10 weeks after a landslide destroyed a dozen homes in Rolling Hills Estates, residents in neighboring Ranchos Palos Verdes are concerned that a similar disaster could be on the way.
At a Rancho Palo Verdes city council meeting this week, about 20 residents complained about increased land movement from rain and broken water lines. Two homes in the Seaview neighborhood have already been red-tagged due to shifting soil, and Seaview Residents Association President Jerry Duhovic said other homeowners are on edge.
“The residents of Seaview are very concerned,” he said. “We're concerned about public safety. We’re concerned about home values. We’re concerned about catastrophic failure in that neighborhood.”
The city and local utilities say they’re working on the problem. Cal Water has installed 35 new leak detectors to help gather more data about cracks in water, gas, or sewer pipes that may lead to further issues.
Councilmember Eric Alegria said he’s open to declaring a state of emergency to address the concerns.
“Declaring a state of emergency will give us an opportunity to summon all the resources we’re gonna need to coordinate, hopefully make for a more efficient process with the agencies we want to bring in to support us in this effort,” he said.
City officials say they need more time and information before they can declare a state of emergency, but the council plans to further discuss the matter at its next meeting on Oct. 3.
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