California unlikely to declare state of emergency in response to Rolling Hills Estates landslide

ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif. (KABC) -- The state of California is apparently unlikely to declare a state of emergency in response to a destructive landslide in Rolling Hills Estates, leaving Los Angeles County to continue leading the response.

On Monday, a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom's Office of Emergency Services said county is probably able to handle the catastrophe on Peartree Lane on its own, the L.A. Daily News reported.

Meanwhile, city planning documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times show that some people raised concerns about the stability of the land during the neighborhood's construction more than 40 years ago.

A geologist has not analyzed the site yet, but officials have said an expert should be at the scene by Wednesday to begin that process.

It's been a stressful week for many residents in Rolling Hills Estates who have been forced to evacuate due to a destructive landslide.

Ten of homes began sliding down into a canyon on July 8. Although two of the 12 red-tagged homes had not slid down as of three days later, county Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said they did move.

An additional 16 homes were being monitored but residents were allowed to stay.

The official cause of the landslide is not known, but an obvious potential suspect is the exceptionally heavy rain that fell on California this past winter. Water percolating down through soil is known to be able to activate a slide months after the last rainfall.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.