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ASR
Control 26-000048 |
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MEETING DATE: |
02/10/26 |
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to: |
Orange County Clerk of the Board |
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legal entity taking action: |
Board of Supervisors and Orange County Flood Control
District |
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SUBMITTING
Agency/Department: |
Supervisor Foley
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Department contact
person(s): |
Nick Anas (714) 834-3550 |
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Alyssa Napuri (714) 834-3550 |
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CATEGORY: Discussion
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SUbject: |
Approve Memorandum of
Understanding for South Orange County Beach Coalition |
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RECOMMENDED
ACTION(S):
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1. |
Approve the Memorandum of Understanding between the County of Orange, Orange County Flood Control District, Capistrano Bay District, Juaneño Band of Mission Indians Acjachemen Nation (84A) and City of San Clemente to establish the South Orange County Beach Coalition, effective upon Board approval, and approve related Bylaws. |
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2. |
Authorize the Fifth District Supervisor or designee and direct the Director of OC Parks or designee to execute the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the County of Orange. |
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3. |
Authorize the Director of OC Public Works, acting as the Director of the Orange County Flood Control District, to execute the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of Orange County Flood Control District and to select and appoint a representative for the Orange County Flood Control District to serve on the South Orange County Beach Coalition. |
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4. |
Authorize the Director of OC Parks to select and appoint a representative for the OC Community Resources/OC Parks to serve on the South Orange County Beach Coalition. |
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5. |
Pursuant to Government Code section 26227 find that the County’s participation in, and administration of, the South Orange County Beach Coalition is necessary to meet the social needs of the population of the County. |
SUMMARY/BACKGROUND:
Approval of the Memorandum of Understanding will establish the South Orange County Beach Coalition, which will function as a collaborative advisory body to enhance greater cooperation and coordinate coastal resiliency efforts for agencies and organizations in the Orange County portion of the Oceanside Littoral Cell.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
OC Community Resources/OC Parks (OCCR/OC Parks) owns, maintains and operates various coastal facilities in southern Orange County that are located within the Oceanside Littoral Cell. The beaches within the boundaries of the Oceanside Littoral Cell (Attachment A) form a distinct geographic segment of the California coastline extending from Dana Point to La Jolla, where the geography contains active sediment movement. The portion of the Oceanside Littoral Cell that falls within the boundaries of Orange County includes approximately eight miles of coastline stretching from the shoreline headlands at Dana Point Harbor in the north to the southern County line (Attachment B). Within those eight miles, the County of Orange (through OCCR/OC Parks) owns, maintains and operates Baby Beach (0.11 miles within Dana Point Harbor), Capistrano Beach Park (0.21 miles) and Poche Beach (0.04 miles). The Orange County Flood Control District (OC Flood Control District), as a separate special district governed by the Orange County Board of Supervisors pursuant to the Orange County Flood Control Act, owns and manages key components of the San Juan Creek Watershed and flood control system that outlet to the beaches located within the Oceanside Littoral Cell.
In 2013, the California Coastal Sediment Management Workgroup together with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the County of Orange (County) initiated the Orange County Regional Sediment Management Plan (SMP) prepared by Everest International Consultants, Inc. The SMP provided a management framework to augment Orange County resources for implementation of beach restoration and maintenance projects, as well as other regional sediment management activities. The SMP identified that various government agencies can use the recommendations as a guide for planning and developing more project or program specific activities. Among the activities recommended in the SMP is the development of a governance structure for the SMP to be implemented.
On June 4, 2024, the Board of Supervisors (Board) received and filed the South Orange County Regional Coastal Resilience Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan), which links to and complements the SMP. The grant-funded effort was prepared by Anchor QEA for the County and was developed to facilitate regional collaboration and promote long-term coastal resiliency in south Orange County. This Strategic Plan solicited input from a wide breadth of stakeholders, including, but not limited to, coastal landowners, State agencies, elected officials and interest groups. One of the Strategic Plan’s recommendations was to establish a governance structure to facilitate ongoing collaboration among agencies and entities managing coastal assets within the south County region.
Aligning with past recommendations from the SMP and the Strategic Plan, the South Orange County Beach Coalition (Coalition) is being formed through the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to foster greater collaboration and coordination of coastal resiliency efforts.
Formation of the Coalition will increase collaboration to prioritize coastal projects, with potential initiatives such as facilitating the delivery of sand to County beaches, prioritizing nature-based sand retention projects and examining the sources of beach erosion. These initiatives will improve public access to coastal amenities, protect critical infrastructure from erosive events and improve habitat value for coastal wildlife.
The Coalition consists of voting members and advisory, non-voting partners. All voting members consist of public agencies, tribes, special districts and other entities with a direct role in managing the shoreline or claiming ancestral lands within south Orange County. Voting members are authorized to vote on agendized items, establish quorum for meetings, ensure compliance with the Brown Act and related procedural requirements. The following table provides a summary of participating agencies and organizations:
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Voting Members |
Advising Non-Voting Partners |
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Fifth District Supervisor |
Bring Back Our Beaches |
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OC Community Resources/OC Parks |
California Coastal Commission |
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Orange County Flood Control District |
California State Parks* |
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Capistrano Bay District |
Capistrano Shores, Inc. |
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Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation - (84a) |
City of Dana Point* |
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City of San Clemente |
Cotton’s Point Homeowner’s Association |
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Cyprus Cove Community Association |
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Cyprus Point Homeowner’s Association, The Breakers |
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Cyprus Shores Community Association/Homeowners Association |
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Orange County Transportation Authority* |
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Shorecliffs Homeowners Association |
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Surfrider Foundation |
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Save Our Beaches SC Incorporated |
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University of California, Irvine, Flood Lab |
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
* Invited to become voting members of the Coalition
As noted above, California State Parks, City of Dana Point, and Orange County Transportation Authority are currently advising public partners and may become voting members upon subsequent adoption of the MOU by their respective governing bodies and execution of this MOU without the need for amendment.
The Fifth District Supervisor, as the current representative of the Oceanside Littoral Cell areas within Orange County and based upon the recommendations of the SMP and the Strategic Plan, is seeking Board approval to authorize the Fifth District Supervisor, direct the Director of OC Parks and authorize the Director of OC Public Works, acting as the Director of the Orange County Flood Control District, to execute the MOU on behalf of the County and the Orange County Flood Control District, respectively. The Fifth District Supervisor also seeks Board approval to authorize the Director OC Public Works, acting as the Director of the Orange County Flood Control District, and the Director of OC Parks to select and appoint representatives to serve on the Coalition to represent the Orange County Flood Control District and the OC Community Resources/OC Parks, respectively.
The Coalition and its Membership will serve in an advisory capacity to their respective governing bodies. Any future projects initiated by the Coalition or its partners and participants would be implemented through the execution of separate cooperative agreements to designate a lead agency/organization among its voting members or advisory partners and manage project-related funding.
Compliance with CEQA: This action is not a project within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 and is therefore not subject to CEQA, since it does not have the potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. The approval of this agenda item does not commit the County to a definite course of action in regard to a project since it is an approval to form the South Orange County Beach Coalition. This proposed activity is therefore not subject to CEQA. Any future action connected to this approval that constitutes a project will be reviewed for compliance with CEQA.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Administrative facilitation of this Coalition is provided by the OCCR/OC Parks’ Coastal Resource Manager position (which serves as the Coalitions’ Executive Officer) and appropriations for this position are included in the OC Parks Fund 405 FY 2025–26 Budget and will be included in the budgeting process for future years. Administrative costs are anticipated to be minimal.
The approval of this agenda item does not commit the County to a definite course of action with regard to future projects. Implementation of any future project would require subsequent action or approvals such as cooperative agreements or similar instruments between participating parties, which would further define agency or entity roles, including financial obligations.
STAFFING IMPACT:
N/A
REVIEWING AGENCIES:
OC Community Resources/OC Parks
OC Public Works
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment A - Oceanside Littoral Cell Location Map
Attachment B - South OC Coalition Map
Attachment C - Memorandum
Attachment D – Bylaws
COUNTY COUNSEL REVIEW:
Yes