Remote Surveillance Trailer in San Clemente, CA

Some of Southern California’s famous beach towns are suddenly finding themselves short on their most notable public resource: coastal sand. And with an eye-opening, powerful El Niño on the horizon, the timing couldn’t be worse.

The upscale Orange County community of Newport Beach has invoked a new emergency permit this week that will allow the city, in partnership with Orange County Public Works, to pull some 200,000 cubic yards of sand from the nearby Santa Ana River. The sediment is expected to help shore up jetties and other protective coastal areas that have been battered this season by hard surf and high swells. Without replenishment and other coastal preparedness work, communities like Newport Beach become vulnerable to flooding and larger issues, including the disintegration of vital roadways, the exposure and deterioration of underground infrastructure, and even the loss of private coastline homes and businesses.

While the city already dredges the river for sand to shore up beach loss in a normal year, this season, Newport Beach officials have had to use the emergency declaration to push up the replenishment time frame ahead of what is expected to be a record El Niño year. In a normal year, dredging occurs around January, and this year, the work could start as soon as October.

But that’s only the start of Newport Beach’s issues.

Other areas like the famous Wedge surfing spot have seen dramatic sand loss this summer, and the sediment from the Santa Ana River will not be enough to overcome the retreat. Per the Orange County Register, city officials are already in talks to dredge other areas, including Newport Harbor, to find more sand.

Just to the south, the city of Dana Point isn’t faring much better. The community has had to red-tag several unsafe coastal houses recently that have become so unstable that they risk falling into the sea. Orange County’s Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley told KTTV-TV that it was “critical” that Dana Point figure out “how to get the sand on the beaches” as quickly as possible to assist homeowners before further swells come.

Earlier this month, Dana Point declared a local state of emergency in an attempt to free up resources and shorten timelines for important coastal safety work. That includes sand replenishment, which has been ongoing for years. In May, the county spent $440,000 to dump 13,500 cubic yards of sand along the popular Capistrano Beach, part of a group of sand replenishment projects in South Orange County. Supervisor Foley said at the time that the county had already delivered more than 360,000 cubic yards of sand to needed areas, though at least some of that recent work has already receded back into the ocean.

Perhaps nowhere else in Orange County is the bitter battle over sand so visible as in San Clemente, where severe coastal erosion continues to chew up shoreline and destabilize train tracks. Angry locals have pushed for greater restoration work for years, including organizing under the nonprofit Save Our Beaches in 2023. On the group’s website, under the heading “GAMEPLAN,” there are just two bullet points, representing the group’s sole focus: get sand, and keep sand.

The city has already been spending big on sand replenishment for years, yet the problem remains — and this summer, it has even accelerated. San Clemente declared its own state of emergency this month and moved to spend $1 million to drop sand on North Beach. Recent summer storms also damaged braces along the pier, which will take hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix, the Orange County Register reported.

Others are taking a wait-and-see approach. Popular summertime tourist spot Laguna Beach, which has declared its own state of emergency, said on a recently launched El Niño preparation website that the city “does not have plans to undertake a sand replenishment project on its own” at this time. Its more sheltered beaches have been less impacted than elsewhere in Orange County, the site reads, and officials “don’t yet know how much sand, if any, has been lost such that it won’t naturally return to the beaches.”

Much of the rest of coastal Orange County does not have the luxury of time. And with the global supply of sand, the most mined material on Earth, decreasing (at least the useful stuff for coastal conservation), there are no guarantees that all this sand movement can save South Orange County’s famously pristine beaches forever.

An 81-year-old California homeowner says she will be forced out of her longtime home after her condo association slapped each resident with a $26,000 emergency assessment — as furious neighbors fight back against the massive bill.

Owners at the 198-unit Vilamoura at Rancho San Clemente condominium complex were hit with the special assessment to fund a major roof replacement project, according to ABC7.

“Retired, single, what, lose my house? I wouldn’t qualify for a loan to refinance. So where do you go?” Beverly Albright told ABC7.

Albright, who lives on a fixed income, told the Los Angeles Times that her children have already had to help her financially and that she is considering borrowing money to cover the charge.

“I will have to move,” she told ABC7. “I’ve worked very hard to make it so that I could be here.”

Residents say they were given several ways to cough up the money: pay the more than $26,000 bill outright, split it into two payments or enter a payment plan that initially adds more than $2,000 to their monthly costs.

That comes on top of regular HOA dues, which resident Megan Blanda said already run more than $500 a month.

“They can’t throw a $26,000 bill at us because the roof has been neglected all these years,” Blanda, 42, told The Times.

The homeowners aren’t just fighting the price tag — they’re challenging the HOA’s decision to classify the work as an emergency.

Residents contend the roofs were a long-known maintenance issue and therefore should not qualify for an emergency assessment that can be imposed without a homeowner vote.

“It was not an emergency; it’s deferred maintenance,” homeowner Noah Martin told ABC7. “And so, then we as members should have a vote on how we want to take care of the roofs.”

Some residents also argue that the roofs are not currently leaking and say they want the association to seek multiple competitive bids before moving ahead with the project.

The HOA, however, maintains that replacing the roofs is necessary to prevent potentially severe damage.

James R. McCormick, an attorney representing the association, told The Times that an independent expert found deteriorated waterproofing and problems with the original tile installation and warned that delaying replacement could lead to serious interior damage.

McCormick acknowledged that roof maintenance “should have been planned for and performed in prior years,” but said the work now needs to be done.

The overall project is expected to cost a combined $5.2 million, including about $500,000 for fire-suppression system repairs.

Residents who fail to pay could face even bigger consequences. The association has sent lien notices warning delinquent homeowners that the process could ultimately lead to foreclosure.

Now a group of residents is attempting to recall members of the HOA board and take control of the association.

Blanda and other homeowners involved in the effort say they obtained an estimate for a temporary weatherproofing plan costing roughly $400 per owner, which they believe could protect the roofs through the winter while a longer-term replacement is planned.

The association disputes that delaying the full replacement is a viable solution.

“The unfortunate reality is that this recall process will not change the status of the roofs or otherwise obviate the need for immediate roof replacement,” McCormick said.

The San Clemente fight comes as steep special assessments become increasingly common at aging California condo developments, where associations are grappling with major maintenance bills, rising insurance costs and new safety requirements.

California is bracing for flooding and landslides ahead of the super El Niño expected in 2026.

In San Clemente, that threat is already visible at North Beach, where rising seas and crashing waves have effectively cut in half what was once a long, walkable stretch of sand, according to The Independent.

The Southern California city offers a clear example of what happens when sea-level rise meets coastal development: beaches narrow, bluffs become unstable, and key transportation routes start to break down.

Erosion has steadily stripped San Clemente, a town of 62,000 people, of shoreline. Waves have worn away North Beach, while instability along nearby bluffs has repeatedly interrupted a coastal passenger rail line that also carries freight and military traffic. That vulnerable 7-mile stretch is part of a 351-mile corridor connecting San Diego, the Los Angeles County port complex, and San Luis Obispo.

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Sean Vitousek, a U.S. Geological Survey research oceanographer, says the direction of change is clear: "It is going to keep rising, and rising, and the beaches will retreat landward."

Scientists have been warning that this kind of damage would spread, and researchers projected that more than half of Southern California's beaches may be significantly eroded by 2100.

El Niño years can worsen those threats. Storm surge has already pushed seawater into homes in Long Beach near Los Angeles, and Pacifica, south of San Francisco, shut down its damaged concrete pier. A study found that El Niño events are intensifying because of human-caused climate change.

A big part of San Clemente's problem is that its beaches are no longer being naturally rebuilt the way they once were. Development has limited the sediment supply that once replenished the shoreline, while larger waves leave less buffer against the ocean.

City Manager Andy Hall said the city faces about a 3 million-cubic-yard sand shortfall, and hauling that amount in would take roughly 300,000 truck trips.

For residents, the change is immediate and visible.

Cameron Cosgrove, a San Clemente resident who wrote the local tax measure, said, "We've lost our walkable beach. It used to be you could come to North Beach, walk the beach trail, or on the beach to the pier and actually all the way down to the south end of town. Can't do either anymore."

Placing rock along the coastline has been one step transportation officials have used to protect the rail line, but that approach can create new erosion problems. When waves hit those rocks, they can pull more sand out to sea, potentially worsening beach loss and putting the tracks at risk again.

Hall and Orange County Transportation Authority CEO Darrell Johnson have both said more sand is needed, as San Clemente voters consider a ballot measure for a 1% sales tax to fund wildfire protection and beach replenishment.

Beach nourishment has been used in places such as Huntington Beach, though City Councilman Zhen Wu, an opponent of the measure, argues that San Clemente should pursue a broader regional strategy rather than a local tax.

Johnson said securing state permits for additional sand has been difficult, and that California's emergency declaration ahead of El Niño may help speed up the process. Over time, he said, officials plan to examine moving trains inland.

"If we can't figure out how to shore up properly in a way that is long-term in nature, and we can't figure out how to relocate, I think that is a question that's going to have to be asked. 'What happens to passenger rail? What happens to freight?'" Johnson said.

San Clemente's shrinking shoreline reflects pressures playing out on coasts far beyond Southern California.

• Across the U.S., rising seas are overwhelming roads, homes, and basic coastal infrastructure.

• Along Tunisia's coast, this beach won't exist within years as erosion devours shorelines.

• In Maine's Sipayik, sea-level rise is washing away land central to Passamaquoddy tradition.

• In South Florida, citywide flooding keeps getting worse as seawater pushes into neighborhoods.

• On Massachusetts' Cape Ann, there is no central plan for coastal retreat.

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With a Super El Niño forecast for later this year that could bring more powerful waves and tidal action along the Orange County coastline, several cities are preparing for mutual aid and, hopefully, help from the county and state.

On Tuesday, Sept. 15, San Clemente joined two other Orange County coastal cities in declaring a state of emergency after recent heavy surf and surging tides from Hurricane Marie wreaked havoc.

Following significant damage to sections of the city’s beaches and public infrastructure, San Clemente leaders also agreed to allocate $1 million to immediately replenish sand in North Beach, one of the most affected areas, with City Manager Andy Hall finding the most and cheapest sand to truck in.

The council also directed Hall to pursue any available county, state, or federal resources for emergency funding.

Some of the damage, Hall said, includes the loss of a pylon and at least 17 braces on the San Clemente Pier, flooding of coastal access points such as Linda Lane and the tunnel to the beach at Riviera, increased maintenance costs to protect critical infrastructure, and damage to private property. Repairs to the pier alone could cost at least $300,000. Repairing or restoring private property could cost more than repairing public property, Hall said.

In nearby Dana Point, where last week 10 houses along Beach Road were red-tagged, with one partially pulled into the ocean and seven more were yellow-tagged, the council also recently declared an emergency. As did Laguna Beach after four homes were yellow-tagged and the city’s popular Aliso Beach had significant property damage at the beachfront and parking lot.

San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler, had already signed the emergency proclamation last week at the urging of Assemblymember Laurie Davies, expecting that the rest of the council would be on board.

County officials on Thursday announced that they also proclaimed a local state of emergency, recognizing the severity of the anticipated El Niño and supporting additional state and federal resources as conditions require.

OC Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley is also calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to proclaim a state of emergency for the county’s coastal communities and to “expedite critical work before winter, including debris and sediment removal, vegetation management, channel maintenance, bridge protection, and other flood-risk reduction projects.”

“We need to act with urgency, help our cities recover, streamline permits to get sand back on our beaches,” Foley said, adding the county also needs to prepare for a winter of storms.

The county had activated its emergency operations center at a low level as of Sept. 11 because at least two local cities had declared an emergency.

“That also means that we have our portal for local agencies, school districts and the county to input all the costs and expenses so we can get a reimbursement,” Foley said previously.

Most of the higher surf and tides would likely start in November and continue through early 2027, forecasters have said, which is also when the King Tides typically come.

With the declaration, cities have an opportunity for mutual aid from state agencies, Hall said, “Which allows us to take care of things quickly.”

It also lets cities adjust rules to address the emergency, he added. But he said that, in order for cities and counties to get assistance, the damage countywide has to exceed $15.5 million.

While the recent south swells have actually added sand to San Clemente’s beaches, most notably near the lifeguard headquarters, Hall cautioned that in late fall and winter more of the wave and surge action comes from the north.

“We want to be prepared for that,” he said, adding that areas to bolster with berms include the restrooms at North Beach, T-Street near the volleyball courts, and the small cafe.

“Could there be funding available to place additional sand?” he asked. “We want to get repairs made as quickly as possible to protect our community and our coastline.”

During the recent storm surges, Loeffler said he personally watched as water came up against a home along the stretch of beach just north of T-Street and not far from Beach Road.

Councilmember Victor Cabral agreed that North Beach needed more sand and said his concern with past discussions is that it’s always been about ‘let’s do a study’ and more research.

“This is an emergency,” he said. “If there was a fire on the hillside near homes, we wouldn’t be talking about it as let’s go study and see how we can protect those. It’s a crisis, and we need to address it, and we need to do what we did in the past. We need to put sand at North Beach. Many residents there talk about the difference in their homes being saved and the ones down the road from them not being saved is the sand this City Council put on the beach. It protected them.”

“We have an obligation to address this; we know there is bad weather coming,” he added, suggesting the council approve up to $1 million for sand. “We know there is an El Niño coming. We have an opportunity in the short term to make sure they weather the storm.”

Hall said the emergency declaration could also help the California Coastal Commission issue a permit extending the boundaries of how far north sand could be dumped at North Beach to include Capistrano Shores, only about 100 feet to the north, if the logistics work out. Most likely, the sand would come from inland, like Palm Springs or the Prado Dam, he said. For $1 million, city officials can’t rent a dredge to pull it from offshore.

In 2024, the city already added about 200,000 cubic yards of sand between T Street and Linda Lane near the pier, and another 37,000 at North Beach. That sand came from a source off Surfside and Sunset Beach in northern OC.

In the end, the council agreed that making the declaration was critical.

“The unique thing is that we can see the emergency coming,” said Councilmember Mark Enmier. “We, as a city, have to do everything so we are not on the back end of this emergency later. We prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

(Staff Writer Laylan Connelly contributed to this report.)

For the past year, Desiree Sarnowski and Tanya Larson’s morning walk along San Clemente’s coastline was interrupted by construction crews and a chain-link fence.

So the duo, who walk the 2.3-mile stretch from the south to the north ends of town, were pleasantly surprised on Friday, Oct. 9, when the fence was down and the path was cleared.

“We love it so much, it’s amazing,” Sarnowski said, as she marveled at the 20-foot-tall wall added to protect the path and nearby train tracks from landslides. It is colored to blend with the hillside’s hues.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

The popular beach trail, spanning from Calafia State Beach to North Beach and passing the San Clemente Pier at the halfway point, was reopened to the public after a year of being partially closed off following a 2024 landslide that knocked down the Mariposa Bridge.

“We’ll miss the cute little iconic rickety bridge, such a nostalgic piece of our little San Clemente,” Larson said, noting they immediately texted their walking group to share the news of the path’s reopening. “But how beautiful this is? It is amazing. I feel spoiled.”

The Orange County Transportation Authority, along with local, state and federal officials, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday to mark the occasion, speaking about the $93 million project to repair damage from the landslide and bolster protections that included the nearly 1,400-foot-long catchment wall, with a height ranging from 10 to 20 feet, designed to protect the railroad track from falling rocks, soil and debris from the coastal bluff.

The project also included removing the steel-and-wood bridge and reconnecting the pedestrian trail, with it now running alongside the railroad, at the cost of about $24 million.

Construction began in September 2025.

The LOSSAN Rail Corridor through San Clemente is a critical link in Southern California’s transportation network, carrying Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner passenger trains as well as freight and military transportation.

Since 2021, rail operations through San Clemente have been interrupted multiple times because of coastal bluff failures, beach loss, erosion and deterioration of shoreline protection.

“This project represents exactly the kind of progress we want to keep making in San Clemente – taking action now to protect the rail corridor while working closely with the city and community to preserve access to the coast,” OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson said. “We’re grateful to everyone who helped make today possible, especially the crews who worked in a very challenging coastal environment to deliver stronger public infrastructure and a restored trail for the community.”

San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler said it was a long-awaited moment for the community and visitors who frequent the trail.

“This is the jewel, the treasure,” he said. “This is the treasure of San Clemente, going from one end to the other, looking at this beautiful ocean.”