Rolling Hills, also grappling with landslide damage, seeks its own buyout program for affected residents

Rolling Hills — a city adjacent to landslide-ravaged Rancho Palos Verdes — is now also seeking to offer affected residents a voluntary buyout program for their severely damaged homes.

Rolling Hills city leaders directed staff to work with the California Office of Emergency Services to figure out what it would take to offer residents a voluntary buyout program similar to what’s in place for neighboring RPV, which announced a buyout program last year.

Above average rainfall in 2023 and 2024 led to unprecedented land movement in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes, forcing some residents to abandon their homes after power and gas shutoffs. Others have had to reckon with what it means to live off the grid and take measures to shore up their property. Some of that land movement extended to neighboring Rolling Hills, where some residents in the Flying Triangle, Cinchring Road and Quail Ridge Road South areas were also left without power and gas.

But adopting a buyout program could affect Rolling Hills’ operating budgets. If homes are bought back, it will reduce the amount of money the city gets in property taxes. In Rancho Palos Verdes, the plan is to demolish the purchased homes and convert the land into open space. Similarly, if Rolling Hills adopts a buyout program, the city will be on the hook for maintaining their own open space.

So city leaders asked staff to do an analysis of how many homes could possibly benefit from the program and what it would mean for the city’s bottom line.

A resident weighs in 

During public comment, a resident of Cinchring Road said at least 20,000 gallons of water was under his property, forcing him to move out with his son and wife. He said he has had to spend around $100,000 in rent.

“ It's easier to get fire insurance than landside insurance, which everybody here knows,” he said in favor of the buyout program. “We all live in Rolling Hills, it's really hard to get it. If you want to help people through natural disasters, there's greater impetus for landslide than fire.”

Where things stand with Rancho Palos Verdes’ buyout program

In Rancho Palos Verdes, the city has started the process of buying out homes, 23 of which were shortlisted for appraisals in May, although officials said on Tuesday that one applicant opted out.

The city does not have a timeline on when the homeowners will start receiving the buyouts as it could take several months or even years for the city to receive the funding from FEMA on a rolling basis. Around $42 million has been earmarked for the program.

Funding for the buyout programs

If Rolling Hills adopts the voluntary buyout program, officials hope the funding will also come from FEMA.

California gets money through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program grant when a state of emergency is declared. If Rolling Hills applies to the program, it will be from funding received after a state of emergency was declared in relation to the Palisades and Eaton fires.

“ It's a post-disaster grant fund that we can use statewide,” Robyn Fennig with California’s Office of Emergency Services said at the Rolling Hills City Council meeting. “It doesn't just have to go to disaster impact areas.”