City Council Urges Gov. Newsom to Declare State of Emergency

Amid unprecedented land movement impacting local residences, landmarks and public infrastructure, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 20 to submit a letter urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in the City to waive and/or suspend state permitting requirements for critical landslide remediation efforts. An emergency declaration by the state would allow the City to significantly expedite the landslide mitigation measures identified in the Portuguese Bend Landslide Remediation Project.

When declaring a state of emergency, the governor has the ability to waive and/or suspend certain state permitting requirements in order to protect against immediate threats to life and property. In this case, a suspension of certain state permitting requirements would allow the City and local Geologic Hazard Abatement Districts to immediately proceed with critical measures needed to stabilize the landslide, without the costs and time delays typically experienced with obtaining permits.

Read a press release (PDF) about the Council's action at the link below.

Wayfarers Chapel Fundraiser Link

Following last week's announcement of the temporary closure of Wayfarers Chapel due to land movement, the Chapel has established an official fundraiser supporting disaster recovery efforts at the following link: gofundme.com/f/wayfarers 

Contributions support the nonprofit established by Wayfarers Chapel specifically to fund Chapel restoration efforts.

Media Inquiries

If you have a media inquiry related to land movement in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, please contact the City's communications partner, Tripepi Smith, with your questions, at RPVMedia@TripepiSmith.com. They will also add you to our media list so you receive our listserv updates, press releases and media advisories.