Number of red-tagged homes in Rancho Palos Verdes rises to 20

The number of homes red tagged in Rancho Palos Verdes due to land movement has gone up from two to 20 after city officials began inspecting properties as part of a buyout program. The inspections also resulted in 37 properties being yellow tagged, meaning they have been moderately damaged.

In October, city officials announced a $42-million property buyout program for residents affected by land movement that has been ravaging neighborhoods like Seaview and Portuguese Bend, cutting utilities to hundreds of homes in the process. As part of the program where the city was to offer homeowners 75% of the property value, residents had to submit to a voluntary inspection.

Applications for the program are now closed. The city has received 85 applications with 69 inspections conducted. Sixteen homeowners did not ask for an inspection.

With hundreds of homes affected by land movement, the city prioritized homes that had been red or yellow tagged for the buyout program. Ara Mihranian, the Rancho Palos Verdes city manager, previously told LAist that the funding is enough to buy around 20 homes.

“If you ask us to come out and do this inspection, and in order to move you up on the top of the list, as a priority for the buyout, keep in mind, the buyout takes several months and if we red tag your property, you will then have to vacate the property,” Mihranian told LAist. “It's a mandatory, no entry and so residents need to understand that and really think about how they're going to move forward, whether they want the city to come out and do a voluntary inspection of the property.”

City officials are currently reviewing applications for the buyout program with no timeline provided.

Land movement has slowed down

Average land movement in the ancient landslide complex is now at 3.3 inches a week, down from 8 inches a week in early October. At one point, land was moving up to 1 foot a week in some areas.

While movement is slowing down and has stopped completely in some parts of the landslide complex, “the landslide complex as a whole is still moving approximately 25 times faster than in October 2022,” according to a staff report.

Above average rainfall over the last two winters accelerated land movement in the ancient landslide complex in the Greater Portuguese Bend area.

The unstable land has also caused indefinite power and gas shutoffs for more than 200 homes in Rancho Palos Verdes and the neighboring city of Rolling Hills. The damage has prompted some residents to move out, while others have installed generators and solar panels as they fight to stay.

Utility updates

City officials have met with staff from SoCalGas and SoCal Edison on restoring gas and power to residents. With land movement decreasing in some areas, SoCalEdison is looking to restore power for 16 homes on Fruit Tree Road, Plumtree Road, and Narcissa Drive.

According to city officials, the gas company is not yet in a position to restore service "due to safety concerns that involve potential pipeline strain, leaks, or damage that could lead to fires or other hazardous incidents.”

Landslide efforts

The city currently has nine dewatering wells extracting water from city owned land within the landslide complex, including six at the toe of the landslide complex by the Portuguese Bend Beach Club, two near Palos Verdes Drive South and one in the Abalone Cove area. The wells are extracting around 1.15 million gallons of water a day.

The city is projected to spend $43.6 million through June 2025. Around 36% of that funding is coming from the city’s reserves.

Resource for residents

Property Value Reassessment

• If you believe your property has declined in value because of the land movement, you can file an application for Decline-in-Value Review by the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office. 
• The deadline is Nov. 30 and more details can be found here. 

City Council meeting

• The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council will have its regular meeting at 7 p.m., Nov. 19, at McTaggart Hall in Hesse Park, where the landslide will be discussed. The meeting will also be live streamed on rpvca.gov. 
• Residents can participate in public comment in person or online at rpvca.gov/participate.
• Residents can also email their comments to cc@rpvca.gov.