Land Movement Update

April 16 City Council Meeting Update

On March 19, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council approved moving forward with emergency measures to slow accelerated movement in the Portuguese Bend landslide complex, including installing two emergency dewatering wells — known as hydraugers — to remove water that is trapped underground and contributing to sliding.

Construction contracts for the hydraugers were scheduled to be considered at the April 16 City Council meeting. However, because more time is needed to finalize the project design, including exploring alternative locations for the emergency hydraugers that may be more optimal, City staff is recommending the Council continue this item to the May 7 meeting. The agenda item also includes potentially providing an assistance package in the form of financial and in-kind assistance to the Abalone Cove and Klondike Canyon Landslide Abatement Districts to help them complete landslide stabilization work.

Continuing this item to May 7 will not delay emergency work, as the City Manager has authority under RPV’s local emergency declaration to sign contracts for emergency work that can be later ratified by the Council. 

More information is available in a staff report (PDF) on the City website.

President Biden Declares Federal Disaster in Response to February Storms

Over the weekend, President Biden approved Governor Newsom’s request to issue a Major Disaster Declaration to support ongoing recovery efforts following widespread flooding, mudslides and debris flows during early February storms in several counties, including Los Angeles.

The declaration makes available federal public assistance funding to help state, tribal and local governments cover emergency response and recovery costs. It also includes funding for hazard mitigation efforts statewide.

The City thanks President Biden and Governor Newsom for their attention and help to communities affected by the storms, including RPV. City staff will be working closely with our emergency management partners as well as the Abalone Cove and Klondike Canyon Landslide Abatement Districts on the next steps in this process. 

It should be noted that the federal declaration makes assistance available to public agencies, but not to individuals. However, the City is working with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to identify potential opportunities for individual assistance. 

Landslide Town Hall Meeting

Don’t forget to join the City this Wednesday, April 17, for an informative and interactive Landslide Town Hall Meeting at 6 p.m. at the Ladera Linda Community Center and via Zoom.

Get the latest updates from the City, utility companies, the Abalone Cove and Klondike Canyon Landslide Abatement Districts, and others on what’s happening in the Portuguese Bend Landslide complex and efforts to slow accelerated land movement to protect homes, roads, utilities, and trails. Please bring your questions and concerns to a question-and-answer session following the presentation. Refreshments will be provided. 

Ladera Linda Community Park is located at 32201 Forrestal Drive in Rancho Palos Verdes. To participate virtually, complete a form at rpvca.gov/participate.

RPV Meets with County, State, and Federal Officials to Discuss Landslide Emergency Response

Last week, Councilmember Dave Bradley, City Manager Ara Mihranian, and Public Works Director Ramzi Awwad had a collaborative and productive meeting with officials from the county, state and federal levels of government regarding the City’s response to the ongoing emergency in the Portuguese Bend Landslide complex. The representatives included Rep. Ted Lieu, Senator Ben Allen, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Nancy Ward, Director of Cal OES, Katie Lipiecki and Stephanie Stephens of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Kevin McGowan, Director of the L.A. County Office of Emergency Management. 

During the meeting, FEMA representatives reiterated their support for the City’s landslide remediation efforts, including the selection of the Portuguese Bend Landslide Remediation Project for a $23.3 million Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant. They stated that the City can move forward with installing two emergency hydraugers in the landslide complex without jeopardizing grant eligibility, but that staff must submit a revised project scope (including boundary limits that remove the two hydraugers) and an updated benefit-cost analysis. The BRIC grant will not fund the two emergency hydraugers and the City will have to find alternative funding sources.

Cal OES clarified that Governor Newsom’s request to President Biden for a federal disaster in response to February’s storms would make federal assistance available to public agencies, but not individuals.

Senator Allen discussed his proposed legislation, Senate Bill No. 1461, which would add "landslide" as a condition constituting a state of emergency or local emergency in the Emergency Services Act. This may help bring financial assistance to the City. (The City Council will consider supporting the bill at tomorrow night’s meeting. A staff report (PDF) with more information is available on the City website.)

The message was clear that all levels of government support efforts to assist the City and the geological hazard abatement districts on the Portuguese Bend Landslide crisis. The City expresses its gratitude to these officials and agencies for their attention and support as we navigate this emergency.

Wayfarers Chapel Update

Wayfarers Chapel recently announced that due to land movement that has damaged the historic chapel and led to its temporary closure, the Board of Directors is considering dismantling the chapel building and moving it to a new location that has yet to be identified. The City treasures Wayfarers Chapel’s cultural significance and place in our community. We welcome discussions with the chapel’s leaders on this proposal and continue to support them as they navigate this challenging time. Due to continuing damage, last week, the City’s building official red-tagged the administrative office building adjacent to Wayfarers Chapel. City staff coordinated with church representatives to ensure the office building was cleared before it was declared unsafe to inhabit. The chapel building, which remains closed to the public, has not been yellow- or red-tagged.

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.

If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in programs, services, activities and meetings, contact the City's ADA Coordinator/Risk Manager at 424-327-3982, adarequests@rpvca.gov, 30940 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275, at least 48 hours in advance to request an auxiliary aid or accommodation.