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 Dana Point Historical Landmark in Dana Point, 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 Dana Point, 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 Hilltop Conservation Park in Dana Point, 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 180blũ or visit Dana Point Arches, 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 Dana Point, 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 Dana Point, 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 Dana Point, 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.
A panoply of exotic species has appeared off California's shores since an unusually strong El Nino weather phenomenon arrived this yearBrown pelicans follow a fishing boat into the harbor at Dana Point, California, US, October 9, 2026. REUTERS/Mike BlakeBy Daniel Trotta and Matt SilversteinDANA POINT, Calif., Oct 17 (Reuters) - The longfin bigeye fish was spotted in California for the first time last month, and the first sea turtles of any kind nested on California beaches. Meanwhile, a venomous yellow-bellied sea snak...
Brown pelicans follow a fishing boat into the harbor at Dana Point, California, US, October 9, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake
By Daniel Trotta and Matt Silverstein
DANA POINT, Calif., Oct 17 (Reuters) - The longfin bigeye fish was spotted in California for the first time last month, and the first sea turtles of any kind nested on California beaches. Meanwhile, a venomous yellow-bellied sea snake swam ashore as whale sharks and hammerheads cruised just off the coast.
Exotic species have been visiting California's shores since an unusually strong El Niño weather phenomenon arrived this year. Occurring naturally every few years, El Niño brings warm ocean water farther north, and tropical species with it, providing California with a stunning visual display that has become ever more evident with the advent of drone and ?video technology.
"There's kind of a buzz. Fishermen are loving it for sure. I'm as interested as anybody else. It's strange times," said Nate Jaros, vice president of animal care at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.
Other visitors include flying fish and manta rays.
California had already experienced an unusual marine heat wave just before its arrival. This year's phenomenon coincided with a string of hurricanes in the eastern Pacific, fueling sea level rise and large waves that have destroyed homes and denuded some Southern California beaches of sand. Preparing for more effects to come this winter, California has ?declared a state of emergency.
But it has provided a bounty for businesses like Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching. Co-owner Donna Kalez said anglers have pulled in 5,000 yellowfin tuna this year, compared to 2 a year ago. They are also landing wahoo and dorado, also known ?as mahi-mahi, a green fish with a blunt head giving it the profile of a bulldozer.
"Dorado is very exciting because they're very acrobatic, so they jump out of the water. We catch them off kelp paddies, and it's a thrill," Kalez said.
Experts expect conditions to mostly return to normal after El Niño, a natural phenomenon predating human-caused climate change, passes next year. The greatest ?short-term ?harm may be to kelp, which thrives in colder waters and provides habitat for multiple species, ?experts say.
"It's good for some sharks and probably bad for others," said Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach. "For animals that can't move, that's a bigger problem, right? Most sharks that are highly mobile. They can simply move."
The yellow-bellied sea snake may have venomous fangs but cannot swim like a large shark. When an apparently sick one swam ashore in Orange County in September, a beachgoer used a palm frond to lift it off the sand and drop it in the sea. Jaros said that based on cellphone video he had little doubt it was the yellow-bellied sea snake, Hydrophis platurus.
There have only been six or seven confirmed sightings in California, said William Ludt, associate curator of ichthyology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The last confirmed sighting came during the El ?Niño of 2015-2016, he said.
Exotic sharks such as the whale shark — a gentle giant and the largest ?fish on Earth — and the more menacing-looking hammerheads venture into California waters ?during El Niño. Both have been spotted recently. Lowe said a white shark nursery reappeared for the first time since 2011 in Santa Monica Bay, where juveniles frolic without bothering humans.
Ludt said the aptly ?named longfin bigeye fish species was recorded for ?the first time in California this year when an angler caught one on the Venice Fishing Pier in Los Angeles. When two olive ridley sea turtle nests were found on a pair of Orange County beaches in September, they marked the first-ever recorded nest for any sea turtle species on the US ?West Coast, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The first was discovered by a beachgoer in Seal Beach on September 16, the second by lifeguards in neighboring Huntington Beach three days later, ?officials said.
And other new species may yet arrive.
"We still aren't fully through it," Ludt said. "It's still very much ongoing."
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, ?California, and Matt Silverstein in Dana Point; Editing by Donna Bryson and Aurora Ellis)
After decades of meetings and plenty of hand-wringing, the mayor of the upscale Orange County city of Dana Point says the coastal community is closer than ever to seeing its long-held dream — updating an aging harbor without losing the local charm — turn into a finished reality. All it took was $700 million.“I think that it’s long overdue,” says Mayor John Gabbard, who is helping to oversee the complete revamp of Dana Point Harbor. The long-awaited project is now well underway, and it’s already resh...
After decades of meetings and plenty of hand-wringing, the mayor of the upscale Orange County city of Dana Point says the coastal community is closer than ever to seeing its long-held dream — updating an aging harbor without losing the local charm — turn into a finished reality. All it took was $700 million.
“I think that it’s long overdue,” says Mayor John Gabbard, who is helping to oversee the complete revamp of Dana Point Harbor. The long-awaited project is now well underway, and it’s already reshaping the area’s famous waterfront. “We are excited to see any investment in Dana Point, and the harbor is a very, very big one for us.”
Talks of renovating the town’s timeless cove — which dates back to the 1800s and namesake sailor Richard Henry Dana — and its more recent harbor began in earnest many years ago, and in 2018, a public-private partnership was mounted between the city, county and Dana Point Harbor Partners to tackle the giant project. The issue, everyone agrees, is that the original harbor (dedicated in 1971) was not only falling apart in places, it also couldn’t keep up with modern times. Boat slips were too small, accessibility was tricky and, economically, the waterside restaurant and retail area wasn’t as thriving as it could be — and that’s to say nothing of future-proofing the area for rising sea levels and El Niño surges.
In total, the harbor’s big redo stretches from Baby Beach in the northwest corner out to the Dana Point Shipyard along the eastern edge, with most public businesses tucked into the center in what’s known as Harbor Village. Much of the development work is being done at the structural level: bringing safety features and access points up to code and protecting the area from erosion and rising seas. The commercial area’s foundation alone is being raised by more than 3 feet to help resist water rise. In September, the city was forced to red-tag a handful of coastal homes due to destruction from strong waves and high surf.
Originally approved at $330 million, the renovation’s price tag has since ballooned to more than $700 million, Gabbard tells SFGATE — though with a new 66-year lease on the property, the Dana Point Harbor Partners have time to recoup the cost.
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Some vital businesses, like whale-watching tours and the Catalina Express that shuttles people out to Avalon, will remain open in temporary structures through construction. When complete, the new Harbor Village will hold more than 100,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space along with 1,115 new boat slips. It’s expected that the development will allow for more than 50 new businesses.
All that change requires, well, change.
For starters, many Dana Point residents have lamented the loss of local businesses that are either being removed or relocated — or are choosing to retire — along the waterfront. The Brig, a popular diner in the Harbor Village area, closed earlier this year after more than four decades, as did Beach Harbor Pizza, though it’s reportedly planning to relocate nearby.
Most notably, Wind & Sea, the 54-year harbor stalwart, formally closed in September. The restaurant opened the year after the harbor did, and has been a vital part of local life for many.
“We are deeply grateful for the more than half-century of continuous support from all the locals who have come back again and again to enjoy our establishment over the years,” founder Bob Mardian wrote in a goodbye email sent to Wind & Sea customers after the restaurant’s final night of service on Sept. 15. Just below it, in all caps, the email reads: “RUMMAGE SALE!!” as Mardian looks to sell off every remaining glass, table, frying pan and T-shirt in the place before closing the door. In 2025, Mardian also closed adjacent restaurant Harpoon Henry’s, ending what had been a 50-year run, over issues at the harbor.
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Gabbard, a two-decade resident of the town, shares in the sadness. The Wind & Sea has been “very much part of my life personally,” the mayor says, adding that he was “sad to see them go” after spending so many Sunday brunches inside admiring the ocean view. “But as far as the community at large, we will figure out a way to celebrate the history of the Wind & Sea and the memories that it’s had for Dana Point, for years to come.”
A few other popular properties are still hanging on for now. Proud Mary’s, first established in 1977 and rebuilt after a 2007 fire, is set to end its run on Oct. 31, as phase four of the long-running revitalization kicks in. But the real Halloween send-off party will be found nearby at Turk’s, the ultra-popular dive bar and restaurant that has been happily cluttering its dusty walls with old photos and random knickknacks since 1984. The loss of Turk’s (in its current iteration) is so acute that locals have resorted to stealing decor from inside — despite the fact that the place is planning to reopen in a new building once renovations are complete.
“Just because our location is preparing for renovations does not mean our collection is up for grabs,” reads a tersely worded social media post from the company last month.
“We want Turk’s to be Turk’s,” Gabbard says of the city’s plan to bring it back at a new site, “and not some sanitized version of it. It’s an institution in town, and [has] so much history that we want to see it thrive going forward.”
The biggest missing piece for the harbor remains its hotel component. Two anchor Marriott properties, an upscale 130-room waterside resort likely to be called the Doheny and a more casual 169-room lifestyle property built around surf culture called the Salt Haus, have long been planned to sit side-by-side just west of Harbor Village at the site of the Marina Inn. But despite their prominent placement in renderings, the properties haven’t been confirmed or paid for just yet. Developers want to split the land up into two leases, one for each hotel, in order to more easily secure financing, they say; a split board of county officials, in turn, wants cost and worker protections baked into any new lease.
If completed, Gabbard says the hotel component alone would bring “significant” revenue to the city. “If they’re to be developed, that’s $80 million over 20 years for us,” he said.
But formally, at least, that piece is still unknown. “We’re still hanging on to what happens with the harbor hotels, because that’s still up in the air until the Board of Supervisors makes the decision,” Gabbard added.
Others aren’t waiting. Just on the other side of Dana Point Harbor Drive, the 371-room Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa is undergoing its own multimillion-dollar phased renovation, and is expected to reemerge as the Ocean Cliffs at Dana Point, a JW Marriott Resort.
Originally, officials had planned to wrap up the harbor revitalization in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, especially with surfing events held just south at the famous Trestles break next to San Clemente. Gabbard now says that’s likely out of the picture. “The harbor partners are telling me right now it’s a two-year build,” he said, adding that early 2029 is more realistic.
It all adds up to a massive moment of change for Dana Point, the long-sleepy harbor town with luxury bluffside homes. Mayor Gabbard says he’s heard locals’ complaints about turning Dana Point into ritzy neighbor Newport Beach, but he swears this renovation won’t completely remake the place.
“Dana Point is not Newport; it won’t ever be Newport for a lot of reasons that go beyond this harbor,” he says. “We’re two different ecosystems, two different sets of concerns, two separate lifestyles, two different demographics.”
“The likelihood of us becoming the next Newport Beach,” he added, “or even becoming a Newport Beach light, is nonexistent.”
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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.”
Show Caption
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.”
The city of Dana Point has declared a local emergency after coastal flooding and strong surf fueled by Hurricane Marie severely damaged at least 16 beachfront homes.City officials deemed nine oceanfront homes unsafe for inhabitants as of Wednesday night, “red-tagging” them — adding two from prior evaluations. At least seven homes are now “yellow-tagged,” city officials said, which indicate some structural damage. Only two had been yellow-tagged the day prior.The relentless waves destroyed decks, to...
The city of Dana Point has declared a local emergency after coastal flooding and strong surf fueled by Hurricane Marie severely damaged at least 16 beachfront homes.
City officials deemed nine oceanfront homes unsafe for inhabitants as of Wednesday night, “red-tagging” them — adding two from prior evaluations. At least seven homes are now “yellow-tagged,” city officials said, which indicate some structural damage. Only two had been yellow-tagged the day prior.
The relentless waves destroyed decks, tore down walls and appeared to flood several of the homes on Beach Road, part of the Capistrano Bay Community Services District.
No city infrastructure was damaged in the oceanic assault, but city officials said in a statement that its teams “will continue to coordinate with the appropriate agencies as conditions along the coastline are monitored and addressed.”
High surf pounded the region’s increasingly fragile coastline from Malibu to San Diego over Labor Day weekend, also causing a massive sink hole in Malibu and damaging a seawall, boardwalk and some homes in Long Beach. Experts say this storm may be only a taste of what is ahead as El Niño forecasts continues to strengthen, which tends to signal stormier-than-average weather.
Homeowners in Dana Point are working to install emergency protection from the onslaught of waves, including a boulder barrier, according to the statement from the city.
“Homeowners are just trying to do what they can to stop the wave action from further erosion,” said Karen Morris, the administrative assistant for the Capistrano Bay Community Services District, which serves the homes. She said the red tags don’t signal the homes are completely destroyed, but that they will require significant work to ensure structural safety.
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