To report illegal dumping, discharges into storm drains, or a pollution spill:

Dana Point Code Enforcement (949) 248-3564
Dana Point Water Quality (949) 248-3584

For questions relating to sewage treatment or drinking water:

South Coast Water District (949) 499-4555

For general water quality concerns/questions:

Dana Point Public Works (949) 248-3584

After hours calls (Sheriff Dept. Dispatch): 949-770-6011

To view this guide in its original form on the City of Dana Point’s website, click here:

You see, I’d had a vision. It involved safety and security, but it was much more than that. It was a vision of neighbors helping neighbors, not just by making a phone call to the Sheriff’s Department to report suspicious activity but by really knowing our neighbors. The word neighbor itself embraces the concept of friendship, but these days it’s come to be nothing more than a way to refer to the human beings living next door, whoever they might be.

Anyway, my plan was to take my camera and walk west toward the Headlands. The Neighborhood Watch sign had been up there somewhere, I was certain. I would locate the sign, take a picture of it, and use the image as part of this Lantern Village newsletter. I would write about the LVA plan to organize the village into blocks, each block made up of perhaps two dozen homes, each group of homeowners working together to be friendly neighbors.

A block captain would represent each block. There would be occasional meetings. There would be a couple of social gatherings each year.

After a few wrong turns, I found the sign, took the photo, and headed home, reaching my street after about a 15 minute walk. Surprise, surprise. At the corner, not more than 20 yards from my front door, stood a sign that I must have walked past a thousand times: “Dana Point is a Neighborhood Watch Community.”

After a short time, Walters’ venture faced bankruptcy, and Sidney Woodruff, the man who had earlier developed Hollywood, came to town and purchased that plus another 1,400 adjacent southeast acres. Anna joined his company, and he continued to develop the rest of the Lantern Village, installing the colorful ship’s lanterns along Roosevelt Highway (now PCH) and throughout the Village, complete with underground electrical wiring. He also installed sidewalks, sewers, telephone lines, and paved streets.

Woodruff’s grandiose plans for this beautiful seaside village, which included a luxurious hotel resort on the bluff overlooking the harbor (complete with an elevator, which is still there along with partial walls of the unfinished hotel) were sadly halted by the market crash of 1929. Before this, Woodruff built 33 homes on the ocean bluff and on the various lantern streets, plus the Woodruff Sales Office (now UP Sports) and several other commercial buildings in the Lantern Village, such as the Cafe’ Aubert French restaurant (now the Blue Dolphin) and the Home Sales Auditorium/Community Center (now the Renaissance).

As the development sat dormant in a state of depression, the beautiful lanterns began to rust and were eventually taken down by the County and sold for pennies. Several folks saved some of the lanterns. About a half dozen have been re-erected in the front yards of some of our Lantern Village residents. Also, as you are walking around the village, you can see the bases of many of the original lanterns in the sidewalks along with the 1929/1930 sidewalk stamps of Western Construction Company and others. An original rusted lantern still sits on Violet Lantern and will soon be rescued by the Dana Point Historical Society. The Society has a few additional lanterns in its inventory, including one that ended up in the 1940s at the Cottage Restaurant in Laguna Beach and was now destined for their trash bin. Also, many of the “saved” lanterns have been re-erected by the City in La Plaza Dana Point.

And now, the City is in the planning stages of possibly installing new replica, colorful lanterns (i.e. red for Ruby Lantern, etc.) along the new Town Center highways right in the heart of the Lantern Village. PCH and Del Prado would be enhanced by historic lanterns at our downtown business area corners. This exciting project would incorporate important historical heritage into our new Town Center and, if installed, would be a beautiful sight to see.

It appears that Sidney Woodruff’s 1920s plans will finally come to fruition. No doubt he would be proud to see this, as he would also be to see his “Hollywood” sign still standing in the Hollywood Hills. It just keeps getting better, as we in the Lantern Village see more and more beautification in our neighborhoods.

And, by the way, it doesn’t hurt our property investments either.

Quite the contrary!

If you came last year, you’ll remember that Kyle Butterwick (Director of Community Development) with John Tilton (City Architect), plus some of our finest Code Enforcement staff, all came, and there was an extended question-and-answer, back-and-forth with our members. It was a lively (and friendly) discussion. Kyle has graciously accepted our invitation for this year, and some of his staff will join us again.

We’ve all seen the effects of the struggling economy, even here in Dana Point. How does this affect our plans for the future, such as the Town Center? What can be done now to make Lantern Village a more attractive, more livable, safer place? Come and share your concerns, hopes, and dreams for this little slice of paradise with Kyle and his staff. Let them know that we’re pleased and proud to be living in the historic Lantern Village.

Jack Saunderson of Lucy’s El Patio Café (a longtime Dana Point institution) will again be cooking up tacos, quesadillas, and all the fixings for your mouth-watering pleasure.

Come with your questions; come with an appetite! September 22 is your opportunity to get reacquainted with your city officials and your fellow Lantern Villagers.

While you’re at it, you can enjoy some really good food!

This is an opportunity to find out how you can play an important role in helping the Lantern Village realize its potential as a great place to live!

Suppose you even like him.

Suppose you have a Norman Rockwellian relationship with this guy and his family: you borrow each other’s tools; you enjoy a cold beer together in your yard now and then; your wives go to the gym together three times a week; your kids play the same sports; your dogs wag their tails and romp together on the lawn.

You’re a lucky guy! The problem, though, is that there aren’t very many of you in the world. There aren’t very many of you even in Dana Point By the Sea.

The truth is, you’re likely to consider your neighbor, whoever he is, a problem. His backyard—what you can see of it over an unfriendly six foot high fence—is either overgrown or overbuilt. He has four cars, two or which he parks in his driveway and two in the street because his garage is filled with stuff that seemed like a necessity when he bought it in another life. Last year he painted the house a rusty orange color that clashes with your lavender trim

Actually, you’ve never looked over that fence. The reality is, you’ve never talked to the guy. You probably wouldn’t recognize him if you were behind him in line at Dana Point Hardware.

Chances are, he’s just as nice as you!

Who knows? Your entire block of homes may be filled with families who would make your life more enjoyable and more meaningful—if only you knew them, if only you shared yourself with them.

It is this possibility that has motivated the Lantern Village Association to organize the area, Selva to the sea, from Chula Vista on the northwest to Calle la Primavera on the southeast, into a system of blocks, each block made up of homes and residents who, if they only knew it, have much in common.

The premise is this: we’ve got a beautiful ocean here; let’s take care of it; let’s enjoy it together.

In the early days of cityhood, the Lantern Village area of the city wasn’t so beautiful. Trash-lined streets, over crowded residences, terrible property maintenance by some owners, illegal garage conversions, drug dealings, graffiti, and public consumption of alcohol were ongoing concerns. It was the Lantern Village Association that spearheaded a campaign to eliminate these problems, working with the City Council, the Sheriff’s Department, and a Code Enforcement Officer.

Code Enforcement Officers now handle all complaints, including construction building code violations, health and safety issues, and property maintenance seven days per week.

Because bulk trash—refrigerators, furniture, office equipment—continue to be a problem, a hot line (248- 3573) has been established for residences to report these conditions.

In addition, you’ve probably noticed signs in residential areas stating that Dana Point has an active Neighborhood Watch program. It is the LVA’s plan to expand this program to create a sense of pride in community so that residents take responsibility for each other in ways beyond security. We envision neighbors working together to keep their block free from litter, free from parking problems, free from safety issues, free from code violations, not by creating more rules and not by acting as an enforcement body, but by listening to each other.

The residents in each block would focus on knowing their neighbor, socializing with him, and being there to help him in times of need. This would be accomplished by having block captains who organize occasional meetings at which neighborhood needs are discussed and who act as that block’s connection with the City. The block captains would be encouraged to meet with the LVA board of directors to discuss the particular needs of a given block.

Please plan to attend this year’s annual meeting. We can talk more about this. Maybe we can discover together how you might become a block captain in your neighborhood.

In 1991,  a group of residents in the heart of the Lantern Village decided that they were “sick and tired” of the conditions in their neighborhood. A huge cycle of building during the 60′s and 70′s,especially multifamily buildings, had resulted in overcrowding, exposed trash, drug dealing, noise and other undesirable conditions, and had brought the quality of life to an unacceptable low. This grass roots group started meeting and talking to the newly formed City of Dana Point.

In November, 1991, we incorporated with the State of California and became a 501 (c) 4 non-profit organization. The City was very receptive to having this positive step being taken to address the ever-growing list of major problems and The Lantern Village Association and the City began meeting regularly to address and solve these unacceptable nuisances. The LVA membership grew rapidly throughout the Village.

Since then, and because of this, the Lantern Village neighborhoods have improved dramatically and this historic area has evolved into the beautiful and desirable place it is today. The LVA and City still meet on a regular basis and our motto “Dedicated to Neighborhood Beautification” has proven to be a way of life.

Past-president Bill Shepherd stated, “Some very unique and creative properties which exemplify the diversity and character of the Lantern Village are recognized.”

The LVA continues to annually make awards in five categories:

• Beautiful Home
• Best Historical Home
• Best Landscaping
• Outstanding Multi-Family Property
• Most Improved Home

The last time that I wrote to you, I had just purchased a two-wheel shopping cart from Target’s. Well, I did so much toting with full loads of groceries that the wheels wore out. I was able to find two new wheels online, and had them installed. So, I am back on street almost daily, sometimes with the cart and sometimes without.

But the main gist of this report is to let you know that I notice a difference in the Historic Lantern Village. The place is a delight for short or long walks. Why? Because the LVA is doing a super bang up job of assisting with Code Enforcement, getting the streets and sidewalks cleaned up especially. In fact, whenever I see anything that is spoiling the natural beauty of the City, such as broken glass, a chipped sidewalk, and so on, I call on my good friend, the City Manager, Dick Chotkevys, and the matter is taken care of by his trusty team in a matter of hours. We have the best City Council and Staff that we’ve ever had in Dana Point.

There is an idea that I’d like to offer. As you know this little village has a great number of strollers and baby carriages. Which means that there are always two or three children walking along with the mothers (or fathers). I have noticed that these youngsters often drop candy wrappers, Kleenex, and other things on the ground. Well, kids don’t want to stuff their pockets full of trash, do they?

So, how about either the City and/or the LVA providing small collection bags that can easily hang on the stroller or carriage handles? These could have a “Thank You” note stamped on the container to encourage their use—and the logos for the City and LVA. I would think that a gallon-size bag with ties or handles would be just perfect. As for distribution, we could place them in the various groceries and restaurants around town. Even I would take a few to distribute as I make my daily rounds. Others might do the same. Oh, and we might distribute them at the schools for those who ride bikes. The thing is this: We can still make this beautiful gem of a City even more beautiful.

See you on my daily walk—and don’t forget to beep!

Your Friendly Pedestrian
Rev. Paul Lachlan Peck, President Emeritus LVA

In February, 1994 the Dana Point News reported, “In the heart of Dana Point…squats a cluster of bungalows even city officials call a disgrace. Splintered doors swing open with a gentle push, and dirt brown paint peels off in sheets. Inside, cockroaches crawl across graffiti-covered walls, and gaping holes ventilate sheetrock partitions.”

Deteriorating properties like this and other signs of blight included severely overcrowded apartments where as many as 14 to 17 people lived in two bedroom/one bath apartments. People were living in garages. Grocery carts were left abandoned on streets. Cars were parked on vacant lots, over curbs, and over sidewalks. Drug dealings, trash scattered throughout, public drinking, and prostitution prompted the formation of an organization called The Community Improvement Program.

In case you haven’t noticed, things are looking pretty darned good in the Lantern Village these days. The LVA’s slogan, “Dedicated to Neighborhood Improvement”, is working, and we have all been seeing good solid progress over the years. This is due in great part to the LVA’s good working relationship with the City of Dana Point: the City Councils that have presided over recent years, the city staff, starting with our City Manager and Community Development folks, and the Sheriff’s Department. Certainly this relationship includes the VIPs, who constantly watch our neighborhoods.

Of course we owe thanks to our top notch and dedicated Code Enforcement team, which does a terrific job. The LVA Board’s lobbying has been successful in increasing the number of Code Enforcement (CE) Officers from 2 to the current 3 ½ Officers. (One officer reports half time to the Sherriff’s Department while the other three report 100% to Community Development, under Kyle Butterwick.) These officers patrol our neighborhoods daily throughout the City. One officer is dedicated strictly to the Lantern Village, with support from the others. In addition, the team handles items such as weed abatement and illegal business practices. They work with CR&R daily to remove abandoned items such as mattresses and couches left on sidewalks and in alleys, mostly by transient renters moving out.

Since the LVA Board felt that many of our residents are not aware of the codes/laws on the books that affect out neighborhoods and quality of life, we recently approached the City and suggested a simple informational brochure describing several basic codes that some people violate. Items like the 72 hour street parking limit, noise level limits, trash bin rules, proper maintenance of properties, required garage accessibility for vehicles, and many more will now be featured in a City-produced brochure to be published very soon for distribution to our residents in the Lantern Village and throughout the City. (We will keep you posted and tell you how to obtain copies.)

Bill Beattie, long time Dana Point Code Enforcement Officer and friend of the LVA, follows up on a code violation report in the Lantern Village.

If your neighborhood is not seeing the progress we’re talking about here, you have the opportunity to improve matters. Code violation complaints should be submitted to the LVA (e-mail lvacode@cox.net) for anonymous submittal to the City, or if you wish to receive a follow-up/status, you may opt to provide your contact information. As a rule of thumb, please be aware that Code Enforcement (949/248-3573) handles issues involving private property (such as an abandoned car parked on the front lawn—hope not). On the other hand, issues involving public property (such as a car parked in the street for more than 72 hours) are the responsibility of the Sheriff’s Department (949/770-6011).

Again, we welcome you to process Code Enforcement issues through the LVA, at lvacode@cox.net.