Home Care In Trabuco Canyon, CA

Trabuco Canyon is a small rural community situated in the eastern portion of Orange County in the US State of California. Known for its rustic, small-town charm, this unincorporated community is an ideal destination for anyone who wants to relax in this serene locale away from the chaos of a big city. Located relatively close to many metropolitan cities, Trabuco Canyon attracts thousands of tourists every year with its plethora of outdoor activities, famous steakhouses, state-of-the-art wineries, and boutique shopping venues.

Geography And Climate Of Trabuco Canyon

Trabuco Canyon is located partially within the Cleveland National Forest at the foot of the majestic Santa Ana Mountains. The Cleveland National Forest is spread over 720 square miles in Orange, San Diego, and Riverside counties. Composed chiefly of scrubland and a few riparian areas, the Cleveland National Forest is divided into three districts: the Trabuco Ranger District, the Palomar Ranger District, and the Descanso Ranger District. Trabuco Canyon is approximately 1.72 miles north of Rancho Santa Margarita, 11.87 miles from San Juan Capistrano, 14.03 miles from Laguna Beach, and 55.3 miles away from Los Angeles. The master-planned community of Rancho Santa Margarita is linked with Trabuco Canyon via the Plano Trabuco Road.

According to the Köppen Climate Classification, Trabuco Canyon experiences a Mediterranean climate with short, warm summers and long, cold winters. The warm season lasts from June 30 to September 28, where August is the year’s warmest month, with average high temperatures ranging between 80°F and 60°F. The cold season lasts from November 26 to March 23, where December is the year’s coldest month, with average low temperatures ranging between 44°F and 63°F. July and August are, therefore, the least comfortable months, while April, May, and October are the most pleasant months in Trabuco Canyon. The area receives an average of 13 inches of rainfall per year.

Brief History Of Trabuco Canyon

Archaeological evidence has revealed that the Orange County area was inhabited more than 9,500 years ago by several Native American tribes. Before the advent of the Europeans, the northern area was inhabited by the Tongva, while the Acjachemen primarily settled the southern regions. On July 23, 1769, a Spanish military officer named Gaspar de Portola started an expedition to establish colonies and missions between San Diego Bay and Monterey Bay. The expedition headed inland to avoid the numerous streams and swamps in the area. On July 24, the expedition team discovered an extensive plateau area, and on the same night, they camped on the plateau’s western edge by a canyon.

A Franciscan friar traveling with the Portola expedition lost his shotgun (blunderbuss) in the canyon, and therefore the area came to be known as ‘Trabuco,’ the Spanish term for blunderbuss. In 1810, the Trabuco Adobe was constructed next to Alume, a large Acjachemen village. In 1846, a Mexican land grant (Rancho Trabuco) was received by Don Juan Forster. This 22,184-acre land grant was bounded by the Rancho Mission Viejo in the east and the Rancho Canada de los Alisos in the west. In the early 1900s, attempts were made to mine tin in the Trabuco Canyon.

Population And Economy Of Trabuco Canyon

As per the latest US Census, Trabuco Canyon has a population of 1,281 residents with a median age of 51. Of this population, 726 individuals are males, and 555 individuals are females. About 86.89% of the community’s population are US-born citizens. The top ethnic groups are White (Non-Hispanic) at 65.5%, the Hispanic group at 22.7%, and Asians at 7.4%.

Trabuco Canyon has a median household income of $143,750. There are about 429 households in Trabuco Canyon, of which 82.52% have children, while the remaining 17.48% do not. A significant portion of the population works in administration (25.08%), followed by management (12.38%) and education sectors (9.3%). Trabuco Canyon has witnessed a 0.6% job market increase in the last year, and future job growth is predicted to be 31.4% over the next ten years. The community has an unemployment rate of 5.3%.

Attractions In And Around Trabuco Canyon

Established by Eleanor, Duke, and Randy Sherod on June 28, 1968, the Trabuco Oaks Steakhouse is a semi-casual restaurant in Trabuco Canyon. Initially opened as a snack bar for the O’Neill Regional Park campers, this steakhouse gradually transformed into a dinner restaurant. Housed in a wooden shack-like building, this steakhouse serves various delicious dishes such as eight-ounce filet mignot, two-pound Cowboy Steak, extra thick top sirloin, French fries, and baked beans, along with a selection of California wines. Richard Nixon – the former US President and a native of Orange County, often visited the Trabuco Oaks Steakhouse.

This major regional park, situated at the base of the Santa Ana Mountains, includes about 7.5 miles of the seasonal Trabuco Creek and the western half of Live Oak Canyon. Spread over 4,500 acres, the park contains various floral species such as coast live oak, sycamore, sagebrush, scrub oak, mountain mahogany, buckthorns, poison oak, wild buckwheat, etc. The park is also home to faunal species like mountain lions, bobcats, and rattlesnakes. The O’Neill Regional Park offers 23 miles of trails that visitors can use for hiking, horseback riding, and biking. In addition, there are many campsites, day-use picnic, and barbeque areas scattered throughout the park.

This non-profit nature reserve is located close to the end of Modjeska Canyon, next to the Cleveland National Forest. Owned and managed by the Environmental Nature Center, the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary serves as a research center for students and faculty of Fullerton College and California State University. The sanctuary also remains open for the public to share knowledge about the Southern California canyon area’s native wildlife and natural habitat. Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary includes a small natural history museum, an amphitheater, a bird observation porch, hiking trails, picnic areas, and a visitor parking space.

Perfectly maintaining its small-town charm, the thriving community of Trabuco Canyon is an ideal destination for anyone who wants to enjoy its serene rustic atmosphere away from the noise of a big city. From spectacular natural scenery, hiking trails, and lip-smacking dishes at its well-known steakhouse, a visit to Trabuco Canyon ensure a memorable experience for all.

Water bills are about to double over the next five years for over 13,000 Orange County residents after the Trabuco Canyon Water District increased their rates this year.

The new rates only apply to some residents from Rancho Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest and unincorporated South Orange County.

It’s following a growing trend across Orange County’s water suppliers of moving forward with major price hikes over protests from residents.

Under state law, water districts aren’t allowed to charge residents more than it costs to provide them with water, but leaders of the Trabuco Canyon Water District are saying their costs have skyrocketed in recent years due to investing in new infrastructure and inflation.

“Many of TCWD’s cost increases are the same increases experienced at our customers’ household levels – electricity, fuel, construction and the highest inflation in 40 years,” wrote Fernando Paludi, the district’s general manager in a statement.

“While TCWD has been able to use its financial strength and reserves to help buffer our customers from these impacts, it cannot do so indefinitely.”

Board members approved the new rates at a special meeting in June, and declined to comment on the issue when asked by Voice of OC, referring questions to Paludi.

But many of the district’s residents who live on fixed incomes are questioning how they’re going to pay for these skyrocketing bills with their limited finances, with some discussing starting a recall that’s already garnered nearly $3,000 in donations from residents.

Ray Chandos, one of the residents whose bill went up, said the district officials weren’t interested in hearing their complaints, telling them “this is the way it’s going to be.”

“The totality of my monthly bill has doubled,” Chandos said in an interview. “There’s been a lot of stress, especially in the older people on fixed incomes who are worried about how they’re going to make ends meet.”

Under the current plan, the average homeowner would go from paying $133 on their monthly water to nearly $288 a month over the next five years, a 116% increase.

The district’s “fixed,” fees on residents, which are charged no matter how much water is used, are also set to dramatically increase.

Under the old rules, customers with the smallest water pipe would pay about $21 a month.

Five years from now, they’ll be paying nearly $79 per month for the same pipe.

Larger pipes, which are generally reserved for businesses, farms or homes with a large acreage to water their plants, would see an increase of almost $1,500 per month by 2028.

Paludi says that’s a necessity, but added the district is looking to launch a “meter re-sizing procedure,” that would let residents apply for a downsizing of their pipes, since many have larger pipes than their properties need in the more rural areas.

Under the new rates, reducing from a 1.5 inch pipe to a ? inch pipe would save one house over $1,500 in their first year alone.

“Many customers have contacted TCWD regarding their meter size and have attended our public meetings,” Paludi said.

He added, the “Board of Directors has committed to rolling out the meter re-sizing guidelines expeditiously and making the lower monthly charges, if applicable, retroactive to when requests were made.”

They’re also not the first water district in Orange County to wrestle with this issue.

In June, the Santa Margarita Water District announced a massive rate hike for the city of San Juan Capistrano that came two years after the district took over managing the city’s water infrastructure.

The increase would’ve raised portions of some businesses’ bills by over 1200%, but it would’ve largely left resident’s water bills untouched.

Read: San Juan Capistrano Businesses Shocked Over Staggering Proposed Water Bill Hike

That plan was ultimately voted down by the district’s board of directors after a Voice of OC article highlighting the problem, who instead decided to commission a new study to look at alternative ways of solving the cash shortfall.

But that didn’t happen in Trabuco Canyon, where board members unanimously approved the rate hike.

Regardless of where you live, the increase in costs is expected to keep on coming, with Paludi noting customers of the Irvine Ranch Water District, South Coast Water District and other districts are set to see increases over the next few years as well.

“Water rate increases are occurring at water districts throughout Orange County and across California,” Paludi said. “More should be expected in order to keep pace with persistently high costs.”

Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter @NBiesiada.

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October 3, 2023 - SANTA ANA, CA – Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials report that the Homicide Detail, is re-sharing images of a John Doe found in Trabuco Canyon nearly 25 years ago in the hope of generating new leads and identifying the decedent.

The department, in partnership with the DNA Doe Project, first released the images in 2020 and then again in 2021.

On December 13, 1996, the Coroner Division and OC Sheriff Homicide Investigators responded to reports of human remains found in a wilderness area east of Trabuco Creek Road in the unincorporated area of Trabuco Canyon. At the time, it was estimated the remains had been there up to two years, with environmental factors affecting their condition. Investigators believed the decedent went missing sometime in 1995 or 1996.

Based on initial anthropological estimates from 1996, it was believed this unknown male subject was around 15-19 years old, approximately 5’2” to 5’8” with a medium build. An odontologist’s report, which showed the decedent’s teeth were in poor condition, was submitted to a Department of Justice database. He was given the name John Doe as investigators worked to learn his identity.

In 2020, the Coroner Division partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in an attempt to generate leads that might deliver an identification. In 2020, a computed tomography (CT) scan of the skull was created and submitted to NCMEC, which used the latest reconstruction techniques to develop renderings of what John Doe may have looked like. With the new information, NCMEC modified their initial sketch from 2019 to produce a new likeness that reflects the potential Latin American descent of John Doe.

The Sheriff’s Department in 2020 partnered with the DNA Doe Project in an attempt to identify the subject. Based on further genetic testing, it is believed the subject is likely from a remote/rural area in Latin America due to the very low threshold of genetic matches.

In September 2021, a team of volunteers was brought onto the case by DNA Doe Project Case Managers who are specialists in Spanish Language databases. In conjunction, a forensic artist affiliated with the DNA Doe Project provided an additional rendering of the unidentified subject. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department, in partnership with the DNA Do Project, is again seeking any information that may help identify this individual. Anyone who has any information about John Doe can contact the Orange County Coroner Division at 714-647-7400 or [email protected], reference case number 96-07901-MU.

Source: Orange County Sheriff’s Department

LAKE FOREST, CA — A Trabuco Canyon man was arrested on Monday, May 22, after he allegedly drove into a house in Lake Forest before fleeing his car, getting a pickaxe and chasing down two men with the weapon.

Alarming camera footage captured the scene unfolding as the man, identified by authorities as 32-year-old Tyler Scott Graves, repeatedly slammed the pickaxe into the closed door of a Lake Forest home.

Graves faces several charges, including three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, all felonies, as well as three counts of brandishing a weapon and single counts of resisting arrest and hit and run with property damage, all misdemeanors. He made his first appearance in court for the case Wednesday in the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, but his arraignment was rescheduled for June 16.

Graves crashed a car into a house in the 22000 block of Robin Street late Monday morning, according to Sgt. Michael Woodroof of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Deputies were dispatched to the crash scene at 11:54 a.m. Monday.

Graves allegedly ran from the crash about 100 yards away to where he was living in the 22000 block of Pheasant Street, where he found the axe and chased a gardener around before storming upstairs into the house and slamming the weapon against the door of a roommate until he smashed his way in, Woodroof said.

Find out what's happening in Rancho Santa Margaritawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The roommate managed to convince Graves to hand over the axe, but the defendant got it back just as deputies were arriving, Woodroof said.

Deputies ordered Graves to drop the axe, but he refused, prompting deputies to use shotgun bean-bag rounds and a taser to subdue him, according to Woodroof.

Graves was taken to a hospital to be treated for a wound from the crash and was later booked, Woodroof said. Before he began residing in the Pheasant Street home, Graves was living in Trabuco Canyon, the sergeant added.

No injuries were reported in the alleged attacks.

Graves has two prior felony strikes that could factor into increasing his punishment if he is convicted, according to court records.

Graves pleaded guilty in October 2014 to three counts of robbery and a count of burglary, all felonies, as well as misdemeanor counts of possession of burglary tools, loitering on private property, receiving stolen property, shoplifting and petty theft. He also pleaded guilty at that time in a separate case to a felony count of burglary.

While the investigation is ongoing, Orange County Sheriff's deputies asked residents with information to contact the OCSD at 714-647-7000.

SANTA ANA, Ca. – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Detail, is re-sharing images of a John Doe found in Trabuco Canyon nearly 25 years ago in the hope to generate new leads and identify the decedent.

The department, in partnership with the DNA Doe Project, first released the images in 2020 and then again in 2021.

On Dec. 13, 1996, the Coroner Division and OC Sheriff Homicide Investigators responded to reports of human remains found in a wilderness area east of Trabuco Creek Road in the unincorporated area of Trabuco Canyon. At the time, it was estimated the remains had been there up to two years, with environmental factors affecting their condition. Investigators believed the decedent went missing sometime in 1995 or 1996.

Based on initial anthropological estimates from 1996, it was believed this unknown male subject was around 15-19 years old, approximately 5’2” to 5’8” with a medium build. An odontologist’s report, which showed the decedent’s teeth were in poor condition, was submitted to a Department of Justice database. He was given the name John Doe as investigators worked to learn his identity.

In 2020, the Coroner Division partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in an attempt to generate leads that might deliver an identification. In 2020, a computed tomography (CT) scan of the skull was created and submitted to NCMEC, which used the latest reconstruction techniques to develop renderings of what John Doe may have looked like. With the new information, NCMEC modified their initial sketch from 2019 to produce a new likeness that reflects the potential Latin American descent of John Doe.

The Sheriff’s Department in 2020 partnered with the DNA Doe Project in an attempt to identify the subject. Based on further genetic testing, it is believed the subject is likely from a remote/rural area in Latin America due to the very low threshold of genetic matches.

In September 2021, a team of volunteers was brought onto the case by DNA Doe Project Case Managers who are specialists in Spanish Language databases. In conjunction, a forensic artist affiliated with the DNA Doe Project provided an additional rendering of the unidentified subject. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department, in partnership with the DNA Do Project, is again seeking any information that may help identify this individual.

Anyone who has any information about John Doe can contact the Orange County Coroner Division at 714-647-7400 or

[email protected], reference case number 96-07901-MU.