Global Courant 2023-05-16 17:00:41
On a rather cool spring day in late April, Amy Behrens was strolling through the manicured grounds of Casa Romantica, a San Clemente historic landmark known for its panoramic ocean views, when she heard a low rumble.
As she watched in shock, part of the sheer sandstone cliff beneath the cultural center crumbled toward the beach below, dragging with it parts of Casa Romantica’s iconic ocean terrace and dazzling walkways planted in bright coastal flora.
“I watched the bluff wear away right before my eyes,” says Behrens, executive director of the nonprofit organization that operates Casa Romantica.
A crack first discovered on the terrace on April 16 had led to a decision to cordon off the area while the city contracted geotechnical engineers for a $75,000 survey of ground movement on the bluff. The landslide followed 11 days later, leaving the terrace – a sought-after wedding venue – and parts of the shoreline below marked in red.
Erosion of Orange County’s ocean rocks, exacerbated by an unusually wet winter, has put several homes at risk.
(Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
The Casa Romantica landslide is the latest in a season of California cliffs crumbling after a winter of remarkably wet and powerful storms. More than 700 landslides were reported in January alone, according to the California Geological Survey.
In Orange County, instability in the saturated coastal cliffs has caused an estimated $26 million in damage to public and private property since December.
In March, a house in Newport Beach overlooking the water was demolished after a landslide. Later that month, a landslide in San Clemente led to the evacuation of four oceanfront apartment buildings. Laguna Niguel declared a local emergency last week after ground movement was detected under the hilly contours of La Paz Road, forcing officials to indefinitely close two lanes of traffic.
On May 9, the Orange County Board of Supervisors extended its own emergency declaration through the end of June in light of the recent incidents and hopes to tap federal emergency funds to repair damage and strengthen the vulnerable slopes.
For San Clemente, the damage to Casa Romantica has been a particularly heavy blow.
The Property of 2.5 hectares was once the home of San Clemente founder Ole Hanson, who built his Spanish Colonial Revival style home in 1927. It passed through several owners and was used until the 1980s, when the San Clemente Redevelopment Agency took control and the property was declared a Registered Historic Trademark. Several years later, a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor set its course as a cultural center celebrating the arts and horticulture.
Over the years, the center’s ornate arches and whitewashed walls have become a favorite for art shows and wedding planners alike. Private rentals for weddings — booking a Saturday night in peak season cost about $8,000 — and other events have accounted for about a quarter of the nonprofit’s funding in recent years.
On the advice of city officials, Casa Romantica remains closed to visitors. Several couples have canceled their summer wedding dates and will be refunded.
“We’re really going to have to rely on contributions and grants to sustain us,” Behrens said. “We’re going to have to work that much harder to find the sources of income to get us through this.”
And the impact of the landslide resonates beyond canceled weddings.
The landslide at Casa Romantica in San Clemente has interrupted service on a popular passenger train that snakes along the base of the cliffs.
(Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
Due to the failure of the ramp, debris crashed into the train tracks on the beach below and passenger traffic came to a halt. That was just two weeks after passenger service was restored following a six-month $1.5 million effort to stabilize the sand under the tracks.
That effort was designed to address San Clemente’s other environmental problem: beach erosion. While Orange County is known for wide stretches of beach along the shoreline in areas such as Newport Beach, the beaches along San Clemente are relatively narrow and subject to tidal erosion that had shifted the tracks.
After the landslide, both passenger and freight service were suspended. Freight trains are once again running past Casa Romantica at 10 mph, but Metrolink and Amtrak passenger services remain suspended.
Representative Mike Levin, a Democrat whose precinct is in southern Orange County, called San Clemente’s tracks one of the “weakest links” in a railroad corridor that connects San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles and San Diego and carries 8 million passengers annually. accommodates.
“We rely heavily on beach tourism and recreation,” Levin said. “Instead of putting band-aids on this every year, I want to think long-term about how we can ensure that the rail corridor remains operational for decades and centuries to come.”
Restaurants and tourist shops along the San Clemente pier are indeed feeling the financial fallout from the twin hits on Casa Romantica and the regional train service.
Josie Rietkerk owns Caterina’s Gelato Bar and relies on Metrolink’s weekend service to bring pedestrians to the beach, especially from the Inland Empire.
“The Weekender attracts 300 to 500 people on Saturday and another 300 to 500 people on Sunday,” says Rietkerk. “We’re probably losing about $1,000 in sales every time the train doesn’t come through.”
Mark Esparza is director of operations of Fisherman’s Restaurant and Bar at the base of the pier. Large crowds poured from the trains the weekend before the landslide, elated that passenger service had finally been restored. But now that the service has been suspended again, Esparza estimates that sales are down 25%.
“It’s just been a really strange year,” Esparza said. “There has been a lot of confusion with the trains, for the passengers and also for our staff.”
Earlier this month, Levin stood on the patio of Fisherman’s Restaurant and Bar for a press conference announcing a partial solution: a massive sand replenishment project that will extend the beach oceanward by 15 meters, including the stretch in front of Casa Romantica. The federal government has agreed to fund a $9.3 million contract for the first phase of the 50-year project, which could begin as early as November.
“If you invest in the beach and the sand protects the railroad, the railroad protects the toe of the slope at Casa Romantica,” said Brett Sanders, a UC Irvine professor of civil and environmental engineering. “But then you have to think about the instability of the slope itself. There are several risks that need to be managed, and engineers can help with that.”
Orange County officials hope the federal government will help stabilize the eroding coastal rocks as part of its emergency response to communities affected by last winter’s storms.
(Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
Given the lingering threat of erosion and more recent predictions of sea level rise due to global warming, Levin has applied for funding to support a provincial study of a more sustainable solution: possibly moving the tracks inland.
Meanwhile, the ground under Casa Romantica – which continued to shift for days after the landslide – has stabilized in recent days. Crews have begun hauling away mounds of debris while engineers are drawing up plans to strengthen the cliff in both the short and long term.
“It will take time,” said San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan of rebuilding Casa Romantica.
At a recent city council meeting, Kiel Koger, Director of Public Works, estimated the cost to stabilize the slope and repair the structural damage to Casa Romantica at $7 million to $8 million.
“Honestly, we don’t have the resources to handle this,” Duncan said. “We will have to rely on our federal, state and provincial partners.”
Local officials have asked Governor Gavin Newsom to add Orange County to a presidential disaster declaration issued for the state in March, in hopes of qualifying for federal aid. Federal and state officials planned to visit Casa Romantica on Tuesday.
Much of the structure, including a courtyard and art gallery, appears structurally sound, with no red or yellow labels. Behrens hopes to reopen at least partially over Memorial Day weekend.
“We will make creative use of our available spaces,” she said.
