Residents living on shifting ground in a mile-wide landslide region of the coastal California city of Rancho Palos Verdes will get some county money to help them cover expenses, the city announced Oct. 2.
The city council approved $5 million in landslide relief funding sought by Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents the district affected heavily by landslides in the past two years.
The council’s unanimous vote to authorize the program allows the city to provide up to $10,000 to each affected property owner, with an estimated total of $2.8 million allocated for up to 280 homeowners.
The funds can be used to buy supplies, make home repairs, pay for temporary housing, and pay other landslide-related costs. The grants will be made available to homeowners in the Portuguese Bend Community Association, Seaview, and Portuguese Bend Beach Club neighborhoods.
About 280 homes in the areas affected have lost power and natural gas service or were damaged from the landslides, which are causing the earth to move about eight inches each week, according to the city.
The city’s finance department expected applications to be approved and distribution of money to begin within a week.
The city will use the remaining $2.2 million to continue its response and stabilization efforts, according to a statement issued Oct. 2.
“Our community has faced unfathomable challenges in the face of this landslide disaster, and it’s critical that we swiftly deploy this funding to support our residents who have been most impacted,” said Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank in a Oct. 2 message.
“I am urging the city to cut red tape, take the funding I am providing, and get it directly to the residents who need it as soon as possible,” Hahn said in the release. “I am talking to people every day who are not only losing their homes but their entire life savings. This is a crisis, and we need to meet this moment.”
Residents who live around the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, where about five active landslides converge, have watched the ground around their properties buckle and split open in the last year.
The city has installed six new dewatering wells in the area that extract about 1 million gallons of water a day. The city estimates the wells are collectively pumping out about 7.2 million gallons every week. Construction crews are also studying the soil to find more areas to install dewatering wells, Copp said.
The groundwater in the area, abundant after two winters of heavy rains across the state, is fueling the unprecedented land movement, according to local officials.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the landslide complex area on Sept. 3. The state has been coordinating with the city and county for almost a year to help support a response.
The City Council also voted unanimously on Oct. 1 to extend its two local emergency declarations related to the landslide and utility shutoffs through Nov. 30.
Council members also voted to allocate $6.1 million to continue emergency work and up to $4 million to construct more dewatering wells.
Another $4 million was approved for winterization efforts to prepare the area for the next rainy season. The work will include lining canyons and filling fissures to prevent water from percolating underground and worsening the situation, according to the city.
Recent landslide data presented to council members on Oct. 1 showed a slowing trend. Between Aug. 1 and Sept. 4, the average movement slowed by about 13 percent to the current eight inches per week.
