The State - News from April 26, 1989

An oceanside cliff collapsed in San Clemente, taking with it parts of five back yards and closing Old Coast Highway for most of the day. The landslide toppled 150 cubic yards of dirt onto the two northbound lanes. No one was injured. The slide also tore away portions of five lots on La Ventana Road. The cause is being investigated, but a California Highway Patrol official said landslides at that site are not uncommon. “It’s not a very solid hillside. It’s mostly clay and loosely packed dirt that can give at any time,” he said. “There are railroad tracks down there, and they’re always vibrating that area.”