by Chelsea Sektnan
The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council unanimously approved a $5 million emergency financial relief program, at its Tuesday, October 1 meeting, to assist residents impacted by the Portuguese Bend landslide and the resulting utility shutoffs. The funds, provided through Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office, will offer up to $10,000 per affected homeowner for critical expenses such as home repairs, temporary housing, and essential supplies.
“Our community has faced unfathomable challenges in the face of this landslide disaster,” Mayor John Cruikshank said in a press release after the Oct. 1 meeting. “These emergency grants will deliver immediate, long-overdue assistance to those whose lives have been upended by land movement and utility shutoffs.”
Homeowners in the most severely affected neighborhoods, including the Portuguese Bend Community Association, Seaview, and the Portuguese Bend Beach Club, will be eligible for individual grants. To date, approximately 280 households in these areas have experienced electrical and natural gas shutoffs, and sustained damage from the landslide. Two homes have been red-tagged and three yellow-tagged, with many more at risk of condemnation as land movement continues.
The funds will be part of the city’s broader stabilization efforts, which include the installation of six new dewatering wells at Abalone Cove Beach. They are currently pumping over one million gallons of water per day into the ocean to slow the land movement in the neighborhoods above cove. While this has reduced the rate of land movement from 13 inches to 8 inches per week, the slide is still 80 times faster than it was a year ago, according to city officials..
“Abalone Cove has been incredibly dynamic since March,” Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District (ACLAD) president Gordon Leon said during public comments at the meeting. “The large damage to homes has increased out of proportion to the movement we’ve seen… I implore the council to also put in deep wells … We need to give them a try, and we need to give them a try quickly.”
In addition to these measures, Portuguese Bend resident Guy Grant and other community members have stepped up to support their neighbors, providing generators to keep sewer systems running after Southern California Edison cut power.
“As far as the help from residents, I appreciate it,” resident Ben Zask said at the meeting. “My property has moved close to 400 feet. I’ve spent the last week under my house raising up the front of our house. It’s no fun, and it’s expensive, and I appreciate your help.” ER
