_______________________________
Kathleen Ward
Mayor, City of San Clemente
City Hall ● 910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente CA 92673 ● (949) 361-8200 ● www.san-clemente.org Page PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 2
October 3, 2023
Supervisor Katrina Foley
400 W Civic Center Dr.
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Supervisor Foley,
Thank you for your efforts to improve Orange County and specifically your representation of San Clemente. We hope you always feel welcome in our community and know that you can count on our support when you are working for the betterment of the entire County.
On a regular basis, you ask each of us if there is anything you, or the County, can do to assist the City of San Clemente. In the spirit of collaboration, there are a couple of items that we would like you to consider that would greatly benefit the City of San Clemente.
On occasion, the City is approached by interested parties regarding the conversion of multifamily units and/or hotel/motel rooms into Permanent Supportive Housing in San Clemente. The parties indicate that they have secured funding from the County for these projects. It would be very beneficial, when the County is considering financial support for a permanent supportive housing or other housing projects in San Clemente, if your staff could consult with the City Manager prior to final approval of the funding.
In some instances, the proposed uses are inconsistent with the objectives of the City Council. For instance, the proposed project may result in the displacement of existing lower income residents thus creating a different, but equally difficult, challenge in the community. In the past, we have had situations where private or non-profit interests have purchased a property in the City and displaced many of our long term “working” Hispanic community, long term San Clemente Asian citizens, hard-working low income working poor, seniors, and disabled members of the community. We certainly do not want to experience funding from Orange County invested in San Clemente that solves one problem, but creates a larger one for our community.
In other situations, early involvement with the City may lead to an enhanced project, perhaps even additional units or consolidation with adjacent proposals. In any case, early and effective collaboration between the City and the County will almost always result in a better project.
To reiterate, we have been told by community non-profit organizations that they have a commitment from the Orange County, through your office, to invest funds for the purchase of properties in San Clemente that would be transitioned into permanent supportive housing. We are mindful that you have spoken publicly, and privately, on many occasions promising that you would not fund housing alternatives without the City asking for that investment. We trust you will honor your commitment and look forward to working with you on any County investment in housing projects in San Clemente.
The City has recently hired a new Coastal Administrator. Your success in placing sand on the beach at Capistrano Beach was very well received and will benefit both Dana Point and the City of San Clemente. The City is currently working with the County to obtain a Sand Compatibility and Opportunistic Use Program Permit (SCOUP) to take advantage of similar situations. If an opportunity ever arises to place sand on the beach in San Clemente, even through emergency actions like those taken at Capistrano Beach, please let us know. We would be eager to pursue any opportunities for the placement of sand on local beaches.
Once again, thank you for everything you do to assist and represent the City of San Clemente. If you have any questions or would like to clarify anything in this correspondence, please do not hesitate to contact the City Manager.
Respectfully,
Chris Duncan, Mayor Victor Cabral, Councilmember
Mark Enmeier, Councilmember Steve Knoblock, Councilmember Rick Loeffler, Councilmember
CELEBRATING 90 YEARS OF INCORPORATION
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
AND CITY COUNCIL
Chris Duncan
Mayor
Steve Knoblock
Mayor Pro Tem
Victor Cabral
Mark Enmeier
Rick Loeffler
CITY MANAGER
Andy Hall
910 Calle Negocio
San Clemente, CA 92673
Phone: (949) 361-8200
“The Spanish Village
by the Sea”