear power plant nearby, urging the U.S. Department of Energy to find a safer alternative location. The city council unanimously approved a resolution stating the city does not consent to store the…


San Clemente Disapproves of Storing Nuclear Waste From San Onofre Plant

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—San Clemente officially disapproved on April 5 of the storage of nuclear waste—several millions of pounds—at the permanently retired San Onofre nuclear power plant nearby, urging the U.S. Department of Energy to find a safer alternative location. The city council unanimously approved a resolution stating the city does not consent to store the…


San Clemente Welcomes Back the 2/4 Association of Marines Reunion

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—As a crowd gathered at Park Semper Fi next to San Clemente Pier, the First Marine Division Band played “God Bless America” to mark the start of the annual reunion of the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, which returned to San Clemente for the first time in 10 years. “What…


San Clemente to Disapprove Storing Nuclear Waste From San Onofre Plant

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—San Clemente city officials are pressuring the U.S. Department of Energy to remove over 3.6 million pounds of spent nuclear fuel from the permanently retired San Onofre nuclear power plant nearby. “We don’t consent to having it here,” Mayor Pro Tem Chris Duncan said during a March 15 council meeting. “We can’t force…


San Clemente Moves to Bring Back Outdoor Dining

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—San Clemente City Council introduced an ordinance on March 15 that would resume outdoor dining in the city that was first implemented in 2020 due to COVID. The five-seat city council voted 3–1 for the ordinance with one council member absent. If passed after its second reading next month, the vote would repurpose parking…


San Clemente Looks to Withdraw from Orange County Library System

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—San Clemente city officials are considering withdrawing the city’s public library from the county’s library system, citing the city’s taxpayers has been paying hundreds of thousands more than the cost of services received from the county. Meanwhile, residents are worried that withdrawal means fewer resources and services at the San Clemente Library. “I’m…