The Brief

Roughly three years after above-average rainfall fueled a devastating landslide in Rancho Palos Verdes, the landscape has become almost unrecognizable. Homes, ripped apart by the land movement, have been wiped away, creating swaths of unusable open space. Trying to slow the landslide has pushed the city to the financial brink.

But also caught in the landslide’s crosshairs is a beloved seaside network of trails that continues to be pulled apart and will never be the same.

The area was once green rolling hills offering spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. Now, much of the land is riddled with 20-foot chasms, some of which span 12 feet.

For decades, land movement was minimal. But above-average rainfall in 2022 and 2023 rapidly accelerated — up to 1 foot per week in some places — prompting Southern California Edison and SoCalGas to shut off utilities for hundreds of residents.

Landslide damage has closed dozens of trails in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes on April 4.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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Landslide damage has closed dozens of trails in the Portuguese Bend community area of Rancho Palos Verdes on April 4.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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Land movement has since slowed to about 1.6 inches a week, thanks in part to wells the city installed that suck water out of the ground, but damage to the around 16 miles of trails remains and will likely never be abated.

"We don't traverse those areas on a regular basis. We occasionally use drones to look at the damage,” said Ara Mihranian, Rancho Palos Verdes’ city manager. “You can't get across certain trails, so if we even went down into a certain area, we wouldn't be able to continue because of the open fissures in the ground.”

William Lavoie of the Palos Verdes South Bay group of the Sierra Club has hiked trails in the 1,500 acre-Palos Verdes Nature Reserve once a week for about 25 years. Before the city closed off the area, he said he saw a telephone pole “ tipping at about a 30-degree angle.”

Landslides resulted in a home being severely damaged in Rancho Palos Verdes on April 4.

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Brian Feinzimer

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“ I understand why they closed the trails because there were some pretty good-sized fissures,” he said. “It would be very sad if somebody broke a leg or twisted an ankle or broke an ankle.”

The effects on nature

But the destruction hasn’t been a total loss.

The California gnatcatcher, a small songbird that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls “threatened” and the endangered Palos Verdes blue butterfly rely on certain host plants within the preserve.

“ The habitat that supports the wildlife has been fragmented, has been damaged with fissures opening up in the ground, splitting apart. Coastal sage scrub has actually been sucked in by the fissures,” Mihranian said. “That impacts the corridors and the wildlife patterns that you see out in the preserve.”

But Cris Sarabia, conservation director for the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, said the species can also benefit from less human activity.

“ Both of those endangered species have wings so they could essentially fly,” he said. “So the fissures on the trails or the cracks in the ground don't necessarily cause big impacts to them because they're able to move around.”

Sarabia said his organization is also tracking the cactus wren bird that resides in a cactus found within the landslide area.

“ We have been working closely with the different entities doing the [mitigation] work to avoid as much habitat as possible, but unfortunately some of these areas overlap,” he said.

Meanwhile, the conservancy is trying to salvage the cactus and preparing for restoration of the sites, collecting native seeds and growing new plants.

But the true extent of the damage and the effects to wildlife are unclear, Mihranian said, because city officials haven’t been able to go in to do a full assessment — the area is too unsafe.

 ”It's going to be a herculean effort and a very costly one as well,” Mihranian said of repairing the damage.

A colossal financial drain 

When the current fiscal year ends in June, Rancho Palos Verdes will have spent close $65 million on efforts related to the landslide since October 2022. For context, the city’s annual operating budget is around $40 million.

“ The city has taken a huge hit on this emergency response,” Mihranian said.

Rancho Palos Verdes has appealed to state and federal officials for assistance, but with little to no success.

Adding salt to the wounds, the city has also lost out on revenue from parking fees for the preserve. Revenue generated at the Abalone Cove Park lot has dropped from $150,000 each year, to just $11,000, according to the city. Revenue from parking near Del Cerro Park also decreased from around $32,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 to just $4,000.

Not to mention all the homes that have been lost, uprooting the lives of residents who haven’t been able to resell, instead relying on a government-backed buy back program.

Alternative trail routes

Lavoie, the Sierra Club member, said despite the trail closures, the vast open space in the Palos Verdes Peninsula means there are plenty of alternatives.

Here are some of his favorites:

• Lavoie affectionately calls the trail behind Highridge Park “the maze.” It’s an easy one-hour walk and you get to share the trail with horses. 
• Malaga Cove: Pass Neptune fountain, the library and post office to continue along a grassy hill shaded by eucalyptus trees. Use the utility pathway to reach La Venta Inn.
• The Via Buena stairs in Lunada Bay. 
• There are lots of great trails that start at Ernie Howlett Park.   

Anyone can join the Palos Verdes South Bay group of the Sierra Club on their hikes in the peninsula. Check their calendar for meeting spots and times.

Soccer fans who want to celebrate the World Cup at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum will be able to purchase tickets to the FIFA Fan Festival on April 22.

The four-day celebration begins the same day as the tournament, June 11, and goes through June 14. It’ll include live music, match broadcasts and other entertainment, according to FIFA.

Los Angeles is hosting eight tournament matches at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood this summer, including the match between the U.S. and Paraguay on June 12.

What you need to know

General admission tickets are $10, and reserved club and loge seats are $30. Children younger than 12 years old are free.

Tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster, according to L.A. Memorial Coliseum officials.

If event days are not sold out, fans can also purchase tickets at the Coliseum’s box office at Gate 29.

The venue does enforce strict bag rules. Any bags must be clear, and exceptions can be made for special circumstances, like medical or infant care items.

What games will be broadcast? 

Fans can catch some World Cup matches on big screens. Here’s the schedule:

June 11
Mexico vs. South Africa, noon

June 12 
Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, noon
U.S.A. vs Paraguay, 6 p.m.

June 13 
Brazil vs Morocco, 3 p.m.
Haiti vs Scotland, 6 p.m.

June 14 
Germany vs Curacao, 10 a.m. Netherlands vs Japan, 1 p.m.

How do I get to the Coliseum? 

There’s more than one way to get to the venue. For public transit, the Metro E Line makes two stops near the Coliseum — Expo Park/USC and Expo/Vermont.

There will also be a designated area for rideshare drop-offs and pickups at Vermont Avenue between Exposition Boulevard and Downey Way.

Additional parking will also be available just a short walk from the venue on the USC campus. You can pre-book parking spaces starting at $55, here.

LAist has a fan guide for the 2026 World Cup.

The new David Geffen Galleries at LACMA opened to members this week, and I was thrilled to get a sneak peek at the space. The Brutalist spaceship-like arm that reaches across Wilshire Boulevard is organized loosely (even the accompanying guidebook is titled “Wander”), bringing decorative arts, design and photography onto the same plane as traditional painting and sculpture.

I particularly liked the American West rooms and the design-focused areas that somehow make even a full-sized car look small. Outside is just as impressive, with a Rodin sculpture garden and old friends like Alexander Calder’s "Three Quintains (Hello Girls)" — first commissioned for the museum in 1965 — getting a new home and water feature. There are lots of new spots to explore during the next Jazz at LACMA, for sure.

Did you get to the members' preview? Share your first impressions with bestthingstodo@laist.com

Licorice Pizza has your music picks, including Monday’s lineup of Biffy Clyro at the Belasco, Maya Hawke at Sid The Cat Auditorium, Langhorne Slim at the Troubadour, Young the Giant at the Grammy Museum and David Lee Roth runnin’ with the devil at House of Blues Anaheim. On Tuesday, Throwing Muses plays the Teragram, Failure plays Zebulon, Cheap Trick transforms Pomona College’s Bridges Auditorium into Budokan and the UK’s Flyte plays their first of two nights at the LodgeRoom.

Wednesday, Daptone Records soul trio Thee Sacred Souls is at the Greek Theatre (they’ll play there Thursday as well). Also Thursday, She Wants Revenge is at the Wiltern, Ari Lennox is at YouTube Theater, fabulous showman Bright Light Bright Light plays the Mint and Britain’s Art Brut performs their entire album Bang Bang Rock & Roll at the LodgeRoom.

Elsewhere on LAist, you can practice saying "jacaranda" in between sneezes, help name the Big Bear eaglets and maybe consider rescuing a duck.

Events

The Librarians screening

Wednesday, April 22, 6:30 p.m. 
Emerson College Los Angeles
5960 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Courtesy PBS SoCal

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Join PBS SoCal for this special Indie Lens pop-up screening of the upcoming documentary, The Librarians. The film follows a Texas battle over restrictions on race and LGBTQ+ materials and tells the story of the librarians on the front lines. As lawmakers around the country push boundaries of censorship, the film looks at “the broader implications on these restrictions for education and public life.”

Mill at Little City Farm: No-waste dinners

Wednesday and Thursday, April 22 and 23 
Little City Farm 
1148 S. Victoria Ave., Koreatown
COST: $125; MORE INFO 

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Courtesy Mona Creative

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Big-name local chefs like Quarter Sheets’ Aaron Lindell and Wildair’s Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske Valtierra try their hand at no-waste cooking at Little City Farm for Earth Week in collaboration with home composting company, Mill. On Wednesday, (Earth Day): Mike Fadem of James Beard semifinalist pizza restaurant Ops will collaborate with Lindell to create no-waste pizza recipes. Then, on Thursday, Stone and Valtierra team up with 2026 James Beard Emerging Chef finalist Fátima Juárez of Komal to showcase Mexican heritage-inspired dishes. All proceeds benefit LA Compost.

OC Made 

Through Saturday, August 1
Fullerton Museum Center
301. N Pomona Ave., Fullerton
COST: $10; MORE INFO 

Head to the Fullerton Museum Center for a new biennial juried exhibition, OC Made. It’s the first show of its kind dedicated to artists living and working in Orange County. This year’s crop features 108 artists and more than 130 pieces spanning painting, photography, sculpture and mixed media. Among the winners are Ramón Vargas for his piece "Wolf," plus curators’ choice nominees Jacquelin Nagel for "Begonia Maculata" and Brooke Hunter for "Center Stage." And keep an eye out for other events at the museum, like the Downtown Fullerton Art Walk on May 1.

Genesis Talks: Michael Govan and Peter Zumthor 

Wednesday, April 22, 7 p.m.
LACMA 
5905 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile 
COST: $10; MORE INFO 

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Brigitte Lacombe

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Finn Partners

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This event is currently sold out, but keep an eye out for a last-minute chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at the design and building of LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries with LACMA CEO Michael Govan and Swiss architect Peter Zumthor.

Reefer Madness: The Musical

Through Sunday, May 10
Wisteria Theater
7061 Vineland Ave., North Hollywood
COST: FROM $58; MORE INFO 

You thought I’d forget that today is 4/20? Celebrate with a viewing of the musical Reefer Madness, based on the 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film, on through May 10 at the Wisteria Theater in North Hollywood. Those crazy kids.

Lemonade 10-Year Anniversary Party 

Thursday, April 23
El Cid 
4212 Sunset Blvd., Silverlake
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' turns 10 years old.

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Frederick M. Brown

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Getty Images

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Has it really been 10 years since Beyoncé released Lemonade? El Cid says so, so it must be true. Dance off your fears about getting old at this anniversary album party.

Earth Day with FernGully

Wednesday, April 22, 7 p.m.
Dynasty Typewriter
2511 Wilshire Blvd., MacArthur Park
COST: $20; MORE INFO 

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Courtesy Dynasty Typewriter

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Spend Earth Day revisiting the environmentally conscious 1992 kids’ classic FernGully (soon to also be a live-action film directed by Marielle Heller — the nostalgia is real). Comedians like Cameron Esposito, Eric Bauza, Christa B. Allen and many more star in this live reading at Dynasty Typewriter. A donation will be made to the World Wildlife Fund.

Living Legends of Drag

Wednesday, April 22, 7:30 p.m. 
Barnsdall Gallery Theatre
4800 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Lil Miss Hot Mess

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Eventbrite

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Join drag kings and queens, including El Daña (the Guinness World Records' certified oldest performing drag king), Mo B. Dick (Drag King History), "Mother" Karina Samala (Imperial Court of Los Angeles and Hollywood), Jazzmun (Peanuts) and Manny Oakley (LA Drag Archive) for a panel — and, of course, a performance — about drag history and culture. Hosted by Lil Miss Hot Mess, the event is free and part of the National Humanities Center’s Being Human Festival, which runs through May 3.

A woman was arrested for allegedly trafficking arms on behalf of the Iranian government at LAX on Saturday night, according to authorities.

Shamim Mafi of Woodland Hills is charged with helping the regime sell drones, bombs and millions of rounds of ammunition to Sudan.

Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, made the arrest announcement Sunday morning on social media.

The 44-year-old Mafi is expected to appear in court for a bond hearing Monday afternoon in downtown L.A.

According to the criminal complaint filed by the Department of Justice and obtained by LAist, Mafi allegedly brokered weapons deals on behalf of Iran through Atlas International, a business in Oman she co-owns, including facilitating a contract valued at more than €60 million (or some US $70 million) for the sale of Iranian-made armed drones to Sudan.

She is also being accused of brokering the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses, AK-47 machine guns and other weapons to the Sudanese Ministry of Defense.

Mafi faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.

Essayli said Mafi is an Iranian national who became a permanent resident of the U.S. in 2016.

After weeks of waiting to hear how — or whether — the U.S. government might refund the tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court, Monday is the day it finally begins.

Imagine tens of thousands of business owners with their fingers hovering over laptops, ready to enter America's hottest new queue: the U.S. tariff-refund portal.

U.S. Customs is launching just the first phase of payouts, so not all the goods imported under the illegal tariffs will immediately qualify. And the latest federal guidance says that after refund requests are approved, it could take 60 to 90 days to return the money to the importer.

Still, this marks a turning point for U.S. importers, who've waited for clarity for exactly two months since the U.S. Supreme Court declared most of President Trump's tariffs unconstitutional. The high court did not opine on the process of refunds, and government officials at first suggested the process could prove unwieldy.

"Small businesses organized, spoke out, and won a major victory," said Main Street Alliance, which advocates for U.S. small businesses, in a statement. "Now, the federal government must follow through with a refund process that truly works for Main Street."

U.S. Customs has estimated that it owes a total of $166 billion in tariff refunds, and the agency's legal filings suggest that the initial phase would tackle the majority of affected imports. On Tuesday, a Customs official told a judge that the vast majority of eligible importers signed up for electronic payments, as the agency is requiring, and that group is owed about $127 billion.

Will consumers see any of that money land in their pockets? Probably not, economics and legal experts say.

The cost of tariffs has been woven into the prices of many products in a way that can make it hard to separate out what customers ultimately paid. Often, manufacturers, suppliers, importers, retailers and shoppers all absorb costs along the way. And with tariffs landing on the heels of historic inflation, companies big and small have argued that they ate much of the cost to avoid spooking shoppers with higher prices.

In fact, many retailers find themselves in a similar quandary because tariff refunds will go to whoever paid the actual customs bill. It's unclear how, or if, the refunds might trickle down to store owners who paid tariff surcharges to their suppliers.

"As a retailer, I didn't pay tariffs directly. However, I did pay them indirectly in the form of higher wholesale prices," says Joe Kimray, owner of B & W Hardware in North Carolina. Most of his products are either made abroad or use imported parts.

"I plan to have conversations with a number of manufacturers and hope that they will do the right thing and share some of the tariff refund money with us," he says. "I don't expect to get a direct refund check from anyone, but it could be even as simple as offering discounts on the wholesale cost of future product purchases."

Shoppers hoping to recoup their own tariff expenses have launched class-action lawsuits against several companies, including Costco and FedEx. The shipping giant has pledged to pass down any refunds it receives. Costco's CEO last month told investors the company would return shoppers' money through "lower prices and better values" and would be transparent about its plans.

U.S. Customs' initial phase of refunds will focus on tariff payments that haven't been finalized because they technically are still under federal review. (Companies typically pay import duties as soon as their goods arrive at the border, but the complete customs review that follows can take nearly a year.) The government will continue to set up its new system, called CAPE, so that it can later on refund older, finalized tariff payments.

NPR asked U.S. Customs and Border Protection about the scale of tariff refunds it expects to handle in the first phase, including the volume of claims the agency's new tool is prepared to handle on Monday. A CBP spokesperson in response said that CAPE was developed "to efficiently process refunds" and referred importers and brokers to the agency's updated tariff-refund guidance.

NPR's Scott Horsley contributed to this report.
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