Rancho Palos Verdes Council Highlights Nov. 4: Landslide Moving 1.05 Inches a Week, $54M Buyout Funds Formally Accepted
The City Council of Rancho Palos Verdes, a city in Los Angeles County, California, met on November 4, and the city released highlights of the meeting on November 5: an updated trails plan was adopted, the latest landslide survey data was presented, and the Council formally accepted more than $54 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) property buyout funds.
The Council adopted a consolidated and comprehensive Updated Trails Network Plan, mapping a long-term vision for the city's trail and bikeway systems. The Council also voted to suspend accepting new applications for the Public Safety Reimbursement Grant Program while re-evaluating the program as a whole and working with impacted homeowners associations; a comprehensive review will be presented to the Council at a future meeting.
California Water Service (Cal Water) presented its planned infrastructure improvements in the Palos Verdes Service Area and the associated impacts on water rates, with priority on water testing and ongoing upgrades and maintenance to improve emergency preparedness. The California Public Utilities Commission approved new rate increases to fund the investments, effective July 1, 2026, raising an average bill by 38 cents per day, or about $11 monthly.
On the landslide, the most recent survey data from early October put the average movement rate for areas still moving within the active landslide boundary at 1.05 inches per week, a 7.6% increase since August. The city's geologist attributes this largely to erosion at the toe of the Landslide Complex from wave action caused by extreme southerly swells during an unusually active hurricane season in the southeast Pacific Ocean. Despite the acceleration and an above-average rainy season, the complex is moving approximately 30% slower than one year ago, and winterization measures have been completed and held up well during recent rainfall.
As a next step in administering the Voluntary Property Buyout Program, the Council formally accepted over $54 million in recently awarded FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds to acquire 27 pre-selected properties in Rounds 1 and 2. The Council also formally accepted over $1.9 million in FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation funds to build permanent infrastructure to energize the city's deep dewatering wells.
Finally, the Council renewed for 60 days the local emergencies in the landslide area and the temporary prohibition of motorcycles and bicycles along a two-mile stretch of Palos Verdes Drive South. Video of all Council actions is available at rpvca.gov/agendas.
Related: Rancho Palos Verdes Formally Awarded Over $54 Million in FEMA Funds for Landslide Buyouts
(Source: City of Rancho Palos Verdes)
Source: City of Rancho Palos Verdes
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Portuguese Bend 滑坡与自然保护区及 Palos Verdes Drive South 海岸（Rancho Palos Verdes）。Pricetveyron 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Portuguese Bend landslide and nature preserve and the Palos Verdes Drive South coast in Rancho Palos Verdes. Photo by Pricetveyron, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
