Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley Demands Long-Term Solution for Coastal Erosion Following Support for OCTA Emergency Plans for San Clemente Railroad Stabilization

ORANGE COUNTY, CA – Today, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley voted in support of the Orange County Transportation Authority’s plan for emergency railroad track stabilization near San Clemente. Metrolink suspended the service lines between Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo and Oceanside, and Amtrak suspended service for their Pacific Surfliner trains between Irvine and San Diego due to coastal erosion impacting the train tracks along the San Clemente area. Freight travel will continue with monitoring and slow speeds. 

The OCTA Board voted to approve a $12 million project to construct ground anchors to stabilize the sliding movement near the tracks. The Board also voted to approve the County Chief Executive Officer’s (CEO) negotiations with contractors and affected property owners, which will allow for rapid construction.  

“The Board’s decision today to approve allowing the CEO to enter into contracts to stabilize the area and build the ground anchors is only a temporary fix. We must plan for a more scientific and long-term solution to the coastal erosion issues that have been ongoing for several decades without any leadership,” said Supervisor Foley. “It is critical that we engage the scientific community and listen to their advice to bring more sand to our beaches to stabilize the slope and form a plan to protect the affected area, property-owners, coastal tourism, national security, and our way of life.”  

The impacted tracks are part of the second busiest intercity passenger rail corridor in the country as well as a designated national defense rail corridor within the Strategic Rail Corridor Network by the Department of Defense. The corridor sees more than 150 daily passenger trains and more than 70 freight trains per day. 

###

Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2021 to represent Costa Mesa, Cypress, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, Stanton, the unincorporated area of Rossmoor, and portions of Buena Park and Fountain Valley. Following redistricting, the Board appointed her to additionally serve as caretaker for the future District 2, which includes the communities of Santa Ana and portions of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange, Tustin, and unincorporated North Tustin.     

Supervisor Foley serves on the Airport Ad Hoc Committee & Fly Friendly working group, the Sober Living Home Ad Hoc Committee, and boards of the Orange County Transportation Authority, CalOptima, Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council, Law Library, Newport Bay & South Orange County Watershed Management Area Executive Committees & the Santa Ana River Flood Control Protection.