What's Open on MLK Day, Mackenzie Phillips in San Clemente and More

1. What’s open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Orange County offices will be closed on Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Federal and state offices will also be closed, as will banks. The Capistrano Unified School District has the day off, as do most private schools.

2. Know anyone outstanding? The city of San Clemente is calling on the citizenry to help recognize outstanding members of our community. People you nominate, who have made and/or continue to make a difference in the community, may get their name permanently placed on the City’s Wall of Recognition, if selected.

Qualifications: The nominee must have been a primary resident of San Clemente for at least 10 years, and their service to the community must have been performed in San Clemente or can be shown to have directly benefited the city of San Clemente.

How to nominate: A non-profit organization or a consensus of 10 or more residents may submit a maximum one page letter explaining the nominee’s contributions to the city’s Beaches, Parks and Recreation Department at 100 Calle Seville, San Clemente, CA 92672 or email to StiversM@san-clemente.org.

Your deadline is Feb. 27, so hop to it!

3. Be water wise: With Governor Jerry Brown announcing a statewide drought emergency, it’s a good time to check your home water use. The Metropolitan Water District offers extensive tips online.

4. One step at a time: Actress and author Mackenzie Phillips, best known for her roles in the 1973 film American Graffiti and the 1970s and 1980s television sitcom series One Day at a Time, will be the featured speaker at the Sovereign Health Group’s Open House, 5-8 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, marking the behavioral health company’s five-year anniversary in San Clemente.

Phillips, now sober and drug-free, will speak about her long history of alcoholism and drug addiction. She says she first used cocaine at the age of 11, and continued using drugs and alcohol through high school in Northridge, CA. She was fired twice from the sitcom in the early 1980s. She almost died twice from drug overdoses, and was in and out of detox centers but continued to abuse drugs and alcohol and entered a long-term rehab program in 1992. 

The open house begins at 5 p.m. Jan. 22, with complementary tours of the facility and dinner, followed by Mackenzie Phillips’ presentation at 6:30 p.m. Space is limited, so please register online athttp://www.sovcal.com/openhouse.

5. Get culture for free: Twenty museums around Southern California are offering free admission Saturday as part of the annual Museums Free-for-All program. For a list of participating museums, visit this website.

For other fun events, check our events calendar.

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