3 Madrigal, San Clemente

Stunning custom built home with huge panoramic ocean views and gorgeous salt water infinity pool. Renowned custom home builder’s personal residence. Elevator! Glass Weiland telescopic doors open up the entire great room wall to the 300 square foot loggia and Catalina sunset views. True indoor/outdoor living in this casual but elegant home. Upstairs bonus room is large enough for both a media room and pool table. Large ocean view balcony off the master suite. The luxurious master bath boasts a huge walk-in closet with built-ins, steam shower, and a heated travertine floor. WOW!! Enjoy this prestigious guard-gated community. Close freeway access, shopping, restaurants, and theatres.

Offered at $2,780,000

30522 Hilltop Way San Juan Capistrano

Private Tuscan Estate!!!  Inspired and designed by well known Architect Stan Schofer is truly a masterpiece. Located in the hills of San Juan Capistrano, this fenced 5 acre compound has panoramic views of Capo Valley and the Ocean. Enter the grounds through the gated entrance and wind up the long private drive passing the pool house and salt spa. The gardens and terraces by Theresa Clark are reminiscent of a Villa in Northern Italy. This 5 Bedroom 9 Bath stucco and stone home has a pool room, offices, formal dining with wine cellar, Ocean View Master Suite and retreat. The solid wood doors and designer hardware by Ashley Norton are beautifully hand distressed, stained and glazed. Wood and stone flooring are throughout. The gourmet kitchen has the latest top of the line Viking cook top, multiple Viking ovens and refrigerators, dual Meile dishwashers, steam ovens and Decor warming drawers.  If you see it, you will buy it!!!

Offered at $4,999,000

51 Poppy Hills, Laguna Niguel

Gorgeous Mediterranean custom home boasting pool, spa and ocean views awaits you! With five bedrooms ensuite or four bedrooms and a gym/workout room, this home also has a large bonus room with a bar and refrigerator — perfect for your pool table! Enjoy high coffered ceilings in this home as well as Crema Marfil marble flooring with exquisite contrasting marble edging and designer carpeting throughout. The gourmet kitchen is complete with a center island and granite countertops as well as a breakfast nook. The master suite has an adjoining retreat as well as large designer closets, and a his and her master bath. With wonderful expanses of walls for art pieces, this light and bright home with coffered ceilings enjoys three fireplaces as well as a temperature-controlled wine room and an exquisite wood-paneled office/library with an ocean view! To see this home is to fall in love! $2,599,000

www.youtube.com/watch?v=37vgxOPyaEc

33831 Connemara, San Juan Capistrano

Quality Custom Estate With Loads Of Amenities!! Gourmet Kitchen W/ Granite Countertops & 2 Pantries. Super Game Room W/ Wet Bar And Sub Zero, Main Floor Office And Guests Quarters. Huge Master Suite W/ Retreat & Awesome View. Unique Upper Level Bonus Room W/ Kitchenette. Super Yard W/ Granite Bbq Bar, Heater & Built In Bar Stools! Breathtaking View Of Ocean & Harbor! 

Offered at $ 2,350,000

25201 La Cresta, Dana Point

Sophisticated and warm ocean view beauty!  Gorgeous and extensive remodel of this stunning contemporary home boasts a full Viking-appliance kitchen, new Kohler fixtures throughout home, new wood flooring, etc. Fantastic views from this approx 3100 sq ft home of 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths!  Huge ocean-view rooftop deck boasts an outdoor kitchen/BBQ area for entertaining. Don’t miss this one!

Offered at $1,780,000

Groundbreaking Ceremony for Upper Chiquita Reservoir…

More than 100 people on Friday attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Upper Chiquita Reservoir in Rancho Santa Margarita.

For the original article posted online by the City of San Juan Capistrano, click here…
For a Quick Reference Fact Sheet on the Upper Chiquita Reservoir, click here…
For an overview w/map for Upper Chiquita Emergency Storage, click here…
For a City Council (SJC) Agenda Report outlining Capacity Rights, click here…

The reservoir is a new emergency water storage facility by the Santa Margarita Water District in partnership with Moulton Niguel Water District, South Coast Water District and the cities of San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente. San Juan Capistrano plans to obtain a 10 percent share, along with the other agencies, in the capacity of the facility. The City Council tonight will consider entering into a participation agreement to formally become a partner in the project.

Upon completion in December 2010, the reservoir will provide South County water agencies with up to 244 million gallons of emergency drinking water – enough to supply more than 168,000 local families with 200 gallons of domestic water per day for one week in the event of a regional or statewide water service disruption.

The facility will increase and diversify the City’s emergency storage volume and provide San Juan Capistrano with an additional three days of average demand to manage import water shutdowns.  

The Upper Chiquita Reservoir will provide the region with substantial new water reserves to meet customer demand during disruptions of water deliveries to the district. These interruptions can be unanticipated, like the break of the district’s primary supply pipeline in 1999, or planned, like shutdowns of the Diemer Filtration plant in Yorba Linda.

The reservoir is located on the western slope of Chiquita Canyon, just north of Oso Parkway in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Orange County Fire Authority Names New Chief…

Posted online at the City of San Juan Capistrano’s ”Community News” section…
For full article, click here… 

The Board of Directors at the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) appointed Keith Richter as its new fire chief, replacing Chip Prather who is retiring this July. Richter takes the helm on Aug. 1 at one of the largest fire agencies in California with its nearly 850 firefighters at 62 fire stations, according to an OCFA press release.  

“We’re very excited to have Chief Richter at the OCFA,” said Don McCay, Chairman of the OCFA Board of Directors. “We’re confident he has the leadership skills we need to keep OCFA as one of the premier fire service agencies in America.”

Richter was selected by the OCFA Board from a large pool of well-qualified candidates from throughout the nation.

 “This is a very exciting day for me, to be named Chief of the Orange County Fire Authority,” Richter said in the statement Thursday. “OCFA is known to be one of the finest fire departments anywhere, and it is a high honor to be chosen as its next leader.”

Richter comes to the OCFA from Contra Costa County Fire District where he has been chief since 1998. He has more than 30 years experience in the fire service. He started his career with the Tucson Fire Department back in 1977 as a firefighter. Richter holds a Master of Science degree in Fire Administration and is a graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is an Executive Board Member of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association.

Richter replaces Chief Chip Prather who has been OCFA’s leader for the last 12 years. Prather is retiring after nearly 38 years in the fire service.

Posted on the OC Register’s online site…
For full article, click here…

Richter takes over as the OCFA, along with departments across California, are facing a financial crunch. A proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to borrow from local government to help the cash-strapped state could take $14 million from the OCFA, Prather wrote in a May 29 message to his department.

That is the equivalent of six engines and 18 firefighters, Prather wrote.

The board hired Alliance Resource Consulting, a Long Beach-based firm, to help find its next chief.

But the two-month selection process and a feeling of being largely excluded from the process touched nerves with the OCFA union. Joe Kerr, president of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, lashed out in a May 26 letter sent to all city council representatives of the OCFA’s 22 cities and the county.

The letter accuses the board of directors of failing to give reasons why candidates were either rejected or allowed to move forward in the process, failing to allow the union to give a recommendation and/or a veto on the three final candidates and failing to spell out how the union’s members would be included in selecting the next chief.

“It does no make sense that the OCFA takes far more time to recruit a new firefighter than has been put into the testing process for only our third fire chief in three decades,” wrote Kerr.

“The feeling of collaboration and good will which has brought the OCFA much success in recent years has now suffered major damage by the haphazard manner in which the (board) has decided to ‘fast track’ this testing process and marginalize OCFA employees,” Kerr wrote.

OCFA Battalion Chief Kris Concepcion, a spokesman for the department, said he had not seen the letter.

“This fire chief is going to have some serious challenges,” Kerr said in a telephone interview. “One man cannot come in and solve all these problems by himself. Hopefully, he will seek out some help from labor.”

Prather, 56, is officially retiring July 2 but is scheduled to help with the transition through Aug. 7, Concepcion said.

Richter’s first day is Aug. 1.

Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling…

This year, the Dana Point Community Cycling Foundation and the Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling are proud to announce that DPGP has been selected by USA Cycling as a member of the National Racing Calendar, a series of exclusive events representing the best of American bicycle racing in some of the finest cities.

The list of international and domestic riders with top professional teams will be extensive, and the DPGP will not disappoint with a challenging, technical 6-turn L-shaped criterium course set in picturesque Dana Point and overlooking the breathtakingly beautiful Dana Point Harbor.

The event will feature 16 races, including public, men’s, women’s, professional and elite groups, with a spotlight on 5 FREE kids’ races beginning at 11 am. Come early and stay late, and enjoy the Fan Zone with local vendors, a BMX demonstration, a food court featuring In N’ Out Burger, and live music throughout the course! Celebrities will be on the scene all day as we see appearances from Tour de France winner Floyd Landis, current criterium champion Rahsaan Bahati, mountain bike world champion Brian Lopes, two-time Olympian Steve Hegg, and skateboard phenom Ryan Sheckler.

 The Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling is organized by the Dana Point Community Cycling Foundation, a 501 c(3) nonprofit corporation with a mission of promoting the growth of community cycling. Beneficiaries of the event include the Boys & Girls Club of Capistrano Valley and the 5th Marine Regiment Support Group.

To access the official race page, click here…
For detailed race information, click here…
For race sign-up, and tickets for the Saturday’s REVO Reception, or Sunday’s VIP Dinner Event, click here…

For more information, please  contact…

Lynn Kelly
(949) 248-3512.
lkelly@danapoint.org

Orange County Property Assessment Reviews…

The Orange County Assessor’s Office is currently reviewing over 300,000 residential properties, on their own, for a reduction in property taxes. A web page has been provided below for you to access and determine whether or not your property is already in the queue.

The website states that if your property is included in the list of properties to be reviewed, you do not need to make a request for review, and no action is required.

Additionally, they just posted a new website to help homeowner’s answer a myriad of common questions regarding qualifying, determining factors, their process, and access to the proper form for inquiry. Homeowners will have until Sept. 15 to appeal their value if they disagree with the county’s assessment.

For the official website, click here.
To see if your residential property is currently in line for review, click here.
For good answers to relavent questions, click here.
To submit an inquiry, and access Form A002-259 (Request for Informal Assessment Review), click here.

Commercial property is also being reviewed, however, commercial property information is not available on the website. Each property owner will get a notice of their tax assessed value by July.

For assistance, call… (714) 834-2727

Mailing address for Form A002-259…

Orange County Assessor
Attention: Real Property
P.O. Box 22000, Santa Ana, CA
92702-2000Hope this helps!

 

 

 

 

 

City of San Juan Capistrano/ Earth Day Fair…

The City of San Juan Capistrano is gearing up for its eighth annual Earth Day Fair, a daylong event that is expected to be the largest environmental-friendly event in South Orange County.

San Juan Capistrano is once again taking the lead in promoting the importance of caring for the environment by enlisting several organizations and groups to participate.  The fair will feature an array of exhibitors including the City’s stormwater, recycling, historic preservation and water conservation programs. Organizations such as the Dana Point Ocean Institute, Vertez, Earth Resources, Mission San Juan Capistrano, Caspers Wilderness Park, The Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy, Bureau of Land Management and others will also take part in an effort to educate South Orange County residents about ways to preserve and improve the environment.  

Youngsters and adults can learn from hands-on displays, environmental computer games and an enviroscape model that demonstrates how common household items can pollute the creeks and ocean. There will be plenty of free giveaways and information.

The Earth Day event will be held…

Thursday, April 23
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

San Juan Capistrano Gymnasium
25925 Camino del Avion
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

For more information, call 949-234-4564 or send an e-mail to environment@sanjuancapistrano.org

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