Update on SoCalGas Service Interruption to Portuguese Bend Community

Today, the City held a nearly five hour-long, all-hands meeting with representatives from utilities and local, state and federal agencies to discuss the state of the landslide in light of SoCalGas’ decision to shut off natural gas service to 135 homes in the Portuguese Bend community. During this meeting, the City requested, and the utilities agreed, to improve and provide advanced communication with the community on their future plans, including potential shutoffs. 

Mayor John Cruikshank, Councilmember Dave Bradley, and City staff were joined by officials including Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and representatives from the offices of U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler, Rep. Ted Lieu, State Sen. Ben Allen, and Asm. Al Muratsuchi. The meeting was also attended by representatives from SoCalGas, Cal Water, Southern California Edison, L.A. County Public Works, the L.A. County Sanitation Districts, Frontier Communications, Cox Communications, the California Public Utilities Commission, the L.A. County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), and the L.A. County Fire and Sheriff’s Departments.

Residents are invited to attend a neighborhood Q&A meeting on July 31 from 6-9 p.m. at the Ladera Linda Community Center. This meeting will provide an opportunity for the public to share their questions and concerns with the City and get the latest updates. Please stay tuned  for information in tomorrow’s update on how to participate virtually.

The City continues to coordinate with our partner agencies to implement contingency plans and mobilize disaster resources for impacted residents. This includes securing agreements for temporary housing accommodations, organizing a future local assistance center with OEM at the Ladera Linda Community Center, and continuing to request state and federal financial assistance for individuals. Additionally, we are developing a program to help residents shore up and harden their homes through expedited permits. Detailed information will be shared with the community as soon as it is available.

SoCalGas has created a dedicated webpage for this incident with a list of impacted streets, frequently asked questions, and updates at socalgas.com/rpv. An information booth for residents at the intersection of Narcissa Drive and Fruit Tree Road will remain available from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on July 30. SoCalGas has announced it will provide each impacted account holder with $2,500 to help residents who do not have natural gas service due to the land movement. 

SoCalGas reminds impacted residents to please NOT attempt to restore service or to connect alternative fuels like propane to your natural gas meter. Doing so is unsafe.

The City will continue to provide regular community updates at rpvca.gov/landmovement. 

Questions? 

If you have questions, please email landmovement@rpvca.gov. 

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.