Home Care In Del Mar, CA

CORONA DEL MAR, CA — On Friday, September 26, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. the Corona Del Mar Post Office will commemorate a once-a-century alignment of the date on the calendar--9.26.25--with its ZIP Code--92625.

The alignment of calendar dates with ZIP Codes occurs only once a century and in relatively few locations nationwide.

The alignment will be marked with a customer appreciation day with a meet and greet with the Corona Del Mar Postmaster and an opportunity for customers to purchase stamped envelopes cancelled with the postmark marking the once in a century date.

Corona Del Mar residents are invited to visit their Post Office located at 406 Orchid Ave., Corona Del Mar CA 92625 from 11:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m. to enjoy refreshments, obtain the unique day’s cancellation and meet their postmaster.

“We’re excited and honored to host this rare event and celebrate the unique ties between the USPS and our community,” said Corona Del Mar Postmaster Amber Garvin. “This cancellation is a great reminder of the ubiquitous nature of the Postal Service and its enduring commitment to service and community.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase from an array of stamps including 250 Years of Delivering First Class stamps and receive a free pictorial cancellation with purchase.

Attendees can also send a letter at this special station or keep this special commemorative piece to celebrate local postal history.

The cancellation will also be available at the Corona Del Mar Post Office for 30 days.

Pictorial postmarks also may be obtained through the mail for anyone unable to attend through October 26, 2025.

For one or more postmarks, affix the minimum of a First-Class stamp to an envelope or postcard, address the envelope or postcard to yourself or to others, insert a card of thickness in the envelope(s), and tuck in the flap(s). Place the envelope(s) or postcard(s) in a large envelope and mail to: Corona Del Mar Post Office ATTN: Corona Del Mar Postmaster 406 Orchid Ave., Corona Del Mar CA 92625-9998

APTOS — A California appellate court has tossed out a pair of lower court rulings and affirmed Santa Cruz County’s right to designate a walkway along the beach in Aptos for public usage.

In 39-page decision handed down Thursday by the state’s Sixth Appellate District, the justices recognized the county’s right-of-way easement and the public’s interest in a 37-foot concrete walkway along the backside of a row of homes next to Seacliff State Beach in Rio Del Mar. For years, the nearly quarter milelong stretch of coastal land along Beach Drive has been at the center of a dispute between the county and 27 homeowners with units along the path that claim the walkway as patio space.

Conversely, the county has argued that it is a safe and accessible sidewalk for beachgoers and that the public has a right to utilize it as such.

The issue has wound its way through several rounds of court proceedings, including a trial court ruling last year declaring that the county had no title or interest in the walkway, along with a 2023 order that authorized the homeowners to put up fencing on either end of the walkway to cordon off public access to the patios.

The opinion this week, however, stated that the legal reasoning that underpinned both rulings was unsound.

“Since the trial court’s rulings that were encompassed in the February 24, 2024 judgment are based upon an erroneous ruling on the threshold issue of the County’s interest in the 37-foot walk, we reverse the judgment in its entirety,” reads the opinion, authored by acting Presiding Justice Allison Danner with concurrences from Justices Charles Wilson and Daniel Bromberg. “We also vacate the December 26, 2023 order granting a permanent injunction, since that order is also based upon the trial court’s erroneous ruling that the County does not have a public interest in the 37-foot walk.”

The legal showdown, exhaustively summarized in the Thursday opinion, stretches back to December 2018 when the county demolished a fence, gate and masonry wall that partitioned the walkway on the coastal side of the homes — most of which are vacation rentals — off from public sidewalks on either end. Claiming that the newfound access had made them vulnerable to vandalism, invasion of privacy and safety threats, the homeowners sued the county and contended that the walkway was rightfully theirs and had been for years.

The county, in a counter lawsuit, argued that the walkway was, actually, a public space and right of way based on planning documents and permits that stretched back to 1928, when the subdivision map of the area was recorded by the original developer.

The county and the homeowners, known as the Rio Del Mar Beach Island Homeowners Association, continued their arguments and diverging interpretations of the nearly century-old document as well as subsequent evidence from the public record pertaining to county agreements and permits from the 1950s and 1980s.

Then in 2022, a Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the homeowners, declaring that the county was wrong to open up the patio space and had no public interest in the walkway.

The trial decision that sided with the homeowners and was finalized in February 2024 also saddled the county with stipulated damages of $3.7 million on the cause of action for inverse condemnation, according to the appellate court’s summary.

The county then appealed the decisions to the Sixth Appellate District and its six justices who heard the arguments further, applied their own understanding of the law and found the county to be within its rights.

“The Court’s well-reasoned decision properly recognizes that the public has a legal right to use this ocean-front walkway. We are grateful to the Coastal Commission and other community partners who stood by us to protect this coastal access for all County residents to enjoy,” county spokesperson Jason Hoppin wrote in a statement. “These principles are worth fighting for, and the County is proud to have done so here.”

Should the homeowners choose to appeal this week’s ruling, the case would go before the Supreme Court of California.

“We are discussing next steps with our clients, including appealing the decision,” a spokesperson for Nossaman LLP, the law firm representing the homeowners, told the Sentinel in a written statement Friday.

During the years of court proceedings between the county and homeowners, the issue also drew scrutiny from the California Coastal Commission, chartered with preserving the public’s access to the state’s coastline. The commission started an inquiry of its own that revolved around permits it issued to the homeowners in the 1980s that, among other things, allowed them to construct a protective revetment at the beachside foot of the walkway to protect from heavy storms.

The commission said those permits were conditioned on preserving access to the public, but its reasoning was rejected by the homeowners who maintained their right to the space. This dispute culminated in December 2023 with the commission unanimously agreeing to levy more than $4.7 million in fines against the homeowners — the highest penalty issued by the agency in county history.

County Supervisor Justin Cummings was a member of the commission at the time of the decision and strongly supported it.

“This is a huge win for public access in Santa Cruz County!!!” Cummings wrote on social media in reaction to Thursday’s ruling.

The Sixth Appellate District’s website is at appellate.courts.ca.gov/district-courts/6dca. The case is No. H050433.

On Friday August 8th, as the sun rose over the desert, Charles M. Wickett Jr. (Chip) passed away peacefully at 84 years old with family and his loyal dog Domino at his side.

Chip was born on October 6, 1940 to Nea and Charles Wickett in Fullerton, California. He was the middle son between his older sister Penny Wickett Jameson Kennedy (passed Aug. 1st, 2021) and younger brother Geof (or “Little Bother” as Chip lovingly said). He was very close with his niece, Susie Hopper, and a former work colleague Luis Ovando (whom Chip called his “godson”)

After a wonderful childhood spent between their home in Fullerton and Balboa Island, Chip graduated from USC with an Art degree. He quickly landed a job on the team creating the sets for the hit comedy show Laugh-In the late 60’s. He shared many stories of his time on that show (which included stars such as Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin and Ruth Buzzy), saying “that was a great gang, they tried everything once and often twice!”

Unknown to many, Chip was drafted into the Army and stationed in Germany. Although war interrupted his artistic career, he made the best of the situation and was a Sergeant as supply coordinator for his unit. We always picture “MASH” when he told us of the times he snuck off base, in cognito on a train, to go explore with a girlfriend. He was awarded a commendation for sculpting a twelve-foot-high likeness of the battalion’s bulldog mascot.

After returning from Germany, he went to work at a company called Roschu that created life-size characters that are seen in amusement parks in Southern California. It wasn’t long before he started with his own company called “Chip’s Character Creations.” A great example was his work for Disney designing the newer light-weight costumes so the characters could twirl and dance down Main Street for the famous Electrical Parade. He also created the props for a number of Hollywood movies- including those seen in the bowling alley seen in the movie The Big Lebowski. Chip’s crew won an Emmy Award in 1978 for Outstanding set decoration The Brothers Grimm.

During these years Chip owned a little home in the Hollywood Hills with 67 steps from the parking below, but an incredible view of the LA city lights. He hosted friends and family often and was featured in Bon Appetite magazine. He loved and renovated a 100 year old log cabin in Running Springs, California, which he affectionately called “Log Heaven.” He enjoyed sharing Thanksgiving feasts and springtime picnics in the mountains. Chip also creatively helped design his parents’ Hawaiian home in Kona.

Chip retired to Rancho Mirage, California where he played tennis, bocce ball, drums and flute with close friends in the community. He continued his love of all mediums of art: painting, wood carving and ceramics. He was a favorite patron at McCallum Theater in Palm Springs with season tickets & front row seats- plus his own big star on the sidewalk.

Chip loved his animals, and swam daily in his pool with his beloved dogs Homer, Shotsky, Lucy and little Domino. Those of us who were blessed to know Chip will hold a lifetime of memories of his creativity, humor, fabulous cooking and positive perspective of life.

Please considering giving to one of Chip’s favorite charities that supported:

Resources for Uncovering Wonder (Healing art therapy)

https://uncoveringwonder.org/how-you-can-help/

The Amputee Connection of Redlands (Positive living)

http://www.theamputeeconnection.org/home.html

The McCallum Theater in Palm Desert (Sharing the Arts)

https://www.mccallumtheatre.org/

On a cool late-September evening where the surf meets the turf, The Sound in Del Mar turned into ground zero for rock and roll chaos, courtesy of Sweden’s beloved garage-punk showmen, The Hives. With Nashville art-punk oddballs Snooper opening the night, the bill promised mayhem from the jump — and it delivered in spades.

Snooper hit the stage first, a frenzy of lo-fi punk energy and avant-garde spectacle. Their set blurred the line between concert and performance art: jagged guitars clashing against minimalist synths, while frontwoman Blair Tramel darted across the stage like a pinball sprung loose. The band’s visuals were equally wild — cardboard props, bursts of color, and even a giant green mosquito costume that Tramel wore into the crowd during their finale. The theatrics often flirted with absurdity, but they were impossible to look away from. With their “expect the unexpected” ethos, Snooper set the stage perfectly for the sonic explosion that followed.

By the time the house lights dimmed for The Hives, the energy inside The Sound was feverish. The Swedish quintet walked out in their trademark black-and-white suits, looking like rock and roll dandies ready to duel for the crowd’s affection. From the first notes of “Enough is Enough,” from their latest album The Hives Forever, Forever the Hives, the room was theirs.

Frontman Pelle Almqvist, a master of self-mythology and crowd manipulation, wasted no time declaring that he wanted privacy and didn’t want to see phones recording the show. At one point, he even snatched a fan’s phone — returning it a song later — the whole stunt delivered more as theater than genuine scolding. His antics throughout the night, from climbing monitors to diving into the crowd and barking orders like a circus ringleader, turned the theater into his personal playground. Every quip dripped with equal parts arrogance and charm, the kind of bravado that could come off as insufferable in lesser hands but, with Almqvist, felt irresistibly fun.

Musically, The Hives remain a force of nature. Guitarists Nicholaus Arson and Vigilante Carlstroem sliced through riffs with razor precision, while bassist Johan Gustafsson and drummer Chris Dangerous anchored the chaos with bone-rattling rhythm. The setlist balanced old anthems with newer cuts: “Main Offender” and “Walk Idiot Walk” sent longtime fans into a frenzy, while fresh material like “Paint a Picture” and “Legalize Living” proved the band hasn’t lost a step creatively. And of course anthems, “Hate to Say I Told You So” and “Tick Tick Boom” nearly blew the roof off, still sounding as urgent and feral as they did 20 years ago.

But The Hives aren’t just a band playing songs — they’re practitioners of rock and roll theater. The false endings, the dramatic pauses, the choreographed chaos — it all felt as tightly wound as a Swiss watch, even when it looked like bedlam. The contrast between total control and wild abandon is what makes them great. They’re not just performing music; they’re performing the idea of rock and roll itself.

As the night wound down with a blistering “Tick Tick Boom,” the audience left The Sound dazed, sweaty, and exhilarated. The Hives had once again proven that few bands can match their mix of spectacle, swagger, and sheer punk ferocity.

In Del Mar, they weren’t just a band on tour — they were a reminder of how electrifying, unpredictable, and gloriously absurd rock and roll can be when it’s done without apology. If you could sum up a Hives show in one word, it would be FUN. They are one of the best touring bands today, delivering a performance worth every bit of effort and hard-earned ticket money.

SNOOPER Website