Newsom declares state of emergency in Rancho Palos Verdes following series of power shutoffs

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (KABC) -- On the heels of power being shut off for hundreds of residences in Rancho Palos Verdes, Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon in the city in an effort to free up state resources to assist in the response.

"The Governor's Office of Emergency Services has been coordinating with the city and county for nearly a year to support the response to the land movement, including providing technical assistance, supporting the local assistance center, facilitating a federal mitigation grant for groundwater work in the area, and helping officials with initial damage estimates,'' according to a statement from Newsom's office.

Some local officials have been pressuring Newsom to visit the city to view the impact of the landslides and to provide state assistance for residents. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said during a news conference Sunday that she had committed another $5 million in county funds to respond to the disaster, but far more money would be needed.

Hahn said she reached out to Newsom's office on Saturday, and estimated that upward of $1 billion in government funding might eventually be needed to address the situation.

The city of Rancho Palos Verdes declared a local emergency earlier this summer.

Meanwhile, city council held a special meeting in the afternoon to discuss an amended state of emergency pertaining to the recent power shutoffs. The city's regular city council meeting was slated for the evening.

You can view the agenda for both meetings here.

On Monday, Southern California Edison cut electricity service to 105 residences in the Seaview area impacted by the landslide concerns. On Sunday, 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend community had their electrical service turned off. Those residents were also placed under an evacuation warning.

The latest shutoff was scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday and comes one day after residents in 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend community lost their electricity and remain under an evacuation warning. According to the city, 47 homes will be without power for 24 hours, 40 properties will be without power for 1 to 3 weeks and 20 properties will be without power indefinitely.

Southern California Edison offers assistance

SCE stationed a Community Care Vehicle at the corner of Narcissa Drive and Fruit Tree Road on Monday to offer support to residents, and the vehicle will also be stationed at the Ladera Linda Community Center at 32201 Forrestal Drive between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday to assist residents in the Portuguese Bend community.

The Seaview residences were not under an evacuation warning.

"In contrast to the Portuguese Bend Community, Seaview's sewage collection system is gravity fed and operated/maintained by LA County Department of Public Works using generators. As a result, there is no imminent public health concern related to the sewer system,'' city officials said. "However, please identify your specific zone, in the event authorities need to issue an evacuation notice in the future.

"Without gas and/or electricity service, many residents may choose to seek alternative housing arrangements for the foreseeable future. The city is identifying hotels and other accommodations that can offer discounted rates for residents.''

Residents in the Portuguese Bend community have been advised to be ready to evacuate on short notice, but most remain in their homes for now thanks to the presence of backup generators in the area.

Residents share concerns, but determined to stay

One resident shared multiple concerns Monday, including the fear of potential looters and businesses who may be looking to prey on victims.

"Of course, we're very concerned about someone taking advantage of our situation, and that also includes vendors, plumbers, electricians ... everybody acts like they want to help us, but reality is, there's too many people in this world that take advantage of people, and that's including the looters," said resident Jim Denver.

Denver feels the shutoffs may have an even bigger impact in the end.

"They're not our partner anymore," he said about SCE. "They left us out in the middle of the ocean to swim home. So even if they do come back, we're all worried about how much do we spend in the interim for them to come back and go, 'We're back.' Homeowners have spent 20, 30, $40,000 converting homes and then we're being forced to maybe go back to Edison. I think this group would tell Edison, 'Go to a different neighborhood.'"

The land movement in Rancho Palos Verdes has accelerated across 680 acres following heavy rains in spring 2023, causing damage to homes, roads and utilities.

"These people now don't have gas, they don't have electricity, and the land beneath their homes is shifting every single day. I don't know how we stop that, but in the meantime, we've got to help these residents out," said Hahn.

Resources for Rancho Palos Verdes residents

The affected areas for the power shutoff can be found on the city's website. Officials said residents could also check to see whether they are in the evacuation area at protect.genasys.com/search or on the genasys Protect app.

Residents can also call 800-250-7339 Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. for updated information.

Rancho Palos Verdes City Manager Ara Mihranian said Sunday that three generators were procured by residents and installed by city officials to power the area's sewer system.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said he authorized the use of drones to help guard against possible criminal activity targeting the homes of residents who might leave the area.

A closer look at the Rancho Palos Verdes landslide crisis

Larry Chung, SCE's vice president for customer engagement, said Sunday that the utility made the "difficult decision'' to disconnect the power due to the lack of solid ground, with the danger of disturbed power lines causing a wildfire being just one concern.

He added that some areas of the peninsula were seeing land movement of 1 foot per week, and other officials warned of the possibility of a "catastrophic failure'' to the area's infrastructure.

The power interruption is the latest development in an ongoing crisis related to the land movement. The landslides have resulted in roadway damage and the red-tagging of two homes that were damaged severely enough to be dangerous to inhabit.

The land movement has also caused water and gas distribution pipes to break, displaced sanitary sewer collection pipes and made utility poles lean.

On July 29, despite protests from residents and city officials, Southern California Gas Co. cut off natural gas service to 135 homes in the Portuguese Bend community due to concerns about the land movement.

Residents spent the first weekend after the gas shutoff hustling to find propane and electric alternatives so they could stay in their homes. Officials did not order evacuations at that time because no gas leaks were detected.

Gas company officials said the area "continues to experience significant new land movement damaging roads, homes and further threatening the safety of SoCalGas' infrastructure.''

The city had warned residents that SCE officials said they might discontinue electricity in the future if conditions warranted.

On Aug. 28, officials said that land movement the previous weekend caused an approximately 10,000-gallon sewer spill on private property along Palos Verdes Drive South near Narcissa Drive. The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, the agency that operates the main trunk sewers that transport wastewater out of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, responded to stop the spill and make an emergency repair.

"It is the city's understanding that this incident was the first significant break in LACSD's infrastructure due to ongoing land movement,'' according to a city statement. "We continue to work closely with LACSD to expedite permitting for repair work, as needed, as well as efforts to install an above-ground by-pass sewer pipe along Palos Verdes Drive South.''

Officials added that the incident underscored "the urgent need to slow the land movement and prevent a major sewer failure, which would have a
far-reaching impact across the Peninsula.''

Although the current problem was prompted by the 2023 rains, Mihranian said the crisis is due to specific geological conditions he described an "ancient landslide that goes back thousands of years,'' which was activated by more recent tunneling involving a section of Crenshaw Boulevard.

City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.