While perusing the local section of the online Orange County Register today, we came across an article that really encompasses why we extol the virtues of buying a home in San Clemente.  The article, entitled “Businesses step up effort to boost Art Walks,” details the efforts of the Downtown Business Association to rejuvenate the Art Walks that occur during the summer along Avenida Del Mar and El Camino Real in the heart of Downtown San Clemente.  Started seven years ago, the Art Walks showcase works by artists displayed in a variety of downtown businesses.  This year has seen low attendance figures for the Art Walks, but rather than simply giving up on the event, the DBA has created plans to attract more people to the Walks.  The DBA has initiated efforts to attract more artists willing to display their works while making sure that businesses participating in the Art Walks stay open late enough for people to enjoy the exhibits.  Some businesses will even go so far as to offer specials or free snacks and wine to visiting guests, and one business, Rascal’s Ladies Over & Underwear, will be showcasing a fall fashion preview featuring a model show, a discount rack, refreshments, and a gift to anyone who makes a purchase.

We really encourage residents and visitors alike to support the Art Walks and the businesses who are doing everything they can to continue these excellent events.  You simply do not see these types of events in larger cities, and local businesses, more often than not, tend to give up on these kinds of ideas if the cost and time put forth is not justified by high attendance.  This is one of the many reasons why San Clemente is such a special city - the people who live and work here truly care about creating a great sense of community amongst their neighbors.  San Clemente Coastal Living applauds the efforts of these downtown businesses and the artists, and we hope that San Clemente residents and visitors will show their appreciation by visiting the Art Walks.

There are two Art Walks remaining on the schedule: Thursday, August 26th from 6-9pm, and Thursday, September 30th from 6-9pm.  For more information about the Art Walks, please visit the website for the Downtown Business Association.

San Clemente residents and visitors looking to park near the beach will have to pay a little more for the privilege.  Beginning tomorrow, August 23rd, the rates for beach parking meters and metered lots in the city will increase by 50 cents per hour from $1.00 to $1.50.  According to an article in the San Clemente Times, this is the first time in almost 15 years that the City Council has approved a measure to raise the hourly parking meter fees.

While some people may feel that the City of San Clemente is being greedy, parking meter increases are a great way to add funding to current projects being developed in San Clemente, including the Playa Del Norte project and the Avenida La Pata/Vista Hermosa Sports & Aquatics Center.  Also, with the amount of non-metered street parking throughout the city, there are plenty of options for people not looking to feed the meters…they just may have to travel a bit further from the beaches to find suitable parking.

This Saturday and Sunday, August 21st and 22nd, the San Clemente Art Association will be presenting its 50th annual Arts & Crafts Fair in Downtown San Clemente.  Over 100 booths of art exhibitions, from paintings and fine arts to hand crafts, will be presented for the viewing public from 10am to 5pm each day this coming weekend.  The booths will be set up at and around the San Clemente Community Center at 100 N. Calle Seville (where Calle Seville intersects with Avenida Del Mar).  The event is free to the public and is always a lot of fun…many local artists are on display, and the beautiful artwork combined with fantastic weather creates a wonderful vibe throughout the Downtown area.

For more information on the event, please visit the website of the San Clemente Art Association.

This Friday, August 12, the City of San Clemente will be hosting the final “Island Nights” event at the Ole Hanson Beach Club.  The event will take place poolside at the Beach Club and runs from 6:30pm-9:00pm.  Live Caribbean music will be played throughout by Steel Parade, and dinner plates from Iva Lee’s can be purchased for a nominal fee.  Tickets to the event are $4 for adults and $3 for children.

For more information or to purchase advance tickets, please visit the City of San Clemente’s online registration section.

This Sunday brings the annual fireworks display off the San Clemente Pier commemorating the Fourth of July.  The yearly tradition is a favorite amongst San Clemente residents as the fireworks are truly spectacular and can be seen from all over the city.  The Central area of town gets incredibly crowded during the buildup to the show, which starts at 9pm; my advice is to get there early and relax on the sand.  The City of San Clemente has posted information on street closures on Sunday, mostly on Avenida Del Mar and Avenida Victora.  Barricades will be put up at noon, which will only allow residents in these select neighborhoods to pass with proper ID; the roads will then close to all cars at 7pm.

As always, San Clemente Coastal Living wishes you a very happy and safe Fourth of July!

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.

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.

According to the San Clemente Times, Poche Beach, located in the area of North San Clemente next to Dana Point, has had poor quality ratings for years due to run-off from 4,400 square acres.  Advisories were posted on 210 of the 365 days in 2007.  Poche ranked number 7 on Heal the Bay’s 2009 list of 10 “Beach Bummers.”

To help cure the problem, a $3 million treatment system will be installed to remove particles from urban runoff and then unltraviolet light will zap the water to kill the bacteria.  The City of San Clemente hopes to see a big improvement in the water quality by this time next year.

Other San Clemente beaches, such as Pico, have had successful results.  The dry-weather runoff between Avenida Pico and El Camino Real is diverted to a nearby treatment facility and has resulted in the beach receiving an A in dry weather conditions.  San Clemente also has a diversion system for Linda Lane and Riviera Beach. 

While these beaches have solid rating for dry weather conditions, the diversion systems and water treatment facilities are not capable of handling wet weather conditions, and therefore, all the run-off during rains still go straight into the ocean.  Hopefully this will be an issue addressed in the near future.

For more information on San Clemente beaches, including ocean view homes and condos, feel free to contact us and we’ll gladly answer any questions you may have.

This Saturday and Sunday, a variety of holiday-themed events will take place in San Clemente, providing a great deal of fun activities for kids and families.  There will be four events, three on Saturday and one on Sunday.  The Saturday events include: “Santa Claws and Paws,” an annual fundraiser sponsored by the San Clemente/Dana Point Animal Shelter, where children and their pets may have their pictures taken with Santa; “Christmas at the Casa,” a tree-lighting ceremony at Casa Romantica from 5:30 to 9:00 pm; and “Holly Jolly Hoopla,” a children’s event at the Community Center where it will be converted into the North Pole, complete with real snow, stories with Santa, crafts and games, and Mrs. Claus’ bakery where kids can decorate their own cookies.  There are pricing options for the Santa photos and Casa Romantica event, but “Holly Jolly Hoopla” is free to everyone.

On Sunday, Metrolink will be bringing its Holiday Toy Express Train into San Clemente at two separate times: 5:45 pm at the North Beach train station, and 8:45 pm at the San Clemente pier.  The train will bear more than 50,000 lights, and there will be a 15-minute live show and a special appearance by Santa.

For detailed information on these wonderful holiday events in San Clemente, please view the Orange County Register’s article about the weekend.