More than 700 landslides in January alone.
On a rather cool spring day in late April, Amy Behrens was strolling through the manicured grounds of Casa Romantica, a historic San Clemente landmark known for its panoramic ocean view, when she heard a low rumble.
As she looked on in shock, a portion of the steep sandstone cliff underlying the cultural center crumbled toward the beach below, dragging with it portions of Casa Romantica's iconic ocean terrace and resplendent walkways planted in bright coastal flora.
“I watched the bluff erode right in front of my eyes,” said Behrens, executive director of the nonprofit group that operates Casa Romantica.
A crack first discovered on the terrace April 16 had prompted a decision to cordon off the area while the city contracted with geotechnical engineers for a $75,000 study of soil movement on the bluff. The landslide followed 11 days later and left the terrace — a sought-after wedding venue — and portions of the coastline below red-tagged.
The Casa Romantica landslide is the latest in a season of crumbling cliffs in California following a winter of remarkably wet and powerful storms. More than 700 landslides were reported statewide in January alone, according to the California Geological Survey.