It's no secret, most of us would like to stay in our own home as we age. Yet, sometimes our loved ones just need a little extra help to remain comfortable at home. That's where Always Best Care can help....we are dedicated to exceeding expectations....always.
They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.
However, as seniors grow older, completing daily tasks like showering and enjoying activities such as visiting Mission San Juan Capistrano, Landmark, Chapel, Museum and Gardens in Capistrano Beach, CA gets harder without someone by their side. Unfortunately, many older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.
Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live far away from long-term, institutionalized facilities and closer to the place where they feel most comfortable - their home. Home care in Capistrano Beach, CA is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.
Home Care Services
Service AreasSince 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older. We are proud to have helped more than 25,000 seniors maintain higher levels of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of in-home care available so that they may live happily and independently.
Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs. That way, they may provide care accordingly without compromising their wellbeing.
The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home services, Always Best Care is here to help.
Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it is especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age.
When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.
The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.
At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one gets older, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.
To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:
If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes.
Common personal care services include assistance with:
Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.
Common home helper care services include assistance with:
Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors. That way, older adults can enjoy their favorite local activities, such as visiting Capistrano Beach Park in Capistrano Beach, CA with friends while also receiving the care they need daily or weekly.
Common companionship services include:
According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy nearby activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress reduces the risk of caregiver burnout. So, if you've always wanted to eat at the local Good Choice Sushi By The Sea or visit Los Rios Street Historic District, don't feel bad. Doing so is great for both you and your loved one.
At the end of the day, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible.
If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.
Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care:
According to AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors prefer to age in place within the comfort of their own home. With in-home care, seniors have a way to stay at home, receive the care they need, and maintain a sense of independence, improving overall wellness.
If you or a member of your family have assumed the role of caregiver for your senior loved one, you know how stressful the job can be. Between caregiver burnout and constant worry, being a family caregiver is hard. In-home care relieves your burden and gives you peace of mind knowing that your older family member is in expert hands.
Unlike nursing homes, where the staff and residents rotate frequently, seniors can foster new friendships and build bonds with their caregiver. Seniors who socialize on a regular basis are often happier, which fosters positivity and leads to increased wellbeing.
No two seniors need the same kind of in-home care assistance. That is why each of our Care Plans is tailored to meet our client's individual needs. We offer plans that cover everything from light housekeeping to more involved duties like transportation to doctor's appointments. Our Care Coordinators will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan to ensure your senior's needs are exceeded.
Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for patients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
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While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit - something that is unavailable to many older people today.
In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a strange nursing home, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.
How much does a senior's home truly mean to them?
A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, then, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old.
With the help of elderly care in Capistrano Beach, CA, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.
Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors.
Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.
For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like a nursing home. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.
More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier and more affordable to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seniors who age in the comfort of their homes can save thousands of dollars per month.
In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, are often less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.
With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.
In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.
Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.
At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.
In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:
When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.
Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.
At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Capistrano Beach, CA understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.
Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.
Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.
While it's true that many seniors prefer to age at home, sometimes in-home care isn't the best fit. For those seniors and their families, choosing an assisted living facility makes more sense. Unfortunately, finding the optimal care facility is easier said than done in today's day and age. That's when Always Best Care's assisted living referral services begin to make a lot of sense.
Assisted living is a form of housing intended for seniors who require varying degrees of medical and personal attention. Accommodations may include single rooms, apartments, or shared living arrangements. Assisted living communities are typically designed to resemble a home-like environment and are physically constructed to encourage the independence of residents.
At assisted living communities, seniors receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They may also benefit from coordination of services with outside healthcare providers, and monitoring of resident activities to ensure their health, safety, and well-being. Caregivers who work at assisted living communities can also provide medication administration and personal care services for older adults.
Other services offered within assisted living communities can include some or all of the following:
At Always Best Care, our representatives can match your senior's emotional, physical, and financial needs with viable assisted living communities nearby. Results are based on comparative data, so you can select the best choice for you or your loved one.
Always Best Care works closely with local senior living communities to gain valuable knowledge that we then use to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions. This information can include basic care and rent, resident availability, and services provided. Because Always Best Care is compensated by these communities, we provide senior living referral services at no extra cost to you.
Some of the most popular assisted living communities to consider in our area include the following:
For many seniors, moving into a senior living community revolves around how and when they want to make a transition to more involved care. Some seniors are more proactive about transitioning to independent living. Others choose to remain home until their care needs or other requirements are satisfied. Remember - our staff is here to help. Contact our office today to learn more about assisted living communities and how we can find a facility that exceeds your expectations.
The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Always Best Care Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:
A discussion of your needs and how our trained caregivers can offer assistance in the most effective way
A draft of your care plan, which includes highly detailed notes and a framework for the care that you or your senior will receive
Discuss payment options and help coordinate billing with your insurance provider
Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.
If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.
At the end of the day, we only hire the best of the best at Always Best Care. Whether you need home care in Capistrano Beach, CA 24-hours a day or only need a respite for a couple of hours, we are here to serve you.
When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.
Heavy rain, strong winds, unusually high tides, and powerful waves and storm surge fueled by Tropical Storm Rachel — a hurricane that was downgraded after making landfall in Baja California on Saturday, Oct. 10 — battered the Southern California coast over the weekend, including in Dana Point.In Orange County, coastal flooding was reported in Newport Beach, the Balboa Peninsula and Laguna Beach, all of which temporarily closed beaches and piers amid conditions that also snarled traffic along the coast.In Dana Point ...
Heavy rain, strong winds, unusually high tides, and powerful waves and storm surge fueled by Tropical Storm Rachel — a hurricane that was downgraded after making landfall in Baja California on Saturday, Oct. 10 — battered the Southern California coast over the weekend, including in Dana Point.
In Orange County, coastal flooding was reported in Newport Beach, the Balboa Peninsula and Laguna Beach, all of which temporarily closed beaches and piers amid conditions that also snarled traffic along the coast.
In Dana Point and Capistrano Beach, another round of powerful waves and high tides continued to take their toll along the stretch of Beach Road homes in the private Capistrano Bay District that was initially battered by Hurricane Marie over Labor Day weekend.
In a media statement posted online by the City of Dana Point on Oct. 8, the city reported there were “seven red-tagged homes (uninhabitable) on Beach Road, with an additional two homes that had been red-tagged that are now demolished. One of the red-tagged homes is scheduled for demolition. There are now 12 yellow-tagged homes (moderately damaged with restricted access) and four green-tagged homes (slight damage).”
As of Monday, Oct. 12, seven homes remained red-tagged, two homes had been demolished, one was scheduled for demolition and 13 others were yellow-tagged.
The neighborhood first suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Marie-fueled waves in August and September, while recent swells from Tropical Storm Rachel have threatened additional homes, with sidewalks buckling and falling into the ocean.
Emergency work to protect the remaining homes continues as contractors install large boulders along the shoreline when tides allow. The California Coastal Commission has authorized the protective measures, while the city works with county and state agencies to help affected homeowners access potential financial assistance. City officials are also monitoring swell forecasts and coordinating with the National Weather Service ahead of anticipated El Nino storms. For updates, visit danapoint.org/Community/Beach-Road-Updates.
“Everybody got caught off guard,” Fifth District OC Supervisor Katrina Foley told City News Service on Sunday, Oct. 11. “We didn’t expect the swell to hit this early. We’ve been in the planning stages for the past few weeks, but this hit a little earlier because of Hurricane Rachel.”
Foley said more sand replenishment was planned at Capistrano Beach this past Wednesday, Oct. 14, after Dana Point Times went to press. Over the weekend, high tides and storm surge pushed sand and water into the Capo Beach parking lot and caused damage to infrastructure, forcing the closure of parking areas. The water also caused more beach erosion.
According to a news release from her office, Foley was scheduled to join OC Parks officials at Capistrano Beach on Wednesday as crews began placing up to 9,000 cubic yards of sand from the LaPeyre Quarry off Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano.
Estimated cost of the project is $520,000, which will “help protect the shoreline, support sand beach habitats and preserve coastal recreation opportunities for residents and visitors,” according to Foley’s news release.
The California Coastal Commission had approved the sand replenishment project as an interim measure ahead of construction on the Capistrano-Doheny Beach Nature-Based Shoreline Adaptation Project. Earlier this year, OC Parks placed approximately 13,500 cubic yards of sand at Capistrano Beach.
The current replenishment effort is expected to continue through the end of October.
Elsewhere in Dana Point, a lifeguard tower at Strands Beach was damaged by storm surge and had to be removed. In addition, campsites at Doheny Beach were flooded over the weekend, as was a pedestrian walkway at Doheny.
And on Tuesday, Oct. 13, water in Dana Point Harbor breached the concrete seawall outside Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching — an extremely rare occurrence, until this year.
“It’s an El Niño thing that’s been happening this year,” Donna Kalez, co-owner of Dana Wharf Sportsfishing and Whale Watching, told Dana Point Times on Wednesday, Oct. 14. “Some say it (was caused by) a Kelvin wave, but I have only seen it a few times in all the years. But this year, it’s done it (breached the seawall) a lot. … So it’s no longer rare.”
SC Damage Update: SanO Closes Areas; El Niño Workshop Monday at City Hall
California State Parks announced that San Onofre State Beach had closed its lower dirt parking lots until further notice “due to road damage caused by recent high tides and heavy surf,” and upper parking lots were temporarily closed on Friday, Oct. 9, while crews addressed the storm damage.
“Water and restrooms also are unavailable due to damage to the water main serving Surf Beach,” California State Parks added, noting that the beach remained open for surfing, walking and biking.
On its Instagram page, Cal State Parks OC said “significant coastal erosion has damaged the shoreline, roadway, parking areas and utility infrastructure” at Surf Beach and would remain closed “while crews and heavy equipment conduct emergency work, including the removal of a threatened restroom building.”
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning at 4 a.m. Sunday for parts of South OC, including San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano, which remained in effect for several hours.
Despite videos posted online showing waves crashing over a barrier of boulders onto the railroad tracks in south San Clemente, there were no rail stoppages over the weekend. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, however, six specific Pacific Surfliner trains were canceled as a precautionary measure “due to anticipated high tides along the San Clemente coastal corridor … to minimize train congestion and potential delays associated with reduced speeds through the affected area.”
San Clemente City Manager Andy Hall reported that the city fared relatively well over the weekend, with flooding only at the underpass beach access points, including the San Clemente Pier.
“We have been extremely fortunate so far this storm season,” Hall told the Orange County Register on Sunday, Oct 11. “But we’re beginning to see the impact of the continuous storms.”
The City of San Clemente has scheduled a Super El Niño Community Preparedness Workshop on Monday, Oct. 19, from 5-6:30 p.m. at City Hall, located at 910 Calle Negocio.
Few cities in California last week felt the full brunt of the climate crisis more than the small coastal town of San Clemente.The beach city at the southern end of Orange County for months has been dealing with widespread coastal erosion from El Niño-related Pacific storms that has threatened a crucial rail line and reshaped swaths of its beaches.Then, as the waves were still pounding, a fire broke out in the city’s bushy foothills Friday, quickly burning toward hillside neighborhoods and destroying homes in nearby...
Few cities in California last week felt the full brunt of the climate crisis more than the small coastal town of San Clemente.
The beach city at the southern end of Orange County for months has been dealing with widespread coastal erosion from El Niño-related Pacific storms that has threatened a crucial rail line and reshaped swaths of its beaches.
Then, as the waves were still pounding, a fire broke out in the city’s bushy foothills Friday, quickly burning toward hillside neighborhoods and destroying homes in nearby San Juan Capistrano.
San Clemente’s challenges demonstrate what more of California will probably face as the twin dangers of fire and coastal erosion converge this winter. Southern California is just entering its traditional fire season, and forecasters are predicting more coastal flooding and erosion from what is expected to be a severe El Niño winter.
“We’re in a crisis,” said Cameron Cosgrove, a 14-year San Clemente resident and a planning commissioner. “Our beaches are eroding and our wildfire risk is very high, especially during Santa Ana wind conditions. These are scary times and they require us to respond.”
San Clemente is a quintessential California beach town with bluff-top enclaves offering panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and famed beaches boasting some of the best surf breaks in the country. The waves are so epic in the “Spanish Village by the Sea” that it beat out all other California beach cities to host the surfing competition in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
But the factors that make it such a desirable place to live and play also bring immense risks for destruction — sometimes simultaneously.
On Monday, firefighters were working to wash streaks of pink fire retardant off the streets and finish building containment lines around the charred hills between San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. Crows circled the blackened earth looking for seared animals to feast on. The smell of smoke lingered in the air.
“We lost our beaches and our trails within two weeks,” resident Rebecca Schwarz lamented as she stood with her partner, Todd, and their border collie, Bodie, surveying the Norte fire’s damage.
The blaze, fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, burned across 570 acres and destroyed at least six homes in San Juan Capistrano. Many residents in the rugged, shrubby hills have spent years preparing for such a fire. Few expected it Friday.
In fact, just days earlier, the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel had slammed the coastline and dumped rain over the region — although not enough to significantly moisten the bone-dry vegetation.
“It was windy, but there were mountain bikers and there were runners up there all morning,” said Todd Schwarz on Monday, gesturing to the trails around Patriots Hill, where a flag planted long ago by a Boy Scout remained standing.
Before the Norte fire erupted, much of the city’s attention had been fixed on the coast. Residents have been bracing to see what El Niño has in store this winter after an active hurricane season that has dramatically reshaped many of Southern California’s most famous beaches, including in San Clemente and adjacent Capistrano Beach.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center has said there’s virtually a 100% chance that the El Niño this season will be categorized as “very strong.” There’s also an 83% chance that this El Niño will be the strongest on record, going back to 1950.
Although many are breathing a sigh of relief with the fire under control, a new risk is emerging: mudslides. Roots that held the soil in place have burned and the vicious flames seared the dirt, limiting its ability to absorb water.
Some houses in the neighborhood already had piles of sandbags sitting on their front porches.
“Now El Niño is hitting us, and so now, what, do we have to worry about mudslides now?” said Suj Naran, a resident of about 10 years. “That’s our concern now.”
Even if it doesn’t result in torrential rain, El Niño can still wreak havoc on the coastline.
Beaches typically go through a seasonal cycle with powerful winter waves dragging sand out to sea and more mild summer waves depositing the sand back onshore. But El Niño winters generally bring even stronger waves, resulting in more sand loss and erosion.
Along San Clemente’s 4.7 miles of shoreline, coastal erosion has been a persistent and expensive predicament.
Erosion and slope damage have also caused problems over the years for one of California’s busiest rail corridors used by commuters via the Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink and freight operations.
In January 2024, a landslide above the railroad sent soil and debris crashing onto the tracks at Mariposa Point, destroying the city’s pedestrian bridge and beach trail and temporarily interrupting rail service. The Orange County Transportation Authority and Metrolink constructed a 200-foot-long wall to allow service to resume and moved ahead with a project to enhance protection along Mariposa Point.
High tides over the summer resulted in train cancellations and emergency repairs to the rail line. The transportation authority is finalizing a study in the coming weeks that evaluates strategies for protecting the seven miles of railroad through Dana Point and San Clemente for the next 30 years.
But the effects of coastal erosion have been most evident at the beach. Without natural sand reaching the beaches, high tides and large surf have resulted in entire beaches being covered with water, cutting off access.
In 2024, the city added about 200,000 cubic yards of sand near the pier and 37,000 cubic yards just up the coast at North Beach, the first step in what will be a decades-long process of restoring the beaches. The effort was successful in widening the beach and protecting infrastructure including the city’s marine safety headquarters, but it was just a fraction of what will be needed long term, according to the city’s coastal strategic plan.
Coastal engineers estimate that it’ll take millions of cubic yards of sand to fully replenish the city’s coastline. For a small city, funding for such projects remains an unanswered question, officials said.
“San Clemente doesn’t have car dealerships and Costcos and big hotels — all the nice revenue-generating entities that other cities have,” Mayor Rick Loeffler said. The multimillion-dollar replenishment project in 2024 was funded through a joint effort by the federal government, the city and the state, which stepped up to cover a portion of San Clemente’s costs.
Next month, residents will vote on whether to approve a 1% sales tax increase for 10 years to fund sand replenishment projects, beach erosion control and fire protection services. A similar ballot measure in 2024 that would have funded sand replenishment, but not fire prevention, failed to reach the two-thirds majority it needed to pass.
“We’ll see what happens,” Loeffler said of the ballot measure. “It’s kind of timely with this fire that just happened. It reminds people that the fire situation is actually going to be worse than the sand replenishment if we get a big fire that comes through our canyon.”
Much of San Clemente’s hillside communities, past the 5 Freeway, are classified as being in high or very high fire hazard zones, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The city has already deployed goats to chomp away at invasive brush along the hillsides, but Cosgrove, who wrote Measure M, said more work is necessary to protect the community.
The ballot measure will provide funds for staging air assets and firefighters during high-wind events to knock down potential fires quickly, remove highly flammable nonnative vegetation from about 5,000 acres of open space and replace them with native plants. The measure would also allow for more community engagement to help residents better harden their neighborhoods and businesses, Cosgrove said.
“San Clemente was very fortunate this time because of the wind direction,” he said. “If the wind was going the opposite way, it’s unimaginable what could have happened. This needs to serve as a wake-up call to residents that we need to protect our town.”
Truckloads of sand were hauled to Capistrano Beach Park on Wednesday, Oct. 14, part of a $520,000 replenishment project that should add about 9,000 cubic yards when complete in two weeks.In November, nearly 10 times that amount is scheduled to be hauled out of the Santa Ana River and put between groin jetties in West Newport to beef up the beach buffer between the ocean, homes and roads.As beaches continue to be battered by relentless swells and El Niño winter conditions near, coastal towns and county agencies are scramb...
Truckloads of sand were hauled to Capistrano Beach Park on Wednesday, Oct. 14, part of a $520,000 replenishment project that should add about 9,000 cubic yards when complete in two weeks.
In November, nearly 10 times that amount is scheduled to be hauled out of the Santa Ana River and put between groin jetties in West Newport to beef up the beach buffer between the ocean, homes and roads.
As beaches continue to be battered by relentless swells and El Niño winter conditions near, coastal towns and county agencies are scrambling to battle erosion that has left homes and roads vulnerable to the sea’s force.
The recent run of summer tropical swells has left several south-facing beaches unrecognizable in recent months, eroding the coastline severely. Now decision-makers are asking: What more can be done in the near- and long-term to preserve beaches?
Fifth District OC Supervisor Katrina Foley talked about the importance and need for regular sand maintenance as the OC Parks crews hauled in sand from the LaPeyre Quarry off Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Wednesday, depositing it just north of where several homes on Dana Point’s Beach Road have been destroyed by recent big waves. She knows it’s not nearly enough, but every bit helps, she said.
While the sand — enough to cover about the size of two football fields — to be placed at Capistrano Beach is just a “bandage” to protect a storm drain and sandbags, it adds to the “system” with hopes it will eventually move down the coast to help better buffer Beach Road from being destroyed by the sea.
“We have to start replenishing the sand, just like we repair potholes,” Foley said. “The entire coast is under siege right now.”
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Homes along Capistrano Beach in Dana Point, CA, on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Since 2023, just under 87,500 cubic yards of sand have been placed on the same stretch of beach, which sits just south of Doheny State Beach. The cost: about $1.6 million.
The project is adding sand to an area battered in recent years, with a basketball court, parking lot and wooden walkway at the county-operated beach destroyed in 2018.
A long-term plan to adapt the shoreline with natural sand dunes to help hold sand in place has been delayed for years by funding shortfalls, but the OC Board of Supervisors just days ago approved a grant for $2.4 million to revitalize the project, Foley said.
Capistrano Beach isn’t alone in its struggles. Laguna Beach needed to recently get an emergency permit to fix the damaged parking lot at Aliso Beach, which has been closed since early August, only to have Hurricane Rachel and high tides rip it apart even more.
The dirt road into the popular San Onofre State Beach is shut down following severe erosion, with State Parks having to tear down a restroom building to make more room for cars to enter when it does open back up.
There are also efforts underway by the Orange County Transportation Authority to bring in a dredger to pump about 700,000 cubic yards of sand onto San Clemente beaches by January to protect the threatened and vulnerable rail line that runs oceanfront at several spots, Foley said.
Newport Beach is still reeling from unexpected flooding that overtook roads and homes last week.
During a study session at Tuesday’s council meeting, city leaders and the public brainstormed ideas for protecting the town from future flooding, both during the expected El Niño season and in the long term as problems are expected to worsen with climate change and sea level rise.
The finger-like rock groins that help trap sand in West Newport were the answer to erosion and big storms that had the ocean crashing into homes in the late 1960s, said Public Works director Dave Webb.
In coming weeks, the project to move 100,000 cubic yards of sand from the Santa Ana River should again widen the beach in West Newport, he said.
At the sand-deprived Wedge, the city is hoping to use a hydraulic dredge to pump sediment from the Newport Harbor channel that sits on the other side of a long rock jetty to fill in the beach, but that work still needs to get through permitting and study, and could cost the city an estimated $5 million.
The hope, if all goes well, officials said, is to do the project by spring of 2027.
Newport Beach is also looking for long-term solutions, such as surveying for a sandy site on the ocean floor off the city’s shoreline to dredge.
“We could pump right onto our beaches,” Webb said.
In response to the latest flooding event, the city was able to scoop material out of the Santa Ana River to backfill the beach with sand and build up berms, officials said.
Councilman Erik Weigand, who is also a board member with the Orange County Water District, talked at Tuesday’s meeting about the challenges of trucking in sand from other sources, such as the Prado Dam, which has a surplus of beach-quality sand built up that needs to be removed.
Permitting and the small window available because of environmental and other concerns to remove the sediment make using the sand for area beaches challenging, he said.
And it’s not cheap, Weigand added. While the sand is free, trucking 100,000 cubic yards of it would take 5,000 trips using 18-wheeler trucks, at the cost of about $30 to $50 a cubic yard, or more than $3 million, he said.
Weigand also noted there’s sand in Anaheim Lake, about 800,000 cubic yards worth, free to anyone who can cover the cost of removal. That sand can be used for any community that needs it for sandbags to protect against immediate threats, he said.
Weigand had other brainstorming ideas to better prepare for upcoming seasonal king tide events and strong El Niño winter swells, including hiring or contracting with a meteorologist who can constantly check forecasts and alert the city when they need to do extra preparations.
“That gives us an opportunity to know what’s coming in advance,” he said.
San Clemente has a “sand czar,” Leslea Meyerhoff, who is tasked with navigating projects and permitting to address the beach town’s eroded coastline, Weigand noted. Newport Beach could look into adding a similar position to the city’s staff, he said.
Residents, during the study session meeting, also had a few ideas to share.
One speaker suggested the city look at infrastructure such as offshore reefs, similar to what Oceanside is doing, to dissipate wave strength before it hits the coast.
San Clemente is also exploring the idea of a reef off North Beach, that could be shaped to create a surf break, but also slow wave energy so the beach there would stay sandy.
There’s a lot of ideas out there, Weigand said. “We have to figure out how to pay for it.”
A ballot initiative in San Clemente is proposing a 1% local sales tax, half of which would go to sand replenishment and beach restoration projects, he noted.
While Newport Beach has more funds to work with than the smaller coastal city to the south, “that’s something the city is paying attention to,” Weigand said.
Weigand and city staff also recently connected with the Australian team responsible for the Tweed River Sand Bypass System, a coastal engineering project that pumps sand from a river to nourish the southern Gold Coast beaches.
The communities there had lost millions annually in tourism revenue when beaches became depleted years ago, and came up with the project to continuously pump sand to the shoreline, an investment that paid off when the sandbars created the now world-famous surf break, Superbank.
The project cost an estimated $85 million, with $8 million a year spent annually to move the sand. The town now sees about $200 million a year in tourism revenue as a result of widening beaches and creating a surf break.
“If we lose the beaches, we potentially lose a lot of income to our city,” Weigand said. “Protecting the assets we have is essential.”
DANA POINT, Calif. (KABC) -- The Capistrano Beach area, already battered by Hurricane Marie, is once again bracing for more coastal damage, this time from Hurricane Polo.Neighborhoods in South Orange county are keeping a close eye on conditions along the coast. The first high tide Monday happened around 10:30 a.m., with powerful waves battering the coastline. A coastal flood advisory has been issued for the area.Construction vehicles were seen going in and out of the area for the past few days in preparation for Hurricane Polo&...
DANA POINT, Calif. (KABC) -- The Capistrano Beach area, already battered by Hurricane Marie, is once again bracing for more coastal damage, this time from Hurricane Polo.
Neighborhoods in South Orange county are keeping a close eye on conditions along the coast. The first high tide Monday happened around 10:30 a.m., with powerful waves battering the coastline. A coastal flood advisory has been issued for the area.
Construction vehicles were seen going in and out of the area for the past few days in preparation for Hurricane Polo’s impact. On Sunday, large boulders were placed along the sand in front of homes along Beach Road in an effort to protect the residences.
This work is really only possible before the tide gets too high.
This neighborhood is the same one that saw some serious damage during Hurricane Marie at the beginning of the month. As a result of that swell, two homes were demolished and eight remain red tagged.
Seven homes were yellow tagged, though officials say four of those homes have since been changed to green tag status. The city of Dana Point is keeping a very close eye on the surf this week and may have to revert them back to yellow if they sustain any more damage.
Area residents are working together to save their community and prevent additional damage.
“The swell has not been quite as high, tides have been about the same,” said Capistrano Beach resident Steve Watts.
Watts' home is one of three that remain yellow-tagged.
“Even though our house is on piers and the house is basically safe, we’ve had erosion within six feet of our garage, so it’s gone back 60 feet. So we had to build a series of dams underneath our house,” Watts said.
“We’ve really been working hard on our rock revetment and so these probably 20 homes or so are pretty secure now. The damage isn’t getting any worse at this point because the rock is down and in place,” Watts added.
The train tracks nearby are located next to the ocean. Orange County Transportation Authority says they are closely monitoring the forecast and have equipment positioned across the area in case waves threaten the stability of the tracks.
Rain is anticipated for Southern California on Wednesday into Thursday as the National Weather Service cautioned about potential beach hazards and thunderstorms from Oxnard to the Mexico border.The weather service’s Los Angeles-Oxnard office is estimating a 30% to 40% chance of thunderstorms, with widespread minor flooding and debris flow concerns in L.A. and Ventura counties.Most areas, however, will probably experience only minor impacts from this weather, the office said.The area at highest risk for flooding is ...
Rain is anticipated for Southern California on Wednesday into Thursday as the National Weather Service cautioned about potential beach hazards and thunderstorms from Oxnard to the Mexico border.
The weather service’s Los Angeles-Oxnard office is estimating a 30% to 40% chance of thunderstorms, with widespread minor flooding and debris flow concerns in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Most areas, however, will probably experience only minor impacts from this weather, the office said.
The area at highest risk for flooding is the Santa Monica Mountains, according to a weather service spokesperson.
“Some of the more vulnerable areas include first-year burn scars,” a spokesperson said.
The Palisades and Altadena areas are among those recently scarred by wildfires.
As for rain amounts, the weather service in L.A. is expecting 1.73 inches of rain in Thousand Oaks from Wednesday into Thursday, with Oxnard at 1.53 inches, Santa Clarita at 1.47 inches, LAX at 1.31 inches, Covina at 1.29 inches and Long Beach at just under an inch.
At beaches in the L.A. County and Oxnard region, surf of 3 to 6 feet is expected through Thursday night on south- and southwest-facing beaches.
Tides are expected to range from 5.5 to 6.2 feet.
The weather service’s San Diego office, which monitors Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties, issued a beach hazard warning on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.
The notice,, cautions about dangerous rip currents and breaking waves, with surf from 3 to 6 feet. The highest surf is expected on south- and southwest-facing beaches, according to NWS San Diego.
The agency is warning that rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea, while waves can wash people off beaches and rocks and capsize small boats near shore.
The weather service is advising swimmers to “remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions.”
The chance of rain on Wednesday morning and afternoon stands at about 53% in Irvine and Anaheim and 46% in San Clemente, while Ontario is at 44% and Riverside, 40%.
The chance of precipitation picks up, however, Wednesday evening into Thursday morning, with Anaheim, Irvine and San Clemente at 95%, Ontario at 92%, Riverside and Lake Elsinore at 91% and San Bernardino at 88%.
The National Weather Service in San Diego is warning of a potential 15% to 25% widespread chance, or moderate risk, of thunderstorms throughout all four counties.
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