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   From: noreply@mixmin.net   
      
   Another landslide in San Clemente has shut down a section of the town’s   
   coastal beach trail, though rail service continues.   
      
   Debris fell onto the trail sometime in the evening of Sunday, Jan. 4, or   
   early morning hours of Monday, Jan. 5, with the call coming into the   
   Orange County Fire Authority at about 6 a.m., said OCFA battalion chief   
   Nathan Arellano.   
      
   “We have a significant amount of dirt that came down from the hillside,   
   blocking about 150 feet of the walking trail. It did come down onto the   
   railroad, but is not affecting rail traffic at this time,” he said.   
      
   Landslides in recent years have forced a shutdown of rail service   
   through the city multiple times.   
      
   A section of the dirt trail at Lasuen Beach, also known as Lost Winds,   
   was blocked off and the city will send a geologist to assess the cliff’s   
   stability, Arellano said.   
      
   City Manager Andy Hall said the trail has been closed pending assessment   
   of whether debris removal could cause additional slippage.   
      
   Homeowners with houses near the crumbling cliff nearby have been   
   notified, and Leslie Park above has been closed as a precaution,   
   Arellano said.   
      
   The call came in from a walker before dawn and by about 8 a.m., the   
   OCFA’s “live find” rescue dogs, Cooper and Nancy, and Rubble, which is   
   trained for detecting someone who is deceased, were on scene sniffing   
   the area for anyone who may have been trapped under the debris.   
      
   “We just want to do our due diligence to verify there’s no one under   
   there,” Arellano said, getting the clear from K-9 handler Michael Bruce.   
   “They didn’t hit on anything, which is a really good sign.”   
      
   OCTA spokesman Joel Zlotnik said rail service between San Clemente and   
   Oceanside was suspended briefly in the early-morning hours due to   
   debris.   
      
   “The small amount of debris from the hillside did not land on the track,   
   but came into the rail right-of-way,” he said. “Trains are currently   
   operating safely through the area without issue.”   
      
   The north end of the 2.3-mile trail has been shut down since Nov. 26   
   following a hillslide that posed danger on the popular beach trail.   
      
   But there have been a series of landslides in the area in recent years,   
   starting in 2021 following a big storm and strong surf that damaged the   
   railroad track and homes on the south end of the town, following by   
   several landslides north of the pier that have shut down the rail line   
   on several occasions, damaged the city’s historic Casa Romantica and   
   destroyed the popular Mariposa Bridge.   
      
   The Orange County Transportation Authority has spent millions of dollars   
   in its efforts to hold back the slipping hillsides, with a   
   1,400-foot-long reinforcement wall being built on the north end of town.   
      
   The city had to foot the bill – an estimated $8.5 million –  to   
   stabilize the historic Casa Romantica building and the hillside below.   
      
   Late last year, San Clemente officials voted to join a coalition with   
   other coastal cities that are facing similar landslide threats and bluff   
   failures.   
      
   City officials hope to urge the state to add landslides as emergencies,   
   the same way fires and floods are, for assistance when they impact the   
   city or personal property.   
      
   San Clemente resident Ann Beard was playing volleyball at the nearby   
   beach, saying the landslides have become a common occurrence.   
      
   “I’m concerned, but it’s normal,” she said. “I thought it might   
   happen   
   with all the rain. That’s probably what most people around here think.”   
      
   Friend Nancy Wills hoped the debris will be cleaned up quickly, saying   
   she walks the trail nearly every day.   
      
   Resident John Tully, an architect familiar with San Clemente’s   
   landscape, said it’s a natural occurrence.   
      
   “It’s natural,” he said, “slopes are going to erode.”   
      
   https://www.ocregister.com/2026/01/05/landslide-closes-section-of-beach-t   
   rail-in-south-san-clemente-rail-service-still-operating/   
      
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