Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Rancho Palos Verdes on Sept. 3 as land movement continued to threaten residents already experiencing evacuation warnings and a power outage.
The governor’s proclamation deploys state resources to assist the Southern California coastal city and orders that residents obey the directions of emergency officials.
Southern California Edison shut off power to more than 100 homes in the city on Monday as a landslide threatened equipment in the area.
Residents in the Seaview area were notified during the holiday weekend that 47 homes would be without power for at least one day, while 38 could lose power for up to three weeks.
Another 20 homes would be without power indefinitely, according to the utility.
The power cutoffs came one day after 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend community lost their electricity. Those residents are also under an evacuation warning.
The electricity shutoffs help reduce fire danger by lowering the risk that utility equipment will ignite a wildfire and cause other hazards, such as downed wires or damaged equipment, according to Southern California Edison.
The residents of the Seaview area are not under an evacuation warning.
“Last night [the utility] notified 105 out of 270 Seaview homes that their electricity service will be discontinued for varying lengths of time,” the city told residents on Monday.
The power company set up a community care vehicle at the corner of Narcissa Drive and Fruit Tree Road on Monday to offer support to the community. On Tuesday, the vehicle was moved to Ladera Linda Community Center on Forrestal Drive.
Sewage collection in the Seaview community is gravity-fed and operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works using generators, according to the city.
“There is no imminent public health concern related to the sewer system,” the city said in a letter to the community.
As a result of the energy shortage, the City Council will consider adopting an emergency resolution on Tuesday afternoon targeting the Portuguese Bend and Seaview neighborhoods.
If adopted, the emergency authorization would allow Mayor John Cruikshank to request assistance for the affected residents from the California Office of Emergency Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Portuguese Bend was built on top of an ancient—yet active—landslide. Geologists recently discovered land movement deeper underground than initially expected, which they say changes everything.
City geologists have worked on a plan since 2017 to deal with the landslide area. Heavy rain in the past year has accelerated the movement. In 2022, the city received 200 percent more rainfall than average, creating slippery ground conditions.
City staff and geologists learned the landslide was deeper underground after boring holes in the earth to remove ground and surface water to alleviate the ground movement.
Ground in the Portuguese Bend area has moved about three to four feet every month.
In early August, 135 homes in Portuguese Bend had their gas shut off because of the land movement. The city declared a local emergency on Aug. 6 over the gas shutoffs to seek federal and state aid.
