The Brief

Jentry Schippel and her 2-year-old daughter Brinlee stood at the southern end of Doheny State Beach on a recent morning, tossing rocks into the waves. For Brinlee, wiggling her toes in the sand here was a bit of a novelty — this narrow stretch of beach in Dana Point hasn't had much of the fluffy stuff in recent years.

The beach — like many in Southern California — is trapped between the sometimes pounding waves of the Pacific and the asphalt of the Pacific Coast Highway, with little incoming sand to replace what the sea takes back. That makes this part of the coast especially vulnerable to erosion which, while natural, threatens coastal homes, infrastructure and the region's beach-dependent tourism industry. Climate change is making some of these erosive forces worse.

But thanks to last winter's epic precipitation, and an unusually smooth collaboration among local and coastal authorities, this beach and neighboring Capistrano Beach Park have gotten a fresh load of sand.

Earlier this summer, Orange County Public Works began trucking the sand from the Santa Ana River flood channel near the 405 Freeway down to this stretch of coastline in Dana Point. The excess sand was washed down the river during the winter storms and had to be removed anyway, for example, to a landfill.

The eroded conditions at the south end of Doheny State Beach on June 15, 2023, at the start of the sand replenishment project.

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Courtesy of Scott Kibbey

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When the project finishes up this month, some 45,000 cubic yards of sand will have been spread over an approximately ⅓-mile-long stretch of coastline. Just a few months ago, the same stretch was covered in smooth rocks, known as cobbles, which naturally underlie many Southern California beaches.

The amount of sand trucked in on this project is enough to fill about five Olympic-sized swimming pools, said Scott Kibbey, who oversees Doheny State Beach and other South O.C. state beaches.

What's so great about sand?

Sandy beaches are a major draw for the tourism that helps power Southern California's economy. The south end of Doheny and neighboring Capistrano Beach Park are popular for their close proximity to parking, especially for families and people with mobility challenges.

Jentry Schippel and her 2-year-old daughter Brinlee enjoy a day at the southern end of Doheny State Beach, where the eroding sand is being shored up.

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Jill Replogle

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Kibbey said the new sand at Doheny will also "create habitat for a couple species that wouldn't have been able to thrive in this area before," the snowy plover and the California grunion.

Sand also protects the coast from erosion, which has become an increasing problem in South O.C. as sea level rises and storm surges become more powerful.

Over the past year, landslides in neighboring San Clemente destroyed part of the Casa Romantica cultural center, left homes teetering on coastal bluffs and forced the coastal rail line to shut down for months and undergo costly repairs.

Why this is a 'short-term fix'

Coastal authorities know a few swimming pools-worth of sand is no match for climate change. "We realize that this is kind of a short-term fix for a problem that we're going to be facing for a long period of time," Kibbey said.

Still, sand replenishment, or beach nourishment, as it's also known, is seen as a promising tool for keeping the ocean at bay and protecting coastal infrastructure.

Humans have long built and rebuilt beaches by trucking sand from riverbeds or dredging it from offshore spots and hauling it to shore. Naturally, beaches are replenished by shifting tides, crumbling coastal bluffs and sediment that gets washed down rivers to the ocean.

The erosion along this stretch of beach in Dana Point was so dramatic officials needed to take steps to shore it back up.

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Jill Replogle

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But Southern California has lost many of those natural replenishment sources by constructing jetties, paving river channels, and building homes and infrastructure like the Pacific Coast Highway and coastal railroad, right where erosion naturally happens.

South OC's sand deficit

University of California, Irvine, engineering professor Brett Sanders says south Orange County, especially, now has a large sand deficit. "Our natural sand supplies have been significantly reduced," Sanders wrote in an email.

Sanders said the sand replenishment project in Dana Point is significant, in part, because it's the first such project along this stretch of the coast in decades.

In contrast, parts of the coastline in Seal Beach, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach have gotten fresh loads of sand periodically, as remediation for federal infrastructure in and around the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station.

The Doheny project is also significant, Sanders said, "because local governments have taken responsibility and taken action."

The cost of sand

Sand replenishment is generally not cheap and many projects rely on federal leadership and funding. The federal government recently committed $15 million to an upcoming phase of the ongoing remediation project for beaches in the northern part of the county.

In south O.C., San Clemente will soon get part of its downtown beach replenished with federal help. The initial phase is expected to cost some $14 million and start this fall. But the city estimates the long-term cost of the project — 50 years of continual sand replenishment — at $256 million.

The cost of the Doheny project has been hard to pin down, in part because the entities involved — the county, California State Parks and the city of Dana Point — pitched in resources and staff time to make it happen. But estimates put the pricetag at approximately $113,000, excluding staff time.

Why it was 'unusually fast'

Susan Brodeur, a senior coastal engineer with O.C. Parks, said the county public works department had essentially donated the sand and the resources to haul it — at an estimated cost of $3.5 million. She called the project "a monumental achievement with all the collaboration involved."

The project also seemed to happen unusually fast — three to four months, Brodeur said. Some of the bigger beach nourishment projects, like in neighboring San Clemente, take years of planning and fundraising to get off the ground.

"Really it was more an opportunistic thing that happened," Brodeur said. She said the county had some pre-approvals in place, for things like the incoming sand composition, through a state program designed to allow local jurisdictions to do small replenishment projects quickly when the opportunity arises.

Brodeur said it's unclear whether the stars would align to do a similar project the next time there's sand available. "The transportation is the biggest issue," she said. "It's very expensive to transport that material here."

How long will it last?

Sanders, from UC Irvine, had been worried that waves and rain from Tropical Storm Hilary would wash away the new sand at Doheny — and from the Santa Ana River site providing the sand. It didn't.

Still, he said the beach would need continual sand replenishment to keep up with the ocean's eroding force. "We’ll also need a long-term plan for higher rates of sea level rise," Sanders said. That could mean moving some of the coastal infrastructure, like the PCH and the train tracks. "Some of the low-lying infrastructure will eventually need to be moved to ensure that we still have a beach," he said.

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena and Pasadena’s music community have really shown up to support fire survivors, especially fellow musicians who lost instruments and record collections.

That effort continues this weekend with a special donation concert at a Pasadena record store, with the aim of getting vinyl records back in the hands of survivors who lost their collections.

“You know, our name is Healing Force of the Universe, and I think that gives me a pretty clear direction… especially after the fires,” said Austin Manuel, founder of Pasadena record store, where Sunday’s show will be held.

The record donation effort is the brainchild of musician Brandon Jay, who founded the nonprofit Altadena Musicians after losing his home and almost all of his family’s instruments in the Eaton Fire. Through Altadena Musicians’s donation and registry platform, Jay said he and his partners have helped some 1,200 fire survivors get their music instruments back.

Brandon Jay.

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Robert Garrova

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Now, that effort has fanned out to restoring vinyl record collections.

“All of that stuff evaporated for thousands of people,” Jay said. “Look at your own record collection and be like, ‘Wow, what if that whole thing disappeared?’”

You might know Jay from several bands over the years, including Lutefisk, a 1990s alt-rock band based in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Gwendolyn Sanford, composed music for TV shows, including Orange is the New Black and Weeds.

Jay plans to play some holiday tunes at Sunday's record donation show (which LAist is the media sponsor), along with fellow musician Daniel Brummel of Sanglorians. Brummel, who was also a founding member of Pasadena’s indie-rock sensation Ozma, said he was grateful to Jay for his fire recovery work and to Manuel for making Healing Force available for shows like this.

Brummel, who came close to losing his own home in the Eaton Fire, recalled a show he played at Healing Force back in March.

Ryen Slegr (left) and Daniel Brummel perform with their band, Ozma, on the 2014 Weezer Cruise.

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Even Keel Imagery

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“The trauma of the fires was still really fresh,” Brummel said. After playing a cover of Rufus Wainwright’s “Going to a Town,” that night — which includes the lyrics “I’m going to a town that has already been burnt down” — Brummel said his neighbors in the audience told him the rendition hit them hard. “It felt really powerful. And without that space, it just wouldn’t have occurred.”

Details

Healing Force of the Universe Record Donation Show
Featuring: Quasar (aka Brandon Jay), Sanglorians (Daniel Brummel) and The Acrylic.
Sunday, Dec. 14; 2 to 5 p.m.
1200 E. Walnut St., Pasadena
Tickets are $15 or you can donate 5 or more records at the door. More info here.

Topline:

The case: In September, the city settled a lawsuit brought forward by two brothers in their 70s who said they suffered serious injuries after an LAPD officer crashed into their car. Days before the $18 million settlement was reached, lawyers for the brothers said Feldstein Soto called an expert witness testifying for the plaintiffs and “attempted to ingratiate herself with him and asked him to make a contribution to her political campaign,” according to a sworn declaration to the court by the plaintiffs’ attorney, Robert Glassman.

The response: Feldstein Soto did not respond to an interview request. Her spokesperson said the settlement “had nothing to do” with the expert witness. Her campaign manager told LAist the city attorney had been making a routine fundraising call and did not know the person had a role in the case, nor that there were pending requests for her office to pay him fees.

What Jurado says: In a statement to LAist, Jurado said she wants to “make sure that the city’s legal leadership is guided by integrity and accountability, especially when their choices affect public trust, civic rights and the city’s limited resources."

What’s next: The motion needs to go through a few committees before reaching the full City Council. If it passes, the motion calls for the city attorney to “report to council in closed session within 45 days regarding the ethics breach violation and give updates to the City Council."

Every year in Santa Ana, Luis Cantabrana turns the front of his home into an elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe that draws hundreds of visitors.

Along the front of the house, the multi-colored altar is filled with lights, flowers and a stained-glass tapestry behind a sculpture of the Lady of Guadalupe. Cantabrana’s roof also is lit up with the green, white and red lights that spell out “Virgen de Guadalupe” and a cross.

Visitors are welcomed with music and the smell of roses as they celebrate the saint, but this year’s gathering comes after a dark year for immigrant communities.

Luis Cantabrana stands in front of the stunning altar he built in front of his home in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Every year, his display draws hundreds of visitors.

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Destiny Torres

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Why do they celebrate? 

In 1513, the Virgin Mary appeared before St. Juan Diego between Dec. 9 and Dec. 12, asking him to build a church in her honor. Her image — a brown-skinned woman wearing a green veil with her hands together in prayer and an angel at her feet — miraculously appeared on his cloak.

To celebrate in Santa Ana, worshippers gathered late-night Wednesday and in the very early hours Dec. 12 to pray the rosary, sing hymns and celebrate the saint.

Cantabrana has hosted worshippers at his home for 27 years — 17 in Santa Ana.

The altar started out small, he said, and over the years, he added a fabric background, more lights and flowers (lots and lots of flowers).

“It started with me making a promise to la Virgen de Guadalupe that while I had life and a home to build an altar, that I would do it,” Cantabrana said. “Everything you see in photos and videos is pretty, but when you come and see it live, it's more than pretty. It's beautiful.”

The Santa Ana home's elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe draws hundreds of visitors each year.

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Destiny Torres

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LAist

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Gathering in a time of turmoil 

Many also look to the Lady of Guadalupe for protection, especially at a time when federal enforcement has rattled immigrant communities.

“People don’t want to go to work, they don’t want to take their kids to school, but the love we have for our Virgen de Guadalupe,” Cantabrana said. “We see that la Virgen de Guadalupe has a lot of power, and so we know immigration [enforcement] won’t come here.”

Margarita Lopez of Garden Grove has been visiting the altar for three years with her husband. She’s been celebrating the Virgencita since she was a young girl. Honoring the saint is as important now as ever, she said.

“We ask, and she performs miracles,” Lopez said.

Claudia Tapia, a lifelong Santa Ana resident, said the Virgin Mary represents strength.

“Right now, with everything going on, a lot of our families [have] turned and prayed to the Virgen for strength during these times,” Tapia said. “She's a very strong symbol of Mexican culture, of unity, of faith and of resilience.”

See it for yourself

The shrine will stay up into the new year on the corner of Broadway and Camile Street.