Rancho Palos Verdes landslide escapes immediate major damage from record-breaking November rains

Despite record rainfall this month across Southern California, Rancho Palos Verdes officials say so far the damage to the city’s slow-moving landslide appears to be minimal.

The Portuguese Bend area of the city sits on an ancient landslide that was accelerated by above-average rainfall in 2022 and 2023, causing land to move 1 foot a week in some places. The movement has torn properties, roads and other infrastructure and has led to a buyout program to convert red-tagged properties into open space.

To prepare for this winter’s deluge, officials took measures to slow down land movement, including installing a pipe in Altamira Canyon to prevent water from collecting at the toe of the canyon and covering the ground in some areas with pond liners.

“So far, it appears the impacts of the storm included a few areas of minor ponding on Palos Verde Drive South. The water was removed by pumps, and the roadway remained passable,” Megan Barnes, a spokesperson for the city, told LAist in a statement.

The story was similar in other areas at risk of mudflows and landslides due to recently being scarred by fires. Despite inches of rain, no major damage was reported. Another storm system, however, is expected to move in Thursday through Friday.

Eva Albuja, a resident whose home is surrounded by multiple damaged homes — two red-tagged and three yellow-tagged — said the city needs to do more.

 ”The pooling of water is significant in our area,” she said, noting that the water pools under pond liners. “ I worry because I might be next with all the water problems that we're having.”

What to know about the Rancho Palos Verdes landslide

Albuja’s home is close to the intersection of Dauntless and Exultant drives, where a fissure has expanded to completely engulf the intersection. That area is closed to the public. She said city crews came to pump the water that was collecting only after addressing damages on the main thoroughfare through the landslide complex, Palos Verdes Drive South. By then, some of the water had sunk into the ground, which could cause problems down the line.

The ground in that area is made up of bentonite clay, which slips and slides when wet. It’s a combination that has cost Rancho Palos Verdes tens of millions of dollars in repairs, wells to remove water from underground and other infrastructure maintenance. In the end, experts say all the city can do is try to slow down the unstoppable.

Albuja, who has lived in Rancho Palos Verdes since 1978, said it’s been hard to witness the slow-moving destruction and homes being abandoned.

“It's heartbreaking,” she said.