Landslide response and funding
Summary
Landslide spending has reached $56.9 million since 2022, and members estimate $13 million a year in permanent ongoing costs with no matching revenue. The CIP fund balance has dropped from $24.6 million to a projected $8.3 million, and members say residents everywhere on the hill will eventually pay through taxes or fees.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 16
- Last 30 days
- 1
Discussed at 3 meetings in the last 60 days; most recently Oct 26, 2026.
Impact analysis
$56.9 million spent to date; an estimated $13 million per year ongoing; the $150+ million permanent fix remains unfunded.
Everyone on the hill benefits from stabilization efforts, especially the properties in the landslide zone and anyone who drives PV Drive South.
Without new revenue, every taxpayer faces future tax or fee increases and deferred citywide maintenance.
Mentions & discussions (17)
Meeting - Oct 26, 2026
Land movement has dropped below an inch per week, but about 135 homes in Portuguese Bend and 8 in Seaview still lack power. The city has applied for up to $170 million in grants, including a buyout program, and is building a wish list of winterization supplies ahead of a wet winter.
Finance Advisory Committee Meeting - Oct 8, 2026
A member warned that most residents have no idea what emergency resources exist — the radio station, fire cameras, preparedness initiatives — and could be caught unprepared along the coastline. Public Works is reportedly as ready as it's ever been for PV Drive South this rainy season.
*Amended City Council Meeting - Oct 6, 2026
The council reconfirmed the landslide emergency declaration first adopted in May 2024 and added $164,654 to the Geo-Logic Associates design contract for the Portuguese Bend remediation project, bringing it to $659,339 through mid-2027.
Finance Advisory Committee Meeting - Sep 10, 2026
Landslide response has cost nearly $75 million since 2022, and only about 17% has been covered by grants so far. A $42 million federal buyout is progressing at roughly $2 million per home, and staff outlined contingency plans — but losing PV Drive South or the sewer line would be costly and disruptive.
Traffic Safety Committee (Special) - Aug 10, 2026
Interim Director Copp reported the landslide is accelerating at about 5% per month, with over $150 million in FEMA/OES grant funding being pursued for a programmatic long-term response, plus SoCal Edison power negotiations for the dewatering wells.
City Council Meeting - Aug 4, 2026
The council extended for two years the emergency rules letting landslide residents install temporary foundations and place temporary housing on their own lots — protecting five foundation projects and one housing arrangement already approved.
Emergency Preparedness Committee Meeting - Jun 18, 2026
FEMA approved the city's hazard mitigation plan in just 24 hours, keeping the city eligible for BRIC and hazard mitigation grants to fund landslide remediation and buyouts.
Traffic Safety Committee (Special) - Jun 8, 2026
Movement rates on PV Drive South are down about 10-12% over recent months, matching last year's seasonal trend; weekly inspections and repairs continue, with flood-preparedness planning underway.
City Council Special Meeting (Budget Workshop) - May 18, 2026
The council cut $300,000 a year from the emergency stabilization project, reducing grading and canyon shaping work in the Portuguese Bend section. Staff said it's the element with the least impact on stabilization efforts, but the work keeps Palos Verdes Drive South open.
City Council Meeting (Budget Workshop - CIP) - May 4, 2026
Landslide spending is projected at about $61.5 million through June 30, and the city is still waiting on a federal grant for the big remediation project. Councilmembers refused to walk away from landslide infrastructure but agreed the $6 million annual emergency stabilization needs a hard scrub.
Infrastructure Management Advisory Committee (IMAC) (Special) - Apr 27, 2026
Land movement has decelerated about 10% and Klondike Canyon shows no measurable movement, but a dewatering well sheared and staff are testing creative ways to redrill wells that survive ground movement. The next update to council comes May 5.
Infrastructure Management Advisory Committee (IMAC) - Special Meeting - Mar 9, 2026
Keeping PV Drive South open through the landslide zone is costing more than $2 million a year and could hit about $2.5 million next year, on top of roughly $1.75 million a year for the Abalone Cove sewer program. Costs should start dropping once stabilization measures slow land movement, expected from fiscal years 2027-28 onward.
City Council Meeting - Mar 3, 2026
The city has spent an estimated $65-66 million responding to the landslide this fiscal year. Perestam, Bradley, and Mihranian went to Washington D.C. and reported promising movement on Coast Guard property transfers, Civic Center deed restrictions, and congressional earmark applications for an emergency operations center and storm drain repairs.
City Council Meeting (Goals Workshop) - Feb 23, 2026
Winterization is done and the deep dewatering wells keep running. The city has 60% engineering plans for long-term improvements and is applying for federal hazard mitigation grants to pay for construction.
Finance Advisory Committee Meeting - Feb 12, 2026
Landslide spending has reached $56.9 million since 2022, and members estimate $13 million a year in permanent ongoing costs with no matching revenue. The CIP fund balance has dropped from $24.6 million to a projected $8.3 million, and members say residents everywhere on the hill will eventually pay through taxes or fees.
Emergency Preparedness Committee Meeting - Jan 15, 2026
The landslide is continuing to slow, which staff attribute to the deep dewatering wells working. Public works winterized the canyons and handled holiday storm response, including a road failure on Hawthorne near Hess Park. A mysterious drilling rig at Crest Road and Crenshaw will be investigated.
Rancho Palos Verdes Landslides Have Residents Seeking Science
Rancho Palos Verdes Landslides Have Residents Seeking Science Eos
We'll email you when it's on an upcoming agenda and when it's voted on, at most once a day.
The weekly brief for Rancho Palos Verdes
What the council decided, in plain English — one email a week.
Free. Unsubscribe with one click any time. We never sell your email.