Historic landslides in Rancho Palos Verdes caused irreversible damage to homes and roads, as seen on May 17, 2024.
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)
Topline:
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for the city of Rancho Palos Verdes "to protect public safety amid ongoing land movement that has resulted in disrupted utility services and evacuation warnings for impacted residents." The declaration came after power was shut off for around 250 homes to avoid potential fires and other risks due to the ongoing landslide there.
The background: On Sunday, Southern California Edison indefinitely cut off electricity to 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes. An evacuation warning was also issued for residents living there on Sunday. The additional 105 homes facing shut-offs are in the Seaview neighborhood, though there is currently no evacuation order or warning.
The details: Officials say downed power lines, and equipment damaged by the landslide, could cause a fire.
What’s next: Affected residents can find resources here.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for the city of Rancho Palos Verdes "to protect public safety amid ongoing land movement that has resulted in disrupted utility services and evacuation warnings for impacted residents." The declaration came after power was shut off for around 250 homes to avoid potential fires and other risks due to the ongoing landslide there.
The emergency declaration will allow state agencies to deploy resources and equipment to assist city and county crews with their repair work and efforts to slow the land movement.
In February, Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank said a state of emergency declaration from the governor would allow them to bypass state permit requirements for repair efforts.
A spokesperson for Southern California Edison on Monday said the power outages will impact some homes longer than others: They say 20 will be without power indefinitely and 38 will be without power for one to three weeks. The rest were slated to be without power for 24 hours.
On Thursday, SoCalGas announced that it was shutting off gas service to additional 29 homes in the western Seaview area and another 25 homes in the Portuguese Bend Beach Club starting at 3 p.m. Friday. The shut-offs are expected to last indefinitely, the utility added.
The moves come as officials raised safety concerns about downed power lines, and equipment damaged by the landslide, which they said could cause fires. Just last week a small fire and sewage spill from the movement further damaged electrical equipment.
Safety tips
Advice from Southern California Edison
Never touch a fallen power line. Call the power company to report fallen power lines.
Do not drive through standing water if downed powerlines are in the water.
If you’re in a vehicle with a fallen power line on it, stay in the vehicle and remain calm until help arrives. It is OK to use your cellphone to call 911. If you must leave the vehicle, remember to exit away from downed power lines and exit by jumping from the vehicle and landing with both feet together. You must not touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Then proceed away from the vehicle by shuffling and not picking up your feet until you are several yards away.
Water and electricity don’t mix. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Do not step in or enter any water that a downed power line may be touching.
Advice from the CDC if you believe someone has been electrocuted
Look first. Don't touch. The person may still be in contact with the electrical source. Touching the person may pass the current through you.
Call or have someone else call 911 or emergency medical help.
Turn off the source of electricity if possible. If not, move the source away from you and the affected person using a nonconducting object made of cardboard, plastic or wood.
Once the person is free of the source of electricity, check the person's breathing and pulse. If either has stopped or seems dangerously slow or shallow, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately.
If the person is faint or pale or shows other signs of shock, lay him or her down with the head slightly lower than the trunk of the body and the legs elevated.
Don't touch burns, break blisters, or remove burned clothing. Electrical shock may cause burns inside the body, so be sure the person is taken to a doctor.
“The land movement has created a dangerous situation, and Edison is deciding to disconnect to keep that community safe,” said Jim Hanggi, a spokesperson for the utility. “It is a fluid situation and we’re working on solutions to keep the power flowing but as conditions change we’ll need to adjust to keep the community safe.”
The background
On Sunday, Southern California Edison indefinitely cut off electricity to about 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes. The city also issued an evacuation warning for residents living there.
The additional 105 homes facing shut-offs are in the neighboring Seaview area, though there is currently no evacuation order or warning.
A home with landslide damage in Rancho Palos Verdes, photographed on May 17, 2024.
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)
The land movement under the peninsula has been occurring for millennia at a slow pace, but was reactivated and accelerated in 1956, when L.A. County excavated to build an extension of Crenshaw Boulevard and dumped tons of dirt there, before Rancho Palos Verdes incorporated into its own city.
The last two winters of heavy rain have further accelerated the ongoing landslide. Now, hundreds of families face losing their homes.
What residents say
Impacted residents, many of whom are older, have disabilities and bought their homes decades ago, have experienced a range of difficult emotions as they’ve been displaced in recent months and watched their community dramatically change due to the land movement. Some say they weren’t given sufficient warning about the power shutoffs and aren’t sure where to go.
Others plan to stay. Gordon Leon told LAist he plans to move into a tiny home on his property and bought four generators to power it. He said he’s had no gas for weeks now, but water is still running. The power in his house has been shut off indefinitely, so his plan is to move off the grid.
Leon said he and his neighbors are just trying to "figure out how to survive.” Some, he said, are getting ready to leave permanently.
Leon doesn't want to leave his neighborhood because he loves its beauty and that he gets to look at the ocean every day, he said.
What’s the real solution?
Many impacted residents have purchased generators so they can stay on their properties despite power outages. A spokesperson for Southern California Edison told LAist that the utility is not providing generators because they feel the ground is too unstable for that to be a long-term solution.
Shari Twidwell and her mom planned to leave their home in Rancho Palos Verdes before power service was cut off on Sunday.
(
Yusra Farzan
/
LAist
)
The city’s mayor, John Cruikshank, told LAist on Monday thatSouthern California Edison should have done more earlier to transition residents off grid and prevent additional outages. Cruikshank said he’s working with private energy companies — and that he has even reached out to Elon Musk — to figure out how to shift those residents off the grid longer-term.
“We’re hearing that our residents want to stay in their homes, and we're doing everything we can to keep them in their homes,” Cruikshank said. “We're going to do everything we can to push the governor and the federal government to provide them funds.”
Historic landslides in Rancho Palos Verdes cause irreversible damage to homes and roads as seen on May 17, 2024
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)
Cruikshank has called on state and federal officials to declare a state of emergency — so far, that step has not been taken. LAist reached out to the governor's office for comment on Monday but did not immediately hear back.
Homeowners insurance typically does not cover damage from landslides, nor do federal disaster assistance programs.
There are questions as to how realistic off-grid living is in the area, especially long-term, and how much public funding should go to that and other efforts to keep the area habitable.
The city states on its website that it is working to identify “hotels and other accommodations that can offer discounted rates for residents.” A list is available here.
On Sunday, Southern California Edison officials said they will provide a vehicle to serve people who need to charge devices or get information. That customer care vehicle will be parked on Narcissa Drive at the Pepper Wood gate, starting Sunday through Tuesday. The hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cato Hernández
covers important issues that affect the everyday lives of Southern Californians.
Published June 25, 2026 5:25 PM
Paramedics take a patient to a hospital on April 12, 2020 in downtown Los Angeles, California.
(
Apu Gomes
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Topline:
Over 261,000 Californians will have medical debt erased, according to nonprofit Undue Medical Debt. That totals more than $550 million in medical bills, thanks to a gift from Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel and Miranda Kerr.
How does this work? Undue has paid off debts in California on a local level for a while now, but this is the first time it’s doing an erasure here statewide, according to vice president Daniel Lempert. You can’t apply for this relief. Instead, the nonprofit buys and pays off the debts for pennies on the dollar from participating groups and hospitals. Undue doesn’t disclose who those are unless the organization wants it known — and in this case, that is staying private.
Who’s benefiting? To qualify, you must either be at or below 400% of the federal poverty level (that caps out at $132,000 for a family of four), or have medical debt that is 5% or more of your annual income. About half of the relief is going to people in Southern California:
San Diego County: $99 million (40,369 people)
Riverside County: $69.5 million (35,486 people)
San Bernardino County: $56.5 million (32,034 people)
Los Angeles County: $26.8 million (17,466 people)
How will I know if I’m selected? If your debt is picked, you’ll get a letter in the mail from Undue Medical Debt. Those will start arriving in mid-July.
Evan Spiegel is a financial supporter of LAist. Like other funders, he has no influence on our coverage.
Jill Replogle
covers public corruption, debates over our voting system, culture war battles — and more.
Published June 25, 2026 4:49 PM
An aerial view of Huntington Beach, which could see its traditional way of voting upended.
(
trekandshoot/Getty Images
/
iStockphoto
)
Topline:
The traditional way of voting in Huntington Beach could be upended after a judge’s ruling this week in a case accusing the city of diluting the electoral power of its Latino residents.
What happened? The judge has ordered Surf City to adopt ranked-choice voting for the November general election. Ranked-choice voting is where voters rank all candidates in order of preference, so if your first choice is eliminated, your vote transfers to your second choice candidate, and so on. It’s also the type of voting that helped Zohran Mamdani seize victory in the New York City mayoral race.
Why it matters: The ruling comes in a legal challenge to the city’s at-large elections, arguing that Latino voters are unfairly disadvantaged and unable to elect a candidate of their choice. Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig Griffin agreed with the plaintiffs’ argument that “racially polarized voting has regularly occurred in Huntington Beach elections.”
Read on ... for more about the decision that could forever change voting in Huntington Beach.
The traditional way of voting in Huntington Beach could be upended after a judge’s ruling this week in a case accusing the city of diluting the electoral power of its Latino residents.
What happened?
The judge ordered Surf City to adopt ranked-choice voting for the November general election. Ranked-choice voting is where voters rank all candidates in order of preference, so if your first choice is eliminated, your vote transfers to your second-choice candidate.
It’s also the type of voting that helped Zohran Mamdani seize victory in the New York City mayoral race.
Why it matters
The ruling comes in a legal challenge to the city’s at-large elections, arguing Latino voters are unfairly disadvantaged and unable to elect a candidate of their choice. Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig Griffin agreed with the plaintiffs’ argument that “racially polarized voting has regularly occurred in Huntington Beach elections.”
The backstory
The case was brought to court more than two years ago by the nonprofit group Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and Victor Valladares, a Huntington Beach resident and local Democratic activist.
They argued that the city’s predominantly Latino neighborhood of Oak View had suffered decades of neglect, in part because residents there lacked the voting power to get representation in city government.
The bigger picture
Dozens of cities across Orange County and elsewhere in California have faced similar challenges to at-large elections over the past decade. Most have settled out of court by adopting district elections, whereby voters elect a candidate to represent their area, rather than citywide.
Judge Griffin wrote that ordering the city to adopt ranked-choice voting was a “less drastic remedy” to bolster Latinos’ voting power than district elections. Currently in Huntington Beach, all residents vote citywide for city council seats, and the top vote-getters win.
With district elections, only people within a particular district can vote for a particular seat, which advocates say helps ensure districts see themselves represented in their local government bodies.
Among the advantages of a ranked-choice system, advocates say, is that it gives voters more freedom to vote for their favorite candidate, even if they think that person won’t ultimately win.
What does the ruling say, exactly?
The ruling orders Huntington Beach to implement ranked-choice voting for the November 2026 general election, if the Orange County Registrar of Voters can support the quick switch. The ruling also calls for the city to elect all seven councilmembers at once, rather than staggering the elections, as it currently does per the city’s charter.
Judge Griffin had delayed his ruling earlier this year to consider the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which ruled that race cannot play a role in the drawing of voting districts. Griffin ultimately determined that “nothing in Callais alters this Court’s decision” in the Huntington Beach case.
What’s next?
Both sides have two weeks to raise objections to the tentative ruling. Kevin Shenkman, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said he would not be surprised if the city appeals. City Attorney Mike Vigliotta told LAist in an email that his office is “reviewing the decision with outside counsel that litigated the case and determining next steps.”
We reached out to the Orange County Registrar of Voters for comment, and did not hear back before publication. If and when that changes, we will update this story.
How to attend Huntington Beach City Council meetings
Huntington Beach holds City Council meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 2000 Main St.
You can also watch City Council meetings remotely on HBTV via Channel 3 or online, or via the city’s website. (You can also find videos of previous council meetings there.)
The public comment period happens toward the beginning of meetings.
The city generally posts agendas for City Council meetings on the previous Friday. You can find the agenda on the city’s calendar or sign up there to have agendas sent to your inbox.
LAist staff writer Sammy Marvin also contributed to this report.
How to reach me
If you have a tip, you can reach me on Signal. My username is @jillrep.79.
For instructions on getting started with Signal, see the app's support page. Once you're on, you can type my username in the search bar after starting a new chat.
And if you're comfortable just reaching out by email I'm at jreplogle@scpr.org
Keep up with LAist.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
Kavish Harjai
writes about how people get around L.A.
Published June 25, 2026 3:51 PM
This rendering shows a concept for Metro's bus rapid transit project on Vermont Avenue.
(
Courtesy L.A. Metro
)
Topline:
A judge has ruled that a Metro bus project in a congested area of Los Angeles can go forward, for now, without incorporating bike lanes that street safety advocates argue are required by city law.
The project: The Vermont Transit Corridor project will add dedicated bus lanes along a more than 12-mile-long stretch of the busy road.
Injunction denied: The ruling from June 15 is a decision on an injunction request that’s part of a lawsuit brought by Joe Linton, who argues that L.A.’s role in the design and permitting process of the project triggers Measure HLA street safety improvements. The L.A. City Attorney and Metro have rejected that interpretation of the ordinance.
Read on … for more details on the lawsuit and Linton’s reactions.
Listen
0:36
LISTEN: Bus project gets a preliminary OK to move ahead
A judge has ruled that a Metro bus project in a congested area of Los Angeles can go forward, for now, without incorporating bike lanes that street safety advocates argue are required by city law.
The $400 million project will add dedicated bus lanes along a more than 12-mile-long stretch of Vermont Avenue between 120th Street and Sunset Boulevard. The stretch of road has among the highest rates of pedestrian deaths and injuries in the city.
The ruling from June 15 is a preliminary decision on an injunction request that’s part of a lawsuit brought by Joe Linton, who argues that L.A.’s role in the design and permitting process of the project triggers Measure HLA street safety improvements. The L.A. City Attorney and Metro have rejected that interpretation of the law.
Linton filed the lawsuit in April 2025. He is the editor of the transportation publication Streetsblog LA. Linton is filing the suit as a resident of L.A., not in his capacity as an editor for Streetsblog.
What is Measure HLA?
In 2015, the L.A. City Council adopted Mobility Plan 2035, which identified networks of streets to improve with protected bike lanes, pedestrian signal improvements, bus lanes and other enhancements.
Seven years later, frustrated with a lack of progress on the plan, the local nonprofit Streets for All began campaigning for Measure HLA. The ballot measure, which was passed by voters in 2024, legally requires the city to implement Mobility Plan upgrades when it repaves at least one-eighth of a mile of a street located in one of the networks.
What are the key issues at stake in the lawsuit?
There’s been a longstanding disagreement over whether Measure HLA applies to Metro’s work in city projects. Metro and the city of L.A. say the ordinance only applies to projects the city leads. Streets for All and Linton say the question of who leads a project is a technicality and that the city is obligated to follow Measure HLA because it’s responsible for approving certain elements of the project’s designs and permits.
The Mobility Plan calls for bike lanes along the same stretch of Vermont Avenue that Metro is working on.
Linton’s lawsuit says the city didn’t implement the bike lanes in accordance with Measure HLA when it resurfaced Vermont Avenue service roads in the past and that it should implement the improvements as part of the Vermont Transit Corridor project.
What are the details of the injunction?
As the lawsuit plays out in court, Linton requested an injunction that sought to prevent the city from approving final design plans for the project without the bike lanes that Measure HLA calls for.
How to reach me
If you have a tip, you can reach me on Signal. My username is kharjai.61.
You can follow this link to reach me there or type my username in the search bar after starting a new chat.
And if you're comfortable just reaching out by email I'm at kharjai@scpr.org.
L.A. County Superior Court Judge Kristin Escalante denied the request on June 15. Escalante wrote in her decision that the city neither initiated the project nor selected Vermont Avenue for resurfacing and won’t be constructing the project itself.
“Metro’s coordination with the city does not transform the project into one made by or undertaken by the city,” Escalante wrote in her decision.
In April and June, Escalante denied Linton’s requests for pre-trial judgement on two other issues in his lawsuit, including deciding if resurfacing work on Vermont Avenue service roads triggered HLA-mandated upgrades and determining whether the city’s HLA ordinance represents an “impermissible amendment” of the ordinance.
What happens next?
The ruling is a preliminary decision. Linton said his legal team is preparing for the case to go to trial.
“We didn’t lose at the end of the day,” Linton told LAist. “It’s a setback, but it’s a skirmish and not the outcome of the battle.”
Metro said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.
LAist reached out to the L.A. City Attorney and did not hear back.
Are other legal battles taking place?
Yes, there are two additional ongoing lawsuits that are related.
Linton filed a second lawsuit saying L.A. is using loopholes, like “large asphalt repairs,” to skirt Measure HLA requirements.
Separate from Measure HLA, Metro is working on another bus rapid transit project to connect North Hollywood and Pasadena with construction set to begin this summer. Metro filed a lawsuit in May saying Burbank is, without authority, refusing to grant the transit agency construction permits. On June 18, Metro filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to get the necessary permits so it can begin construction in July and ensure the bus project is ready for the 2028 Olympics.
A series of Fourth of July events scheduled across Council District 14 have been postponed due to the ongoing impact of a massive warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that blanketed surrounding neighborhoods in smoke for days.
(
Alejandra Molina
/
Boyle Heights Beat
)
Topline:
A series of Fourth of July events scheduled across Council District 14 have been postponed due to the ongoing impact of a massive warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that blanketed surrounding neighborhoods in smoke for days.
Lingering effects of the fire: The fire at the 500,000-square-foot Lineage cold storage facility was knocked down Wednesday evening, but many residents say they are still feeling the effects of the smoke and have questions about the short- and long-term impacts of exposure, as well as what exactly they have been breathing.
Read on ... for a list of Eastside Fourth of July events that have been postponed to a later date.
A series of Fourth of July events scheduled across Council District 14 have been postponed due to the ongoing impact of a massive warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that blanketed surrounding neighborhoods in smoke for days.
The fire at the 500,000-square-foot Lineage cold storage facility was knocked down Wednesday evening, but many residents say they are still feeling the effects of the smoke and have questions about the short- and long-term impacts of exposure, as well as what exactly they have been breathing.
Jurado announced Thursday that out of an abundance of caution, the four Fourth of July events that were scheduled to take place from Friday to Sunday at various parks across her district have been postponed to allow the community and her office to focus on “recovery, connecting residents with resources and getting people the answers they deserve.” The free events were set to include live entertainment, community resources booths and a drone show.
The postponed events include:
Friday at Eagle Rock Recreation Center
Saturday at El Sereno Recreation Center
Sunday at Hollenbeck Recreation Center
Sunday at Lincoln Park Recreation Center
“While air quality regulators have not ordered the cancelation of outdoor events, the fire response remains active, residents are still seeking clear information and support, and many families in the impacted area continue to have concerns about smoke, ash, odors, and possible exposure,” Jurado said.
In the wake of the fire, Jurado has been asking agencies and the companies responsible for transparency. On Monday, the councilmember introduced a motion calling for the public release of air quality and environmental testing information in a way residents can actually understand.
While no independent testing has been commissioned by her office, Jurado told Boyle Heights Beat that the motion, “is intended to bring that information into the open so residents can get clear answers instead of rumors, speculation, or incomplete information.”
According to CD14, the rescheduled event dates will be shared as soon as they are available.
