Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Dana Point Landslide Leaves Mansion Precariously Perched On Cliff’s Edge
A large mansion in Dana Point was left precariously close to a cliff after a landslide in Dana Point.
(
Screenshot from KCAL News via X
)
A landslide in Dana Point last week has created a nail biter of a scene: A mansion now perched on the edge of a weakened cliffside that appears to be a hair away from falling into the ocean.
But officials say the crumbled cliffside off Scenic Drive looks worse than it actually is.
During the latest storm, tons of rocks and debris slid down to the beach right below bluff-side homes in Dana Point. https://t.co/mgzeUEwPWf
— KCAL News (@kcalnews) February 13, 2024
A spokesperson for Dana Point said the city’s geotechnical engineer and a building inspector assessed and cleared the area where the slope failure occurred.
Support for LAist comes from
“Currently the city has confirmed that there is no imminent threat to the home, and no further action is being taken at this time,” the city’s statement said.
The owner of the mansion is also seeking their own "assessment of the situation" and is in touch with officials, the city added.
The Orange County Fire Authority officials also said they're aware of the landslide, but they were not called for, nor do they plan any, emergency work.
But the landslide is prompting questions over whether homes should be built on the edge of bluffs in the first place.
“It's just devastating to see videos like the ones that are coming out of Dana Point and it's also, unfortunately, becoming much more common with increasing rainfall and sea level rise,” said Kate Huckelbridge, executive director of the California Coastal Commission. “The combination of those two phenomena are destabilizing some of our coastal cliffs and I think landslides and on bluffs like these are, unfortunately, likely to become more common.”
The destabilization occurs as bluffs absorb higher rainfall totals and then sustain more erosion at the base from rising sea levels, she said.
Support for LAist comes from
“These two different erosive forces are increasing erosion and destabilizing the cliffs and leading to increased risk of landslides,” Huckelbridge said. “The videos we're seeing are a good indication that these are not safe places to build homes.”
The owner of one of the home on the cliff’s edge declined to comment when reached by phone on Tuesday.
“We don't want to put people in harm's way and that's exactly what's happening to some of these blufftop homes,” Huckelbridge added. “I do think that there's going to be an increased effort to pull some of these developments back and certainly not be approving development right up against the edge of a cliff.”
After the historic rainfall that pummeled California, she said, there was an uptick in the emergency permits for local governments and private landowners to stabilize the coastline.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist