July 2 City Council Meeting Preview

Extending the Local Emergency

On July 2, the City Council will consider extending the City’s local emergency declaration in the landslide complex through August 20, 2024. The Council will also hear the City geologist’s latest findings and receive updates on land movement mitigation projects. 

The City continues to closely monitor the land movement and work on an expedited timeline to implement emergency measures to slow the sliding and address its impacts, while working towards advancing the long-term Portuguese Bend Landslide Remediation Project.

Current Conditions

According to the latest surveying data, since April 2024, average land movement velocity across the landslide complex has accelerated an additional 41% — or 1.41 times — above the velocity in March-April 2024. 

Recent land movement rates are approximately 7-11 inches per week in the Abalone Cove Landslide, 9-12 inches per week in the Portuguese Bend Landslide, and 2-7 inches per week in the Klondike Canyon Landslide. The middle of the landslide complex is moving the fastest, at over 13 inches per week.

Landslide movement continues to manifest in the form of scarps, fissures, grabens/sinkholes, tensional cracking, shear zones and thrust features, and due to the accelerated movement, those continue to enlarge, expand, widen and grow. Based upon recent field mapping, the total area of the active Landslide Complex has expanded by approximately five acres.

Emergency Hydraugers Project

On July 2, Council will receive an update on the Emergency Hydraugers Project. The Emergency Hydraugers Project involves the installation of two horizontally-drilled dewatering wells that will extract water underground in the Portuguese Bend Landslide complex and slow the land movement. 

Since May 2024 - when the project was approved - the hydrauger contractor has completed drilling on two test boreholes and has started drilling a third test borehole. These test boreholes are necessary to understand underground conditions and determine the best locations for the two hydraugers and their drains.

Due to difficult soil conditions created by the land movement, the third and fourth boreholes will require additional equipment, and the timeline for drilling those and analyzing the resultant data is now approximately six to eight weeks instead of four to six weeks.

While the precise location of the two hydraugers has yet to be determined, one will be installed near Burma Road at the north end of the landslide complex where it will intercept water at higher elevations. The other well will be installed on the south end, at the toe of the landslide, and will relieve artesian pressure that forces groundwater to the surface without pumping.

Palos Verdes Drive South

The City continues to inspect Palos Verdes Drive South and public roadways in the Seaview Neighborhood on a regular basis. Repairs continue to be conducted as needed. 

On June 27, Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts crews began work to repair and bring aboveground a section of sewer line near the Seaview neighborhood damaged by land movement. As of now, there are no known sewage leaks associated with the damage. Work will take place from approximately 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily, with completion expected on or before July 3.

Staff continues to develop plans to re-grade the area known as the “ski jump” near Altamira Canyon. Travel at the ski jump is becoming more difficult due to the elevation difference between the east side and west side as the two sides are subsiding at different rates. A construction plan is being developed and will be presented to the City Council at a future date this summer.

Financial Assistance Loans to KCLAD and ACLAD

On July 2, Council will consider approving financial assistance loans to Rancho Palos Verdes’ two geological hazard abatement districts to fund landslide mitigation work. The Council will consider approving a $1.9 million loan agreement with the Klondike Canyon Landslide Abatement District (KCLAD) and a $1.5 million loan agreement with the Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District (ACLAD).

The loans include a 12-year term and a 2.5% interest rate. The terms and conditions of the proposed loans include accountability, transparency, and additional oversight. As requested by the City Council, City staff and the Districts have also developed a 10-Year Financial Model based on assumptions to illustrate the District’s planned expenditures and necessary funding sources to maintain financial solvency.

Meeting Info

The meeting will take place on July 2 at 7 p.m. in McTaggart Hall at Hesse Park and via Zoom. Watch live at rpvca.gov or on Cox 33/FiOS 38.

To participate in public comment during the meeting, fill out a speaker slip if you are attending in person, or complete a form online at rpvca.gov/participate to participate virtually or leave a pre-recorded voice message. Email your comments on agenda items to cc@rpvca.gov.

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.

A staff report (PDF) with more information is available on the City website.

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.