JESSE BUCKLES, San Clemente
To the great city of San Clemente, which I am proud to call my home.
I’m not sure who to specifically thank, but I would like to express my gratitude for reopening our beaches. For me, the ocean is an essential part of my life—about as essential as the very air we breathe.
I’ve created a life that allows me to be in the ocean every day, and more often than not, I can be found SUP surfing at the San Clemente pier before I venture off to my other life as a construction site superintendent, currently in Koreatown in L.A.
The commute has been great from SC as of late, but prior to the “shutdown,” it is a dismal 140-mile commute to and from work each day. To keep my sanity for that commute and for work itself, I surf every morning prior and even throughout the past couple of weeks, I’ve managed to keep my streak alive and paddle out at Poche to get my daily fix.
On a recent morning, I was able to be the first to paddle out at the pier at 6 a.m., and I think the city had done a fantastic job making it very difficult to park to keep crowds down. This is a great step towards allowing the residents of SC to be able to enjoy our wonderful stretch of ocean and beaches. Thank you again.