Dinosaur Likely One-of-a-Kind in SJC

Juan the Zoomars dinosaur is all alone in San Juan Capistrano. And that’s probably how it’s been since time immemorial.

The Apatosaurus made a splash when  owner Carolyn Franks . While , he’s to those who want to keep the old-town feel of the , circa 1800s.

One of his fans, Pamela Schuler of Dana Point, showed up at City Council Tuesday to plant the thought that this vegetarian might have dibs on San Juan Capistrano long before Juaneño Indians or Father Serra ever arrived.

“Ten years ago, they found dinosaur bones at Monarch Beach,” she said. “There must be dinosaur bones in Capistrano, too.”

But Mayor Larry Kramer said he doesn’t think so. Because of the archeologically sensitive nature of many sites around town, the city has had experts on hand when excavation is done, to protect Native American artifacts and burial grounds.

“We do a lot of digging around here,” Kramer said. “I’ve asked if we’ve ever found any dinosaur bones, and the answer I got is ‘zero.’ ”

Franks is asking the city to make Juan legit. His first jurassic hearing before a city commission is Aug. 14 in front of the Planning Commission.