FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2026
Alyssa Napuri – Deputy Chief of Staff, Supervisor Foley
(657) 334-4930 (text preferred) | alyssa.napuri@bos5.oc.gov
OC Vice Chair Katrina Foley Releases Statement Following Orange County Transportation Authority Board Vote Authorizing Emergency Action to Protect San Clemente Coastal Rail
ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — Today, Vice Chair Katrina Foley released a statement following the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Board of Directors meeting.
Item #3 - Emergency Need for Protecting the Coastal Railroad:
The Board voted to declare the continuing coastal erosion conditions an emergency, waive normal competitive bidding requirements, and authorize emergency shoreline protection and sand placement to protect the San Clemente coastal rail corridor. The action specifically authorizes an engineered shoreline protection structure and riprap repairs at Reinforcement Area 4, plus approximately 690,000 cubic yards of sand at Areas 1, 2, and 4.
“For years, OCTA had the funding sitting in a bank account waiting to be deployed onto our shores, but needless bureaucracy and red tape at the State and Federal level delayed our ability to proactively protect our beaches. Today’s action by the Board provides flexibility and the ability for quick action to save our beaches and critical coastal rail infrastructure in anticipation of a heavy El Niño winter storm season,” said Vice Chair Katrina Foley. “By aligning OCTA with the County and State’s declarations of emergency, we can potentially advance approximately 690,000 cubic yards of sand along San Clemente years ahead of schedule to restore our beaches while protecting our coastal communities and rail corridor.”
Other coastal protection efforts underway by the County include three Capistrano Beach specific updates:
- Sand Cube Coverage: In advance of the incoming swells, our Heavy Equipment Operators relocated sand to the rear of the beach to reinforce and provide additional coverage over the exposed sand cubes.
- Prior to Sand Maintenance 9/14/26:
- After Sand Maintenance 9/28/26
- Emergency Sand Nourishment: Progress continues with the placement of approximately 9,000 cubic yards of emergency sand nourishment at Capo Beach, with work anticipated to begin on or before October 12.
- Capo Bay District License: OC Parks has executed a license agreement with the Capo Bay District, authorizing their temporary use of the southernmost portion of the Capo Beach parking lot for construction staging of boulders related to their shoreline fortification efforts.
Tune into the full OCTA Transportation meeting here. The next meeting will take place on October 12, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.
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Vice Chair Katrina Foley was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2022 to represent the newly established District 5, which includes the cities of Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, a large portion of Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Newport Beach, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, as well as the unincorporated areas of Coto de Caza, Emerald Bay, Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, Rancho Mission Viejo, Stonecliffe and Wagon Wheel. This is her second term on the Board of Supervisors, where she previously served District 2.
Vice Chair Foley’s 2026 Board appointments include:
Orange County Housing Finance Trust
Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA)
Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA)
Orange County Audit Oversight Committee
OC Public Libraries Advisory Board
Newport Bay and South Orange County Watershed Executive Committees
Transportation Corridor Agency - Foothill/Eastern
Transportation Corridor Agency - San Joaquin Hills
Coastal Greenbelt Authority
Olympics 28 Ad Hoc Committee
Urban Counties Caucus
