Son saves father during frightening surf rescue at Killer Dana
What started out as a regular day of father-son surfing turned into a fight for survival when an unexpected huge set pushed Keone Patterson and his father, Timmy, into dangerous inside waves.
Patterson had spent the morning surfing with his dad at Strands Point before the pair took a boat out near Killer Dana. During one of the biggest swells in years, they were caught out in a seemingly endless series of waves.
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Courtesy of city of Dana Point
(L-R) Mayor John Gabbard, Timmy Patterson and Keone Patterson
“Out of nowhere, just this massive set, probably 30 waves-plus, rolled in,” Patterson told Dana Point City Councilmembers during a recent recognition ceremony on September 15. “We got pushed from all the way out, all the way into kind of that point of no return.”
The two had been riding large boards in waves with faces estimated at 15 to 16 feet. Timmy, who is an experienced surfer, took several waves on the head and became exhausted. His son paddled to him, then realized they needed to abandon their boards and swim, Patterson said.
“I figured I needed to get us both to shore safely,” Patterson said. “The whole time I was kind of holding on to (him) and making sure (he was) all right.”
It took about 15 minutes for them to reach the shore. Patterson kept talking to his dad between waves, telling him, “We’ve got to get under here,” as they ducked beneath the breaking surf.
Timmy added he had surfed the area for more than 50 years and had never encountered a set like it.
“Where he got me from was not the place you want to be,” he recalled.
Timmy lost consciousness after they reached shore. Orange County lifeguards and paramedics took over, with Patterson specifically crediting lifeguard Jason Young for directing the response and beginning CPR.
“I woke up to firemen and lifeguards and just fragments of time,” Timmy said. “To have him save my life, to do what he did, was incredibly honorable for me. It was like, wow, this is what you teach your kids, and he did it full circle.”
Timmy was hospitalized about an hour later and was released after a few days.
Mayor John Gabbard presented Patterson with a certificate of recognition on behalf of the council, praising his bravery and calm determination during the incident.
“First and foremost, we’re thankful that you’re OK,” Gabbard told Timmy. “As frightening as that must have been, we are so thankful that you’re going to be OK.”
“On behalf of the City Council, we want to thank you,” Gabbard said to Patterson. “We’re very proud to honor you tonight.”
Dana Point-based charity helps young patients feel like kids again
By CLARA BEARD
When Dana Point resident Taylor Carol was just 11 years old, he was diagnosed with cancer.
There were long hospital stays, medications and procedures. At one point, he spent about six months in an isolation unit, where visitors were limited to doctors and nurses in protective gear. Taylor was separated from his friends, school and little brother. During the worst of it, he lost the ability to walk, speak, eat and see.
His father, Jim Carol, remembers what doctors told the family during that time: Taylor might not survive.
“I made a promise,” Jim said. “If he lived, I would use my life to help other kids.”
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Photos courtesy of GameChanger Charity
Jim Carol and his son Taylor attend a baseball game
That promise became GameChanger Charity, a local nonprofit Jim and Taylor now run together. What began in 2007 as a drive to collect video games for children’s hospitals has grown into a bigger effort to make hospital life easier for young patients and their families.
GameChanger delivers new toys and games, gaming equipment, LEGO sets, hospital game rooms and family rooms, scholarships and technology designed to help children cope with treatment. The charity says it has helped more than 25,000 children in 250 hospitals on five continents, providing more than $39 million in cash and donated goods.
But the plan didn’t start this way. Jim had retired from the technology company he co-founded and initially thought he could help by getting games into hospital rooms. It soon became clear that hospitals could not accept used donations and that the need went far beyond entertainment.
“We learned fast that hospitals can only take new, sealed items,” Jim said. “Since then, we’ve adapted almost every year to what kids and hospital Child Life teams tell us they need.”
Those needs have changed. Video games remain important, but so do simple things that can hold a child’s attention on a hard day. Jim said LEGO sets are now in particularly high demand, and GameChanger sends them by the pallet to children’s hospitals across Southern California.
The point is not simply to fill time. A child in a hospital gown may feel as if every part of life has been reduced to a diagnosis. And Taylor knows that feeling all too well.
“When you’re a patient in a gown in a hospital room, so much of your identity gets stripped away,” he said. “A video game, a LEGO set or a Minecraft server where you can play with other sick kids gives some of that back.”
In the hospital, Taylor said, games gave him a way to connect with his brother and feel something resembling normal. His father still remembers seeing the two boys laugh together while playing.
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Taylor Carol plays video games with friends as a child
“It lets you express yourself, connect with people and forget the pain for a while,” Taylor said.
Jim’s years beside his son’s hospital bed also changed how he saw the families around them. The medical care may focus on the child, he said, but the situation lands on everyone in the household. A parent may be trying to keep a job while staying at the hospital. Brothers and sisters may be at home. The bills don’t stop coming.
“A child’s illness affects everybody: parents, siblings, caregivers,” Jim said. “The medicine comes first. But the fear, boredom and isolation that kids in the hospital face are real too.”
GameChanger has continued to build on its gaming roots, including safe, closed gaming systems and research with Yale University using wearable and virtual-reality technology that may help reduce stress for young patients. Yet Taylor said the heart of the work stays simple: bringing pieces of childhood into a place where children can lose so much of it.
“Some of that is cutting-edge,” he said. “But an important part will always be the LEGO sets and video games you can play with your brother or your friends, the way you would at home.”
The work has especially personal meaning for Taylor. He survived, but many of the children he came to know in the hospital did not. Returning to ordinary life came with health challenges, grief and survivor’s guilt.
“For years, I struggled to understand why I lived when they didn’t,” Taylor said. “GameChanger has helped me turn that pain into love.”
The charity is planning Hope Ranch, a retreat in Orange County for young survivors and caregivers, as part of its next chapter. Jim said support cannot stop once a child leaves the hospital, and Taylor agrees.
“Every child we reach is a way to honor the friends I lost and to make sure no kid feels as alone as I did,” he said.
More information about GameChanger Charity can be found at www.gamechangercharity.org.
Ocean Institute, Hoffman California Fabrics collaborate on custom aloha shirt
By CLARA BEARD
Ocean Institute’s tall ship, research vessel and marine life will soon have a new, unique canvas in the form of an aloha shirt.
The Dana Point nonprofit recently partnered with Hoffman California Fabrics on an original shirt design celebrating the institute, its ocean education programs and upcoming 50th anniversary.
The shirts, now available in the Ocean Institute Gift Shop, feature a special pattern by Hoffman artist Hue Nguyen. The design includes the historic tall ship Spirit of Dana Point, the R/V Sea Explorer, local animals and landmarks around the institute.
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Courtesy of Ocean Institute
The new custom aloha shirt features Ocean Institute vessels, marine life and campus landmarks
To create the shirt, Hoffman team members visited Ocean Institute to take photos of the subjects that would appear in the print. Nguyen turned the images into a pattern meant to serve as a visual tour of the campus, where the nonprofit offers marine science and maritime history programs for students, teachers, families and visitors.
“This collaboration captures the spirit of Ocean Institute in a way that feels joyful, distinctive and deeply connected to Dana Point,” Riley Russell, the institute’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. “Every detail in the pattern represents an important part of the experience we share with our students and guests, from encountering marine life to stepping aboard a historic tall ship.”
Ocean Institute was founded in 1977 and will mark its 50th anniversary next year. The new shirt is the first item to use the Hoffman design, though the institute said it may be incorporated into other merchandise in the future.
The collaboration also connects two organizations with long histories in Southern California’s coastal culture.
Hoffman California Fabrics grew out of a family textile business and became closely tied to surf style through brothers Walter and Philip “Flippy” Hoffman, pioneering big-wave surfers whose fabrics were used by brands including Quiksilver and Billabong. The brothers were inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame’s Surf Culture category in 2006.
Their legacy is especially evident in Dana Point, where statues honoring Walter and Flippy Hoffman stand at Watermen’s Plaza near the entrance to the harbor. A statue of Walter’s daughter, world champion surfer Joyce Hoffman, is also part of the plaza.
“The team here at Hoffman California Fabrics appreciates the opportunity to celebrate the history, legacy and mutual love for the ocean and amazing sea life with Ocean Institute,” Tammy Melott of Hoffman California Fabrics said in a statement. “We congratulate Ocean Institute on its upcoming 50th anniversary and the important work of educating and inspiring children and adults to learn about and love the ocean and marine life.”
Proceeds from the shirts and other Gift Shop purchases support Ocean Institute’s nonprofit work, including educational programming, animal care and vessel operations.
The Ocean Institute Gift Shop is at 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive. More information is available at www.oceaninstitute.org.
New law secures California library parks pass program
California’s popular State Library Parks Pass program is getting ongoing support under a new state law and the recently adopted 2026-27 budget.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1804, introduced by Assemblymember Gregg Hart, D-Santa Barbara, approving the California Department of Parks and Recreation to keep working with the California State Library and local library systems to provide the passes.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
The Dana Point Library will continue to offer those with library cards the opportunity to check out day passes to over 200 California State Parks
The program allows library card holders to check out a pass for free vehicle day-use entry at more than 200 participating state parks. Passes are available at public libraries throughout California, including the Dana Point Library.
The state budget also established an ongoing appropriation for the program, ending the previous need for lawmakers to renew its funding annually.
“Cost should not be a barrier to experiencing the wonders of our state parks,” Rachel Norton, executive director of the California State Parks Foundation, said in a statement. “AB 1804, paired with the permanent program funding approved in this year’s state budget, helps safeguard this important program.”
More information is available at www.parks.ca.gov/30806.
Dana Point – A Look Back
Photo series courtesy of Dana Point Historical Society
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During the Woodruff era, the Scenic Inn served lunches to prospective investors. Anna Walters, a Laguna Beach real estate agent and an early Dana Point developer, originally built the structure for her own investor luncheons. Developer Sidney H. Woodruff added its windows. At left, this 1920s photo shows a walkway leading to the Blue Lantern Gazebo and a viewpoint rest area. The inn was later destroyed by landslides and replaced with a picnic area and restrooms, which were also covered by slides, and one reason the historic gazebo is now fenced off.
The Sacramento Chronicles
By ASSEMBLYMEMBER DIANE DIXON
October 2, 2026
Hello Dana Point!
Hello October! Last week, fall began. The humidity is finally retreating, yet we are anticipating a historic “super” El Niño storm coming our way.
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Courtesy of Diane Dixon
Assemblymember Diane Dixon
Earlier last month, after multiple rainstorms hit Orange County, my Orange County Assembly and Senate bipartisan colleagues sent a letter to Governor Newsom requesting that he declare a State of Emergency for our coastal communities. In addition, Assemblymember Davies and I called on the leaders of Orange County’s coastal cities to formally request the County Board of Supervisors to declare an emergency declaration, later declared by Chair Doug Chaffee. These requests were necessary to set in motion the emergency declaration request to FEMA.
This year’s El Niño is anticipated to be the strongest in recorded history.
My office and I are monitoring this situation closely and working with local and state agencies to ensure that our communities are prepared and kept safe. Please reach out to my office if you have any questions or need assistance.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month is observed every October to raise public awareness, support survivors and honor victims. It was first observed in 1987, and by 1989, Congress passed legislation to make its observance permanent.
Last year, I authored AB 1239, which established a public database of human trafficking data and allowed law enforcement to allocate resources appropriately. This data hadn’t been updated in 13 years! This year, I introduced AB 1918, the Ink of Hope Act, which would require tattoo operators or artists to complete training on how to recognize, respond to and report signs of human trafficking. AB 1918 is awaiting the governor’s signature. I also authored AB 2261, which will clarify and restore judicial authority to issue criminal protective orders (CPOs) to a victim’s family and household members. I am proud to share that the governor signed AB 2261 into law earlier this week, further building on my record as a fighter for crime victims.
This month, we honor those who have lost their lives and those who continue to be crime victims. We have made significant progress in this space, but the work is far from over. I will remain committed to this important fight and to putting the safety of our communities and victims at the forefront.
I am hosting various district events to kick off the fall season!
Calling all animal lovers! I am hosting a Fur-Ever Friends Fall Festival with my colleagues, Assemblymembers Sanchez and Davies, on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. We will be joined by more than a dozen adoption partners that will provide wildlife education, hands-on activities for kids and more! Learn more about this special event here.
The holidays are approaching, and the scams are on the rise. Join me for a Senior Scam Prevention series throughout Orange County. I am bringing in the experts to educate guests on how to recognize the signs and stop a scam before it’s too late. I hope to see you at one of the events below. Spaces are filling quickly, so please secure your spot as soon as possible. These events are free and open to all.
Laguna Woods: Wednesday, Oct. 7 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Laguna Woods Village, Clubhouse 7 (24111 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Woods, California 92637)
Click here to RSVP.
Laguna Beach: Tuesday, Oct. 13 from 1-2:30 p.m. at the Laguna Beach City Hall (505 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach, California 92651)
Click here to RSVP.
Newport-Mesa: Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Norma Hertzog Community Center (1845 Park Ave., Costa Mesa, California 92627)
Click here to RSVP.
On Halloween, I am hosting a Spook-Tacular event on Saturday, Oct. 31 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Laguna Hills Civic Center. We will be joined by the Laguna Hills Chamber of Commerce and other local organizations for this free community gathering.
This family-friendly event will include games, a trunk-or-treat and much more. I hope to see you there.
Looking for a way to make a difference in your community? I am excited to welcome volunteers to help make our Spook-Tacular event come to life for the community.
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a volunteer, you can sign up here. My staff will be providing a letter for community service hours upon completion of the event. Please feel free to share this opportunity with family and friends.
We are hiring a Paid Community Outreach Intern in my district office. This intern will gain hands-on experience in public service while serving as a vital bridge between our community and state government. In this role, you will assist with constituent services by connecting residents with vital state and local resources while also supporting the planning and execution of district events throughout Assembly District 72. To apply, please email your résumé to assemblymemberdixon@assembly.a.gov.
My team is ready to assist you with any state issues you may have, like DMV, EDD, Franchise Tax Board and more. We’ve assisted hundreds of your neighbors this year, and it’s always free.
Not receiving invitations to my events? Send an email to assemblymember.dixon@assembly.ca.gov to be added to our distribution list, or visit my website: Diane Dixon website. Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook.
Thank you, Stu News, for keeping our local residents informed.
Diane Dixon is a two-term Newport Beach City Councilmember and two-time Mayor. She is currently serving her second term in Sacramento as Assemblymember of California’s 72nd District. She is also in a November-runoff for Orange County Supervisor, Fifth District.
Adoption fees waived for dogs, cats and rabbits in October
New pet owners can welcome a new furry friend into their home without an adoption fee throughout October at the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter.
Frank’s Irvine Subaru is sponsoring adoption fees for dogs, cats and rabbits all month through the Pet Project Foundation and Coastal Animal Services Authority.
The promotion comes as the shelter prepares to give its cat room a major makeover. The “Glow-Up Countdown” encourages locals to adopt available cats before the renovation begins.
Rabbit lovers also have several pets awaiting homes, including bonded pair Annika and Vera, as well as Cupid, Campion, Woodstock, Nora and Nikki.
Potential adopters can view available animals and submit rabbit adoption applications at www.petprojectfoundation.org. The San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter is located at 221 Avenida Fabricante in San Clemente. For more information, call 949.492.1617 or email animalservices@scdpanimalshelter.org.
Midterms are on the horizon
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
Voting begins Monday (Oct. 5) for the November 3 General Election, when mail ballots are sent to Orange County voters and ballot drop boxes open. Dana Point residents can vote in person at Dana Point City Hall, 33282 Golden Lantern, beginning October 24. Additional Vote Centers are located at the Dana Point Library, 33841 Niguel Road, and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 33501 Stonehill Drive, beginning October 31. Vote Centers are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. before Election Day and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Meet Pet of the Week Archie 
Stu News Dana Point is delighted to be working with the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter to help get the word out in search of loving homes for pets that deserve a warm, nurturing environment and a place to call “home.”
One-year-old Archie has the potential to be the perfect family pup. Sweet with a goofy personality, Archie is ninety pounds of “Good Boy” in the making. This big, strong guy loves meeting new people and dogs and is looking for an adopter who can help him continue with his training.
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Courtesy of San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter
Archie is a sweet, playful one-year-old dog available for adoption at the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter
Archie has previously lived with younger children and was a loving and enthusiastic playmate. Does this beefy buddy sound like the one for you?
The San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter adoption procedures are designed to make sure that both the potential family and the animal adopted are in the very best situation possible.
Those interested in learning more about Archie can contact the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter at 949.492.1617 or visit the facility at 221 Avenida Fabricante in San Clemente.
For more information on adoption procedures at the shelter, visit www.petprojectfoundation.org.
“Returning Home” monument honoring military families to be unveiled October 28
By CLARA BEARD
A life-size bronze monument honoring the reunions, sacrifice and resilience of military families will be dedicated October 28 at Dana Point’s Heritage Park.
The Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group and the city of Dana Point will unveil “Returning Home,” a sculpture by artist Sutton Betti that stands more than 6 feet tall, during a 10 a.m. ceremony at the park along Old Golden Lantern overlooking Dana Point Harbor.
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Courtesy of Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group
A rendering of the “Returning Home” statue to be dedicated October 28
The monument depicts a service member reuniting with family after deployment. Its focus is not on combat, but on the families who wait at home and the emotion of a loved one’s return.
Terry Rifkin, past president of the Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group, spearheaded the project.
“‘Returning Home’ is about more than one Marine, one family or one homecoming. It represents every armed forces family that has waited, worried, sacrificed and finally experienced that moment when their loved one comes home,” Rifkin said. “We wanted to create something lasting that says to our military families: we see your sacrifice, we honor it and we will remember it.”
The Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group has supported Marines, Sailors and families of the 5th Marine Regiment, known as the Fighting Fifth, at Camp Pendleton for nearly 20 years. The nonprofit provides family and deployment support, holiday celebrations, emergency assistance, care packages and community events.
The Dana Point City Council unanimously approved funding for site preparation and park improvements surrounding the sculpture earlier this year, creating a permanent place for the new tribute.
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Photo by Clara Beard
The “Returning Home” monument will be installed at Heritage Park in the next few weeks
Marines, military families, veterans, local leaders and residents are expected to attend the dedication. A limited number of seats will be reserved for project donors and honored guests. Members of the public are invited to attend and are encouraged to bring their own chairs.
Heritage Park will also host Remembering Our Fallen, a national traveling memorial presented by Patriotic Productions, during dedication week. The exhibit will be on display October 27-30 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
The memorial honors U.S. military service members and first responders who have died while serving the country since September 11, 2001. Rather than listing only names, the exhibit uses military and personal photographs to tell the stories of those who died.
Together, the two memorials will recognize both the joy of a military family’s reunion and the loss carried by families whose loved ones did not return.
The “Returning Home” dedication ceremony will be held October 28 at 10 a.m. at Heritage Park on Old Golden Lantern in Dana Point.
Dana Point Trolley Art & History Tour set for October 10
The city of Dana Point is celebrating National Arts and Humanities Month with a Trolley Art & History Tour on Saturday, Oct. 10.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
Dana Point’s trolley will take passengers on an Art & History Tour on October 10
Two 90-minute tours will be offered at 10 a.m. and noon, highlighting public art and local history throughout the city. Each tour will be led by a Dana Point Art & Culture Ambassador and a docent from the Dana Point Historical Society.
Tickets are $20 and limited. Reservations are required through www.danapoint.org/recreation. Use Activity No. 9934 for the 10 a.m. tour and Activity No. 9935 for the noon tour.
Dana Point’s Ambassador Program includes local artists, nonprofit representatives and community members who help share the city’s history and character through events and visitor experiences.
More information about Dana Point’s public art program is available at www.danapoint-arts.com. Learn more about the Dana Point Historical Society at www.danapointhistorical.org.