City Council Meeting Highlights

Highlights from the February 4, 2025 City Council meeting:

• The Council extended by 60 days the temporary prohibition of bicycles and motorcycles along a two-mile stretch of Palos Verdes Drive South in the Portuguese Bend landslide area due to land movement.
• The Council affirmed the use of a $1.6 million financial assistance loan from the City to the Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District (ACLAD) for its conceptual plan to drill 8-10 new deep dewatering wells in its boundaries. 
• Additional financial assistance that may be needed by ACLAD could be considered at a future meeting when more information on the deep dewatering wells output, costs and the project timeline is available.
• Both local emergency declarations in the landslide area were extended for 60 days.
• City staff gave an update on the launch of the new Public Safety Division, which will supplement Sheriff’s Department services in RPV. 
• Newly hired staff is building relationships with the Lomita Sheriff’s Station, homeowners associations and Neighborhood Watch, and has begun implementing community outreach initiatives.
• As part of this effort, a community survey will be issued in March gauging residents' top three public safety concerns in the community.
• The Council adopted the 2025 Legislative Platform encompassing crucial areas such as landslide remediation, civic center planning, housing, public safety, community services, environmental quality, and government transparency. 
• Key updates include:
  • Identifying outside funding sources for landslide remediation and civic center planning.
  • Supporting legislation that recognizes landslides as a disaster constituting a state of emergency under the Emergency Services Act.
  • Prioritizing the emergency services components in the Civic Center Master Plan.
  • Working with Wayfarers Chapel to potentially rebuild at the Civic Center.
  • Seeking support from federal lawmakers to acquire or jointly use the U.S. Coast Guard’s Battery Barnes and Point Vicente Lighthouse properties.
  • Opposing housing legislation that requires high-density housing in areas within Cal Fire’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.

For all City Council actions from the meeting, watch video at rpvca.gov/agendas.