The SC Times has released the results for the 4th annual Best of San Clemente People’s Choice “Ole Awards.”  The annual awards are voted on by the readers of the SC Times and honor the best businesses, places and services in San Clemente.  The results are entirely chosen by readers and reflect the pride that San Clemente residents show in the numerous local businesses and places that make San Clemente such a unique place to live and visit.

To view the winners of the “Ole Awards,” please click on this link.

If you are interested in discovering more of what San Clemente has to offer to residents and visitors alike, please visit our San Clemente Lifestyle section.

The 2010 Census is upon us and with San Clemente being a U.S. Census partner, it is vital that you complete your surveys when received in March as the results of the Census will decide how $300 billion in federal funds will be allocated.  These funds help to shape the future of San Clemente, create local employment opportunities, and make for better local government.  

For more information, visit the 2010 Census website or contact the city of San Clemente at (949) 361-8254

A new San Clemente trails map highlighting all the hiking and biking trails is available for download now through the City of San Clemente.  The map includes over eight maintained trails as well as trails in San Juan Capistrano and State Parks.  The map includes descriptions of the trails, elevations, rules, and much more, so you can enjoy the outdoors of this beautiful coastal community.  There are trails that run parralel with the beach and train tracks from North Beach, located just at the edge of the new Marblehead Coastal development, all the way down to Southwest San Clemente at Calafia State Beach.  There are also inland trails going into the foothills just east of Interstate 5 and all the way out towards Talega.

To download the trails map, save it, and/or print it, click here!

After a year of planning, the popular Nick’s Restaurant of Laguna Beach has now opened a Nick’s San Clemente in downtown San Clemente on Avenida Del Mar.  Nick’s Restaurant is located at 213 Avenida Del Mar and offers Classic American cuisine in an intimate and chic environment with an outdoor patio and fire pit.  This restaurant offers a great place to relax, people watch, have a few drinks, and enjoy delicious food at a reasonable price.  The restaurant serves breakfast (starting in spring on weekends), lunch, and dinner. 

The menu has lots of delicious choices with appetizers such as fire-roasted artichoke, ahi tartar, fish tacos, asparagus fries, calamari, and much more.  The lunch and dinner menu includes salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers and some amazing entrees.  From standard and hickory burgers to chicken club or blackened halibut sandwiches, each one has a unique touch and many great side options.  Entrees include pan-roasted salmon, halibut fish and chips, buttermilk-fried chicken, short ribs, and filet mignon among others, each with great sides and unique flavors.  To top it off, the restaurant features many great drinks, including an extensive wine list.

Whether you are in the mood for a couple drinks and appetizers in a great social environment, or an intimate dinner, this is truly a great addition to San Clemente.

For reservations, call 481-2200 or go to scnicks.com.

If you would like more information on the latest real estate and lifestyle news in San Clemente, please contact San Clemente Coastal Living via the link or at info@SanClementeCoastalLiving.com and request to be added to our monthly newsletter.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Welcome home to this wonderful property located in the foothills of the master-planned Talega community.  The home is situated on a corner lot in the quiet Amalfi neighborhood and features 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a 2-car direct access garage, and an estimated 2,150 square feet of living space.  The rent is $2,995 per month for a 1-year lease with a security deposit equaling one month’s rent.  Small dogs are allowed with an additional deposit of $500.  The lucky residents of this home will be close to the best amenities Talega has to offer, including the Talega Swim & Athletic Club, the Talega Village Center with a large Ralph’s and a variety of shops and eateries, and the gorgeous and challenging Talega Golf Club.  You are also a short distance from the award-winning Vista Del Mar Elementary and Middle School (K-8).

The two-story floor plan is open and modern, with numerous upgrades and a warm feel throughout.  Upon entering the home up the Spanish-tiled front steps, you will be struck by the formal living/dining room combo with great natural lighting and lovely ceramic tile flooring.  The family room, which opens to the kitchen and breakfast nook, features a cozy gas fireplace and media niche.  The gourmet kitchen is truly a chef’s dream and comes complete with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, a large center island/breakfast bar, and a beautiful tile backsplash along the back wall – even if you don’t cook, you may take it up just to spend more time in this kitchen.  From the family room are French doors leading to the private backyard, which has a large patio area perfect for summer barbeques, a sizable lawn for children to enjoy, and a gated side courtyard perfect for the family dog.  The second level features Berber carpeting throughout, the three bedrooms, and a laundry room with an installed washer and dryer.  The two smaller bedrooms share a nice bathroom with Jack-and-Jill sinks, a shower/tub combo, and private entrances from each bedroom.  The large master suite enjoys a walk-in closet with built-in shelving and a huge bathroom with a soaking tub and separate shower.

The details above barely scratch the surface of all that this comfortable home has to offer.  With a private and quiet location in one of the newest areas of South Orange County, you will feel at home from the moment you unpack the first box.  For more information or to schedule a showing, please contact Matt Cabrera at (949)281-5444 or email matt@sanclementecoastalliving.com.

According to this article in the San Clemente Times regarding the 2009 Academic Performance Index (API) test scores recently released, the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD), of which San Clemente schools are a member, is the top-scoring large district in California.  The API tests are given to students from grades 2-11, with the purpose being to set growth targets for the schools and the district.  Out of San Clemente public schools, 6 elementary, 3 middle, and San Clemente High School participated in the API testing, and every school met their target growth; in fact, every school except Marblehead Elementary exceeded their results from 2008, with the biggest jumps coming from Las Palmas Elementary (71 points higher) in North Beach and Vista Del Mar Middle (62 points higher) in Talega.  Las Palmas can be particularly proud because, after failing to make adequate gains in recent years, the school was placed in the state’s “program improvement” category.  A huge increase like Las Palmas witnessed this year shows that the school has taken necessary steps to reverse the recent trends.  San Clemente schools overall averaged 27.6 points higher than 2008 test results.

When searching for a home, one of the most important pieces of criteria for a household with children is finding good schools and a solid school district.  CUSD, as these test results once again show, is one of the finest school districts in the state (and nation for that matter), and San Clemente schools are a big reason why the district is so renowned.  When looking at API results from around the state, all San Clemente public schools (except Las Palmas) are above the 800-point threshold hit by fewer than half of statewide elementary schools, 36% of middle schools, and 21% of high schools.  Buyers venturing into the San Clemente real estate market can feel comforted that their children will be well-educated by excellent teachers from the moment they start elementary school to the day they graduate from San Clemente High School.  Congratulations to the students and teachers in San Clemente - your hard work and dedication to education continues to impress!

If you would like to learn more about San Clemente schools or San Clemente real estate in general, please contact us.

A few months ago, San Clemente Coastal Living wrote a blog supporting a proposal to expand the Ralph’s center at 911 S. El Camino Real.  The plans called for a brand new, larger Ralph’s store along with the addition of a new parking structure and ocean view restaurants in an area where, to put it frankly, many older businesses and vacant lots have become an eyesore to residents in the southern area of San Clemente.  Last night, according to this article in the OC Register, the San Clemente City Council adopted a resolution that puts an end to this plan and paves the way for a basic remodel of the Ralph’s center and a facelift to the Ralph’s.

Opponents have long maintained that the plans were too gaudy and would welcome future large retail developments into San Clemente; these opponents want to maintain the small-town feel of San Clemente.  While I agree that San Clemente’s small-town atmosphere makes it a highly unique Orange County city, I for one feel sorry for Southwest and Southeast San Clemente residents who will not be better served by a grocery store that meets their needs.  As anyone who has ever set foot into this Ralph’s knows, the store is tiny and difficult to maneuver when a sizable amount of people are shopping.  Opponents claimed that it would be easy to simply expand the store and leave the rest of the center alone.  Rick Skillman and Howard Harmatz, partners in the proposed “Village Courtyard” project, state that an expansion is not feasible and that only a simple remodel of the existing store will take place.  This means that even though Ralph’s will be brought into the 21st century, the majority of residents in this area will still need to make the trek to Avenida Pico if they want a larger grocery store that can satisfy all of their shopping needs.

I am disappointed that this project will not commence as I feel it would have provided a much-needed shot of energy into an area of San Clemente that needs it.  With its proximity to the downtown area, the Village Courtyard could have provided more options for residents and tourists alike with new restaurants, shopping and an overall more appealing look.  Instead, residents are stuck with the same small grocery store, and that is a shame indeed.

Since the completion of the San Clemente Coastal Trail, residents in the North and Central San Clemente areas have been up in arms over the increase in train noise due to the addition of pedestrian crossings that were built as part of the Trail plans.  At pedestrian crossings, trains are required by law to sound their horns to warn pedestrians of their presence, which is causing a lot of sleepless nights for residents close to the crossings as trains do travel along the coastal track in the wee hours of the morning.  The City Council has been looking for ways to address the problem, including obtaining a “Quiet Zone” status for these crossings.  According to this article in the Orange County Register, residents near the El Portal beach access testified before the San Clemente City Council to express their frustration over the increased train noise and to offer potential solutions.  A few solutions were proposed, including eliminating the El Portal beach access.  There is a beach access point to the south of El Portal that goes under the tracks, so the trains are not required to blow their horns.  Also, Council Wayne Eggleston suggested building an underpass at the Dije Court access point to eliminate the required horns and adding safety measures to the North Beach access points so that the city would have an easier time getting the crossings approved as Quiet Zones.

This has been an ongoing problem since the completing of the Coastal Trail, and it is nice to see the City Council discussing alternatives outside of Quiet Zones.  For some time now, all the talk has been about attaining Quiet Zone approval, which will not take care of the problem quickly as there are numerous state and federal agencies that would have a hand in creating a Quiet Zone approval.  For the first time in awhile, new solutions have been offered to address an issue that is a deep concern to several residents in San Clemente.  While any solution to the train horn problem will take a while to implement, I am happy to see that the City Council is not resting on its laurels hoping that a Quiet Zone will be approved.  Residents should continue to send letters and attend Council meetings to persuade the members to keep working on fixing the issues.

For more information on the City’s efforts to combat the train noise problems and for Quiet Zone updates, please visit the City of San Clemente’s website.

In an effort to raise the necessary funds to complete the long-planned La Pata/Vista Hermosa Community Park, the City Council of San Clemente has approved the sale of 14.8 acres of land adjacent to the development’s site to Target.  According to this article in the San Clemente Times, the sale will be for $13.8 million, with all proceeds from the sale contributing to the construction of the park.  If the deal is finalized, this will bring the total alloted amount of money set aside by the city for the park to $32.8 million, which covers the $32 million cost estimate of constructing this new park.

Obviously this is fantastic news for San Clemente residents and visitors.  The corner of Avenida La Pata and Avenida Vista Hermosa has long displayed signs of this proposed project, but like the long-delayed Marblehead Coastal development, the money has not been there to begin and finish construction.  Now that the City Council has approved the land sale to Target, not only will residents and visitors be able to enjoy the various sports’ fields and state-of-the-art aquatic’s center, but San Clemente will be gaining a great store in Target.  This will add more jobs to the area, both in construction and running the new Target, which can only be a good thing in these tough times.  The park will be a fantastic addition to the city of San Clemente, and a new Target is just icing on the cake.

To learn more about the La Pata/Vista Hermosa Community Park, including the proposed layout and features of the park, please visit this website.

To combat a large budget shortfall in the parks department after the new California state budget was recently adopted, state parks have decided to increase their fees to raise money in an effort to prevent closures of up to 100 parks.  In yesterday’s Orange County Register, this article highlighted the increases pertaining to San Clemente State Beach.  Day use camping has increased by $5 per day, and tent camping sites have increased by $10 per day.  RV camping saw the largest increase, going from $34 to $60 per day.

While price increases in a bad economy are never a good thing, in this case the ends definitely justify the means.  One of the great things about being a California resident is our access to a variety of campsites and recreational areas throughout the state.  From the mountains to beach camping, this is a relaxing and affordable way to take a vacation and makes California such a great places for residents and visitors alike.  With California in a budget crisis, the state legislature had to make cuts to a variety of areas, including $14.2 million from the parks department.  Facing potential closures of up to 1/3 of the total state parks and recreation areas in California, the department was left with no choice but to increase fees.  To risk the closing of 100 of these natural treasures is something this state should avoid at all cost.  I for one would be very disheartened if my wife and I would lose the ability to take our yearly camping trip to San Clemente State Beach.  Even though we now have to pay a little more to enjoy this fantastic place, the thought of losing the ability to go there at all makes the extra cost an easy decision and investment into our struggling parks department.

For more information on California state park fee increases and potential closures, please visit the parks department’s official website.