Home Care In San Clemente, CA

A collapsing coastal bluff is imperiling a key part of San Clemente’s sewer system, the Linda Lane pump station, like never before.

Ten years ago, the city put up a retainer wall to guard the pump station. An active, ever-encroaching landslide has since forced San Clemente to scale the wall up to 8 feet in height and reinforce it with raker system supports.

Despite all efforts, the slow-moving landslide has breached the wall around the pump station and the city now faces the threat of a sewer spill.

The San Clemente City Council on Tuesday weighed whether to approve a $2.3-million emergency contract to armor the pump station with caissons and tiebacks before the arrival of significant rainstorms or gamble by delaying the project for a few months to solicit competitive bids.

“It’s at its limit with soil and material that’s going over the top of the wall and starting to push up against the pump station,” David Rebensdorf, San Clemente’s public works director, told the City Council. “The concern is, if we have another rainy season — not necessarily like last year, but the year before — we’re going to continue to have more slope movement and then, potentially, damage to our building.”

According to a city staff report, the pump station and beach trunk sewer line transport about a million gallons of raw wastewater every day to San Clemente’s water reclamation plant to be treated.

San Clemente contacted two local contractors in April and received a $2.3-million bid from Alliance Diversified Enterprises to begin work on protecting the pump station.

At the meeting, council members debated declaring the situation an emergency, which would give City Manager Andy Hall the ability to approve the contract on that basis.

Rebensdorf noted that an emergency designation would allow construction to begin in August and wrap up before the next rainy season. By contrast, competitive bids would delay the completion by two-to-three months.

“If you have a car that’s about to break down, and you’ve got a long trip coming up, do you try and make that long trip with the miles that you have on it, or do you get the repairs done up front in that timely manner?” Councilmember Mark Enmeier asked rhetorically. “I’m leaning more along the lines of doing the emergency repair.”

Enmeier found himself in the minority as his council colleagues cited concerns about the cost of the emergency contract.

“This fence, I’m convinced, isn’t going to break tomorrow or next week,” Mayor Steve Knoblock said. “We’re balancing the risk of it failing versus the cost savings to the taxpayers. I’d rather have the taxpayers save a little money, get a competitive bid, get the best price possible and get the job done.”

Knoblock’s threat assessment contrasted with an emergency coastal development permit issued to San Clemente by the California Coastal Commission in February.

“It is the city’s opinion that it is not a matter of if, but when the landslide will fully topple the wall, which can happen at any time,” the permit stated. “The city has stated that if no action is taken, the lift station will likely be severely damaged or completely destroyed which may lead to potential untreated sewage reaching the beach [and] ocean which is less than 100 [feet] away from the lift station.”

Such a breach could also send sediment from the landslide closer to the San Clemente Beach Trail and even the Lossan railroad tracks, which are already under emergency erosion repairs led by the Orange County Transportation Authority in partnership with Metrolink through this week elsewhere along the city’s coastline.

Councilmember Zhen Wu said he was confident that with La Niña conditions over, San Clemente could afford to bargain the fate of the pump station for a few months in hopes of securing a cheaper contract without any harm to nearby infrastructure.

“The chance that we have very heavy rain in this winter isn’t great,” he said. “There’s always risk. I’m willing to take that risk. It’s going to save us money.”

San Clemente would have to extend its emergency permit in the meantime while securing necessary railroad permits.

“I believe the staff report,” Councilmember Rick Loeffler added. “But if we can save some money on this, it might help us in other public works projects that we have going and that we have to do.”

At the end of the discussion, the council voted unanimously to put the project out for competitive bids.

Applications due 07/20/25

Date posted: June 3, 2025

Location: C7Q3+WH Dana Point, CA, USA

Head Age Group Swim Coach – San Clemente Aquatics Team

Location: San Clemente Aquatics Team (SCAT) 987 Avenida Vista Hermosa, San Clemente, CA 92673

Date Posted: June 3, 2025

Overview: San Clemente Aquatics Team (SCAT), a USA Swimming-affiliated club in beautiful South Orange County CA, is seeking an experienced and passionate Head Age Group Coach to lead our top developmental training group (ages 11–14). SCAT serves over 250 athletes ranging from National-level competitors to entry-level swimmers and is known for its athlete-centric, IM-based training philosophy. We are committed to fostering a challenging yet supportive environment where swimmers can achieve their fullest potential, both in and out of the water.

This full-time position is ideal for an enthusiastic, dedicated, and knowledgeable coach committed to developing well-rounded athletes and future high school and collegiate swimmers. This pivotal role requires a coach who can skillfully balance the demands and pressures inherent in competitive swimming with a nurturing approach, consistently pushing swimmers to the next level of performance while ensuring their well-being and love for the sport remain paramount. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical foundation, excellent communication skills, a desire to contribute to all aspects of club operations and work closely with the Head Coach to ensure a cohesive and progressive team-wide philosophy.

Primary Responsibilities: Coaching & Athlete Development

Team Leadership & Administration

Community & Culture

Required Qualifications:

Key Skills & Attributes:

Compensation: SCAT offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications, along with opportunities for professional development and growth within a supportive coaching team.

How to Apply: Please send your cover letter and resume to Jason York, Head Coach, at [email protected] Be sure to include 3-character references with cover letter. Job begins immediately, or by August 18, 2025.

How to Apply: Please send your cover letter and resume to Jason York, Head Coach, at [email protected] Be sure to include 3-character references with cover letter. Job begins immediately, or by August 18, 2025. Applications due by July 20, 2025.

Please send your cover letter and resume to Jason York, Head Coach, at [email protected] Be sure to include 3-character references with cover letter.

PO Box 73666 San Clemente CA 92673 (Email Preferred)

Here’s an up-to-date list of all NFL Players from San Clemente High School in San Clemente, California.

The list includes only those players who have played in an NFL game.

See where it ranks among other schools in the state here.

In dire need of sand to replenish its eroding beaches, San Clemente is on the lookout for nearby offshore deposits to dredge.

Coastal Frontiers Corp., a consultant hired last year to carry out a sand investigation project, gave the San Clemente City Council an update Tuesday about its recent efforts.

The exploration plan has identified 11 possible borrow sites, mostly along Orange County’s coastline, from north to south. Working with an $800,000 contract, only six of the sites can be scouted for a week’s worth of sediment sampling later this year.

As a cost-saving measure, the goal is to find beach-quality sand as close to San Clemente as possible, even if the prospects are admittedly slim.

“This approach is a balance between the desire to focus on the San Clemente area itself with the realization that that we think there’s a low probability that we’re going to find that sand close by,” Greg Hearon, a principal engineer with Coastal Frontiers, told the City Council.

A higher probability of finding beach-quality sand is expected in north O.C., at Surfside-Sunset.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tapped the borrow site during the first phase of a 50-year sand replenishment project in San Clemente last year, after the original Oceanside dredge location spewed cobble-strewn sediment and caused delays.

A total of 251,000 cubic yards of pumped sand widened the beach surrounding San Clemente Pier.

But the borrow site’s distance from San Clemente added to the project’s overall costs.

San Clemente and its consultant are looking to dial down the cost of future sand replenishment, if possible, by finding a deposit closer to home, especially after a beach sand sales tax ballot measure failed to pass in November.

“The reward of finding sand that close is enormous,” Hearon said. “It can completely change the economics of a project.”

Councilman Victor Cabral expressed reservations about spending time and money on exploring possible borrow sites that have a low probability of providing enough sand.

“We spent millions of dollars through the Army Corps of Engineers surveying all the area in front of San Clemente,” he said. “They had determined, based on the same testing that you appear to be doing, that there was no sand in this area. What is it that you’re doing differently than the Army Corps?”

Hearon noted that the spots Coastal Frontiers has identified differ somewhat from those in the Army Corps survey but acknowledged the geology wouldn’t have changed significantly since then.

“Dana Point might be the exception,” he said. “San Mateo [Point] around the corner… our geologist has identified a high spot in the bedrock that looks like it might be a stranded beach that hasn’t been explored. That has us intrigued.”

San Clemente Mayor Steve Knoblock did not want to dismiss low probability sand sites near San Clemente as zero possibility ones.

“We don’t know that there’s not sand there,” he said. “If we do strike gold, it will be a quantum change in how we get sand to our beach. It would be incredibly quick, incredibly inexpensive and voluminous. I think it’s worth the investigation.”

The exploration is awaiting the approval of two permits before it begin, possibly by late summer.

An opportunity for the sand investigation project to expand and include all potential sites identified, work that is funded by a California Coastal Commission grant awarded last year, rests with the Orange County Transportation Authority.

San Clemente is in discussions with OCTA, which has its own sand needs in San Clemente as part of a plan to armor the rail line that runs along its coast.

On April 10, the California Coastal Commission approved a partial emergency coastal development permit for OCTA to speed up plans to protect the tracks from landslides and coastal erosion.

In the permit application, OCTA laid out a proposal to add 540,000 cubic yards of sand from an offshore source, in addition to repairing more than 9,000 tons of riprap to protect four critical areas of the rail line.

The partial permit doesn’t approve all of the hard armoring elements, but on Monday the OCTA Board of Directors authorized the agency to undertake emergency actions to stabilize the tracks.

San Clemente and OCTA seek to forge a partnership in the search for offshore sand deposits.

“We’ll be working with [OCTA] to see if we can expand this study to beyond just our seven days,” said City Manager Andy Hall. “Let’s say that we found some really promising sites on day seven, but we wanted to do some additional studies. What I’ve been told is that this study can be expanded. It just costs about $60,000 a day.”

Hall stated that OCTA would cover any expansion expenses.

If a dredge site closer to San Clemente is identified, the city will move forward with permitting next year.

Lower Trestles may soon become a household name among Olympics fans, with the LA28 Games turning its spotlight on the surf break.

And with the huge exposure that comes with the Summer Games, the quaint surf town next door is poised to reap the benefits.

Already, as word spread Tuesday, April 15, about the location pick over Huntington Beach, news headlines — and even some elected officials — proclaimed that San Clemente in Orange County was picked as the Olympic surfing location.

In fact, Lower Trestles is in San Onofre State Park, military land leased by the state, and is in San Diego County. If you want to get really technical, it’s actually in the Pacific Ocean.

It’s an easy error to make, with San Clemente a short jaunt or e-bike ride away from the famed surf break and Camp Pendleton between the beach and the closest San Diego city.

San Clemente Mayor Steve Knoblock said 2028 will be a big deal for the beach town, the upcoming Olympics timing perfectly with the city’s 100th anniversary, and officials are “excited and eager” to have the surf competition next door.

“San Clemente is the real surf city,” he said, “and this is going to mean a lot for us, for our community, our surfers. A lot of the champions come from San Clemente, we’ll have a lot of surfers involved. We couldn’t be more pleased.”

While the picturesque beach town doesn’t have the mega hotels that many other coastal cities tout, there are currently plans for four new hotels that will add hundreds of hotel rooms, Knoblock noted. Transportation, with the local trolly and OCTA buses, is already in place and Dana Wharf Sportsfishing has offered any water taxi help, he said.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make the visitors welcome and enjoy the amenities in the beach town,” he said. “We’re a small charming beach town. I think the visitors of the world, when they come here, will appreciate what small town coastal living is about.”

Also see: LA28 Olympic surfing set for Lower Trestles, south of San Clemente

While the break is widely known in the surf world, wave riders can be particular about having too much exposure at their beloved beaches. They’ll have to accept that their beach break may be off limits for a few weeks, maybe longer, when the Olympics comes to town.

“The local surfers will need to understand it’s a once-per-generation event,” said Catalyst surf shop and Lost brand owner Matt Biolos, who shapes boards for several Olympians, including gold medalist and world champion Caroline Marks.

The wave itself makes the most sense for the competition, he noted, “the safest bet for quality surf that will crown a true Olympic champion.”

In recent years, the city has worked to partner with the World Surf League on its big surf contests, especially the past four years when the world championships were held each September at Lower Trestles.

Press conferences with professional athletes were hosted on the wooden pier, surf sessions with local kids were held on the city’s beaches and, last year, an autograph signing with the athletes had hours-long waits with fans eager to get up close with the pro surfers.

Dave Cinquini, a longtime surfer and owner of the newly opened West Coast Surf and Stay hotel, said having the event nearby at Lowers, as it is often called, is a good thing for San Clemente, already a well-known, go-to spot in the surf world.

“I think it’s already established in the surfing world. If you surf, you know San Clemente. If you don’t surf, you may have never heard of it,” he said. “So I think this is a good thing if you’re interested in exposing this beautiful place we live in to the world.”

It could benefit the local economy, he noted.

“I want to see everyone be successful, this is an amazing thing,” he said. “This is one of the best things that can happen. And I don’t think San Clemente is in danger of losing its charm.”

He doesn’t think the exposure will start bringing people in droves to town, he said. “But I think it will put enough eyes on San Clemente for the people who live here and do business here to benefit for many years to come, and I think that’s a good thing.”

Surf journalist and San Clemente resident Jim Kempton said he and others have concerns about the sensitive habitats of the state park that could be affected. The area around the beach is filled with thick brush and teeming with wildlife, a natural escape from the urban sprawl.

“The worry I think everyone in San Clemente has, is the environmental damage,” he said. “There’s a lot of people in San Clemente concerned about that, understandably.”

Biolos echoed those concerns.

“The footprint needs to be controlled and they need to be hyper-sensitive to the fragile environment, which, to be fair, the WSL has done a pretty good job of over the years,” he said.

The plan is to keep the crowd low, similar to the World Surf League events that have been hosted at Lower Trestles for years, according to State Parks officials.

Kempton also wonders where people will stay. San Clemente, by design, doesn’t have mega hotels like a lot of other beach towns.

Some visitors may trickle down to Oceanside, with that beach town only about 20 minutes away on the other side of Camp Pendleton, he noted.

Nearby San Diego could also benefit and host gatherings during the event. Kempton is president of the California Surf Museum in Oceanside, which already has plans for an Olympic exhibit this upcoming summer.