CC SR 20250318 02 - Landslide Emergency Extension
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 03/18/2025
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration to receive updates on the Greater Portuguese Bend-Ancient Altamira
Landslide Complex.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Receive and file an update on current activities and conditions in the Greater
Portuguese Bend-Ancient Altamira Landslide Complex;
(2) Receive and file an update on the Abalone Cove Landslide Hazard Abatement
District’s (ACLAD) deep dewatering well plan implementation;
(3) Approve amending the $1.6 million loan agreement to ACLAD, approved on July
2, 2024, by extending the first loan payment from December 1, 2025 to December
1, 2026, and updating the scope to include the implementation of deep dewatering
wells;
(4) Receive and file a 10-year historical financial report, including sources and uses,
for the Abalone Cove Landslide Hazard Abatement District (ACLAD) and the
Klondike Canyon Landslide Abatement District (KCLAD);
(5) Receive and file an update on City expenditures for emergency protective and
stabilization measures in response to the acceleration of the Greater Portuguese
Bend-Ancient Altamira Landslide Complex;
(6) Approve an additional appropriation of $710,000 from the CIP Fund for repairs to
the Abalone Cove Sanitary Sewer System by:
a. Reallocating $400,000 from the Measure R Fund to the CIP Fund for
landslide emergency road repairs,
b. Reallocating $200,000 from the Gas Tax Fund to the CIP Fund for landslide
emergency road repairs, and
c. Appropriating the remaining $110,000 from the CIP Fund;
(7) Adopt Resolution No. 2025-___, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA, EXTENDING FOR A
TERM OF 60 DAYS THE TEMPORARY PROHIBITION ON TRAVEL BY
UNICYCLES, BICYCLES, MOTORCYCLES, AND OTHER ONE- OR TWO-
WHEELED VEHICLES ON PALOS VERDES DRIVE SOUTH WITHIN THE
LANDSLIDE COMPLEX DUE TO CONTINUED ROADWAY CONDITIONS;
(8) Adopt Resolution No. 2025-__, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA, CONTINUING THE LOCAL
EMERGENCY DECLARATION AS ESTABLISHED BY RESOLUTION NO. 2023 -
47 ADOPTED ON OCTOBER 3, 2023 FOR AN ADDITIONAL 60 DAY PERIOD;
and
(9) Adopt Resolution No. 2025-__, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA, EXTENDING THE STATE
OF LOCAL EMERGENCY WITHIN THE GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES OF THE
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PORTUGUESE BEND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, PORTUGUESE BEND
BEACH CLUB, AND SEAVIEW NEIGHBORHOODS BASED ON SUDDEN
ENERGY SHORTAGES, PLANNED DEENERGIZING EVENTS, AND INTERNET
SERVICE SHUT OFFS AS ESTABLISHED BY RESOLUTION NOS. 2024-52 AND
2024-57 FOR AN ADDITIONAL 60 DAYS.
FISCAL IMPACT: The Portuguese Bend Landslide emergency response is projected
to reach approximately $47.3 million beginning in October 2022 through the fiscal year
ending June 30, 2025, including purchase order carryover and continuing appropriations
from prior year. This amount is funded through various sources, including the General
Fund, CIP Fund, ARPA, Supervisory Hahn’s Social Program Grant, and Metro Funds.
(see Fund Sources table on the next page).
As of February 2025, Gas Tax and Measure R have been identified as funding sources
that meet the eligibility criteria related to the right-of-way/roadway maintenance. This
evening, Staff requests for an additional appropriation of $710,000 from the CIP Fund for
repairs to the Abalone Cove Sanitary Sewer System by:
a. Reallocating $400,000 from the Measure R Fund to the CIP Fund for landslide
emergency road repairs;
b. Reallocating $200,000 from the Gas Tax Fund to the CIP Fund for landslide
emergency road repairs; and
c. Appropriating the remaining $110,000 from the CIP Fund.
Of the $47.3 million, approximately $35.6 million is funded in FY 2024-25:
• $23.9 million for emergency response, boreholes and deep dewatering wells.
This amount also includes the $9.6 million approved on May 7, 2024 (unspent
balance by June 30, 2024 was carried over in FY 2024-25) and $6.1 million on
October 1, 2024.
• $4 million for emergency stabilization measures for additional deep dewatering
wells approved on October 1, 2024.
• $4 million for winterization approved on October 1, 2024.
• $1.1 million for operations and maintenance of deep dewatering wells between
January and March 31, 2025, approved on December 17, 2024.
• Approximately $3.9 million of the following Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
projects are deferred to FY 2025-26 as approved on January 21, 2025:
o $0.6 million for Crenshaw Blvd. Rehab;
o $0.6 million for Park Playground Improvements;
o $0.55 million for the Sidewalk Management program;
o $1.7 million for Western Avenue Beautification; and,
o $0.5 million for Altamira Canyon Drainage
• $2 million for operations and maintenance of deep dewatering wells
(approximately $1.5 million from April 1, 2025 through June 30, 2025) and
approximately $0.5 million for additional fissure filling approved on January 21,
2025.
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• $0.5 million for purchase order carryover and continuing appropriations from
FY 2023-24 for professional and technical services related to the deep
dewatering well program (CIP Fund).
• On February 4, 2025, the City Council affirmed the use of the financial
assistance loan to ACLAD in the amount of $1.6 million approved by the City
Council on July 2, 2024 for ACLAD to implement their deep dewatering well
plan; and
• $100,000 for in-kind project and construction management services provided
by the City to assist the Abalone Cove Landslide Hazard Abatement District
with implementation of their deep dewatering wells plan.
Adopted Budget on June 18, 2024: $4,840,000 VR
Revised Budget with continuing appropriations from original hydraugers
project, emergency response, and mitigation efforts: $35,600,000
Additional Appropriation: $400,000 from Measure R Fund, $200,000 from Gas
Tax Fund, and $110,000 from the CIP Fund
Account Number(s): FY 2024-25 funding sources:
*If $710,000 of additional appropriation is approved by the City Council this
evening, the overall total in FY 2024-25 will increase to $36.31 million.
ORIGINATED BY: Ramzi Awwad, Director of Public Works
Vina Ramos, Director of Finance VR
Funding Sources for FY 2024-25 TOTAL
In Millions
CIP Fund 13.3
CIP Fund (Reserves)5.0
CIP Fund (Cont Approp 01/21/25)0.5
General Fund (Reserves) 6.4
General Fund 3.4
ARPA Fund 3.4
Metro Fund (Prop C)1.4
Sup. Hahn's Social Program Grant 2.2
TOTAL $35.6
Additional Approp. Requests 03-18-25
CIP Fund for Abalone Cove Sanitary Sewer System Repairs $0.71
By:
Reallocating landslide roadway expenditures from CIP to Measure R $0.40
Reallocating landslide roadway expenditures from CIP to Gas Tax $0.20
CIP Fund $0.11
New Total (if aprpoved) $36.31
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Octavio Silva, Deputy Director of Community Development/Planning
Manager
Katie Lozano, Open Space Manager
William Wynder, City Attorney
REVIEWED BY: Catherine Jun, Deputy City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Resolution No. 2025-___ Continuing Temporary Prohibition of One- or Two-
Wheeled Vehicles on Palos Verdes Drive South for 60 Days (Page A-1)
B. Resolution No. 2025-___ Continuing Local Emergency (Page B-1)
C. Resolution No. 2025-___ Continuing Local De-energization Emergency
(Page C-1)
D. Displacement Rate Contour Map up to February 3, 2025 (Page D-1)
E. Landslide GPS Survey Report through February 3, 2025 (Page E-1)
F. Deep Dewatering Well Water Level Graphs (Page F-1)
G. CalOES Remote Sensing Report (Page G-1)
H. CalOES Landslide Review (Page H-1)
I. ACLAD Letter Requesting to Amend the Loan Agreement with the City
(Page I-1)
J. ACLAD Loan Agreement with the City (Page J-1)
K. Public Comments (Page K-1)
BACKGROUND:
On October 3, 2023, the City Council conducted a discussion regarding the conditions of
the Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, sometimes called the Ancient Altamira
Landslide Complex (Landslide Complex). After considering information presented that
evening, including public testimony, the City Council unanimously adopted Resolution No.
2023-47 declaring the existence of a local emergency within the geographic boundaries
of the Landslide Complex and adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 674U to establish a 45-
day moratorium on the acceptance or processing of applications, issuance of permits,
and construction of all structures within the Landslide Complex (Moratorium). The City
Council has extended the local emergency on multiple occasions, and it remains in effect
until April 5, 2025, unless extended again this evening.
On August 20, 2024, the City Council authorized the emergency installation of immediate
stabilization and protection measures consisting of deep dewatering wells (DDWs) in
response to exponential acceleration of the Landslide Complex as a result of historic
rainfall during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 rainy seasons. The City Council appropriated a
total of an additional $9,635,000 for this emergency work at that meeting.
On October 1, 2024, the City Council authorized an expansion of the DDW program to
the Abalone Cove area, on City-owned property, and appropriated an additional $4 million
for this work. Additionally, the City Council authorized a winterization program on City-
owned property in the Landslide Complex without waiving the Abalone Cove Landslide
Hazard Abatement District’s (ACLAD) and Klondike Canyon Landslide Hazard
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Abatement District’s (KCLAD) responsibilities as identified in their plans of control; and
appropriated an additional $4 million for this work.
On December 17, 2024, the City Council appropriated an additional $1.1 million for
operations and maintenance of the DDW program through March 31, 2025. Additionally,
the City Council directed Staff to return with a list of projects in the current CIP that could
potentially be deferred to make additional funds available for implementation of new
DDWs. Further, the City Council asked Staff to provide a full -build out plan so that the
City Council may understand what future funding needs may exist to remediat e the
Landslide Complex including installation and indefinite annual operation and
maintenance costs.
On January 21, 2025, Staff presented a Conceptual Comprehensive Landslide
Remediation Plan (build-out plan), developed by Geo-Logic Associates (GLA), the City’s
project geologist, to remediate movement within the Landslide Complex to negligible
amounts. The conceptual build out plan shows approximate locations of remediation
elements based on currently available subsurface information and is unconstrained with
respect to financial resources, land ownership, and responsible agency. It is noted that
some elements of the conceptual plan are within the jurisdictional responsibility of ACLAD
and KCLAD. The recommended plan elements are in addition to dewatering wells and
drainage improvements currently in place by KCLAD and ACLAD.
That evening, the City Council appropriated an additional $2 million to extend
maintenance and operations of the City’s DDW program and winterization efforts through
June 30, 2025. The City Council also directed Staff to work with ACLAD, GLA and the
City Geologist, to develop a deep dewatering plan within ACLAD’s jurisdictional boundary
that would be funded by the City at a not to exceed cost of $5 million, including $1.6
million from the Council authorized loan, and to determine whether the additional funds
would be in the form of a loan or grant.
On February 18, 2025, the City Council affirmed using the $1.6 million City loan to
implement ACLAD’s DDW Plan including with two monitoring wells and instrumentation
that would be installed, maintained and operated by ACLAD within their jurisdictional
boundaries.
DISCUSSION:
Current Conditions and Activities
Geologic Conditions
The Landslide Complex encompassed four historically active landslide areas in the City:
the Portuguese Bend Landslide (PBL), the Abalone Cove Landslide (ACL), the Klondike
Canyon Landslide (KCL), and the Beach Club Landslide (BCL). However, the expanded
area of major land movement which became most evident by March of 2024 now also
includes areas outside of the City’s historical boundaries of those known landslides,
predominantly uphill from the PBL and ACL, within the Ancient Altamira or Greater
Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex as mapped by various agencies (i.e., U.S.
Geological Survey and California Geological Survey) and other researchers.
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Investigations conducted the City Geologist firm, Cotton, Shires & Associates Inc. (CSA),
from June-December 2024 indicated that, in the vertical dimension (i.e. landslide
depth/thickness), the movement of the Landslide Complex was found to be significantly
deeper, in some cases twice as deep, as the well-documented historical movements of
the PBL, ACL, and KCL. This deeper movement was not observed or documented
historically, notwithstanding nearly 70 years of geotechnical studies and
observations. The deep landslide movement is believed to have been caused primarily
by the development of very high groundwater pore pressures (in some cases artesian or
near-artesian) discovered beneath the deep landslide failure surface as well as between
the deep and shallower (historic) landslide failure surfaces. The ground surface
manifestation of failure of the significantly deeper landslide complex took the form of a
substantially larger boundary (from 380 acres historically to over 700 acres today), a
different movement direction, unprecedented movement rates exceeding 12 inches per
week for a prolonged period, and included emergence (uplift) of a more seaward landslide
toe that trended southwest through the Portuguese Bend Beach Club. The new landslide
toe extended up to approximately 500 feet offshore, uplifting through the seafloor and
forming a new rocky coastline above sea level east of Inspiration Point. The emergence
of the new coastline offshore of the original coastline was first reported to the City
Geologist by a resident in late February 2024, following the 2nd wettest February on
record in the Palos Verdes Peninsula. In summary, Landslide Complex never moved
historically at this velocity, depth, areal dimension, or direction; rather, smaller, shallower,
and slower landslides with distinct boundaries moved historically in this area.
CSA continues to report that rainfall and the resulting runoff and infiltration into the
Landslide Complex continues to have a lingering, but diminishing, adverse effect on the
landslide area, following a significantly wetter than average rainy season s in 2022-23 and
2023-24; which were approximately 193% and 170% of the season average over the past
67 years of the Rolling Hills Fire Station rain gauge, respectively.
Additionally, as of March 11, 2025, 5.04 inches of rain has fallen since the start of the
2024-25 rainy season (October 1, 2024), representing just 36% of the season
average. The impact of the 2024-25 rainy season has thus far been insignificant in terms
of landslide movement, which continues to decelerate or maintain a steady state in areas
that are still moving. This is believed to be largely due to significantly below-average
rainfall through February, positive effects from the major winterization effort s undertaken
by the City and the landslide abatement districts in the fall and early winter, and ongoing
dewatering efforts by the City and abatement districts.
Recent GPS survey data published by McGee Surveying Consulting for the approximately
“monthly” monitoring period of January 7, 2025 through February 3, 2025 were reviewed
and analyzed (Attachment E).
Figure 1 presents scaled displacement rates (i.e., movement velocities) movement
vectors, and contours (aka “heat map”) of displacement rates for the February 3, 2025
full monitoring period.
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Figure 1: Scaled Displacement Rates for February 3, 2025 Monitoring Period
For all points monitored across the entire Landslide Complex, following are the key
conclusions for the time period of January 7, 2025 through February 3, 2025:
• The ACL, within its historical boundary, has decelerated an average of
approximately 5% between January 7, 2025 and February 3, 2025.
• The PBL, within its historical boundary, continues to move at approximately the
same rate as during the prior time period December 3, 2024 to January 7, 2025.
• The KCL continues to have no measurable movement since mid -October 2024.
Although some points in the KCL appear to show measurable changes in their
GPS position; further analysis shows that the changes are not in a consistent
progressive pattern, but rather to random directions, which indicates GPS “noise”
rather than actual movement. This lack of measurable movement indicated by the
GPS survey in the KCL was corroborated by recent field reconnaissance of the
Seaview and PBBC neighborhoods performed by CSA in on February 28, 2025.
• The Greater Ancient Altamira Landslide Complex/Ancient Portuguese Bend
Landslide Complex points outside of the historical boundaries of the ACL and PBL
have decelerated an average of approximately 5% between January 7, 2025 and
February 3, 2025.
• There continues to be no measurable movement of points along the Burma Road
switchbacks since December 3, 2024.
• There continues to be no measurable movement of points along Burma Road,
located just north of the mapped boundary of major landslide movement (2023 -
7
2024) and downslope from recent movement occurring in Rolling Hills in the Flying
Triangle Landslide as well as areas of Cinchring Road and Quail Ridge Road. This
lack of measurable movement supports a hypothesis that the Altamira Complex
and the landslide(s) further north-northeast in Rolling Hills, portions of which
continue to creep, are not directly structurally connected.
• There continues to be no measurable movement of GPS points located outside of
the mapped Greater Ancient Altamira Landslide Complex/Ancient Portuguese
Bend Landslide Complex, including at Abalone Shoreline Park, in the Island View
tract, at the top of Burma Road, at the west end of the former Livingston Quarry
area, and in the Seaview Tract.
In summary, the average movement velocity for the portion of the Landslide Complex that
is still moving has decelerated approximately 5% between January 7, 2025 and February
3, 2023. Based upon a review of approximately weekly readings of 20 select GPS
monitoring points located mostly in the lower portions of the Landslide Complex; with
continued below-average rainfall conditions, in-place winterization measures, and the
ongoing dewatering effort which has removed over 170 million gallons from the landslide
area, the PBL is generally viewed as having reached a steady state of movement since
the end of October, the KCL has stopped moving, and the ACL and upper Altamira
Complex areas continue to slightly decelerate.
The City Geologist will be attending the March 18 meeting virtually to provide the City
Council and public with an updated report since the February 4, 2025 meeting.
DDW Operational Status
The DDW component of the emergency stabilization funded by the City Council, inclusive
of test boreholes and monitoring wells, is generally complete. Figure 2 on the following
page shows the location of the DDWs, test boreholes, and monitoring wells.
Continued on the Next Page
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Figure 2: Deep Dewatering Wells
The total combined water extraction rate of the DDWs is currently at approximately 540
gallons per minute or 0.8 million gallons per day. Since the start of the DDW program,
approximately 171 million gallons, or 525 acre-feet of water have been extracted from
certain locations around the toe of the Landslide Complex. Water extraction rates are
currently lower than recent averages due to slip plane movement impinging on some
wells. Table 1 below shows the installation dates and dewatering statistics of the 11
DDWs. Following are key notes regarding specific DDWs.
• DDW 1 and DDW 3 are scheduled for re-drilling, depending on weather conditions.
• DDWs 4-6 are being evaluated and could be re-drilled in the near future.
• DDW11 is experiencing pump deterioration because of an insufficient water flow rate
to keep the pump cooled and the pump is expected to fail soon. Based on the low
production rate of this DDW, GLA is advising that this should not be re -drilled, but
rather re-located, should additional funding become available.
Table 1: DDW Current Water Extraction Rates as of March 11, 2025
DDW
No. Date Operational
Current Approximate
Water Extraction Rate
(Gallons Per Minute)
Total Water Extraction to Date
Acre-Ft Million Gallons
1 9/13/2024 0 (troubleshooting ongoing) 63.8 20.8
2 9/17/2024 100 72.6 23.7
3 9/21/2024 5 (troubleshooting ongoing) 61.9 20.2
4 9/21/2024 50 50.5 16.5
5 9/25/2024 55 (re-drilled 12/27/24) 68.2 22.2
6 9/28/2024 55 (re-drilled 12/29/24) 55.6 18.1
7 10/15/2024 15 10.7 3.5
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8 10/17/2024 80 (re-drilled 01/30/2025) 40.2 13.1
9 10/25/2024 Decommissioned 11/07/24 2.0 0.7
9A 11/16/2024 70 (re-drilled 12/29/24) 28.4 9.3
10 10/24/2024 110 69.4 22.6
11 12/03/2024 <1 2.1 0.7
Totals 540 525 171
DDW GPS Surveys
To assess the effectiveness of the DDW program, a survey of a select sample of surface
monitoring points at the toe of the landslide is being conducted on an approximately
weekly basis using Global Positioning System (GPS) surveying. To establish a baseline
rate of movement, a survey of the select sample of surface monitoring points was
conducted on September 4, 2024. Figure 3 presents the results of the weekly GPS
surveying as of March 4, 2025 and shows the City’s DDWs. Figure 3 does not show
ACLAD’s DDWs because none had yet become operational on March 4 , 2025.
Figure 3: GPS Survey Movement Rates of Sample Points: Sept 4, 2024 to March 4, 2025 (in./week)
GPS survey data of the select sample of points at the toe of the Landslide Complex shows
obvious and dramatic reductions in horizontal movement since DDWs began operation in
September 2024. Following are key observations:
• Dramatic and obvious reductions in horizontal movement have been documented
with weekly GPS surveys since DDW water extraction began in September 2024.
• The greatest reductions in rates of movement occurred within the KLC and PBL
areas where there was a concentration and clustering of DDW s. Rates of
movement in these areas have decreased from 60% to 100% in comparison to
their peak rates.
• After the installation of three DDWs (DDW-9A,10,11) in the toe region of the ACL,
GPS surveys documented a reduction in horizontal movement on the order of 5%-
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10% (above pre-DDW natural decreases) within approximately one month of water
extraction (October). Subsequent GPS surveys indicate fluctuating reductions and
increases with a generally statistically steady state or relatively constant movement
rates since November 2024. While water extraction from the DDWs 9A, 10, and
11 initially decreased the horizontal movement of the ACL toe region, continued
water extraction has not resulted in additional decreases over time, rather it has
contributed to the current steady state of movement in this region. GLA attributes
the lack of further decrease in land movement to the following:
o Limited number and spatial distribution of DDWs
o Higher rates of movement and complex deformation of the ACL toe region
making localized well production low
DDW Water Level Measurements
DDWs were installed in a manner that allows for monitoring water levels as a further
measure of the impact of the DDW program. Each DDW was installed with a perforated
casing to house a submersible pump as well as a separate PVC pipe outside of the pump
casing to determine the associated water level depth . Graphs that compare the water
extraction rate to water levels have been prepared for each DDW (Attachment F).
The graphs generally show correlation between water extraction rates and water level s,
however; the extent is dependent upon how easily subsurface water transfer occurs,
which is based on the subsurface geologic conditions. Once water extraction started,
there was generally a rapid drop in the original water level. As pumping continued at a
relatively consistent rate, there was generally a continued, although much more gradual,
decrease in the water level until such time as a steady state was reached (i.e. nearly
horizontal line in the water level chart).
The water level charts show some rapid drops in water extraction levels, which were due
to pump shutoffs (vandalism, power generator malfunction, or pump failure) or down time
for pump maintenance/replacement. In almost all cases, there is also a rapid rise in water
levels. There is then a rapid decrease in water levels once pumps are turned back on and
water extraction resumes.
Also apparent in the water level charts is a general decrease in water extraction rates
over time. In some wells, this is more rapid than others and is generally because of wear
on the pump due to mineralization from the iron-rich groundwater. Pumping rates
generally increase back up to previous levels once a worn pump is replaced. However,
there are cases where water levels rise over time, which is usually due to changes in
localized groundwater pockets due to land movement.
Finally, the graphs have some gaps in water level data, which correspond to locations
where the water level tube pinched or sheared, preventing a water level reading.
Staff notes that since the completion of the major construction phase of the DDW
emergency stabilization work, efforts have now turned to developing plans to optimize
pump maintenance and operations such that water extraction continues at optimal rates
for the greatest amount of time, to the extent practical under the site conditions and
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budget limitations. This effort is likely to involve transitioning to other contractors that
specialize in DDW maintenance and operations rather than DDW installation.
DDW Monitoring Well Water Pressure Measurements
Underground water pressure measuring instrument s, called vibrating wire piezometers
(piezometer) were installed to assist in determining the effects of DDWs on reducing high
water pressures, including artesian pressures (locally), that might be contributing to
accelerated landslide movement. The piezometers were installed in five monitoring wells
at the locations shown in Figure 4 below. Although more monitoring wells spread out more
evenly would produce a more complete data set, that would have come at a significant
additional cost of approximately $150,000 to install each additional monitoring well.
Accordingly, three monitoring wells with piezometers were installed near DDWs and two
were installed in areas with no DDWs. Piezometers were installed under the deep slip
plane as well as under the shallow slip plane to measure uplift pressure on each slip
plane.
Figure 4: Water Pressure Measurement Instrument Locations
Figure 5, on the following page, shows water pressures over time from the piezometers
installed under the deep slip plane. Pressure on the plots in Figure 5 have been converted
to equivalent feet of water pressure.
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Figure 5: Deep Slip Plane Water Pressure Chart
The plots show a marked decrease in pressure immediately following the start of the DDW
program, for those piezometers under the deep slip plane near the DDWs; followed by a
gradual leveling off over time to a relatively steady state, but still far below pre-pumping
pressures. This has been correlated to marked decreases in horizontal survey points in
the general vicinity. Those piezometers far away from DDWs show only a slight to almost
no decrease in pressure over time.
Staff notes that although not shown in the plots above, because the focus is on the deeper
slip plane, piezometers measure water pressure under the shallower slip plane also
showed significant decreases.
Additional piezometers are planned to be installed as part of the ACLAD’s DDW Plan,
which will be used to monitor impacts of those DDWs. Staff may recommend that the City
consider installing additional piezometer monitoring wells, should additional funding
become available, at a future date.
Emergency Winterization
The following emergency winterization work funded by the City Council is substantially
complete as follows:
• Shaping, fissure filling, and installation of pond liners at Klondike, Altamira and
Kelvin Canyons
• Shaping and fissure filling of Portuguese Canyon
• Winterization of the graben at the intersection of Dauntless and Exultant Drives
• Re-grading and filling of fissures on Exultant, Admirable, and Dauntless Drives
• Installation of a drainage swale between the northern cul-de-sac at the Palos
Verdes Drive South frontage street and the Palos Verdes Drive South main road
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• Fissure filling and drainage improvements along Palos Verdes Drive South
Maintenance of winterized areas, including some re-grading and filling of fissures that
have re-opened in and around Altamira Canyon, is now complete. Crews are primarily
focused on preparations in advance of forecasted rain events.
Drainage pipes in the Seaview neighborhood and along Palos Verdes Drive South
(PVDS) have been assessed, and repairs are being scheduled, to the extent feasible
within budget constraints and within the context of continued landslide movement in the
ACL and PBL. Long-term drainage improvements of PVDS will be necessary once land
movement slows to rates similar to those prior to the recent 2022-23 and 2023-24;
KCLAD Activities
Following is the current status of KCLAD activities:
• Well Inventory: Two active Dewatering Wells (KCLAD 5 and KCLAD 6) with
submersible pumps set at 110 feet.
• Current Production: Dewatering Wells KCLAD 5 and KCLAD 6 are extracting a
combined 245 gallons per minute (now operating continuously as opposed to a
previously higher rate of extraction for part of the day only), with a water depth of
approximately 90 feet.
• Future Development: Winterization and maintaining extraction rates from the
existing wells are the current priority.
• Additional Data: Weekly readings are uploaded to the KCLAD website (which was
recently updated at KCGHAD.org).
KCLAD and Staff continue to discuss implementation of KCLAD’s 5 -Step Plan and
coordinate drainage work and planning for future wells.
ACLAD Activities
Following is the current status of ACLAD’s activities:
• 7 existing dewatering wells are operational (not including DDWs).
• Surface drainage projects have been paused to prioritize the installation of new
wells.
Implementation of the ACLAD DDW Plan will be presented in a later section of this report.
Open Space, Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, Trails, and Beach Conditions
Much of the Portuguese Bend, Filiorum, and Abalone Cove Reserves (subareas of the
Palos Verdes Nature Preserve), the open space area commonly referred to as the
Archery Range (east of Portuguese Point), and Abalone Cove Beach, Sacred Cove
Beach, and the beach below the archery range are located within the Landslide Complex
and are sustaining substantial landslide-related damage including fissures, rockslides,
sink holes, unstable trails, and large-scale erosion.
On November 2, 2024, a Cal Water break caused severe damage to upper Burma Road
Trail and surrounding areas, necessitating the closures of upper Portuguese Bend and
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Filiorum Reserves as repairs are made. With this additional damage, all of the Portuguese
Bend Reserve and upper Filiorum Reserve remain temporarily closed until repairs are
completed. Additionally, land movement had previously obliterated much of Burma Road
Trail, which is no longer safely passable. Numerous other damaged trails within
Portuguese Bend, Filiorum, and Abalone Cove Reserves continue to experience
increasing landslide-related damage and elevation changes.
In July 2024, the City temporarily closed the Abalone Cove and Sacred Cove Beach
access trails and the beaches themselves due to land movement -related conditions. In
September 2024, the City additionally temporarily closed the open space area commonly
referred to as the “Archery Range” and the beach below the Archery Range due to land
movement-related conditions. In October 2024, the City temporarily closed Eucalyptus,
Kelvin Canyon, part of Zote’s Cutacross, and Rattlesnake Trails, because these trails are
in close proximity to the winterization project in Filiorum Reserve and will not be safe to
access during the project’s duration.
In summary, out of concern for public safety and in consultation with the City Geologist,
the City Manager has temporarily closed large areas of the Preserve and open space
areas consisting of approximately 16 miles of passive recreational trails. The City
Manager has also temporarily closed Abalone Cove Beach, Sacred Cove Beach, and the
beach below the Archery Range in close coordination with the City Geologist, Los
Angeles County Lifeguards, and the California Coastal Commission. Staff continue to
monitor these and other areas, and extensive repairs will likely be needed before these
trails can be reopened for public use after the area has been stabilized.
Natural Gas
On July 29, 2024, Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) shut off natural gas to
the Portuguese Bend Community Association (PBCA); stating that engineers determined
the system could no longer be safely operated due to a confluence of issues such as
excessive breaks, lines suspended in the air, and swing joints in tension.
On August 30 and September 6, 2024, SoCalGas shut off natural gas to the part of the
Seaview neighborhood affected by land movement for the same reasons noted above.
On August 2, 2024, SoCalGas began installing isolation valves to create multiple shut-off
points, so that if service needs to be shut off for a short-term repair or for long-term
reasons, the number of homes impacted would be significantly reduced. The installation
was completed, separating homes west of Schooner Drive from those east of Schooner
Drive, and separating the gas lines west of Schooner on a street-by-street basis.
On September 6, 2024, SoCalGas shut off natural gas to the Portuguese Bend Beach
Club (PBBC) community for the same reasons noted above. SoCalGas has stated that
re-routing gas lines supplying the neighborhoods experiencing shutoffs would not resolve
the problems with the system within the neighborhood.
Since that time; the City Manager, Public Works Director, and City’s technical consultants
have been regularly meeting with SoCalGas to work towards gas service restoration.
15
Following months of no measurable movement in the Seaview and PBBC communities,
SoCalGas has been conducting detailed system integrity assessments of underground
gas pipes to determine how to safely restore gas service.
SoCalGas’ most recent update to the City regarding recent structural assessments is that
the steel pipelines in PBBC and Seaview have shown a higher-than-expected resilience
to subsurface movement and stress. These results suggest that underground movement
has not had the impact previously feared, offering a positive outlook for potential
restoration. SoCalGas continues with additional sample testing, particularly in the PBBC
area, where pipeline material differs from that in other parts of the City.
Contingent upon the additional sample tests meeting acceptable resiliency, SoCalGas
plans to begin initial gas service restoration starting in April in the Seaview neighborhood.
Portuguese Bend Beach Club will follow the restoration in Seaview.
The City will continue working with CPUC and SoCalGas to advocate for restoring gas
service to the PBCA in a manner that aligns with public safety and community needs.
Electricity
On August 31, 2024, Southern California Edison (SCE) notified 193 metered accounts
(which equates to approximately 140 households and 53 business or city accounts) in the
PBCA that power will be turned off to their property on September 1, 2024 for an indefinite
period of time. SCE followed through, de-energizing the area on September 1, 2024,
affecting not only residents in the PBCA, but also the ability to power the City’s sewer
system in the area, and the ACLAD dewatering wells.
On September 2, 2024, SCE issued a notice that homes in the Seaview neighborhood
would be subject to the following service shut offs: 75 properties will be deenergized for
varying hours ranging from 24 hours to 1-3 weeks while a box loop is constructed and 30
properties will be deenergized indefinitely.
On September 6, 2024, SCE notified customers that power would be shut off in th e PBBC
neighborhood. SCE followed through, de-energizing the area on September 9th.
Also, on September 9, 2024, SCE restored power to the 38 properties that had been
planned to be without electricity for 1-3 weeks, leaving 30 properties without electricity in
Seaview.
SCE stated that their actions were to prevent the risk of wildfires from equipment
damaged by the land movement.
Since that time; the City Manager, Public Works Director, and City’s technical consultants
have been regularly meeting with SCE to work towards electric power service restoration.
SCE later informed the City that it planned to re-energize 16 customers located primarily
on Fruit Tree Road, Plumtree Road, and Narcissa Drive in the western portion of the
Landslide Complex.
16
On January 13, 2025, the Landslide Council Subcommittee, consisting of Mayor Bradley
and Councilmember Perestam, along with the City Manager, met with SCE CEO and
President Steve Powell to discuss power restoration for landslide-impacted residents. As
a result, SCE proposed a plan to temporarily restore power to up to 116 customers,
including approximately 76 properties in the PBB C and Seaview neighborhoods, by
approximately the end of Q1 (March 31, 2025), excluding red-tagged homes. To support
this process, residents received individual calls outlining inspection requirements
necessary for reconnection. Additionally, SCE is exploring the integration of deep
dewatering wells in the PBBC and Seaview areas into the power grid.
To facilitate a smooth restoration process, SCE hosted an invitation-only workshop on
January 23, 2025 at Ladera Linda, where affected property owners could complete
necessary documentation and address any questions. To ensure ongoing
communication, SCE has also established a dedicated customer service line at 1 -800-
250-7339. A formal letter from SCE, detailing the restoration process, was sent to
impacted residents on January 14, 2025. The City’s Building and Safety Division diligently
worked closely with property owners to conduct inspections to ensure that power may be
restored quickly once SCE has authorized it.
Between February 8 and March 7, 2025, SCE re-energized 31 homes and 2 KCLAD
meters for dewatering wells in the PBBC. Between February 11 and February 21, 2025,
SCE re-energized 17 homes in the Seaview community. There are 33 homes in the PBBC
and Seaview communities that remain without power. Most of the remaining homes are
awaiting electrical inspection, however one home opted out of being re-energized. SCE
will re-energize the remaining homes on a weekly basis upon successful completion of
electrical inspection.
As a separate item, City Staff and SCE have been working together to redesign and
relocate the temporary pole that SCE placed at the Ladera Linda Community Park. On
March 4, 2025, the City Council granted a 6-month time extension for SCE to relocate
their power pole. During this time, City Staff and SCE will be focused on finding a circuit
loop system that meets the needs of the community and SCE in the long term. City Staff
will be requesting guidance on the options from City Council at the April 15, 2025 Council
meeting.
The City will continue working with CPUC and SCE to advocate for restoring electric
power to the PBCA in a manner that aligns with public safety and community needs.
Sanitary Sewer – Portuguese Bend Community
The sanitary sewer system in the PBCA is known as the Abalone Cove Sanitary Sewer
System (Ab Cove Sewer) and is owned, maintained, and operated by the City. The
system includes grinder pumps that pump wastewater from individual buildings to the
main sewer lines at approximately 40 locations where buildings are at a lower grade than
the main sewer lines, requiring pumping to overcome the grade. The system also includes
four pump stations that receive wastewater from low-lying areas and pump it up to higher
elevations where it can continue to flow via gravity. The grinder pumps and pump stations
require power to operate.
17
Crews continue to regularly inspect the sewer lines and make repairs as breaks are
identified through inspections or resident notification. Parts of the system have been
brought above ground and have had flexible components installed. Engineers continue
to evaluate the system to determine where additional sections need to be brought above
ground or otherwise modified.
Staff estimated a cost of approximately $2M to $3M in Fiscal Year 2024-25 for ongoing
repairs to the Ab Cove Sewer in response to land movement. At this time, repair
expenditures have reached approximately $3M and Staff estimate that an additional $1M
is needed to continue to repair the system through the end of Fiscal Year 2024 -25.
Without additional funding, certain parts of the system will need to be closed to prevent
sewer spills. Therefore, certain homes would no longer be able to use the sewer system,
requiring them to be red-tagged until they can use the sewer again. Thus, staff is
requesting additional funding as discussed later in this staff report.
Sanitary Sewer – Seaview Neighborhood
The sanitary sewer system in the Seaview neighborhood is maintained and operated by
the Los Angeles County Public Works Department (LACPW), which has been inspecting
the sewer system in areas affected by the landslide and performing repairs when needed.
No recent damage has been observed to the sanitary sewer mains in the Seaview
neighborhood and accordingly no repairs recently been made. LACPW continues to
conduct regular inspections.
Sanitary Sewer – Portuguese Bend Beach Club
The sanitary sewer system in the PBBC is privately owned, operated, and maintained
and discharges into the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LA CSD) sewer trunk
line on PVDS. LACSD have been coordinating with the PBBC, so that the sewer line
integrity is maintained. It should be noted that this sanitary sewer system is also powered
by SCE.
Sanitary Sewer – Palos Verdes Drive South Main Lines
The sanitary sewer main lines adjacent to PVDS are owned, maintained, and operated
by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (San District). These main lines convey
an average of 1.4 million gallons of wastewater per day from roughly Sea Cove Drive to
Yacht Harbor Drive. They consist of approximately 1,400 linear feet of single 14” buried
ductile iron pipe, 7,200 linear feet of dual above -ground rigid steel pipes, and
approximately 1,180 linear feet of newly installed above -ground flexible dual 16” high-
density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes.
Due to continued ground movement, the San District has decided to replace the
remaining 8,600 linear feet of aging and inflexible steel pipe with flexible HDPE pipe to
both increase the force main’s resilience to ground movement and to provide more
effective redundancy preventing single points of failure. The San District will attempt to
schedule the work in a manner that reduces impacts to traffic on PVDS to the extent
possible. The work began in early January 2025 and is expected to continue for several
more months, depending on the availability of materials.
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Water
Cal Water continues their work to increase the resiliency of their system and minimize the
potential of breaks in the water lines.
Throughout the Landslide Complex, Cal Water has brought sections of water lines above
ground and completed other emergency measures as follows:
• April 16, 2024: a section of water line was brought above ground along Clovetree
Place and an emergency portable booster connection was installed near the
intersection of Fruit Tree Road and Narcissa Drive.
• April 16, 2024: sections of water line along PVDS , near the Wayfarers Chapel,
were brought above ground.
• August 21, 2024: water lines along PVDS n ear the entrance to the Seaview
neighborhood were brought above ground.
• October 4, 2024: various water lines within the Seaview neighborhood along
sections of Dauntless Drive, Exultant Drive, and Admirable Drive were brought
above ground.
• October 24, 2024: a section of water line along Yacht Harbor Drive within the PBBC
was brought above ground.
• October 24, 2024: a segment of water line near the top of Vanderlip Drive and
along Burma Road was brought above ground
• November 14, 2024: various segments along Narcissa Drive, Ginger Root Lane,
Cinnamon Lane, and Figtree Road were brought above ground
• December 2, 2024: additional segments of water line were brought above ground
near the intersection of Narcissa Drive and Cinnamon Lane
• December 6, 2024: a water line near 100 Vanderlip Drive was brought above
ground and tied into the existing above ground water line along Vanderlip Drive.
Cal Water has informed the City that they are working on plans to bring water lines above
ground on Burma Road, connecting the existing above ground main near the Ishibashi
Trailhead to the existing above ground main near Vanderlip Trail. Cal Water is currently
meeting with stakeholders and working on a construction start date.
Staff is seeking clarification from Cal Water on what had been understood by Staff and
community stakeholders to be a Cal Water plan to replace underground water mains in
the Seaview neighborhood with new underground water mains.
Communications
There are two providers of communications infrastructure in the Landslide Complex area,
Cox Communications and Frontier Communications (Frontier). On September 9, 2024,
Cox Communications disconnected 146 customers in the PBCA. Frontier has indicated
to the City that they will keep their facilities operational so long as they have power supply.
Public Works Staff have been reaching out directly to wireless carriers and installers to
increase the number of small wireless facilities (SWFs) and improve cellular service.
Carriers and installers are currently determining feasible locations to install SWFs but
19
have indicated that the use of Communications on Wheels (mobile facilities) are not
feasible for economic reasons. Once applications for new facilities are received, Public
Works Staff will work to expedite those applications.
Public Works Staff have engaged in conversations with Frontier about installing fiber optic
communications lines in the PBCA. Frontier prepared a concept plan and determined that
it is feasible to install fiber optic communication lines, contingent upon easements.
Frontier is further refining their plans and beginning discussions to acquire necessary
easements. Frontier and Public Works Staff will continue to coordinate and present more
detailed information as it becomes available in the coming weeks.
The City Council is being asked to receive and file an update on activities and conditions
in the Landslide Complex.
ACLAD Deep Dewatering Well Plan Implementation Update
On February 18, 2025, the City Council received an update on ACLAD’s Deep Dewatering
Well Plan (ACLAD DDW Plan) using the City’s $1.6 million loan. The ACLAD DDW Plan
was developed by ACLAD and discussed with the City’s Landslide Remediation Project
Geologist firm and the City’s geologist peer review firm. The ACLAD DDW Plan consists
of eight to ten new DDWs at depths of approximately 250 feet, along with two monitoring
wells.
As of March 11, 2025, one ACLAD DDW is operational and extracting water at a rate of
10 gallons per minute (GPM). Two additional DDWs are expected to be operational by
March 16, 2025. A fourth DDW is expected to be operational by March 21, 2025.
Additionally, one new monitoring well, and the conversion of an existing test borehole site
into another monitoring well, is scheduled for the week of March 17, 2025.
City Staff, along with the City’s consultant engineering geologists are coordinating with
ACLAD on a near daily basis. Upon implementation of the ACLAD’s DDW Plan, data from
the monitoring wells and GPS surveys will be analyzed to determine the effect of the
DDWs. As previously noted, additional piezometers are planned to be installed as part of
the ACLAD’s DDW Plan, which will be used to monitor impacts of those DDWs.
Accordingly, updates will be provided to the City Council.
The City Council is being asked to receive and file an update on ACLAD’s Deep
Dewatering Well Plan implementation.
ACLAD/KCLAD Loans Update
On August 20, 2024, the City received the signed loan agreements from ACLAD and
KCLAD for loans to the Geologic Hazard Abatement Districts (GHADs) in the amounts of
$1.6 million and $1.9 million, respectively. The loans have a 12-year term with a 2.5%
interest rate, and the first estimated payment is scheduled for December 2025. The loan
amounts are included as projected expenses in FY 2024-25.
20
KCLAD Loan:
Since the City Council’s loan approval on July 2, 2024, KCLAD has submitted a loan
drawdown in the amount of $720,578 (October 2024-January 2025) for projects related
to their dewatering wells project (Table 2). The City Geologist reviewed the completed
work and determined that it has been beneficial to stopping the KCL movement. Staff
processed and disbursed the eligible amounts on December 13, 2024, and on February
27, 2025. The remaining balance of the loan available for disbursement is approximately
$1.2 million.
Table 2: KCLAD Loan Drawdown
ACLAD Loan:
On January 21, 2025, the City Council directed Staff to work with ACLAD to develop a
DDW plan that would be funded by the City at a not to exceed cost of $5 million, including
the $1.6 million loan that was previously authorized by the City Council on July 2, 2024.
On February 4, 2025, the City Council affirmed the use of the financial assistance loan to
ACLAD in the amount of $1.6 million approved initially by the City Council on July 2, 2024
for ACLAD to implement their deep dewatering well plan.
On February 24, 2025, ACLAD submitted a request to the City for loan disbursement to
support their project for the dewatering well plan. The ACLAD District’s letter (Attachment
I) included the following request:
• Disburse the approved loan of $1.6 million as soon as possible based on City
Council’s affirmation on February 4, 2025.
• Update the scope to fund for 8-10 deep dewatering wells and 2 monitoring wells,
replacing the previous scope to fund system improvements and surface drainage.
• If the cost of drilling the wells is less than $1.6 million, the excess funds will either
be applied to ACLAD reserves or refunded to the City.
• If fewer than eight wells are drilled and the loan is fully utilized, ACLAD will cover
the cost of one well from the remaining loan proceeds and its well drilling budget
to cover any shortfall.
• ACLAD requests that the City approve a one-year extension on the loan repayment
start date from December 1, 2025 to December 1, 2026, so all revenues in the
current year can be used for district administration and drilling the wells. ACLAD
believes the work done by both the City and ACLAD by July 1, 2026, will allow for
a budget adjustment to reduce the well drilling budget and allocate funds for the
loan repayment.
Issued on December 13, 2024 Issued on February 27, 2025
Project Total Project Total
48" Pipe & V-Ditch $185,598 Grading $22,910
Dewatering Wells $136,154 Dewatering Wells $317,218
All $45,739 All $3,628
Dewatering Wells/Pipe $9,331
TOTAL $376,822 TOTAL $343,756
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On March 7, 2025, the City issued $1.45 million (Tabe 3) to ACLAD, which is
approximately 90% of the $1.6 million loan. The remaining $160,000 (10%) may be
disbursed by tonight’s City Council meeting based on ACLAD’s current needs.
Table 3: ACLAD Loan Drawdown
Staff seeks the City Council's approval amending the $1.6 million loan agreement to
ACLAD, approved on July 2, 2024, by extending the first loan payment from December
1, 2025 to December 1, 2026, and updating the scope to include the implementation of
deep dewatering wells (Attachment J).
10-Year Financial Report for ACLAD and KCLAD
On February 4, 2024, the City Council requested Staff to collect historical data on the
sources and uses for both ACLAD and KCLAD. Staff worked with both Districts and
received their financials for the period over the last 10 years consisting of revenues and
expenditures (sources and uses). Charts below are the summary of the last 10 years.
ACLAD
Overall, based on ACLAD’s reported transactions, the main sources of revenue at 91%
are through assessments, minimal interest earnings (~$1,000 per year), and 9% of
reimbursements from the City for its dewatering wells that are maintained and operated
by ACLAD based on a past City Council-approved agreement (eligible expenses
generally include well pump repairs and maintenance (Chart 2)). Prior to the increase in
assessments in FY 2024-25 for approximately $600,000, ACLAD’s assessments
remained below $200,000, increasing to $203,000 in FY 2021 to $292,480 in FY 2024
(Chart 1).
ACLAD’s estimated Reserves Balance in FY 2024-25 is estimated at $323,029.
Continued on the next page
Issued on March 7, 2025
Project Total
DDW Project $1,450,000
8-10 Dewatering Wells
2 Monitoring Wells
TOTAL $1,450,000
22
Chart 1: ACLAD’s 10-Year Revenues and Expenditures (FY 2015 – FY 2025)
*FY 2024-25 reflects transactions ending January 2025.
*Excludes approximately $0.5 million in reimbursement from the City to ACLAD for maintenance
of City-owned dewatering wells.
Chart 2: ACLAD’s Average Breakdown of Sources of Revenues
For uses, as also shown in Chart 1, ACLAD’s annual spending remained under $200,000
from FY 2015 to FY 2023 before increasing to $289,400 in FY 2024. As of January 2025,
expenditures for FY 2025 total $287,200 (50% of the adopted budget). The expenditures
are as follows:
• Administrative costs at 13% of total expenditures including support staff, legal,
board related expenses, election related expenses, office expenses, and bank
charges.
• Operations and maintenance costs 87% of total expenditures including field staff,
consulting services, utilities, easement payments, service parts, surface drainage,
well drilling costs.
Interest Earnings
0%
RPV
Reimbursement
9%
Assessments
91%
23
Chart 3: ACLAD’s Average Breakdown of Expenditures
KCLAD
Overall, according to KCLAD’s reported transactions, the assessments account for the
majority of revenue at 99% and the remaining 1% is from minimal interest earnings
(~$300 per year) (Chart 5). Prior to the assessment increase in FY 2024-25 at
approximately $570,000, KCLAD’s assessments remained consistently between $86,000
and $106,500 (Chart 4).
KCLAD’s estimated Reserves Balance in FY 2024-25 is estimated at $198,058.
Chart 4: KCLAD’s 10-Year Revenues and Expenditures (FY 2015 – FY 2025)
Admin Costs
13%
Operations &
Maintenance
87%
24
Chart 5: KCLAD’s Average Breakdown of Sources of Revenues
For uses, as shown in Chart 6, ACLAD’s annual spending ranged from $34,000 and
$80,000 between FY 2015 to FY 2023. Subsequently, spending significantly increased
using reserves to $351,600 in FY 2023-24. As of February 2025, KCLAD’s expenditures
increased to $750,500 in FY 2025. The breakdown of these expenditures is as follows:
• Administrative costs at 18% of total expenditures including support staff, legal,
board related expenses, election related expenses, consulting services, office
expenses, and bank charges.
• Operations and maintenance costs 82% of total expenditures including insurance,
office expense, well drilling costs, well and pipeline, extraordinary costs, and
utilities.
Chart 6: KCLAD’s Average Breakdown of Expenditures
Staff recommend the City Council receive and file this 10-year historical financial report,
including sources and uses, for ACLAD and KCLAD.
Assessments
99.7%
Interest Earnings
0.3%
Operations &
Maintenance
82%
Admin Costs
18%
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Financial Update
Expenditures to Date and FY 2024-25 Year-End Estimates
Overall, the City’s estimated expenditures for the Portuguese Bend Landslide from
October 2022 through June 2025 are approximately $47.5 million including continuing
appropriations and Purchase Order (PO) carryover from FY 2023-24 approved on
January 21, 2025, and the additional appropriation request of $710,000 for sewer repairs
the City Council is being asked to consider this evening.
As shown in Table 4 below, total expenditures for FY 2022-23 are $1.9 million, followed
by an increase of 416% to $9.3 million in FY 2023-24 (previously $9.8; $0.5 million was
a PO carryover). In the current fiscal year, $28.9 million has been incurred and
encumbered, with an additional of $7.4 million expenditures projected by June 30, 2025,
for a total of $36.3 million, if the additional appropriation request of $710,000 is approved
for the Abalone Cover Sanitary Sewer System. In order to keep the Abalone Cove
Sanitary System operating and to prevent red-tagging homes for a non-operational sewer
system, Staff recommends the City Council appropriate the requested $710,000.
Overall, the $36.3 million reflects a 290% increase from the prior year. These costs
include emergency response efforts such as test boreholes, deep dewatering wells,
maintenance of the deep dewatering wells until June 30, 2025, winterization, fissure
filling, road repairs, sewer repairs, estimated time and costs for personnel dedicated to
the project, legal services, loans to ACLAD and KCLAD, in-kind support to ACLAD, and
increased tax assessments borne by the City.
Staff continue to monitor the fiscal impact for the emergency response efforts closely. Any
remaining estimated budget balances in categories such as fissure filling, personnel
costs, and legal services will be utilized to the overall emergency response, ensuring the
funds are used as efficiently as possible to minimize the need for additional appropriations
(Table 4). As shown in Table 4, the line item for Abalone Cove Sewer Repairs indicates
a shortage of $2.1 million by June 30, 2025. The total additional appropriation requested
is offset by other available balances and a total request of $710,000.
Continued on next page
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Table 4 – PB Landslide Estimated Costs – Emergency Response/Other – October 2022-June 2025
Since the last financial report presented to the City Council on February 4, 2025, the
following highlights the changes:
• In an effort to utilize special revenue funds and preserve the CIP Fund and
General Fund, staff identified $0.2 million in Gas Tax eligible costs for roadway
maintenance.
• Staff is also proposing to utilize funds from the Measure R Fund that are at risk of
lapsing by June 30. 2025. These funds, originally allocated for the Roadway Asset
Management Program ($2.8 million), have been deferred to the next fiscal year
because of staff vacancies and prioritizing ongoing support for the landslide
emergency response and mitigation measures. To prevent approximately
$400,000 from lapsing, staff recommend using these funds for landslide roadway
repairs. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro),
the government agency administering Measure R, has pre-approved this request.
• On January 21, 2025, the City Council approved purchase orders and continuing
appropriation allocated for the landslide stabilization measures, which was carried
over in FY 2024-25 in the amount of $0.5 million.
• In October 2024, staff projected approximately $2.5 million in sewer repairs for FY
2024-25. These repairs have significantly increased, averaging approximately
$400,000 per month since January. The expenditures in this category include
Abalone Cove sewer repairs as well as generator rentals and fuel. Staff projects
this line item to reach $4.6 million in FY 2024-25, an increase of approximately
$2.1 million. Since October 2022, this category is estimated to reach
approximately $5.5 million by June 2025. Prior to FY 2024-25, the City spent
approximately $84,000 in FY 2023-24. Any changes to this category will be
reported in May 2025.
DESCRIPTION FY 22-23
ACTUAL
FY 23-24
ACTUAL
FY 24-25
YTD + PO
As of 03/03/25
FY 24-25
Available
Balance
Projected
FY 24-25
March-June
Projected
TOTAL
Oct 22-Jun 25
Stabilization Measures in millions
DDW Program ($4M approved Oct.1)1.4 14.6 2.5 2.5 18.5
Winterization (approved Oct. 1) 4.0 0.0 0.0 4.0
Emergency Response
Other (Supplies, Equipment, Prof Tech,
De-energization) 1.2 1.4 0.0 0.6 3.1
Fissure Filling 0.6 0.2 1.0 0.2 0.9
Road Repairs (CIP, Prop C, Gas Tax)1.0 2.8 1.7 1.6 1.0 6.5
Ab Cove Sewer Repairs 0.04 0.8 3.0 -0.5 1.6 5.5
Personnel Costs 0.1 1.2 0.9 0.6 0.1 2.3
Legal Services 0.02 0.1 0.10 0.2 0.1 0.3
PBL Remediation 0.5 1.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 1.6
ACLAD/KCLAD Loans 2.2 1.4 1.4 3.5
Tax Assessments 0.2 0.2 0.7 0.0 0.0 1.1
TOTAL: October 2022 - June 2025 1.9 9.3 28.9 6.7 7.4 47.5
Total (Oct 22-Jun 25)46.8
FY 2024-25 Revised Budget 35.1
Add: DDW Cont. Approp from FY 23-24 0.5
FY 2024-25 Projected Year-End 36.3
Additional Appropriation Request 0.71
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Staff recommend the City Council:
• Receive and file an update on City expenditures for emergency protective and
stabilization measures in response to the acceleration of the Greater
Portuguese Bend-Ancient Altamira Landslide Complex; and
• Approve an additional appropriation of $710,000 from the CIP Fund for repairs
to the Abalone Cove Sanitary Sewer System by:
a. Reallocating $400,000 from the Measure R Fund to the CIP Fund for
landslide emergency road repairs,
b. Reallocating $200,000 from the Gas Tax Fund to the CIP Fund for
landslide emergency road repairs, and
c. Appropriating the remaining $110,000 from the CIP Fund.
Palos Verdes Drive South (PVDS) Bicycle, Motorcycle, Unicycle and Other Similar
Wheeled Vehicle Prohibition
Since the City Council’s declaration of a local emergency, the City Geologist, Mike Phipps
of CSA has been regularly conducting field mapping throughout the Landslide Complex;
observing conditions at various locations, reviewing survey and rainfall data; and
participating in various discussions with stakeholders. While the City’s geologist reports
the rate of subsidence and land movement has slowed, pavement conditions on PVDS
remain very poor, with cracks, bumps, fissures, and other irregularities. Moreover, recent
roadway experience indicates the roadbed of PVDS will show evidence of emerging
cracks, bumps, fissures, and potholes sometimes forming almost overnight. The rate of
movement on PVDS is up to four inches per week in certain areas.
Although four-wheeled vehicles (i.e. cars) can, with due care, navigate the road under
these conditions, the impact on two -wheeled vehicles remains pronounced. Despite the
added signs prohibiting bicyclists and motorcyclists from traversing the landslide, there
remain those who ignore the prohibition at their peril. Were the City Council to end the
current prohibition, the Office of the City Attorney remains of the considered legal opinion
that permitting one- or two-wheeled vehicle traffic across the landslide will pose a liability
risk to the City and that the same is not presently safe for these vehicles to travel on
PVDS, even using due care, across the landslide for the reasons noted above. Staff and
the City Attorney recommend extending the existing re solution prohibiting one- or two-
wheeled vehicles on PVDS for an additional 60 days.
The City Council is being asked to adopt the attached resolution thereby extending the
temporary prohibition of one- and two-wheeled vehicles on PVDS by 60 days (Attachment
A).
Extension of the Local Emergency Declaration
On October 3, 2023, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2023-47 declaring a local
emergency. The emergency declaration is deemed to continue to exist until its termination
is proclaimed by the City Council in accordance with law. Government Code § 8630
requires the City Council to review of the need for continuing the local emergency at least
once every 60 days until the City Council determines the local emergency within the
geographic boundaries of the Landslide Complex has been abated or mitigated to
insignificance.
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The City Council has extended the local emergency on multiple occasions within the 60
day window and it remains in effect until April 5, 2025, unless extended again this evening.
At this time, the City Council is being asked to extend the local emergency declaration an
additional 60 days through May 17, 2025, which does not require a public hearing. If
extended this evening, the Council would consider renewing the local emergency
declaration again during the next landslide update on July 15, 2025.
The City Council is being asked to adopt the attached resolution thereby extending the
Declaration of Local Emergency by 60 days (Attachment B).
Extension of the Local Emergency Declaration for Utility Shutoffs
On August 6, 2024, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2024 -52 declaring a local
state of emergency because of a sudden and severe energy shortage caused by shutting
off of natural gas service to approximately 135 homes in the PBCA due to safety
concerns. On September 3, 2024, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2024-57,
declaring a local state of emergency because of a sudden and severe energy shortage
caused by shutting off of natural gas service, planned de-energization events, and
internet shut-offs in the PBCA, Seaview, and PBBC neighborhoods. The emergency
declaration is deemed to continue to exist until its termination is proclaimed by the City
Council in accordance with law. Government Code § 8630 requires the City Council to
review the need for continuing the local emergency at least once every 60 days until the
City Council determines the local emergency because of a severe energy shortage has
been abated or mitigated to insignificance.
The City Council has extended the local emergency declaration for utility shutoffs on
multiple occasions within the 60 day window and it remains in effect until April 5, 2025,
unless extended again this evening. At this time, the City Council is being asked to extend
the local emergency declaration an additional 60 days through May 17, 2025, which does
not require a public hearing. If extended this evening, the Council would consider
renewing the local emergency declaration again during the next landslide update on July
15, 2025.
The City Council is being asked to adopt the attached resolution thereby extending the
Declaration of Local Emergency due to a severe and sudden energy shortage by 60 days
(Attachment C).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Continuing the Emergency Work and Emergency Contract
As a separate item on tonight’s agenda, the City Council is being provided with an update
on the Portuguese Bend Landslide Emergency construction contracting and being asked
to reconfirm the need to continue the emergency work. This is a recurring agenda matter
and requires a 4/5th vote.
29
Source Water/Hydrology and Hydraulics Study
The City Council previously requested a study into the source of water contributing to land
movement, including water originating outside City limits and from upper watersheds.
Staff issued a request for proposals (via the PlanetBids online platform) for qualified
engineering firms to perform a study into the source of water contributing to land
movement and solutions to re-direct water away from the landslide.
Proposals for the Source Water/Hydrology and Hydraulics Study were received and
evaluated by a panel consisting of the City Manager, Director of Public Works, Director
of Community Development, representative of ACLAD, and representative of KCLAD.
Qualified firms were short-listed and interviews were conducted by the Director of Public
Works, representative of ACLAD, and representative of KCLAD. The selection panel
identified the highest rated firm and Staff have been finalizing the scope and negotiating
a contract fee. Staff will present a recommendation for the City Council’s consideration to
enter into a professional services agreement with a qualified firm upon completion of
negotiations in April 2025.
Study to Create a Toll Road on PVDS
On January 21, 2025, the City Council directed staff to pursue alternative or additional
funding sources for landslide remediation and management efforts. One funding source
that has been suggested by community stakeholders is a toll on PVDS.
Staff reached out several firms that work with other municipalities and state departments
of transportation on tolling operations and requested proposals for a high-level feasibility
study of tolling PVDS. Two firms have indicated that they will be submitting proposals
while one other declined to propose, citing other workloads. Staff expect to present a
proposal for a study to the City Council for consideration in the coming weeks. Separately,
the City Attorney’s Office will review any legal requirements associated with establishing
a toll road.
The City has come to learn that information on various social media platforms, such as
Nextdoor, is circulating regarding imposing a toll road along PVDS through the landslide,
as early as July 1, to generate revenue to cover costs incurred by the City to repair the
road. As noted in the City Manager’s Weekly Report, the City Council has not discussed
nor provided direction on a possible toll road along PVDS through the landslide. The City
Council has been approached by individuals who recommend a toll road be considered,
but no action to date has been taken on the proposal.
CalOES and FEMA Updates
On September 11, 2024, the City Manager and Public Works Director met with Nancy
Ward, Director of CalOES; Robert Fenton, FEMA District 9 Administrator; and Kevin
McGowan, Director of Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management and their
respective staff. The meeting was in response to the City’s repeated requests for state
and federal assistance with the Landslide Complex; including individual assistance (IA),
public assistance (PA), and technical assistance (TA). The City was informed that IA and
PA would not be deployed for the reasons detailed in the October 1, 2024 staff report.
30
CalOES and FEMA informed the City that TA would be provided to the City and that
various agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA), USGS, and CGS would be deployed. On September
26, 2024, the City Manager, Public Works Director, ACLAD, and K CLAD met with
geologists from USACE, FEMA, CalOES, and CGS. The purpose of the meeting was to
scope the specific TA that would be provided. Representatives of the agencies clearly
stated that they would not provide engineering, project management, or construction
assistance. The City and Districts requested TA in the form of sharing new ideas for
landslide mitigation, peer reviewing planned actions, and providing surveying and/or other
measurements of the landslide. The agencies stated that they would provide peer review
services and consider any other assistance that may be available after consulting with
their leadership.
On November 7, 2024, the City Manager and Public Works Director met with
representatives of FEMA and CalOES for an update on the TA efforts. At that meeting,
the City was informed that the USACE had declined to provide TA. Staff were later
informed that USACE considers activities related to the Landslide Complex outside of
their authorized role because they consider the acceleration of, and activation of certain
dormant parts of, the Landslide Complex due to the January 31, 2024 to February 9, 2024
winter storm a pre-existing condition.
On December 5, 2024, CalOES sent the City a draft report prepared by the California
Geological Survey (CGS) on the assessment of the City’s landslide movement using
remote sensing techniques. On December 13, 2024, CalOES sent the City draft reports
prepared by the CGS on best practices applicable to the Landslide Complex. The reports
were reviewed by the City Geologist and the Public Works Director. On January 7, 2025,
the Landslide Council Subcommittee, consisting of Mayor Bradley and Councilmember
Perestam, along with the City Manager and Public Works Director met with CalOES and
the State Geologist to discuss the reports. The Public Works Director provided technical
comments to CalOES and the State Geologist, who stated that they would make
clarifications to the reports based on the discussions and provide updated versions.
On February 24, 2025 CalOES sent a revised version after considering technical
comments from the Public Works Director (Attachment G). The report states that CGS
used January 2024 remote sensing (satellite and aircraft-based optical imagery and radar
data) to assess landslide movement. This was in the form of Interferometric Synthetic
Aperture Radar (InSAR) and optical image correlation/pixel tracking methods.
CGS noted that each method of land movement analysis has strengths and weaknesses;
therefore, the application of multiple methods assures a more reliable and correct
outcome. Accordingly, InSAR and pixel tracking methods were used, along with a
comparison of the pixel tracking method to the City’s GPS survey data.
InSAR works by determining the line-of-sight displacement through a measurement of the
change in a radar signal between two passes of a satellite over the same area. The
advantage of using InSAR is that it can estimate small ground displacements, on the order
of tenths of an inch, whereas the disadvantage is that movement is averaged over a large
area of approximately 0.4 acres. InSAR data can represent changes other than land
movement, therefore, CGS recommends further investigation, such as in-person geologic
31
field observation to understand the source of change. In summary, InSAR provides a
regional view of overall land movement whereas movement values at specific locations
on the ground would need to be verified with observation and measured by qualified
professionals.
Pixel tracking works by using a pair of precisely coregistered images collected at different
times to quantify movement. Theoretically, pixel tracking should be able to detect changes
of as little as approximately two to four inches. The advantage of using pixel tracking is
opportunities for frequent data collection, whereas the disadvantage is that it does not
capture vertical displacement and does not detect movement of less than two to four
inches. Like InSAR, pixel tracking provides a regional view of overall land movement
whereas movement values at specific locations on the ground would need to be verified
with observation and measured by qualified professionals.
CGS compared the landslide displacement data obtained from the pixel tracking method
to the data obtained from the City’s GPS surveys. CGS found that pixel tracking data had
strong correlation with the GPS surveys.
The CGS data showed some slide movement between 2017 to 2022 and significantly
more slide movement in 2023 and 2024. The renewed movement started in November
2022, reduced and picked up again during January through March 2023, and continued
at a reduced extent each month through the remainder of 2023. Significant precipitation
in Winter 2023/2024 likely resulted in the increased amount of movement seen in monthly
displacement averages through 2024. The CGS data is generally consistent with the
City’s GPS surveying other than the partial GPS monitoring conducted in May 2023 and
July 2023, and the full monitoring conducted in October 2023 , which showed continuing
acceleration through October 2023 and beyond, with the exception of only a couple of
points in the July 2024 partial surveys.
Additionally, CGS reviewed the emergency work conducted by the City from August 2024
through October 2024 and planned in preparation for Winter 2024/2025 (Attachment H).
Following is a summary of the key comments CGS made on typical approaches to
landslide movement within the context of the Landslide Complex:
• Avoiding development in areas of landslide movement (through zoning, bypassing,
or relocation) is the preferred solution.
• Beyond avoidance, changing mass balance is the ideal approach. This requires
earthwork to eliminate driving forces or provide buttressing forces. Due to the size
(mega-slide) and geometry of the Landslide Complex, this is not a practical
approach for this case.
• The next avenue for remedying landslide movement is controlling hydrostatic
forces by reducing water infiltration from rainfall or other sources such as septic
systems, pools, landscaping, or utilities; and reducing subsurface water levels by
pumping from vertical or horizontal wells. Reducing hydrostatic pressure is most
effective when done as a combination of reducing infiltration and dewatering.
• Controlling hydrostatic forces is complicated because these methods need active
and on-going maintenance and system adjustments in perpetuity, as hydraulic
32
conditions change with time, and subsurface hydrostatic control methods, such as
well points or hydraugers, may become less effective with time.
• Groundwater pumping attempts in the Landslide Complex appear to have been
relatively successful in the past with periods of generally slower rates of
movement; however, these periods were sometimes then followed by periods of
increased rates of movement.
• The City’s emergency efforts appear consistent with common practice for rapidly
increased movement of a mega-slide. Past success of groundwater pumping may
support the use of this technique for future remediation efforts.
• Controlling surface water infiltration is important, and when combined with
pumping groundwater, rates of movement may be reduced.
CGS’s observations from October 2024 show reduced landslide movement rates . CGS
recommends that the City continue monitoring and evaluating the success of the
groundwater pumping efforts because landslide movement rates can slow for many
reasons, groundwater pumping may become less effective with time, and future changes
in hydrology (such as those caused by precipitation from winter storms), will affect the
Landslide Complex and pumping program.
Disaster Cost Recovery Applications Update (FEMA and CalOES)
In response to the declared federal disaster for the winter storms that occurred between
January 31 and February 9, 2024 and the Governor’s state of emergency for the indefinite
de-energization of power, the City tabulated the costs it incurred through September 12,
2024 for reimbursement consideration by FEMA and CalOES. Table 5 summarizes the
City’s requests for cost recovery from CalOES and FEMA in the amount of $61.4 million.
Of this amount, $39.4 million is public assistance (City) and $22 million of individual
assistance (residents).
Table 5 – Cost Recovery Applications
AGENCY COST RECOVERY TYPE EVENT REQUESTED
AMOUNT
In Millions
FEMA Public Assistance (City)
Winter Storm
(Jan/Feb 24) 38.4
CalOES Public Assistance (City) Energy Shutoff 1.0
CalOES Individual Assistance Energy Shutoff 22.0
TOTAL $61.4
As reported in previous staff reports, according to FEMA and CalOES, natural disaster
recovery funds will not be provided for landslide remediation efforts because it is
considered “pre-existing.” Out of the $39.4 million application for public assistance (City),
Staff is projecting only approximately $1.5 million in potential disaster recovery funds from
33
the Winter Storm and Energy Shutoff. If deemed eligible, the reimbursement process
could take anywhere from one to three years before the City receives the funds.
On January 17, 2025, of the $38.4 million applied for public assistance related to the
winter storm, summarized and shown in Table 6 on the next page, the City received seven
denial letters from FEMA, followed by an additional denial letter on February 25, 2025 for
a total of $37.9 million.
The City continues to seek funding assistance from all levels of government and remains
committed to pursuing disaster recovery. The City has initiated this process and is
coordinating with KCLAD and ACLAD who were also denied of their disaster recovery
costs.
Pursuant to the Stafford Act and Code of Federal Regulations, the City has 60 days from
the Notice of Eligibility Determination to file an appeal. The deadline for filing an appeal
of the first seven denial letters is Monday, March 17, 2025. The City will be filing its appeal
by the deadline and will provide the City Council and public with a copy of the City’s appeal
letter as late correspondence. The appeal will be heard by FEMA’s District 9
Administrator, Robert Fenton, and his decision is then appealable to FEMA’s
Headquarters in Washinton D.C.
For the $22 million individual assistance (IA) application that the City submitted on behalf
of the residents, the City has been notified that these funds will not become available.
Continued on the Next Page
34
35
Table 6 – Cost Recovery FEMA Applications (Denied $37.9 million)
AGENCY COST RECOVERY
TYPE CATEGORY DESCRIP-
TION
REQUESTED
AMOUNT DENIAL REASON
FEMA
Public Assistance
(City)
#754845
Category D -
Water Control
Facilities
Lanslide -
Drainage 200,000
(1) Damage not directly caused
by the severe winter storms;
(2) Facilities were unstable
based on pre-disaster evidence.
FEMA
Public Assistance
(City)
#754846
Category F -
Utilities
Landslide
Utilities 3,000,000
(1) Damage not directly caused
by the severe winter storms;
(2) Facilities were unstable
based on pre-disaster evidence.
FEMA
Public Assistance
(City)
#753361
Category B -
Emergency
Protective
Measures
PVDS
Temporary
Civil Repairs
5,375,000
(1) Damage not directly caused
by the severe winter storms;
(2) Roads ineligible because
another Federal Agency is
legally responsible for the
repairs and maintenance of the
roads;
(3) Emergency work claimed is
due to an existing unstable
landslide.
FEMA
Public Assistance
(City)
#753364
Category B -
Emergency
Protective
Measures
PB Landslide
Stabilization
and
Monitoring
9,000,000
(1) Work claimed is not
required as a result of the
declared disaster;
(2) Facility (slopes, canyons,
hilldsides) is an ineligible
unimproved natural feature;
(3) Existing unstable landslide.
FEMA
Public Assistance
(City)
#754843
Category C -
Utilities
Landslide
Roads 11,635,000
(1) Work claimed is not
required as a result of the
declared disaster;
(2) Facility were unstable based
on pre-disaster evidence.
FEMA
Public Assistance
(City)
#754842
Category G -
Parks,
Recreational
Facilities, and
Other Items
Damages at
Portuguese
Bend Trails,
Filiorum
Reserves,
3,231,000
(1) Work claimed is not
required as a result of the
declared disaster;
(2) Facility were unstable based
on pre-disaster evidence.
FEMA
Public Assistance
(City)
#730185
Category G -
Parks,
Recreational
Facilities, and
Other Items
Peppertree,
Burma Road
X Rim Trails
11,415
(1) Work claimed is not
required as a result of the
declared disaster;
(2) Facility were unstable based
on pre-disaster evidence.
FEMA
received 2/25/25
Public Assistance
(City)
#754844
Category C- Road
and Bridges
Palos Verde
Drive South -
Schooner
and Seacove
5,425,000
(1) Work claimed has not been
demonstrated that the repair is
a result of the declared
disaster; (2) Roads ineligible
because another Federal
Agency is legally responsible for
the repairs and maintenance of
the roads;
TOTAL COST RECOVERY - DENIED $37,877,415
36
FEMA Voluntary Property Acquisition Buyout Program
On October 28, 2024, the City, FEMA and Cal OES announced a $42 million Voluntary
Property Acquisition Buyout Program (Buyout Program) for property owners in the
Landslide Complex whose homes have been damaged or threatened by land movement.
Established with funding from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which
is a grant not disaster assistance, the Buyout Program is intended to help eligible
homeowners relocate to safer areas by offering a fair market value for their properties
based on pre-disaster appraisals. Properties acquired by the City through this Buyout
Program will be permanently converted to open space and deed-restricted, protecting the
community from future redevelopment risks in these vulnerable areas. More information
about the Buyout Program including, but not limited to, funding sources, minimum
eligibility requirements, application evaluation methods and program participation
requirements was previously made available as part of the February 4, 2025 City Council
Staff Report related to updates and action items for the Greater Portuguese Bend-Ancient
Altamira Landslide Complex.
On December 19, 2024, the City issued Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for appraisal
services, title companies, escrow professionals, and land surveyors related to the Buyout
Program. Submitted proposals were evaluated and professional service agreements with
selected firms are to be considered by the City Council this evening as a separate
Consent Calendar item.
Most recently, the City’s Community Development Department notified 23 program
participants that their Buyout Program application was still active and being processed
for further evaluation. The notification letter requested that program participants schedule
a reinspection of their properties with the City’s Building & Safety Division and to submit
FEMA required processing forms. City Staff are currently in the process of coordinating
the re-inspection of properties and receiving requested information. With the award of
professional service agreements for Buyout Program services and the completion of
requested inspections and forms, City Staff will be able to connect program participants
with property appraisers in order to further implement the Buyout Program.
BRIC Grant Update
In January 2023, the City applied for a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) FY22 cycle grant for the
Portuguese Bend Landslide Remediation Project (PBL Remediation Project). The grant
application was for 70% of the entire project with an estimated cost of approximately $33.3
million (from November 2022), with a requirement for the balance to be from non -federal
sources.
On August 28, 2023, FEMA announced the PBL Remediation Project was selected, with
$23.3 million being allocated, not obligated, for the City’s project. The emergency
protective and stabilization measures, which are a separate scope from the PBL
Remediation Project, had some overlap with portions of the PBL Remediation Project
footprint; therefore, the City was required to submit a revised BRIC grant to exclude such
overlap. The revised PBL Remediation Project BRIC grant amount became approximately
$16.4 million, with a required non-federal match of approximately $7 million.
37
On July 31, 2024, CalOES received notification that FEMA approved Phase 1 of the City’s
application which includes project management, final engineering, environmental
deliverables, construction documents, project agreements, and permits. The total
obligation amount $2,295,091, up to actual approved costs, and a non -federal share of
30% up to $718,138. A funding decision for Phase 2, or the construction and related
activities phase, will be made upon completion of Phase 1.
Although the content of the deliverables of Phase 1 will differ from what they would have
been under the PBL Remediation Project, the deliverables themselves (i.e. final
engineering, construction documents, etc.) will not change as a result of the emergenc y
protective and stabilization measures. Therefore, Staff are in the process of moving
forward with Phase 1 of the BRIC grant work, with completion targeted September 2025.
Public Comments
Attached are public comments received for tonight’s agenda item (Attachment K).
CONCLUSION:
Between the January 7, 2025 GPS survey and the most recent February 3, 2025 GPS
survey; the average horizontal movement velocity for the portion of the Landslide
Complex that is still moving has decelerated approximately 5%. Based upon a review of
approximately weekly readings of 20 select GPS monitoring points located mostly in the
lower portions of the Landslide Complex; with continued below -average rainfall
conditions, in-place winterization measures, and the ongoing dewatering effort which has
removed over 170 million gallons from the landslide area, the PBL is generally viewed as
having reached a steady state of movement since the end of October, the KCL has
stopped moving, and the ACL and upper Altamira Complex areas continue to slightly
decelerate.
The DDW component of the emergency stabilization funded by the City Council, inclusive
of test boreholes and monitoring wells, is generally complete. The total combined water
extraction rate of the DDWs is currently at approximately 540 gallons per minute or 0.8
million gallons per day. Since the start of the DDW program, approximately 171 million
gallons, or 525 acre-feet of water have been extracted from certain locations around the
toe of the Landslide Complex. Water extraction rates are currently lower than recent
averages due to slip plane movement impinging on some wells. Re-drilling plans are
being implemented, as weather conditions allow.
Following completion of the installation phase of the DDW emergency stabilization and
protection measures, an analysis of subsurface water levels was conducted.
Measurements of water levels at DDWs show correlation between DDW water extraction
rates and water levels; however, the extent is dependent upon how easily subsurface
water transfer occurs, which is based on localized geographic conditions. Once water
extraction started, there was generally a rapid drop in the original water level and as water
extraction continued at a relatively consistent rate, there was generally a continued,
although much more gradual, decrease in the water level until such time as a steady state
water level was reached.
38
Additionally, an analysis of subsurface water pressure that can facilitate land movement
was analyzed. Vibrating wire piezometers near DDWs measuring water pressure under
the deep slip surface show a marked decrease in pressure immediately following the start
of the DDW program, followed by a gradual leveling off over time to a relatively steady
state, but still far below pre-pumping pressures. In comparison, vibrating wire
piezometers far away from DDWs show only a slight to almost no decrease in pressure
over time.
Maintenance of winterized areas, including some re-grading and filling of fissures that
have re-opened in and around Altamira Canyon, was completed. Crews are now primarily
focused on preparations in advance of forecasted rain events.
In response to no measurable movement in the Seaview and PBBC neighborhoods since
October 29, 2024, SCE re-energized 31 homes and 2 KCLAD meters for dewatering wells
in the PBBC, as well as 17 homes in the Seaview community. There are 33 homes in the
PBBC and Seaview communities that remain without electrical power pending completion
of successful electrical inspections.
Using the City’s $1.6M loan, one ACLAD DDW is operational as of March 11, 2025, which
is extracting water at a rate of 10 gallons per minute. Two additional DDWs are expected
to be operational by March 16, 2025. A fourth DDW is expected to be operational by
March 21, 2025. Additionally, one new monitoring well, and the conversion of an existing
test borehole site into another monitoring well, is scheduled for the week of March 17,
2025.
Repair costs due to land movement for the Abalone Cove Sanitary Sewer System (which
is owned, operated, and maintained by the City) have exceeded earlier cost estimates.
Staff estimated a cost of approximately $2M to $3M in Fiscal Year 2024-25 for such
repairs. However, expenditures have already reached approximately $3M and Staff
estimated that an additional $1M is needed to continue to repair the system through the
end of Fiscal Year 2024-25. Staff recommend an additional appropriation of $1M to
continue repairs to the system, without which, certain homes could not be occupied.
Due to ongoing high rates of movement and associated impacts in certain parts of the
Landslide Complex, Staff recommend that the City Council extend the temporary
prohibition on one- and two-wheeled vehicles, extend the local emergency declaration,
and extend the de-energization emergency declaration for an additional 60 days.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available for
the City Council’s consideration:
1. Take no action, and receive and file this report.
2. Do not approve the additional appropriation of $1M for continued repairs to the
Abalone Cove Sanitary Sewer System and therefore red-tag certain homes.
3. Do not extend the temporary prohibition of one- or two-wheeled vehicles on PVDS
and allow one- and two-wheeled to begin using PVDS again.
39
4. Do not adopt one, or both, of the resolutions continuing the local emergency
declarations.
40
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-__
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES, EXTENDING
FOR A TERM OF SIXTY (60) DAYS THE
TEMPORARILY PROHIBITION ON TRAVEL BY
UNICYCLES, BICYCLES, MOTORCYCLES, AND
OTHER ONE- OR TWO-WHEELED VEHICLES ON
PALOS VERDES DRIVE SOUTH WITHIN THE
LANDSLIDE COMPLEX DUE TO CONTINUED
ROADWAY CONDITIONS
WHEREAS, the Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex (t he
Landslide Complex) encompasses four historically active landslide areas in the
City: the Portuguese Bend Landslide (PBL), the Abalone Cove Landslide (ACL),
the Klondike Canyon Landslide (KCL), and the Beach Club Landslide (BCL). It also
includes the Flying Triangle Landslide (FTL) in the City of Rolling Hills as mapped
by various agencies (i.e., U.S. Geological Survey, California Geological Survey)
and other researchers; and
WHEREAS, following the 2022-23 rainy season, the Landslide Complex’s
movement has accelerated exponentially. Therefore, on October 3, 2023, the City
Council of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes adopted Resolution No. 2023 -047
based on its authority pursuant to Section 8610 et seq. and Section 8630 et seq.
of the Government Code, and Chapter 2.23 of the Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal
Code, declaring a state of local emergency for the Landslide Complex based on
the accelerated movement of the land. The declaration of emergency has been
renewed as required by law and currently applies; and
WHEREAS, following the City Council’s declaration of a local emergency,
the City experienced another record-setting rainy season; and
WHEREAS, since the City Council’s declaration of a local emergency, the
City Geologist, Mike Phipps of Cotton, Shires, and Associates, Inc. (CSA), has
been regularly conducting field mapping throughout the Landslide Complex;
observing conditions at various locations, and reviewing survey and rainfall data;
and
WHEREAS, the City Geologist most recently reported to the City Council
on May 7, 2024, in summary, that the Landslide Complex continues moving at
unprecedented rates, predominantly in response to the two consecutive seasons
of significantly above average rainfall; and
WHEREAS, the City Geologist stated that land movement continued to
manifest at the ground surface in the form of landslide scarps, fissures,
grabens/sinkholes, tensional cracking, shear zones and thrust features; and that
due to the continued acceleration, the groun d movement features have continued
to enlarge, expand, widen, or grow depending on the type of feature and location ,
A-1
Resolution No. 2025-__
Page 2 of 4
which also affects Palos Verdes Drive South (PVDS) as it traverses the Landslide
Complex area; and
WHEREAS, the City Geologist summarized that road conditions on PVDS
continue to be adversely impacted due to differential rates of land movement
ranging from about 5 to 8 inches per week, at the time of the report to the City
Council on May 7, 2024; and
WHEREAS, traffic signs on PVDS in the landslide area include various
signs warning of the landslide conditions, with some specifically directed at
bicyclists and motorcyclists. Out of an abundance of caution, Staff (through a
consultant), conducted a review of signs on PVDS. As a result, additional signs
were installed, including signs installed on June 1, 2024 specifically directed at
bicyclists and motorcyclists; and
WHEREAS, despite the existing bicycle warning signs, Staff has been
anecdotally informed of bicycle crashes, and at least one claim has been filed
against the City (which was prior to the additional bicycle and motorcycle signs
installed on June 1); and
WHEREAS, Section 8610 of the Government Code provides the local
disaster council with broad powers to “develop plans for meeting any condition
constituting a local emergency or state of emergency, including, but not limited to,
earthquakes, natural or manmade disasters specific to that jurisdiction, or state of
war emergency….”; and
WHEREAS, Chapter 2.24 designates the City Council, the director of
emergency services, the assistant director of emergency services, and the chiefs
of emergency services as the City’s Disaster Council; and
WHEREAS, the director of emergency services (the city manager), “[i]n the
event of the proclamation of a local emergency […], the director [of emergency
services] is empowered: a. To make and issue rules and regulations on matters
reasonably related to the protection of life and property as affected by such
emergency….”; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that despite consistent and recently
increased signage, riders of bicycles and motorcycles continue to use PVDS, and
that the land movement is creating frequent localized deviations in the road, which
can be navigated safely in cars and trucks, but that are more dangerous for two-
wheeled vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the safety of bicycle, motorcycle and
other two-wheeled riders is a compelling interest; and
A-2
Resolution No. 2025-__
Page 3 of 4
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that in order to further the City’s
compelling interest in the safety of riders, it is appropriate to temporarily route
bicycles and motorcycles away from the portion of PVDS within the Landslide
Complex, until such time as the City may be able to slow the land movement
sufficiently to reduce the frequency and severity of road deviations to minimize the
risk of injury to persons or property; and
WHEREAS, on June 18, 2024, the City Council duly adopted Resolution
No. 2024-39 prohibiting, for a period of six (6) months, bicycles, motorcycles, and
other two-wheeled vehicles from traversing PVDS with the Landslide Complex;
and
WHEREAS, the City Council has, at various City Council meetings, duly
adopted resolutions prohibiting for specified periods set forth therein, unicycles,
bicycles, motorcycles, and other one- or two-wheeled vehicles from traversing
PVDS with the Landslide Complex; and
WHEREAS, staff and the Office of the City attorney are of the opinion that
conditions on PVDS have not stabilized to the point that this prohibition should be
allowed to terminate and is of the further opinion the existing prohibition should be
extended for an additional sixty (60) day period.
NOW, THEREFORE THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO
PALOS VERDES DOES HEREBY FIND, DETERMINE AND RESOLVE AS
FOLLOWS:
Section 1: The above recitals are true and correct and incorporated herein
by reference.
Section 2: For a period of sixty (60) calendar days from and after the date
of this resolution, the portion of PVDS within the Landslide Complex shall be closed
to unicycle, bicycle, motorcycle, and other one- or two-wheeled vehicle traffic.
Section 3: Updates on the rate of movement and repair of PVDS will be
provided at City Council meetings where the City Council is considering extending
the local state of emergency, including an assessment of the relative safety of
traveling on PVDS by unicycles, bicycles, motorcycles, and other one- or two-
wheeled vehicles through the Landslide Complex, with the purpose of lifting the
prohibition as soon as possible.
Section 4: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon adoption by
the City Council upon a majority vote.
/ / /
/ / /
A-3
Resolution No. 2025-__
Page 4 of 4
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City
Council of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, on this 18th day of March,
2025.
David Bradley, Mayor
ATTEST:
Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES )ss
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES )
I, Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, do hereby certify
that the foregoing Resolution No. 2025-__, was duly and regularly passed and
adopted by the said City Council at a regular meeting thereof held on March 18,
2025
__________________________________
Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk
A-4
01203.0023/1027433.1
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-__
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA,
CONTINUING THE LOCAL EMERGENCY
DECLARATION AS ESTABLISHED BY
RESOLUTION NO. 2023-47 ADOPTED ON
OCTOBER 3, 2023 FOR AN ADDITIONAL 60 DAY
PERIOD
WHEREAS, on October 3, 2023, the City Council of the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes adopted Resolution No. 2023 -47, declaring a local state of emergency because
of the alarming increase of land movement in the Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide
Complex, as depicted in Resolution No. 2023-47 Exhibits “A” and “B”. Resolution No.
2023-47, and the exhibits thereto, is incorporated by reference;
WHEREAS, on October 3, 2023, the City Council by a 4/5 vote also adopted
Interim Urgency Ordinance No. 674U, establishing a moratorium on all construction in the
Landslide Complex;
WHEREAS, on November 14, 2023, the City Council by a 4/5 vote adopted
Resolution No. 2023-56, extending the state of emergency for an additional 60 days;
WHEREAS, on December 19, 2023, the City Council by a 4/5 vote adopted
Resolution No. 2023-61, extending the state of emergency for an additional 60 days;
WHEREAS, on February 6, 2024, the City Council by a 4/5 vote adopted
Resolution No. 2024-05, extending the state of emergency for an additional 60 days;
WHEREAS, on March 19, 2024, the City Council by a 5-0 vote adopted Resolution
No. 2024-13, extending the state of emergency for an additional 60 days;
WHEREAS, on May 7, 2024, the City Council by a 5-0 vote adopted Resolution
No. 2024-20, extending the state of emergency for an additional 60 days;
WHEREAS, on July 2, 2024, the City Council by a 5-0 vote adopted Resolution
No. 2024-44, extending the state of emergency for an additional 60 days;
WHEREAS, on August 6, 2024, the City Council by a 5-0 vote adopted Resolution
No. 2024-51, extending the state of emergency by an additional 60 days ;
WHEREAS, on October 1, 2024, the City Council by a 5-0 vote adopted Resolution
No. 2024-50, extending the state of emergency by an additional 60 days ;
WHEREAS, on November 19, 2024, the City Council by a 5-0 vote adopted
Resolution No. 2024-70, extending the state of emergency by an additional 60 days; and
WHEREAS, on December 17, 2024, the City Council by a 5-0 vote adopted
Resolution No. 2024-77, extending the state of emergency by an additional 60 days; and
B-1
Resolution No. 2025-__
Page 2 of 3
WHEREAS, on February 4, 2025, the City Council by a 5-0 vote adopted
Resolution No. 2025-06, extending the state of emergency by an additional 60 days; and
WHEREAS, the state of emergency is deemed to continue to exist until its
termination is proclaimed by the City Council in accordance with law. Government Code
§ 8630 requires the City Council to review of the need for continuing the local emergency
at least once every 60 days until the City Council determines the local emergency within
the geographic boundaries of the Landslide Complex has been abated or mitigated to
insignificance; and,
WHEREAS, after consideration of all facts reasonably available the City Council
now desires to extend the declaration of a state of local emergency within the Landslide
Complex.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS
VERDES, CALIFORNIA, HEREBY FINDS, DETERMINES, AND RESOLVES AS
FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Recitals. The City Council hereby determines that the above recitals
are true and correct and incorporates the same as the findings of the City Council.
Section 2. Proclamation of Emergency. The City Council finds, pursuant to
RPVMC Chapter 2.24 and Government Code §§ 8630 and 8680.9, there exists an actual
condition of peril to the safety of persons and property exiting within the Greater
Portuguese Bend Landslide, comprised of the Portuguese Bend Landslide, the Abalone
Cove Landslide, and the Klondike Canyon Landslide), as depicted in Exhibits “A” and “B”
of Resolution No. 2023-47, and based on the staff report and recommendations and
public testimony, and hereby proclaims that a state of local emergency continues to exist
throughout the same.
Section 3. Authority Granted. It is further proclaimed and ordered that during
the existence of said local emergency, the powers, authority, functions and duties of the
Disaster Council, Director, and the City’s emergency services organizations shall be
those prescribed by State Law, City ordinances, Resolution No. 2023-47 and any other
applicable resolutions, and approved plans of the City in order to mitigate the effects of
the local emergency.
Section 4. Immunity Invoked. To the maximum extent permitted by law, and
pursuant to Government Code § 866, the City Council hereby invokes the immunity
afforded to the City of Rancho Palos Verds in adopting and implementing the declaration
of local emergency within the Landslide Complex
Section 5. Duration. The local emergency shall be deemed to continue to exist
until its termination is proclaimed by the City Council in accordance with law.
Section 6. Continuing Declaration. Government Code § 8630 requires the
City Council to review of the need for continuing the local emergency at least once every
60 days until the City Council determines the local emergency within Landslide Complex
has been abated or mitigated to insignificance.
B-2
Resolution No. 2025-__
Page 3 of 3
Section 7. Severability. If any subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of
this Resolution or any application of it to any person, structure, gathering, or circumstance
is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of a court of competent jurisdiction,
then such decision will not affect the validity of the remaining portions or applications of
this Resolution.
Section 8. Effectiveness. This Resolution shall take effect immediately. A copy
of the Proclamation and this Resolution shall be forwarded to the California Emergency
Management Agency. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this
resolution..
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED on this 18th day of March, 2025.
________________________________
David Bradley, Mayor
ATTEST:
________________________________
Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES )
I, Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that
the above Resolution No. 2025-__ was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the
said City Council at a regular meeting thereof held on March 18, 2025.
___________________________
Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk
B-3
01203.0023/1027441.1
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-__
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA, EXTENDING
THE STATE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY WITHIN THE
GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES OF THE PORTUGUESE
BEND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, PORTUGUESE BEND
BEACH CLUB, AND SEAVIEW NEIGHBORHOODS,
BASED ON SUDDEN ENERGY SHORTAGES, PLANNED
DEENERGIZING EVENTS, AND INTERNET SERVICE
SHUT OFFS AS ESTABLISHED BY RESOLUTION NOS.
2024-52 AND 2024-57 FOR AN ADDITIONAL 60 DAYS
WHEREAS, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes is home to four out of five sub -slides
that comprise the Greater Portuguese Landslide Complex (Landslide Complex): the
Portuguese Bend Landslide, Abalone Cove Landslide, Klondike Canyon Landslide, and
Beach Club Landslide. The Portuguese Bend Landslide encompasses the Portuguese
Bend Community Association (PBCA), the Seaview Neighborhood (Seaview), and the
Portuguese Bend Beach Club (PBBC). The Landslide Complex has been active since the
1950s;
WHEREAS, the 2022-2023 rainy season brought exceptional amounts of rain to
the region, dumping 20.9” of rain or 190% of the average annual rainfall in the region ;
WHEREAS, by April 26, 2024, total rainfall for the 2023-24 season (beginning Oct
1, 2023) was 23.01" or 169% of the historical 67-year average of 13.63" for this rain
gauge. (All data based on LACDPW Rainfall Gauge No. 1011B at Rolling Hills FS.);
WHEREAS, beginning in 2018, but particularly since May 2023, the land
movement in the Landslide Complex has increased significantly due to increased rainfall
in the last two rainy seasons, which caused the water table to rise dramatically and
destabilize the landslides. The City has established, via repeated geologic studies, that a
significant factor in the speed of land movement in the Landslide Complex is the amount
of water in the soil;
WHEREAS, on October 3, 2023, the City Council of the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes adopted Resolution No. 2023-47, declaring a local state of emergency due to the
alarming increase of land movement in the Landslide Complex. The state of emergency
based on the land movement has been extended as required by law and is still active;
WHEREAS, on August 6, 2024, the City Council by unanimous vote adopted
Resolution No. 2024-52, declaring a local state of emergency because of a sudden and
severe energy shortage caused by shutting off of natural gas service to approximately
135 homes in the PBCA due to safety concerns;
WHEREAS, on September 3, 2024, the City Council by unanimous vote adopted
Resolution No. 2024-57, declaring a local state of emergency because of a sudden and
severe energy shortage caused by shutting off of natural gas service, planned de-
energization events, and internet shut-offs in the PBCA, Seaview, and PBBC;
C-1
Resolution No. 2025-__
Page 2 of 4
WHEREAS, on October 1, 2024, the City Council by unanimous vote adopted
Resolution No. 2024-61, declaring a local state of emergency because of a sudden and
severe energy shortage caused by shutting off of natural gas service, planned
deenergization events, and internet shut-offs in the PBCA, Seaview, and PBBC;
WHEREAS, on November 19, 2024, the City Council by unanimous vote adopted
Resolution No. 2024-71, declaring a local state of emergency because of a sudden and
severe energy shortage caused by shutting off of natural gas service, planned
deenergization events, and internet shut-offs in the PBCA, Seaview, and PBBC;
WHEREAS, on December 17, 2024, the City Council by unanimous vote adopted
Resolution No. 2024-78, declaring a local state of emergency because of a sudden and
severe energy shortage caused by shutting off of natural gas service, planned
deenergization events, and internet shut-offs in the PBCA, Seaview, and PBBC;
WHEREAS, on February 4, 2025, the City Council by unanimous vote adopted
Resolution No. 2025-07, declaring a local state of emergency because of a sudden and
severe energy shortage caused by shutting off of natural gas service, planned
deenergization events, and internet shut-offs in the PBCA, Seaview, and PBBC;
WHEREAS, after consideration of all facts reasonably available the City Council
now desires to extend the declaration of a state of local emergency within the Landslide
Complex.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS
VERDES, CALIFORNIA, HEREBY FINDS, DETERMINES, AND RESOLVES AS
FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Recitals. The City Council hereby determines that the above recitals
are true and correct and incorporates the same as the findings of the City Council.
Section 2. Extension of Local State of Emergency. The City Council finds,
pursuant to RPVMC Chapter 2.24 and Government Code §§ 8630, 8680.9, and 8558
there exists an actual condition of peril to the safety of persons and property existing
within the PBCA, Seaview, and PBBC, as established by Resolutions No. 2024-52 and
2024-57, and based on the staff report and recommendations and public testimony, and
hereby proclaims that a state of local emergency continues to exist throughout the same.
Section 3. Authority Granted. It is further proclaimed and ordered that during
the existence of said local emergency, the powers, authority, functions and duties of the
Disaster Council, Director, and the City’s emergency services organizations shall be
those prescribed by State Law, City ordinances, Resolution Nos. 2023-52 and 2024-57,
and any other applicable resolutions, and approved plans of the City in order to mitigate
the effects of the local emergency.
/ / /
/ / /
C-2
Resolution No. 2025-__
Page 3 of 4
Section 4. Immunity Invoked. To the maximum extent permitted by law, and
pursuant to Government Code § 866, the City Council hereby invokes the immunity
afforded to the City of Rancho Palos Verds in adopting and implementing the declaration
of local emergency within the Landslide Complex.
Section 5. Duration. The local emergency shall be deemed to continue to exist
until its termination is proclaimed by the City Council in accordance with law. Government
Code § 8630 requires the City Council to review of the need for continuing the local
emergency at least once every 60 days until the City Council determines the local
emergency within the geographic boundaries of the Landslide Complex has been a bated
or mitigated to insignificance.
Section 6. Continuing Declaration. Government Code § 8630 requires the
City Council to review of the need for continuing the local emergency at least once every
60 days until the City Council determines the local emergency within the PBCA has been
abated or mitigated to insignificance.
Section 7. Severability. If any subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of
this Resolution or any application of it to any person, structure, gathering, or circumstance
is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of a court of competent jurisdiction,
then such decision will not affect the validity of the remaining portions or applications o f
this Resolution.
Section 8. CEQA. The City Council finds that this Resolution is proposed to allow
the City to continue to address and mitigate an imminent threat to public health and safety
and therefore is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Public Resources Code, Section
21080(b)(4) and CEQA Guidelines, Section 15269.
Section 9. Effectiveness. This Resolution shall take effect immediately. A copy
of the Proclamation and this Resolution shall be forwarded to the California Office of
Emergency Management. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this
resolution.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED on this 18th day of March, 2025.
________________________________
David Bradley, Mayor
ATTEST:
________________________________
Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk
C-3
Resolution No. 2025-__
Page 4 of 4
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES )
I, Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that
the above Resolution No. 2025-__ was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the
said City Council at a regular meeting thereof held on March 18, 2025.
___________________________
Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk
C-4
No
r
t
h
No
r
t
h
0 250 500 1000
(feet)
PONY TRAIL
PORTUGUESE
BEND
LANDSLIDE
FLYING
TRIANGLE
LANDSLIDE
KLONDIKE
CANYON
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
PORTUGUESE
POINT
INSPIRATION
POINT
SACRED
COVE
PALOS VERDES DRIVE SOUTH
BURMA
ROAD
EXPLANATION
Limits of the Ancient Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex
Limits of Historically Mapped Landslides
2023/2024 Landslide Features
(based on CSA field mapping)
SEAVIEW TRACT
Limits of 2023-2024 Major Landslide Movement
(based on CSA field mapping and bathymetry survey)
LIMITS OF 2023-2024
MAJOR LANDSLIDE
MOVEMENT
GPS Monument Displacement Rate
(January 7, 2025 to February 3, 2025)
Displacement Vector Scale 1"= 8"/week
1
.
0
2.0
3.0
4.0
4.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
3.0
4.
0
Displacement Rate Table
Minimum Rate
(inch/week)
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
Maximum Rate
(inch/week)
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
Color
10.00 11.00
11.00 12.00
1.00 2.00
12.00 13.00
0.00 1.00
APPROXIMATE BOUNDARY OF
ANCIENT PORTUGUESE BEND
LANDSLIDE COMPLEX
BEACH CLUB
LANSDSLIDE
AB01
0.03
AB04
3.98
AB05
3.45
AB13
4.70
AB16
3.60
AB17
0.08
AB21
4.20
AB24
4.99
AB50
1.90
AB51
4.00
AB53
4.15
AB57
3.78
AB58
4.36
AB59
4.61
AB60
4.36
AB62
3.39
AB63
4.06
AB64
0.08
AB65
3.81
AB66
4.31
AB67
3.24
AB68
4.30
AB70
4.98
AB73
3.12
AB74
2.34
AB75
4.22
AB76
0.19
AB77
0.07
AB78
0.51
AB79
0.07
AB80
0.10
AB81
4.12
CR50
0.02 CR51
0.07
CR53
0.06
CR54
4.00
CR56
0.06
CR57
0.07
CR58
0.08
CR59
0.06
CR60
0.15
CW01
0.06
CW05
0.08
CW06
0.06
CW08
0.07
FT08
0.10
FT09
0.04
FT10
0.10
KC05
0.09
KC06
0.15
KC07
0.02
KC13
0.09
KC14
0.04
KC15
0.13
KC16
0.06
KC17
0.12
KC18
0.13 KC19
0.06
KC20
0.09
KC21
0.09
KC22
0.01
KC23
0.11
KC25
0.08
KC26
0.10KC28
0.10
KC29
0.07
KC30
0.04
KC31
0.07
KC33
0.08
KC34
0.09
KC35
0.01
KC36
0.13
KC37
0.02
PB04
3.21
PB06
2.33
PB07
2.59 PB08
2.14
PB09
1.77
PB12
1.36
PB13
0.48
PB18
3.62
PB20
1.96
PB21
2.24
PB26
0.75
PB27
2.11
PB29
0.57
PB54
3.64
PB55
2.47
PB59
3.20
PB67
1.53
PB68
3.32
PB69
3.08
PB70
3.21
PB71RP
3.91
PB72
3.11
PB75
3.23
PB76
1.44
PB77
1.25
UB02
0.94
RP01
0.02
RP02
0.00
RP03
0.02
RP05
0.02
COTTON,S HIRES AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
CONSULTING ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA
SC6163
POS
MP
February 14, 2025
1"=500'
FIGURE NO.
PROJECT NO.
DATE
SCALE
APPROVED BY
GEO/ENG BY
GPS MONITORING DISPLACEMENT RATE
CONTOUR MAP (2/3/25 DATA)
1
Abalone Cove, Portuguese Bend, Klondike Canyon
Hillshade basemap produced from publicly available LiDAR:
"2015 - 2016 LARIAC Lidar DEM: Los Angeles Region, CA"
D-1
No
r
t
h
No
r
t
h
0 250 500 1000
(feet)
PONY TRAIL
PORTUGUESE
BEND
LANDSLIDE
FLYING
TRIANGLE
LANDSLIDE
KLONDIKE
CANYON
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
PORTUGUESE
POINT
INSPIRATION
POINT
SACRED
COVE
PALOS VERDES DRIVE SOUTH
BURMA
ROAD
EXPLANATION
Limits of the Ancient Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex
Limits of Historically Mapped Landslides
2023/2024 Landslide Features
(based on CSA field mapping)
SEAVIEW TRACT
Limits of 2023-2024 Major Landslide Movement
(based on CSA field mapping and bathymetry survey)
LIMITS OF 2023-2024
MAJOR LANDSLIDE
MOVEMENT
GPS Monument Displacement Rate
(December 3, 2024 to January 7, 2025)
Displacement Vector Scale 1"= 8"/week
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.
0
4.
0
5.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
3.0
4.
0
Displacement Rate Table
Minimum Rate
(inch/week)
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
Maximum Rate
(inch/week)
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
Color
10.00 11.00
11.00 12.00
1.00 2.00
12.00 13.00
0.00 1.00
APPROXIMATE BOUNDARY OF
ANCIENT PORTUGUESE BEND
LANDSLIDE COMPLEX
BEACH CLUB
LANSDSLIDE
RP02
0.00
CW08
0.00
FT10
0.01
RP03
0.01
FT08
0.01
AB64
0.01
AB76
0.01
AB01
0.01
CR60
0.02
RP05
0.02
RP01
0.02
AB79
0.02
CR56
0.03
CR59
0.03
KC37
0.03
KC29
0.04
KC21
0.04
KC33
0.04
FT09
0.04
KC35
0.04
CW06
0.04
KC16
0.04
KC36
0.05
CR57
0.05
KC34
0.05
KC07
0.06
AB17
0.06
AB80
0.07
CR50
0.07
AB77
0.07
KC13
0.07
CR53
0.07
KC14
0.07
KC17
0.07
KC18
0.08
KC28
0.08
KC23
0.08
KC22
0.08
KC25
0.09
KC05
0.09
CR58
0.09
CW05
0.09
KC20
0.09
KC24
0.09
KC30
0.09
CR51
0.10
KC31
0.10
KC26
0.10
KC15
0.10
CW01
0.12
KC19
0.12
KC38
0.16
KC06
0.29
AB78
0.31
PB13
0.39
PB29
0.48
PB26
0.73
UB02
0.85
PB12
1.36
PB67
1.42
PB76
1.55
PB09
1.76
AB50
1.92
PB20
2.05
PB08
2.11
PB27
2.16
PB06
2.24
PB21
2.34
PB07
2.44
AB74
2.55
PB55
2.65
PB72
3.17
PB69
3.20
PB59
3.29
AB67
3.30
PB04
3.31
PB68
3.32
PB75
3.35
AB73
3.40
PB70
3.40
AB16
3.44
AB62
3.54
AB05
3.82
PB18
3.91
PB54
3.94
AB57
3.98
AB65
4.09
AB51
4.14
AB63
4.17
PB71RP
4.21
CR54
4.26
AB04
4.28
AB66
4.46
AB81
4.48
AB53
4.48
AB68
4.48
AB75
4.62
AB21
4.63
AB59
4.74
AB60
4.64
AB70
4.87
AB58
4.88
AB13
4.96
AB24
5.31
COTTON,S HIRES AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
CONSULTING ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA
SC6163
POS
MP
January 14, 2025
1"=500'
FIGURE NO.
PROJECT NO.
DATE
SCALE
APPROVED BY
GEO/ENG BY
GPS MONITORING DISPLACEMENT RATE
CONTOUR MAP (1/7/25 DATA)
1
Abalone Cove, Portuguese Bend, Klondike Canyon
Hillshade basemap produced from publicly available LiDAR:
"2015 - 2016 LARIAC Lidar DEM: Los Angeles Region, CA"
D-2
No
r
t
h
No
r
t
h
0 250 500 1000
(feet)
PONY TRAIL
PORTUGUESE
BEND
LANDSLIDE
FLYING
TRIANGLE
LANDSLIDE
KLONDIKE
CANYON
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
PORTUGUESE
POINT
INSPIRATION
POINT
SACRED
COVE
BURMA ROAD
PALOS VERDES DRIVE SOUTH
BURMA
ROAD
EXPLANATION
Limits of the Ancient Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex
Limits of Historically Mapped Landslides
2023/2024 Landslide Features
(based on CSA field mapping)
SEAVIEW TRACT
Limits of 2023-2024 Major Landslide Movement
(based on CSA field mapping and bathymetry survey)
LIMITS OF 2023-2024
MAJOR LANDSLIDE
MOVEMENT
GPS Monument Displacement Rate
(October 29, 2024 to December 3, 2024)
Displacement Vector Scale 1"= 8"/week
1
.
0
2.0
5.
0
3.0
4.
0
4.0
5
.
0
3.0
4.0
3.0
4.0
Displacement Rate Table
Minimum Rate
(inch/week)
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
Maximum Rate
(inch/week)
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
Color
10.00 11.00
11.00 12.00
1.00 2.00
12.00 13.00
0.00 1.00
RP03
0.03
APPROXIMATE BOUNDARY OF
ANCIENT PORTUGUESE BEND
LANDSLIDE COMPLEX
AB01
0.05
AB17
0.03
AB64
0.09
AB77
0.04
AB78
0.15
AB79
0.02
AB80
0.04
CR53
0.14
CR56
0.05
CR57
0.06
CR59
0.07
CW01
0.02
CW05
0.07
CW06
0.07
CW08
0.09
FT08
0.07
FT09
0.06
FT10
0.08
KC06
0.06
KC07
0.04
KC13
0.04
KC14
0.02
KC15
0.06
KC16
0.04
KC19
0.08
KC20
0.06
KC21
0.03
KC23
0.04
KC24
0.05
KC25
0.06
KC26
0.02KC28
0.06
KC29
0.08
KC33
0.10
KC34
0.04
KC35
0.05
KC36
0.02
KC37
0.06
KC38
0.10
AB04
4.41
AB13
5.32
AB16
3.84
AB21
4.52
AB24
5.73
AB50
2.27
AB51
4.63
AB53
4.83
AB57
4.12
AB58
4.97
AB59
5.13
AB60
4.80
AB62
3.77
AB63
4.56
AB65
4.46
AB66
4.90
AB67
3.57
AB68
4.83
AB70
5.47
AB73
3.37
AB74
2.80
AB75
4.52
AB76
0.13
CR50
0.13 CR51
0.16
CR54
4.46
CR58
0.14
CR60
0.17
KC05
0.11
KC17
0.14
KC18
0.16 KC22
0.11
KC30
0.17
KC31
0.17
PB04
3.41 PB06
2.45
PB07
2.54 PB08
2.13
PB09
1.76
PB12
1.23
PB13
0.39
PB18
4.25
PB20
1.93
PB21
2.31
PB26
0.77
PB27
1.98
PB29
0.49
PB54
4.16
PB55
2.25
PB59
3.46
PB67
1.32PB68
3.43
PB69
3.15PB70
3.50
PB71RP
4.07
PB72
3.31
PB74
1.10
PB75
3.57
PB76
1.43
UB02
0.87
BEACH CLUB
LANSDSLIDE
COTTON,S HIRES AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
CONSULTING ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA
SC6163
POS
MP
December 12, 2024
1"=500'
FIGURE NO.
PROJECT NO.
DATE
SCALE
APPROVED BY
GEO/ENG BY
GPS MONITORING DISPLACEMENT RATE
CONTOUR MAP (12/03/24 DATA)
1
Abalone Cove, Portuguese Bend, Klondike Canyon
Hillshade basemap produced from publicly available LiDAR:
"2015 - 2016 LARIAC Lidar DEM: Los Angeles Region, CA"
D-3
No
r
t
h
No
r
t
h
0 250 500 1000
(feet)
PONY TRAIL
PORTUGUESE
BEND
LANDSLIDE
FLYING
TRIANGLE
LANDSLIDE
KLONDIKE
CANYON
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
PORTUGUESE
POINT
INSPIRATION
POINT
SACRED
COVE
BURMA ROAD
PALOS VERDES DRIVE SOUTH
BURMA
ROAD
EXPLANATION
Limits of the Ancient Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex
Limits of Historically Mapped Landslides
2023/2024 Landslide Mapping
SEAVIEW TRACT
Current Limits of Major
Landslide Movement (March
2024)
CURRENT LIMITS OF
MAJOR LANDSLIDE
MOVEMENT (MARCH 2024)
GPS Monument
Displacement Rate
(October 8, 2024 to
October 29, 2024)
Displacement Vector
Scale 1"= 8"/week
1.
0
2.0
1.0
3.0
4.
0
5.
0
4.0
4.0
4.0
Displacement Rate Table
Minimum Rate
(inch/week)
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
Maximum Rate
(inch/week)
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
Color
10.00 11.00
11.00 12.00
1.00 2.00
12.00 13.00
0.00 1.00
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
UB02
0.68
AB01
0.13
AB04
4.32
AB13
5.32
AB16
3.91
AB17
0.09
AB21
4.63
AB24
5.64
AB50
2.07
AB51
4.17
AB53
4.51
AB57
4.83
AB58
5.10
AB59
5.04
AB60
5.29
AB62
3.64
AB63
4.37
AB64
0.62
AB65
4.21
AB66
4.74
AB67
3.61
AB68
4.72
AB70
5.46
AB73
3.53
AB74
3.06
AB75
4.70
AB76
0.11
AB77
0.06
AB78
0.13
AB79
0.12
AB80
0.07
CR50
0.08 CR51
0.10
CR53
0.01
CR54
4.68
CR56
0.04
CR57
0.09
CR58
0.07
CR59
0.08
CR60
0.03
CW01
0.02
CW05
0.08
CW06
0.08
CW08
0.16
FT08
0.04
FT09
0.06
FT10
0.07
KC05
0.19
KC06
0.22
KC07
0.11
KC13
0.12
KC14
0.11
KC15
0.19
KC16
0.13
KC17
0.11
KC18
0.14
KC19
0.28
KC20
0.16
KC21
0.04
KC22
0.19
KC23
0.20
KC24
0.11
KC25
0.09
KC26
0.08KC28
0.17
KC29
0.12
KC30
0.16
KC31
0.22
KC33
0.24
KC34
0.14
KC35
0.12
KC36
0.10
KC37
0.16
KC38
0.22
PB04
3.25
PB06
2.21
PB07
2.46 PB08
1.97
PB09
1.67
PB12
1.28
PB13
0.38
PB18
4.01
PB20
2.03
PB21
2.48
PB26
0.56
PB27
2.08
PB29
0.36
PB54
4.23
PB55
2.88
PB59
3.38
PB67
1.14PB68
3.25
PB69
3.63PB70
3.47
PB71
4.36
PB72
3.22
PB74
0.97
PB75
3.49
PB76
1.55
RP01
0.11
RP03
0.01
UB02
0.68
APPROXIMATE BOUNDARY OF
ANCIENT PORTUGUESE BEND
LANDSLIDE COMPLEX
COTTON,S HIRES AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
CONSULTING ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA
SC6163
POS
MP
November 8, 2024
1"=500'
FIGURE NO.
PROJECT NO.
DATE
SCALE
APPROVED BY
GEO/ENG BY
GPS MONITORING DISPLACEMENT RATE
CONTOUR MAP (10/29/24 DATA)
1
Abalone Cove, Portuguese Bend, Klondike Canyon
Hillshade basemap produced from publicly available LiDAR:
"2015 - 2016 LARIAC Lidar DEM: Los Angeles Region, CA"
D-4
No
r
t
h
No
r
t
h
0 250 500 1000
(feet)
PONY TRAIL
PORTUGUESE
BEND
LANDSLIDE
FLYING
TRIANGLE
LANDSLIDE
KLONDIKE
CANYON
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
PORTUGUESE
POINT
INSPIRATION
POINT
SACRED
COVE
BURMA ROAD
PALOS VERDES DRIVE SOUTH
BURMA
ROAD
EXPLANATION
Limits of the Ancient Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex
Limits of Historically Mapped Landslides
2023/2024 Landslide Mapping
SEAVIEW TRACT
Current Limits of Major
Landslide Movement (March
2024)
CURRENT LIMITS OF
MAJOR LANDSLIDE
MOVEMENT (MARCH 2024)
GPS Monument
Displacement Rate
(September 4, 2024 to
October 8, 2024)
Displacement Vector
Scale 1"= 8"/week
1.0
2.0
5.0
3.0
4
.
0
6.0
7.
0
5.0
6.0
7.
0
6.0
7.0
6.0
"Creeping Area"
Approximately 0.5 inch/week
Displacement Rate Table
Minimum Rate
(inch/week)
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
Maximum Rate
(inch/week)
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
Color
10.00 11.00
11.00 12.00
1.00 2.00
12.00 13.00
0.00 1.00
AB01
0.05
AB04
6.09
AB13
7.23
AB16
5.42
AB17
0.04
AB21
7.29
AB24
7.88
AB50
3.88
AB51
6.18
AB53
7.37
AB57
6.17
AB58
7.44
AB59
7.90
AB60
6.74
AB62
5.03
AB63
6.23
AB64
0.17
AB65
6.14
AB66
6.91
AB67
5.09
AB68
6.82
AB70
7.85
AB73
6.04
AB74
3.86
AB75
7.18
AB76
0.11
AB77
0.06
AB78
1.78
AB79
0.04
AB80
0.04
CR50
0.35 CR51
0.44
CR53
0.43
CR54
6.85
CR56
0.07
CR57
0.11
CR58
0.36
CR59
0.03
CR60
0.00
CW01
0.03
CW05
0.47
CW06
0.07
CW08
0.02
FT08
0.03
FT09
0.04
FT10
0.03
KC05
1.05
KC06
1.57
KC07
0.04
KC13
0.55
KC14
0.05
KC15
1.53
KC16
0.02
KC17
1.34
KC18
2.49 KC19
1.35
KC20
1.29
KC21
0.04
KC22
1.80
KC23
1.05
KC24
1.75
KC25
0.08
KC26
1.34KC28
1.98
KC29
2.27
KC30
3.33
KC31
3.23
KC33
1.67
KC34
0.05
KC35
0.05
KC36
0.03
KC37
0.04
KC38
2.47
PB04
5.74
PB06
4.58
PB07
5.11 PB08
4.62 PB09
4.08
PB12
4.21
PB13
3.04
PB18
6.95
PB20
4.99
PB21
4.96
PB26
4.01
PB27
5.05
PB29
3.42
PB54
6.99
PB55
5.26
PB59
5.88
PB67
4.63PB68
5.71
PB69
5.64PB70
6.03
PB71
7.08
PB72
5.77
PB74
4.54
PB75
6.28
PB76
3.84
RP01
0.04
RP03
0.00
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
UB02
3.74
APPROXIMATE BOUNDARY OF
ANCIENT PORTUGUESE BEND
LANDSLIDE COMPLEX
COTTON,S HIRES AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
CONSULTING ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA
SC6163
POS
MP
November 8, 2024
1"=500'
FIGURE NO.
PROJECT NO.
DATE
SCALE
APPROVED BY
GEO/ENG BY
GPS MONITORING DISPLACEMENT RATE
CONTOUR MAP (10/8/24 DATA)
2
Abalone Cove, Portuguese Bend, Klondike Canyon
Hillshade basemap produced from publicly available LiDAR:
"2015 - 2016 LARIAC Lidar DEM: Los Angeles Region, CA"
D-5
No
r
t
h
No
r
t
h
0 250 500 1000
(feet)
PONY TRAIL
PORTUGUESE
BEND
LANDSLIDE
FLYING
TRIANGLE
LANDSLIDE
KLONDIKE
CANYON
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
PORTUGUESE
POINT
INSPIRATION
POINT
SACRED
COVE
BURMA ROAD
PALOS VERDES DRIVE SOUTH
BURMA
ROAD
EXPLANATION
Limits of the Ancient Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex
Limits of Historically Mapped Landslides
2023/2024 Landslide Mapping
SEAVIEW TRACT
Current Limits of Major
Landslide Movement (March
2024)
CURRENT LIMITS OF
MAJOR LANDSLIDE
MOVEMENT (MARCH 2024)
GPS Monument
Displacement Rate
(August 1, 2024 to
September 4, 2024)
Displacement Vector
Scale 1"= 8"/week
AB04
8.20
AB16
7.30
AB17
0.00
AB21
10.90
AB50
6.20
AB53
10.70
AB57
9.10
AB59
11.70
AB60
9.70
AB62
6.70
AB63
8.10
AB64
0.30
AB66
9.70
AB67
6.80
AB70
11.00
AB73
9.40
AB74
5.30
AB75
10.60
AB76
0.20
AB77
0.00
CR50
0.50
CR53
0.60
CR54
10.70
KC05
2.00
KC06
3.60
KC14
0.10
KC16
0.00
KC17
2.70
KC19
3.10
KC21
0.10KC22
4.00
KC23
2.40
KC24
4.60
KC28
4.70
KC31
7.50
KC33
3.70
KC36
0.10
PB07
9.60
PB09
7.90
PB13
8.50
PB18
11.00
PB20
10.50
PB21
10.40
PB26
9.20
PB29
8.30
PB59
9.70
AB01
0.10
AB02
0.10
AB13
10.10
AB24
10.80
AB51
8.60
AB58
10.40
AB65
8.40
AB68
9.40
CR51
0.60CR56
0.10
CW01
0.00
CW05
0.60
CW06
0.00
CW07
0.00
CW08
0.10
FT06
8.00
FT08
0.00
FT09
0.10
KC07
0.10
KC13
1.30
KC15
3.40
KC18
6.80
KC20
2.60
KC25
0.20
KC26
3.50
KC29
5.50
KC30
7.70
KC34
0.00
KC35
0.00
KC37
0.10
PB04
9.20 PB06
8.00
PB08
8.70
PB12
10.80
PB27
10.70
PB54
10.90
PB55
10.30
PB67
10.10PB68
9.30
PB69
9.60
PB70
10.00
PB71
11.40
PB72
9.80
PB74
9.70
PB75
10.60
RP01
0.00
RP02
0.00
UB02
8.20
5.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
6.0
10
.
0
7
.
0
8
.
0
9
.
0
9.0
9
.
0
10.0
1
1
.
0
11.0
1
0
.
0
10.
0
7.0
8.0
9.0
1
0
.
0
7.0
8
.
0
9
.
0
7.0
8.
0
"Creeping Area"
Approximately 0.5 inch/week
Displacement Rate Table
Minimum Rate
(inch/week)
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
Maximum Rate
(inch/week)
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
Color
10.00 11.00
11.00 12.00
1.00 2.00
12.00 13.00
0.00 1.00
APPROXIMATE BOUNDARY OF
ANCIENT PORTUGUESE BEND
LANDSLIDE COMPLEX
COTTON,S HIRES AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
CONSULTING ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA
SC6163
POS
MP
September 25, 2024
1"=500'
FIGURE NO.
PROJECT NO.
DATE
SCALE
APPROVED BY
GEO/ENG BY
GPS MONITORING DISPLACEMENT RATE
CONTOUR MAP (9/4/24 DATA)
3
Abalone Cove, Portuguese Bend, Klondike Canyon
Hillshade basemap produced from publicly available LiDAR:
"2015 - 2016 LARIAC Lidar DEM: Los Angeles Region, CA"
D-6
No
r
t
h
No
r
t
h
0 250 500 1000
(feet)
PONY TRAIL
PORTUGUESE
BEND
LANDSLIDE
FLYING
TRIANGLE
LANDSLIDE
KLONDIKE
CANYON
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
LANDSLIDE
ABALONE
COVE
PORTUGUESE
POINT
INSPIRATION
POINT
SACRED
COVE
APPROXIMATE BOUNDARY OF
ANCIENT PORTUGUESE BEND
LANDSLIDE COMPLEX
BURMA ROAD
PALOS VERDES DRIVE SOUTH
EXPLANATION
Limits of the Ancient Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex
Limits of Historically Mapped Landslides
2023/2024 Landslide Mapping
SEAVIEW TRACT
Current Limits of Major
Landslide Movement (March
2024)
CURRENT LIMITS OF
MAJOR LANDSLIDE
MOVEMENT (MARCH 2024)
GPS Monument Displacement
Rate (July 1, 2024 to August 1,
2024) Displacement Vector
Scale 1"= 8"/week
10.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
11.0
12.0
5
.
0
10
.
0
3.04.0
6
.
0
7
.
0
8
.
0
9
.
0
11
.
0
Displacement Rate Table
Minimum Rate
(inch/week)
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
Maximum Rate
(inch/week)
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
Color
10.00 11.00
11.00 12.00
1.00 2.00
AB04
9.20
AB13
10.64
AB16
7.49
AB17
0.01
AB24
11.23
AB51
8.95
AB53
11.29
AB58
11.00
AB59
12.65
AB60
10.19
AB62
7.08
AB63
9.11
AB65
8.88
AB66
10.10
AB68
9.79
AB70
11.69
AB71 no data
0.00
AB73
10.75
AB74
5.16
AB75
11.99
AB76
0.24
CR07 no data
0.00
CR50
0.33
CW08
0.05
FT06
9.37
KC05
2.41
KC07
0.03
KC13
1.46
KC15
3.91
KC17
3.53
KC18
7.84
KC19
3.40
KC20
3.45
KC23
2.72
KC26
4.09
KC27
3.88
KC30
9.21
PB06
10.07
PB08
10.84
PB12
11.45
PB13
8.82
PB18
11.89
PB20
10.83
PB21
10.41
PB27
10.91
PB55
11.13
PB59
11.36
PB67
12.29PB68
11.15
PB69
11.13PB70
11.58
PB71
12.96
PB72
11.81
PB73
9.39
PB74
11.39
PB75
11.54
RP01
0.02
RP02
0.03
UB02
9.98
AB01
0.06
AB02
0.06
AB05
8.55
AB21
12.43
AB50
6.86
AB57
9.39
AB64
0.48
AB67
7.48
AB77
0.08
CR51
0.47
CR53
0.49
CR54
11.80
CR56
0.07
CW01
0.06
CW05
0.52
CW06
0.05
CW07
0.04
FT08
0.02
FT09
0.01
KC06
3.89
KC14
0.08
KC16
0.03
KC21
0.04KC22
4.09
KC24
5.16
KC25
0.23
KC28
5.60
KC29
6.48
KC31
8.23
KC33
3.84
PB04
11.34
PB07
11.68 PB09
9.92
PB26
9.87
PB29
9.36
PB54
11.89
1
0
.
0
9.
0
1
1
.
0
1
2
.
0
12
.
0
11.0
12.0
5.0
10
.
0
3.0
4.0
6
.
0
7.
08.
09.0
"Creeping Area"
Approximately 0.5 inch/week
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
12.00 13.00
0.00 1.00
COTTON,S HIRES AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
CONSULTING ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA
SC6163
POS
MP
August 18, 2024
1"=500'
FIGURE NO.
PROJECT NO.
DATE
SCALE
APPROVED BY
GEO/ENG BY
GPS MONITORING DISPLACEMENT RATE
CONTOUR MAP (8/1/24 DATA)
4
Abalone Cove, Portuguese Bend, Klondike Canyon
Hillshade basemap produced from publicly available LiDAR:
"2015 - 2016 LARIAC Lidar DEM: Los Angeles Region, CA"
D-7
An average month is 30.42 days
* = Indicates no horizontal movement detected in the Period at the 95% level of confidence
$ = Overall Movement is Relative to the Date of Origin which varies, see Page 1 for Date
1 = Probable Error of the Indicated Movement not the Rate/Month
2 = The normalized rate is based on a 6.1x multiplyer which reflects noise & movement; The noise (95% Error) is estimated at 0.10' therefore results in this column may be miss-leading
NAVD88 Rate/Mo
Point North (ft) East (ft) Elev(ft) North East Height Azim.º 2D Dist. North East Height Azim.º 2D Dist. 95%Err(1)Rate/Mo.Note % Chg North East Height Azim.º 2D Dist.Rate/Mo.(2)
AB01 1729427.53 6445709.62 178.68 -0.06 0.01 0.06 175 0.06 -0.01 0.01 0.04 131 0.01 0.04 *-0.03 0.00 0.04 184 0.03
AB02
AB04 1728359.04 6447090.17 62.68 -32.95 -33.17 -4.89 225 46.76 -0.88 -0.93 -0.12 227 1.28 0.04 1.44 -7 -0.17 -0.16 -0.03 222 0.23 1.42
AB05 1728049.05 6447614.68 77.50 -26.67 -30.49 -3.40 229 40.51 -0.78 -0.79 0.03 225 1.11 0.04 1.25 -10
AB13 1729887.13 6448224.78 356.83 -41.77 -11.26 -8.20 195 43.26 -1.48 -0.30 -0.33 191 1.51 0.04 1.70 -5
AB16 1730329.98 6447526.57 374.73 -28.90 -5.56 -1.89 191 29.43 -1.14 -0.18 -0.02 189 1.16 0.04 1.30 5
AB17 1731420.97 6446727.81 442.74 -0.15 0.03 -0.06 168 0.16 0.01 0.03 -0.05 66 0.03 0.04 0.03 *
AB21 1729310.96 6449663.02 394.13 -44.11 -12.00 -0.81 195 45.72 -1.33 -0.24 -0.03 190 1.35 0.04 1.52 -9
AB24 1729785.59 6447747.90 334.26 -44.76 -12.06 -1.66 195 46.36 -1.58 -0.28 -0.19 190 1.60 0.04 1.81 -6
AB50 1728068.82 6448227.44 184.30 -16.18 -20.74 2.32 232 26.30 -0.37 -0.48 0.03 233 0.61 0.04 0.69 -1 -0.10 -0.10 -0.01 226 0.14 0.85
AB51 1729583.24 6447294.14 303.88 -33.77 -12.40 -1.54 200 35.98 -1.23 -0.38 0.00 197 1.29 0.04 1.45 -3
AB53 1730386.93 6449704.70 348.37 -44.17 -7.67 -4.76 190 44.83 -1.32 -0.20 -0.12 189 1.33 0.04 1.50 -7
AB57 1731894.27 6449751.99 554.79 -32.63 -7.38 -10.14 193 33.46 -0.99 -0.70 -0.31 215 1.21 0.04 1.37 -5
AB58 1731075.00 6449072.52 398.02 -43.02 -2.41 -7.65 183 43.09 -1.40 -0.13 -0.33 185 1.40 0.04 1.58 -11
AB59 1730802.00 6450207.51 421.60 -48.86 -5.05 -12.77 186 49.12 -1.47 -0.17 -0.38 187 1.48 0.04 1.67 -3
AB60 1729052.00 6447970.00 176.30 -37.70 -17.57 -3.15 205 41.59 -1.27 -0.60 -0.03 205 1.40 0.04 1.58 -6
AB62 1728880.45 6446908.40 139.85 -29.90 -17.06 -3.16 210 34.42 -0.89 -0.63 -0.07 215 1.09 0.04 1.23 -4 -0.18 -0.13 -0.03 216 0.22 1.33
AB63 1729024.52 6447286.97 170.44 -34.77 -20.07 -10.40 210 40.15 -1.10 -0.70 -0.34 212 1.31 0.04 1.47 -3 -0.17 -0.11 -0.01 214 0.20 1.24
AB64 1731829.24 6447374.42 531.61 -1.45 1.34 -0.64 137 1.97 -0.02 0.02 -0.03 137 0.02 0.04 0.03 *
AB65 1731671.84 6448268.44 448.39 -33.84 4.37 -10.14 173 34.12 -1.22 0.05 -0.42 178 1.22 0.04 1.38 -7
AB66 1730008.43 6448480.96 368.62 -38.85 -9.57 -5.66 194 40.02 -1.36 -0.27 -0.14 191 1.39 0.04 1.56 -3
AB67 1731152.96 6447739.91 399.20 -27.45 -1.84 -6.12 184 27.51 -1.04 -0.09 -0.20 185 1.04 0.04 1.17 -2
AB68 1730221.03 6448047.32 386.48 -37.82 -8.04 -6.96 192 38.67 -1.36 -0.26 -0.25 191 1.38 0.04 1.56 -4
AB70 1729247.70 6448337.65 250.44 -43.78 -15.22 -3.70 199 46.35 -1.55 -0.40 -0.13 195 1.60 0.04 1.80 2
AB73 1728421.01 6448380.86 303.74 -35.03 -13.17 -2.97 201 37.42 -0.95 -0.30 -0.15 198 1.00 0.04 1.13 -8
AB74 1729594.06 6446845.36 269.40 -11.53 -7.79 -2.50 214 13.91 -0.60 -0.45 -0.13 217 0.75 0.04 0.85 -8
AB75 1729592.75 6449329.24 347.80 -27.41 -7.12 -1.22 195 28.32 -1.33 -0.24 -0.06 190 1.36 0.04 1.53 -9
AB76 1730022.75 6446807.03 385.76 -0.37 0.39 -0.52 134 0.54 -0.03 0.05 -0.02 121 0.06 0.04 0.07
AB77 1733161.93 6446514.83 895.34 0.01 -0.03 0.02 286 0.03 0.02 0.02 -0.06 42 0.02 0.04 0.03 *
AB78 1732238.94 6448523.51 568.82 -2.22 0.64 -0.93 164 2.31 0.08 -0.15 -0.12 297 0.17 0.04 Disturbed
AB79 1734784.23 6448718.99 1169.64 0.03 -0.01 -0.13 340 0.03 0.01 -0.02 -0.11 302 0.02 0.04 0.03 *
AB80 1734692.18 6447838.30 1165.44 0.03 0.00 -0.11 358 0.03 0.03 -0.01 -0.12 333 0.03 0.04 0.04 *
AB81 1731136.13 6448788.08 395.44 -4.26 -0.36 -0.87 185 4.28 -1.32 -0.12 -0.29 185 1.32 0.04 1.49 -8 -0.22 -0.02 -0.08 184 0.22 1.35
CR50 1733013.08 6451036.42 872.26 -0.54 -0.96 -0.40 241 1.10 0.00 0.00 -0.06 37 0.01 0.04 0.01 *
CR51 1733061.35 6452360.84 975.89 -0.68 -1.02 -0.36 236 1.23 0.02 -0.02 -0.12 315 0.02 0.04 0.03 *
CR53 1732779.46 6450222.82 780.27 -0.81 -1.37 -0.46 239 1.59 0.02 -0.01 -0.08 333 0.02 0.04 0.02 *
CR54 1731207.76 6450984.80 518.49 -37.48 -7.03 -9.05 191 38.13 -1.22 -0.42 -0.16 199 1.28 0.04 1.45 -6
CR55
CR55A 1735437.69 6450188.39 1157.23 0.02 -0.02 -0.04 319 0.03 0.02 -0.01 -0.14 343 0.02 0.04 0.03 *
CR56 1733194.39 6449201.91 782.63 -0.01 0.01 0.05 140 0.02 0.01 -0.02 -0.03 292 0.02 0.04 0.02 *
CR57 1731568.84 6451323.47 619.42 -0.03 -0.06 0.48 243 0.07 0.02 -0.01 -0.02 332 0.02 0.04 0.03 *
CR58 1732680.44 6452989.34 916.89 -0.17 -0.21 -0.11 230 0.27 0.01 -0.02 -0.06 288 0.03 0.04 0.03 *
CR59 1731860.95 6453394.73 878.05 -0.02 -0.01 -0.04 215 0.02 0.01 -0.01 -0.04 308 0.02 0.04 0.02 *
CR60 1732970.80 6452807.49 921.81 -0.04 -0.10 -0.05 251 0.11 0.02 -0.04 -0.05 297 0.05 0.04 0.05 *
CW01 1734174.36 6450266.36 1175.34 0.05 0.03 0.00 34 0.06 0.02 0.00 -0.11 344 0.02 0.04 0.02 *
CW05 1732067.28 6450634.49 701.86 -1.08 -1.02 -0.07 223 1.48 0.02 -0.02 -0.07 323 0.03 0.04 0.03 *
CW06 1730906.26 6452118.20 529.79 0.02 0.03 0.02 54 0.03 0.02 0.00 -0.04 348 0.02 0.04 0.02 *
CW07
CW08 1729146.33 6453119.79 607.48 0.04 0.00 0.02 7 0.04 0.02 0.00 -0.03 2 0.02 0.04 0.03 *
FT06
FT08 1729388.70 6453350.49 658.32 0.02 -0.02 -0.12 312 0.03 0.03 0.01 -0.09 23 0.03 0.04 0.04 *
FT09 1729052.88 6454289.24 590.82 -0.02 -0.06 -0.01 249 0.06 0.01 0.01 -0.02 42 0.01 0.04 0.01 *
FT10 1730454.57 6452471.93 482.24 0.00 0.01 -0.11 90 0.01 0.03 0.00 -0.04 9 0.03 0.04 0.04 *
KC05 1727077.20 6453174.11 226.79 -4.80 -4.99 -1.07 226 6.92 -0.01 -0.03 -0.01 260 0.03 0.04 0.03 *
KC06 1727782.51 6453384.98 295.74 -2.40 -11.68 -4.61 258 11.93 0.01 0.05 0.01 81 0.05 0.04 0.05
KC07 1727759.40 6453683.89 313.46 0.02 0.04 -0.05 60 0.05 0.00 0.01 0.02 98 0.01 0.04 0.01 *
KC13 1726576.30 6453068.87 192.05 -4.85 -0.76 0.85 189 4.91 -0.03 0.01 0.04 164 0.03 0.04 0.03 *-0.04 0.00 -0.01 181 0.04 0.25
KC14 1726742.30 6453805.54 260.00 -0.14 -0.51 0.06 255 0.53 -0.01 0.01 0.02 126 0.01 0.04 0.02 *
KC15 1727584.38 6453111.53 284.09 -6.07 -9.57 -3.01 238 11.33 -0.04 0.02 -0.02 156 0.04 0.04 0.05 *-0.03 0.01 0.00 153 0.03 0.19
KC16 1727602.26 6454098.25 327.19 0.01 0.01 0.29 45 0.02 0.02 0.00 -0.04 354 0.02 0.04 0.02 *
KC17 1727295.88 6453019.54 212.73 -6.88 -6.89 -2.52 225 9.74 0.02 -0.03 -0.10 301 0.04 0.04 0.04 *-0.01 -0.01 0.01 219 0.01 0.09
KC18 1727979.51 6452613.70 289.19 -20.99 -8.47 -1.99 202 22.63 -0.04 0.01 0.06 162 0.04 0.04 0.05 *
KC19 1727780.03 6453488.61 302.78 -0.37 -8.61 -3.55 268 8.62 -0.02 0.00 -0.02 167 0.02 0.04 0.02 *
KC20 1727695.35 6453561.65 303.76 0.18 -7.89 -3.54 271 7.89 -0.03 0.00 -0.04 174 0.03 0.04 0.03 *
KC21 1728095.87 6453495.12 383.57 0.05 0.04 -0.04 35 0.06 0.03 0.01 -0.04 20 0.03 0.04 0.03 *
KC22 1728008.16 6453287.44 329.17 -2.00 -10.45 -5.18 259 10.64 0.00 0.00 -0.01 214 0.00 0.04 0.00 *
KC23 1727348.76 6453321.59 267.58 -2.67 -5.42 -1.73 244 6.04 -0.03 0.00 0.01 187 0.03 0.04 0.04 *
KC24 Destroyed Destroyed
KC25 1726304.90 6452805.42 19.85 -0.39 -0.19 0.05 206 0.43 0.01 0.02 0.08 67 0.03 0.04 0.03 *
KC26 1726723.10 6452425.83 31.08 -6.43 -1.29 6.33 191 6.56 0.00 0.03 -0.07 84 0.03 0.04 0.04 *
KC28 1726768.65 6451998.90 26.23 -9.15 -1.01 6.29 186 9.21 -0.02 0.02 -0.02 131 0.03 0.04 0.04 *
KC29 1726923.99 6451934.55 19.99 -10.44 -3.09 2.09 196 10.89 -0.02 0.00 -0.01 180 0.02 0.04 0.02 *
KC30 1727529.57 6452142.02 97.68 -14.47 -4.49 -2.57 197 15.16 -0.01 0.01 -0.06 129 0.01 0.04 0.01 *
KC31 1727911.14 6452353.24 206.91 -13.79 -4.96 -0.59 200 14.66 -0.02 0.01 0.02 143 0.02 0.04 0.02 *-0.01 -0.01 0.00 229 0.01 0.06
KC33 1727817.32 6453174.71 310.35 -1.19 -3.43 -1.55 251 3.63 -0.03 0.00 0.04 187 0.03 0.04 0.03 *
KC34 1726698.42 6454866.44 325.39 0.01 0.00 0.02 9 0.01 0.03 -0.02 0.03 328 0.03 0.04 0.03 *
KC35 1726861.67 6454504.97 313.28 0.01 0.01 -0.02 45 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 180 0.00 0.04 0.00 *
KC36 1726390.06 6454165.10 254.99 -0.01 -0.05 -0.02 256 0.05 -0.02 -0.04 -0.03 242 0.04 0.04 0.05 *
KC37 1726109.84 6454779.85 280.31 0.02 0.00 -0.02 15 0.02 0.00 0.01 -0.04 90 0.01 0.04 0.01 *
KC38 Destroyed Destroyed
PB04 1727622.89 6448833.07 164.31 -53.04 -18.67 -6.21 199 56.23 -0.99 -0.30 0.04 197 1.03 0.04 1.16 -3 -0.22 -0.05 0.02 193 0.22 1.35
PB06 1727897.49 6449747.93 173.93 -70.95 -13.91 -9.13 191 72.31 -0.75 -0.05 0.02 184 0.75 0.04 0.85 4 -0.16 -0.01 0.06 184 0.16 0.97
PB07 1728091.75 6450198.26 195.96 -84.18 -21.50 -4.25 194 86.88 -0.83 -0.09 0.08 186 0.83 0.04 0.94 6 -0.16 -0.01 0.05 183 0.16 1.00
PB08 1728159.21 6450450.55 195.97 -78.29 -19.25 2.29 194 80.63 -0.69 -0.03 0.18 182 0.69 0.04 0.78 2 -0.16 0.00 0.06 179 0.16 0.99
PB09 1728205.89 6450840.69 188.46 -82.69 -10.33 -4.06 187 83.33 -0.56 0.10 0.14 170 0.57 0.04 0.64 1 -0.10 0.00 0.01 178 0.10 0.61
PB12 1728204.08 6451566.60 178.33 -126.40 -37.96 -14.96 197 131.98 -0.44 -0.03 -0.09 184 0.44 0.04 0.49 0 -0.12 0.01 0.04 175 0.12 0.72
PB13 1728005.25 6452133.07 205.75 -80.72 -31.27 -4.79 201 86.57 -0.14 -0.07 0.00 206 0.15 0.04 0.17 23 -0.05 -0.01 0.04 188 0.05 0.33
PB18 1730385.77 6450714.75 356.72 -61.11 3.75 -10.86 176 61.23 -1.16 -0.09 -0.16 184 1.16 0.04 1.31 -7
PB20 1728691.98 6451110.91 225.41 -120.79 -24.77 -18.14 192 123.30 -0.63 -0.02 -0.05 182 0.63 0.04 0.71 -4
PB21 1729196.91 6451171.12 266.19 -101.31 -0.93 -13.83 181 101.31 -0.72 0.07 -0.11 174 0.72 0.04 0.81 -5
PB26 1729505.12 6452245.70 280.06 -57.53 -3.86 -5.28 184 57.66 -0.23 0.05 0.01 167 0.24 0.04 0.27 2 -0.05 0.01 -0.02 173 0.05 0.31
PB27 1729192.01 6451833.97 261.67 -147.33 -2.09 -22.75 181 147.34 -0.68 0.05 -0.10 176 0.68 0.04 0.76 -2
PB29 1728803.28 6452077.39 160.13 -85.67 -43.10 -25.80 207 95.90 -0.15 -0.11 -0.04 217 0.18 0.04 0.21 17
PB54 1729646.63 6450439.06 355.80 -48.27 -9.62 -2.82 191 49.22 -1.17 -0.08 -0.12 184 1.17 0.04 1.32 -8
PB55 1728728.99 6450790.18 231.99 -83.30 -13.86 -14.34 189 84.44 -0.79 -0.04 -0.19 183 0.79 0.04 0.89 -7
PB59 1727710.18 6448644.07 151.92 -56.19 -17.60 -11.47 197 58.88 -0.98 -0.32 0.01 198 1.03 0.04 1.16 -3
PB67 1727550.83 6450841.92 64.46 -87.90 -16.26 -11.55 190 89.39 -0.49 -0.04 -0.08 185 0.49 0.04 0.55 8 -0.13 0.03 -0.11 166 0.14 0.83
PB68 1727625.70 6448969.09 171.93 -39.75 -13.90 -1.17 199 42.11 -1.04 -0.25 0.00 194 1.07 0.04 1.20 0
PB69 1727741.57 6448763.17 162.24 -41.48 -15.42 -2.44 200 44.25 -0.95 -0.30 0.02 197 0.99 0.04 1.12 -4
PB70 1727813.86 6448603.67 149.70 -41.05 -15.92 -6.54 201 44.03 -0.99 -0.29 0.02 197 1.03 0.04 1.16 -6 -0.19 -0.06 0.06 197 0.20 1.24
PB71RP 1728427.96 6449740.94 284.00 -5.71 -0.67 -0.85 187 5.74 -1.25 -0.14 -0.15 186 1.26 0.04 1.42 -7
PB72 1727618.23 6449327.51 199.17 -32.09 -13.92 3.28 203 34.98 -0.95 -0.29 -0.02 197 1.00 0.04 1.13 -2
PB74
PB75 1729047.62 6450345.01 268.52 -36.24 -6.90 -3.38 191 36.89 -1.04 -0.02 -0.16 181 1.04 0.04 1.17 -4
PB76 1729969.48 6451645.72 291.22 -3.62 -0.15 -0.57 182 3.62 -0.46 0.04 -0.05 175 0.46 0.04 0.52 -7 -0.09 0.00 0.00 182 0.09 0.56
PB77 1727520.23 6451675.98 99.08 -0.40 -0.05 0.04 187 0.40 -0.40 -0.05 0.04 187 0.40 0.04 0.45
UB02 1727472.13 6450140.28 65.47 -108.99 6.49 -1.68 177 109.18 -0.29 0.09 0.00 163 0.30 0.04 0.34 10
PVE3RP 1729195.88 6438764.70 346.91 0.00 0.02 0.03 0.02 -0.01 0.03 0.04 0.03 0.04 *
RP01 1725591.74 6455633.55 292.75 0.00 0.01 0.04 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.03 0.01 0.04 *
RP02 1730832.98 6445586.64 480.61 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Fixed Fixed
RP03 1730848.51 6445628.20 479.95 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 -0.01 0.01 0.04 *
RP05 1730809.67 6445501.99 474.22 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.04 *
Av.0.60 Av. -2 Av.0.78
NAD83 CA SPC Zone 5 Original Position to February 3, 2025 January 7, 2025 to February 3, 2025 (27 days / 0.888 Mo.)Jan. 29 to Feb. 3, 2025 (5 days / 0.164 Mo.)
Page 43/43PORTUGUESE BEND LANDSLIDE MONITORING - MOVEMENT as of February 3, 2025
Prepared by McGee Surveying Consulting - Document Date: February 8, 2025
Monitoring Point Movements
Note: Full MONITORING #64 (M64)
February 3, 2025 Positions $ Overall Movements (US Feet)Periodic Movements M60 to M64 (US Feet)Periodic Movements M63 to M64 (US Ft)
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Gavin Newsom, Governor
Gabe Tiffany, Acting Director
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M E M O R A N D U M
DATE: FEBRUARY 24, 2025
TO: Derek Bays, PG
Engineering Geologist
Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
3650 Schriever Ave.
Mather, CA 95655
SUBJECT: CalOES Mission Task No. 2024-SOC-00115577 – Assessment of Recent Landslide Movement,
Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex
Introduction and B ackground
The California Geological Survey (CGS) was tasked by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
CalOES) to assist with the evaluation of movement in an area of historic deep-seated landslide activity
in Los Angeles County known as the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex. This emergency assessment
has been conducted in response to CalOES Mission Task No. 2024-SOC-00115577. The purpose of this
memo is to provide CalOES with a summary of our observations regarding landslide movement since
January 2024 using satellite and aircraft-based optical imagery and radar data (collectively termed
remote sensing in this report).
The goal of this report is to provide additional information on the overall movement of the Portuguese
Bend Landslide Complex to support situational awareness by performing a rapid evaluation using
Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and optical image correlation methods (also known as
pixel tracking). The intent of this analysis is to provide spatially continuous observations within and
outside of the current footprint of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes GPS survey network. The results of
our analysis should be used to inform where future efforts should be focused in an evolving landslide
complex. As part of our analysis, we compare provided GPS survey station data by the City of Rancho
Palos Verdes to estimated slide movement from the pixel tracking approach. Figures referenced herein
are found in Appendix A.
Summary of Movement Evaluation
As discussed in the analysis below, the behavior of the landslide changed dramatically in early to mid-
2023, and the slide continued moving, even in the dry season. Between January 11 and July 7, 2024,
17.7 feet (ft) (5.4 meters (m)) of displacement occurred over 177 days, with an average rate of 3.05
ft/month (0.93 m/month). Between July 7 and October 24, 2024, 14.1 ft (4.3 m) of displacement
occurred over 109 days, with an average rate of 3.9 ft/month (1.19 m/month). It is important to note
that while the approach described in this Memo can be used to provide a regional view of overall land
movement, values at specific locations would need to be verified with observation and measurement by
qualified professionals. Accordingly, the results of the analysis in this Memo should not be used to make
site-specific decisions.
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Geologic Context
The Palos Verdes peninsula is located in south Los Angeles County (Figure 1) and has a documented
history of mapped landslides and historic landslide movement. The Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex
is located on the southern edge of the Palos Verdes peninsula and is a mega-landslide that originated in
Pleistocene time, approximately 120,000 years ago (Ehlig, 1992). The Palos Verdes peninsula contains
the Palos Verdes Hills, a northwest-southeast-trending ridge that comprises the bulk of the peninsula.
The peninsula is underlain by Tertiary marine volcanic and sedimentary units of the Monterey Formation
CGS, 2007, after Saucedo and others, 2003). These units, underlain by Mesozoic Catalina Schist, form a
doubly-plunging, curved anticline, also trending generally northwest-southeast, and bounded on the
northeast by the Palos Verdes Fault (CGS, 2007; CGS, 2016). The axis of the anticline creates a
southwest-facing concave arc, roughly following the crest of the Palos Verdes Hills (CGS, 2007).
Landslide Occurrence
Landslide activity in the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex is controlled by the geologic
structure and susceptible geologic units of the Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary units,
particularly the presence of tuffaceous beds of the Altamira Shale that have been altered to
highly expansive montmorillonite-bentonite clays (CGS, 2007). Slides are generally dip-slope
slides on the southwest limb of the anticline (CGS, 2007). Dip slopes are where the orientation
of the rock layers is parallel or close to parallel to the topographic slope - these slopes are very
susceptible to landslides.
The Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex was recognized and identified in one of the first geologic maps
prepared for the region in 1946 (Woodring, 1946). More recently, CGS mapped the landslides of the
Palos Verdes Peninsula from aerial photography in 2007 (CGS, 2007, Figure 2). CGS defined the
landslides of the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex in this map ranging from Active/Historic to
Dormant-Old based on visible interpretation of the 1952 aerial photography and USGS National Aerial
Photography Program (NAPP) panchromatic photography from 1994 (CGS, 2007). Included as part of the
Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex are other distinct landslide features within or adjacent to the
ancient Portuguese Bend landslide. These include the Abalone Cove, Klondike Canyon, Beach Club and
adjacent Flying Triangle landslides (CGS, 2007). Collectively these will be considered to constitute the
Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex in this report.
Active Portuguese Bend landslide movement was noted in 1956, although movement has not been
consistent for various reasons, including episodic years of high rainfall followed by drought, and active
remediation efforts in the 1980s (Ehlig, 1992). Most recently, movement of the landslide complex began
to increase following the historically high rainfall of Winter 2023, with a relative rapid increase of
movement during Summer 2024. With the awareness of greater landslide movement, CalOES requested
the CGS to provide insight into this movement using remote sensing techniques.
Methods
Multiple methods of analysis are often used in evaluation of potential landslide movement in order to
increase the accuracy of results and to account for signal interference or other issues with satellite data.
Each method of analysis has strengths and weaknesses, and by using multiple methods to evaluate the
data and compare the results, a more reliable and correct outcome is assured. Here, the InSAR and pixel
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tracking methods were used for the analysis, along with a comparison of the pixel tracking method to
the GPS survey data from the City of Rancho Palos Verdes.
InSAR Analysis
To observe potential landslide movement, several remote sensing techniques were used. The first is
InSAR, which is a technique that can be used to estimate small ground displacements, on the order of
tenths of inches (millimeters), using radar phase interferometry. For this study, synthetic aperture radar
SAR) data from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite was accessed and processed through
the Alaska Satellite Facility. SAR data generated by Sentinel-1 is converted from radar sweep returns
from the satellite’s signal into a raster (gridded) data product. The resulting raster data collected is
available as a 131.2 ft (40-m) resolution (pixel size) product. An advantage of this technique is the small
level of detection (tenths of inches or millimeters) with a disadvantage being the coarse, approximately
131.2 ft (40 m) , spatial resolution of the product. This means that a small level of movement can be
detected, but the movement is averaged over an area of approximately 17,222 ft2 (1,600 m2). While this
data is freely available, there is little flexibility with respect to the collection interval, nominally every 12
days for each track, due to the dependence on standard satellite orbital trajectories. In addition to our
work with SAR data from Sentinel-1, SAR data has also been analyzed by a NASA JPL-Caltech collaborator
A. Handwerger) and is also shared in this report (Figure 3) and will be discussed separately below.
InSAR Analysis Accuracy and Uncertainties
One product derived from InSAR data is the line-of-sight displacement measured by the change in phase
of the radar signal between the two times the satellite passes over the area of interest (separated by a
minimum of 12 days). The measured displacement indicates where movement is detected and the
overall pattern of movement, i.e. movement as a coherent block or as an area of high strain
unorganized or unstable movement). Though theoretically possible, the displacement magnitudes are
not measurable with this technique for this specific slide due to the line-of-sight geometry (overall
north-south movement of the slide and westward look angle of the satellite). Additionally, the analysis
does not represent movement that occurs before or after the collection pair. High noise areas in the
InSAR signal are likely due to high-strain or large ground movements. However, InSAR noise can also be
caused by changes in vegetation and other sources of ground movement that may be unrelated to
landslide activity. Further investigation, such as in-person geologic field observation, are recommended
to understand the source of detected ground movement delineated by our analysis. The spatial accuracy
for this InSAR data analysis is a minimum of one pixel, which is approximately 131 ft x 131 ft (40 m by 40
m). The ground movement detected is an average within the pixel area, meaning some pixels may
appear stable even if a small area within them is moving and vice versa (disturbed or moving pixels may
contain areas of stable ground). Additionally, some of the lines depicted in Figure 4 were located on
gradients in the InSAR coherence raster 131 ft (40 m) pixel spacing, so some movement may have
occurred outside the mapped lines. Because the InSAR coherence signal can represent changes other
than land movement and the coherence is a measure of similarity from the baseline image, it is not
possible to precisely locate the edge of the signal, which in this case we are interpreting to represent
areas that are moving.
The analytical approach described above is meant to provide a regional view of overall land movement.
InSAR displacement values at specific locations on the ground would need to be verified with
observation and measurement by qualified professionals. Therefore, the results of this analysis should
not be used to make site-specific decisions.
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Pixel Tracking Analysis and Data Sources
The other method applied in this study was optical image correlation (also known as pixel tracking) that
can be used to quantify horizontal movement magnitudes and their spatial distribution. Optical image
correlation uses a pair of precisely coregistered images collected at different times that span some kind
of ground deformation (e.g. landslide or earthquake faulting) to quantify movement. The algorithm
takes co-located patches of pixels in the pre- and post-event imagery, transforms their values into the
Fourier domain (a mathematical technique that allows for the quantification of displacements at a
length scale smaller than the pixel itself, which is why patches of pixels are used) and calculates the
displacement (in both the north-south and east-west directions) between the patches of pixels. Because
the algorithm uses patches of pixels, it can detect sub-pixel dimension displacements. The level of
detection magnitude, the minimum displacement detectable, is dependent on the resolution of the
imagery. Theoretical minimum displacement detection magnitude is around 10-20 percent of the image
resolution, which means that 19.7 inch (50 cm) pixel resolution (the ground sample distance (GSD) used
in this analysis) should be able to detect as little as five centimeters of displacement. An advantage of
this technique is the flexibility in optical sensors used and, therefore, many opportunities for frequent
data collection and analysis. Additionally, this technique is more stable and can resolve and quantify
large displacements compared to InSAR analysis, which breaks down above around 19.7 inch (50 cm) of
displacement. The disadvantages are the lack of information about vertical displacements and the
relatively large level of detection (compared to InSAR, which can detect 0.04 in (single mm)
displacements). Pixel tracking cannot detect small displacements (anything under 2-4 in (5-10 cm)). The
first image correlation pair was derived from two satellite collections accessed through a license shared
by the USGS; the first on January 11th, 2024 (GeoEye-1, GSD 16.9 inch (43 cm); accessed through
Maxar/ NextView EULA) and the second on July 7th, 2024 (WorldView3, 11.8 inch (30 cm) GSD; accessed
through Maxar/NextView EULA). The second image correlation pair was derived from the same July 7th
satellite dataset (WorldView3; accessed through Maxar/NextView EULA) that was used as a baseline and
an aerial orthoimage (CalOES Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System (FIRIS), 4.33-inch (11 cm))
orthomosaic) that was collected on October 24th from their airborne imaging platform.
Pixel Tracking Analysis Accuracy and Uncertainties
The accuracy of the pixel tracking analysis is dependent on source image quality and the quality of the
orthorectification and coregistration. Using different terrain models to orthorectify the images (which is
the case in this analysis) introduces a source of uncertainty. Similarly, if the images are not accurately
coregistered there will exist a systematic shift that will bias the resulting displacements. Because the
analysis is based on patches of pixels, there is a smoothing effect to the resulting displacement map that
will obscure some of the fine-scale heterogeneity of displacements. This effect is especially an issue at
the edges of regions that have moved because some pixels in the analysis patch will lie in the stable
region while others will have moved. Similarly, areas with dense vegetation or other unstable areas such
as water will not easily correlate because so much of the area changes in appearance relatively quickly.
To estimate the uncertainties of the measurements derived from the pixel tracking algorithm, zonal
statistics were collected outside the region known to have moved in the timeframe assessed. For the
January to July pixel tracking analysis the mean and median value of displacement outside the region of
movement is 2.6 ft (0.8 m) with a standard deviation of 1.3 ft (0.4 m), equivalent to around 15 percent
error (7-22 percent range). For the July to October analysis the mean and median displacement value is
1.97 ft (0.6 m) with a standard deviation of 0.98 ft (0.3 m), resulting in around 14 percent error (7-21
percent range). Note that the average displacement values of the landslide area cited do not take into
account the heterogeneity of strain within the active slide area.
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The analytical approach described above is meant to provide a regional view of overall land movement.
Pixel tracking based displacement values at specific locations on the ground would need to be verified
with observation and measurement by qualified professionals. Therefore, the results of this analysis
should not be used to make site-specific decisions.
Review of GPS Survey Data to Pixel Tracking Analysis
The City of Rancho Palos Verdes is actively surveying movement of the Portuguese Bend Landslide
Complex. According to data and figures on the City of Rancho Palos Verdes website, the consulting firm
Cotton, Shires and Associates, Inc., is using GPS monitoring displacement data from a consulting
surveyor (McGee Surveying Consulting) to assess slide movement and make figures of these data
available to the public (City of Rancho Palos Verdes, 2024a). CGS was provided an Excel workbook of the
GPS monitoring displacement data from Mark Wingate at the Federal Emergency Management Agency
FEMA). This data set contains discontinuous GPS survey data from September 24, 2007, to October 29,
2024.
CGS reviewed these data for comparison to the landslide displacement data obtained via the pixel
tracking approach mentioned previously with the goal of history matching correlation of pixel tracking
to GPS surveyed data, given the dates, data acquisition parameters, and assumptions and limitations in
the approach.
To conduct this comparison, CGS formatted the City of Rancho Palos Verdes GPS survey data so that
survey dates could be most closely compared to the image acquisition dates described above. These
dates are tabulated below:
Table 1. GPS survey dates and pixel tracking image acquisition dates.
City of Rancho Palos Verdes GPS Survey Imagery for Pixel Tracking Analysis
January 13, 2024 January 11, 2024 (GeoEye-1)
July 1, 2024 July 7, 2024 (WorldView3)
October 29, 2024 October 24, 2024 (FIRIS/CalOES)
We converted the GPS station positions, provided in northing and easting in feet on State Plane
Coordinate System Zone 5 on the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) for the two sets of dates
January to July 2024 and July to October 2024) to determine a 2D displacement. Using the GIS software
ArcGIS Pro, we converted the northings and eastings to points in a GIS feature class (layer) for each
survey date where a survey measurement was available. From the two points, representing the
beginning and ending GPS station position, we created a line feature class to represent actual 2D
displacement.
We next took the end point of each displacement line and compared it to the results of the pixel
tracking analysis. The pixel tracking results at each line endpoint were added as an attribute to the GPS
survey position table in ArcGIS Pro. We then compared the GPS station displacements to the pixel
tracking results for the two date ranges. While reviewing the data, if a GPS survey station was found to
not have a corresponding data value from pixel tracking the point was removed from analysis. This
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affected one value in the January to July 2024 data and two values in the July to October 2024 data.
Additionally, one data point from each set was removed from statistical calculation upon data review as
a result of an anomalous measurement from the collected imagery.
Findings
Trends from 2016 through September 2024
Analysis has been performed by A. Handwerger (NASA JPL-Caltech ARIA Team) using InSAR data to
understand land movement in the area of the Palos Verdes Landslide complex (Figure 2). The
Handwerger analysis shows the change in coherence, a measure of similarity between radar images.
Low coherence implies dramatic or chaotic change or deformation occurring between the two radar
collection times. His analysis uses the average coherence for a month from 2015-2022 and compares
that with the coherence for each month in the water years of 2023 and 2024. Dr. Handwerger’s analysis
shows that the steady but resolvable landslide movement between 2015 and 2022 accelerates to an
unresolvable rate in late 2022 and early 2023. While the landslide movement does not necessarily slow
down or become resolvable after early 2023, the pattern or outline of deformation evolves over time
Figure 3). The analysis demonstrates:
Behavior of the landslide changed dramatically early to mid-2023
o The slide continued moving, even in the dry season
Handwerger (NASA-JPL) analysis presented in Figure 3 displays slight seasonality to the
landslide movement
o After early to mid-2023 there is little evidence for seasonality, primarily progression or
expansion of the landslide area
Displacement and Movement Direction from January 2024 through Present
Our InSAR analysis consisted of processing line-of-sight and coherence derivatives of representative 12-
day periods for every month going back to January 2024. The most recent reviewed 12-day period was
between October 17th and October 29th, 2024. As shown on Figure 4, movement was detected in the
areas encompassed by the dashed lines for each time period. This area, especially the boundary areas,
can be used by emergency personnel to understand the scope of potential movement within the
landslide complex. These boundaries may indicate areas for increased awareness of potential landslide
movement as well as areas to observe potential landslide movement with survey-grade surface
monitoring.
Between January 11th and July 7th, a slide-complex-wide average in the zonal statistics area of the pixel
tracking analysis (Figure 5):
17.7 ft (5.4 m) of movement occurred over 177 days between the collections
o This results in an average rate of 3.0 ft/month (0.9 m/month) (Figure 5)
Between July 7th and October 24th, a slide-complex-wide average in the zonal statistics area of the pixel
tracking analysis (Figure 6):
14.1 ft (4.3 m) of movement occurred over 109 days between the collections
o This results in an average rate of 3.9 ft/month (1.2 m/month) (Figure 6)
Important to note is that edge effects and noise are present in these analyses (and figures) because of
the way the correlation algorithm uses patches of pixels to correlate locations between the two images.
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GPS Survey Comparison to Pixel Tracking
The comparison of the pixel tracking data to the GPS survey data allows us to match the measured
history of movement and demonstrate the effectiveness of pixel tracking for the assessment of landslide
movement over a broad area. Figures 7 and 8 show the locations of the GPS survey points used in the
evaluation for the dates January to July 2024 and July to October 2024, respectively. These figures show
the locations of the movement as arrows oriented in the direction of movement. Each point is labeled
with the amount of movement for each date range in average meters per month. Charts for comparing
the results by date range are included as Figures 9 and 10. Descriptive statistics of the two data sets
used for the two date ranges are provided in Tables 2 and 3 below.
Table 2. January to July 2024, descriptive statistics between City of Rancho Palos Verdes GPS survey station movement and CGS
pixel tracking movement (ft). In this table, one significant anomaly was removed from the analysis. The correlation coefficient
describes how well the pixel tracking results correlate with GPS survey measurements, where 0 is no correlation and 1.0 is
perfect correlation. Mean movement (ft/month) represents the mean movement observed in each source over the months
shown. Number of points (n) = 76.
GPS survey (ft) Pixel Tracking (ft)
January 13 to July 1, 2024 January 11 to July 7, 2024
Mean total movement 10.84 Mean total movement 11.54
Mean movement per month (ft) 1.94 Mean movement per month (ft) 1.97
Standard Deviation 7.14 Standard Deviation 7.18
Correlation Coefficient = 0.93
Table 3. July to October 2024, descriptive statistics between City of Rancho Palos Verdes GPS survey station movement and CGS
pixel tracking movement (ft). In this table, one significant anomaly was removed from analysis. The correlation coefficient
describes how well the pixel tracking results correlate with GPS survey measurements, where 0 is no correlation and 1.0 is
perfect correlation. Mean movement (ft/month) represents the mean movement observed in each source over the months
shown. Number of points (n) = 85.
GPS survey (ft) Pixel Tracking (ft)
July 1 to October 29, 2024 July 7 to October 24, 2024
Mean total movement 6.81 Mean total movement 9.68
Mean movement per month (ft) 1.73 Mean movement per month (ft) 2.70
Standard Deviation 4.95 Standard Deviation 4.81
Correlation Coefficient = 0.93
The charts in Figures 9 and 10 and descriptive statistics tables highlight the similarities of the respective
approaches. Observations of these results are as follows:
January to July 2024 pixel tracking to GPS survey:
o The sample mean of the pixel tracking values are within approximately 0.70 ft (0.21 m)
of the GPS survey data.
o The standard deviations are also very similar, signifying the difference in the results
about the mean is similar from the pixel tracking data to the GPS survey data.
o The correlation coefficient is 0.93.
July to October 2024 pixel tracking to GPS survey:
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o The sample mean of the pixel tracking values are within approximately 2.87 ft (0.87 m)
of the GPS survey data.
o The standard deviations are also very similar, signifying the difference in the results
about the mean is similar from the pixel tracking data to the GPS survey data.
o The correlation coefficient is 0.93.
The mean values of each data set, January to July 2024 and July to October 2024, show that, for
the analyzed GPS survey points, less average movement per month of the surveyed points has
occurred since July 1, 2024, as compared to the previous six months (Tables 2 and 3). Figures 8
and 9 visually show lower monthly movement values (with some exemptions) in the July to
October 2024 data compared to the January to July 2024 data.
The correlation coefficient is evaluated on a range of -1.0 to 1.0, where a value of 1.0 is perfect
correlation, a value of zero is no correlation, and a value of -1.0 is total negative correlation. The high
correlation coefficient represents how well the pixel tracking data vary similarly with the GPS survey
data. Figures 9 and 10 highlight this correlation, showing how GPS survey station movement is also well
represented in the pixel tracking results.
Summary and Conclusions
CGS was tasked with the evaluation of movement of the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex using
remote sensing techniques. This evaluation was performed using InSAR and optical image correlation
pixel tracking). Of particular focus was the assessment of landslide movement outside of the current
GPS survey stations to evaluate the extent of the area affected.
Our assessment using InSAR techniques allowed us to evaluate the extent of the landslide involved in
recent movement. Figures 3 and 4, utilizing Sentinel-1 SAR data summarized by NASA-JPL and CGS,
respectively, showed that there has been recent movement in the overall extent of the historic
Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex. The NASA-JPL assessment summarized average slide movement
data on a monthly basis between 2017 to 2022. This assessment shows some slide movement during
those years, and significantly more slide movement in the years 2023 and 2024. From the NASA-JPL and
CGS data, we find that the extent of slide involvement varies through time. The SAR data show that
renewed movement of the slide complex started in November 2022, reduced and picked up again
during January through March 2023, and continued at a reduced extent each month through the
remainder of 2023. Significant precipitation in Winter 2023/2024 likely resulted in the increased amount
of movement seen in monthly displacement averages through 2024. The ability to review past SAR data
collections for slide movement trends is a key advantage of this approach. Additionally, the ability to
quickly evaluate SAR data, which is collected on a repeating 12-day cycle, allows end-users to assess
where areas are continuing to move or how the slide is responding to the City’s current slide dewatering
efforts (City of Rancho Palos Verdes, 2024b,c).
CGS also conducted an optical image correlation (pixel tracking) assessment for 2024. This assessment,
using satellite and airborne optical image collection, allowed for the assessment of landslide
displacement across the historic Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex. The results of these efforts,
shown in Figures 5 and 6, allows us to assess the magnitude of displacement and movement direction as
a two-dimensional vector. These results tend to agree with the direction of movement presented by the
City of Rancho Palos Verdes (Figures 7 and 8, City of Rancho Palos Verdes, 2024a).
In summary, CGS was tasked with the evaluation of landslide movement across the historic mapped
extent of the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex. Our conclusions are as follows:
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The use of InSAR from a satellite-based radar platform shows that changes in the location of
land surface features can be detected.
o The review of SAR data by CGS and by Dr. Al Handwerger at NASA JPL shows that there
has been variable movement of the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex since 2015,
with more noticeable changes in slide movement from early 2023 to the present.
o The magnitude and direction of these changes can be assessed over short time spans,
theoretically between satellite passes on the order of days, to several months or years.
o SAR data used in this type of analysis is archived from the Sentinel-1 satellite and is free
to access. Data can be obtained from the Alaska Satellite Facility Distributed Active
Archive Center (https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/centers/asf-daac)
Optical image correlation, or pixel tracking, can be used to detect changes between precisely
coregistered image pairs.
o The detectable displacement improves with higher resolution imagery (smaller GSD).
o This approach provides flexibility in the optical sensors that can be used and the time
range between imagery pairs.
o In our analysis, average monthly movement (feet per month) of the Portuguese Bend
Landslide Complex was found to have increased between the date ranges of January to
July, 2024, and July to October, 2024. Edge effects and very localized movement errors
moving trees or other objects on the ground) can have an effect on the average
movement across the landslide.
o There is a strong correlation between our pixel tracking results and the City of Rancho
Palos Verdes GPS survey stations, showing that the trend of landslide movement
reflected in the GPS survey stations is also seen in the pixel tracking results.
Our use of InSAR and optical image correlation shows that quick, large area, assessments of land
movement can be accomplished with remote sensing techniques, with the consideration that
there are variables in the analysis approach that require observations and measurements in the
field prior to any site-specific decisions.
Intended Use and Disclaimers
It should be noted that the results presented in this memo were developed by remote sensing methods
conducted rapidly to support emergency management efforts. Observations and recommendations
included in this memo are not intended to be fully comprehensive and/or conclusive, but rather to
serve as a preliminary tool to assist emergency responding agencies (e.g., City of Rancho Palos Verdes,
County of Los Angeles, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, utility companies, and other
responsible agencies) to aid in understanding the general distribution of active landsliding. The approach
described above can be used to provide a regional view of overall land movement, but values at specific
locations would need to be verified with observation and measurement by qualified professionals.
Accordingly, the results of this analysis should not be used to make site-specific decisions.
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David L. Slayter, GISP, PG #6662
Supervising Engineering Geologist
Alex Morelan, Ph.D., PG #10159
Engineering Geologist
Concur: Margaret Parks, Ph.D., CEG #2767
Senior Engineering Geologist
References
CGS, 2007, Landslide Inventory Map of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles, County, California,
compiled by Wayne D. Haydon, Digital Preparation by B. Wanish. California Geological Survey
Landslide Inventory Map Series, scale 1:24,000.
CGS, 2016, Preliminary Geologic Map of the Long Beach 30' × 60' Quadrangle, California, 2016, Version 12.
0, Compiled by George J. Saucedo, H. Gary Greene, Michael P. Kennedy, and Stephen P. Bezore, Digital
Preparation by Carlos I. Gutierrez, Janet Tilden, Jason D. Little, Eric V. Niven, Marina T. Mascorro,
Eric W. Ford, and Benjamin Middendorf, https://
www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/rgm/preliminary City
of Rancho Palos Verdes, 2024a, GPS Monitoring Displacement Rate Contour Map – October 29, 2024,
available at https://www.rpvca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22821/GPS-Monitoring-Displacement-
Rate-Contour-Map---October-29-2024-PDF. Data accessed 11/18/2024. City
of Rancho Palos Verdes, 2024b, City Council Agenda Report, Agenda Title: Consideration and possible
action on the Greater Portuguese Bend-Ancient Altamira Landslide Complex. 77 pages, dated
October 1. City
of Rancho Palos Verdes, 2024c, PowerPoint from City's consulting geologist to the RPV City Council. 41
pages, dated October 1. Docusign
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Ehlig, Perry L., 1992, Evolution, mechanics and mitigation of the Portuguese Bend landslide, Palos
Verdes Peninsula, California (in Engineering geology practice in Southern California, Bernard W.
Pipkin (editor) and Richard J. Proctor (editor)). Special Publication - Association of Engineering
Geologists (1992) 4: 531-553.
Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System Program (FIRIS), CalOES. Optical stereo-imagery was
collected and provided to CGS on 10/24/24.
Maxar NextView End User License Agreement (EULA), through collaboration with USGS Landslides
Hazards Program Associate Program Manager. Accessed and downloaded GeoEye and WorldView
scenes from Maxar Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery (G-EGD) portal on 9/27/24.
McGee Surveying Consulting, 2024, Portuguese Bend Landslide Monitoring – Movement as of October
29, 2024, Microsoft Excel workbook “PB MOVEMENT DATA POSTING M51-2007 to 10-29-2024.xlsx”,
provided via email personal communication by Mark Wingate, United States Army Corps of
Engineers Region 9, November 8, 2024.
NASA JPL-Caltech, 2024, ARIA Monthly InSAR Coherence Maps from Sentinel-1A/B satellites, Data
accessed 11/13/2024 from https://aria-share.jpl.nasa.gov/20241028-Palos_Verdes_Landslides/.
United States Geological Survey, 2021, United States Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program 1-meter
Digital Elevation Model. Distributed by OpenTopography. https://doi.org/10.5069/G98K778D. Data
collected between September 27, 2015 and October 18, 2016. Data accessed: 2024-9-27.
Woodring, W.P., Bramlette, M.N, and Kew, W.S.W., 1946, Geology and Paleontology of Palos Verdes
Hills, California, U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey, Professional Paper 207, 145 pp.
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Appendix A - Figures
Figure 1. Location of the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex in southern Los Angeles County, California.
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Figure 2. Extract of the Landslide Inventory Map of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles County, California (Haydon, 2007).
The mapped landslides of the Portuguese Bend complex range from Active/Historic to Dormant-Old based on visible
interpretation of the 1952 aerial photography and USGS National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP) panchromatic
photography from 1994. The outlined area represents the extent of InSAR-observed landslide movement from June 2024.
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Figure 3. Comparison of JPL-NASA ARIA Sentinel-1 SAR coherence data from 2017 to 2022, with water year monthly detail for 2023 and 2024. The top of the three lines of images shows
steady but resolvable landslide movement between 2015 and 2022. The second line of images shows how movement accelerates to an unresolvable rate in late 2022 and early 2023. The
third line of images shows the acceleration of rates from late 2023 through late 2024.
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Figure 4. Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex extent of observed movement by month, January through October 2024, from
Sentinel-1 InSAR line-of-site and coherence derivatives. Most months have similar regions of movement with three months that
appear notably different. The months of January and June appear to have slightly larger, or more expansive, areas of movement
in the western part of the slide complex and the area moving in October appears to be smaller.
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Figure 5. Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex movement determined from optical image correlation analysis of orthorectified
satellite images from January 11 and July 7, 2024. Vector length (black arrow) in legend represents 15 ft of movement. The
movement vector arrows show movement generally towards the south and southwest. Some isolated arrows show movement in
other directions that may be due to errors or differences in the orthorectification of the two images analyzed. The black polygon
shows the area where zonal statistics were calculated to determine the average movement of the slide area.
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Figure 6. Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex movement determined from optical image correlation analysis of satellite and
aerial orthorectified images from July 7 and October 24, 2024. Vector length (black arrow) in legend represents 15 ft of
movement. The movement pattern appears to be similar to that observed in the previous period from January 11 to July 7 with
the movement vector arrows showing movement generally towards the south and southwest. Some isolated arrows show
movement in other directions that may be due to errors or differences in the orthorectification of the two images analyzed. The
black polygon shows the area where zonal statistics were calculated to determine the average movement of the slide area.
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Figure 7. Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex average monthly movement determined from GPS surveys, McGee Surveying
Consulting, January 1 through July 7, 2024. Vector orientation indicates direction of movement. Values of 0 represent movement
of less than 0.01 feet per month.
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Figure 8. Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex average monthly movement determined from GPS surveys, McGee Surveying
Consulting, July 7 through October 29, 2024. Vectors indicate direction of movement. Values of 0 represent average movement
of less than 0.01 feet per month.
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Figure 9. Bar chart comparison of the January to July 2024 movement correlation between GPS survey stations and pixel
tracking. This comparison is meant for qualitative history matching purposes. The number of days of measurement is different
between the two input datasets, which does not allow for direct, quantitative comparisons.
Figure 10. Bar chart comparison of the July to October 2024 movement correlation between GPS survey stations and pixel
tracking. This comparison is meant for qualitative history matching purposes. The number of days of measurement is different
between the two input datasets, which does not allow for direct, quantitative comparisons.
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Gavin Newsom, Governor
Gabe Tiffany, Acting Director
715 P Street, MS 1901, Sacramento, CA 95814
T: (916) 445-1825 | F: (916) 445-5718
conservation.ca.gov
MEMORANDUM
DATE: December 13, 2024
TO: Derek Bays, PG
Engineering Geologist
Governor’s Office of Emergency Service
3650 Schriever Ave.
Mather, CA 95655
SUBJECT: CalOES Mission Task No. 2024-SOC-00115577 – Document Review, Portuguese
Bend Landslide Complex
Introduction
The California Geological Survey (CGS) was Mission Tasked on October 30, 2024, by the
Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) to assist the with the evaluation of
movement in an area of historic deep-seated landslide activity in Los Angeles County
(the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex). This emergency assessment has been
conducted in response to CalOES Mission Task No. 2-24-SOC-00115577.
Our rapid evaluation is intended to support the city’s short-term (2024 to 2025)
emergency mitigation efforts and should not be considered an expression of
concurrence for any long-term repair solution for this landslide complex. The
evaluation consisted of a summary of our observations regarding landslide
movement and potential existing hazards to life-safety and property (presented
in a separate memo dated December 2, 2024, see References), and a review of
documents related to the emergency mitigation work overseen by the City of
Rancho Palos Verdes (City). The document review is presented in this
memorandum. Fourteen documents were distributed by CalOES to CGS on
October 3, 2024, for our review, with the intent of providing a summary of the
most recent emergency repair work and the planning conducted in preparation
for Winter 2024/2025.
The following sections include:
• A list of the documents reviewed.
• A summary of the reviewed documents.
• A discussion of the content of the documents within the context of the
historic Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex movement and past repair
history
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Summary of Document Review
As discussed in the document review below, the City has begun emergency mitigation
efforts in an attempt to arrest landslide movement. The control of surface and
subsurface water (groundwater) is consistent with past practice for reducing the
movement of landslides. Past success with groundwater pumping at the site, as
evidenced by decreased landslide movement, supports this approach. Continued
monitoring of subsurface hydraulic conditions will be a prudent technique in evaluating
the effectiveness of the landslide dewatering efforts. We note that our review of
provided documents is not exhaustive of the long history of work performed at the
Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, and this Memo is not intended to provide
recommendations or explicit approval of the techniques used at the site or to provide
site-specific decisions.
Documents Reviewed
Document 1 City of Rancho Palos Verdes Public Hearing, December 19, 2020.
255 pages.
Subject: Consideration and possible action to receive public
comments on environmental issues to be addressed in the
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Portuguese Bend
Landslide Mitigation Project.
Document 2 LSA, Draft Environmental Impact Report, Portuguese Bend
Landslide Remediation, City of Rancho Palos Verdes, State
Clearinghouse No. 2020110212, February 2023. 490 pages.
Document 3 City of Rancho Palos Verdes Public Hearing, March 21, 2023. 42
pages.
Subject: Consideration and possible action to receive public
comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the
Portuguese Bend Landslide Remediation Project.
Document 4 City of Rancho Palos Verdes City Council Agenda Report, August
15, 2023. 10 pages.
Agenda Title: Consideration and possible action to receive
a status update on the Portuguese Bend Landslide
Remediation Project.
Document 5 City of Rancho Palos Verdes City Council Agenda Report, October
3, 2023. 16 pages.
Agenda Title: Consideration and possible action to consider
declaring a local emergency and/or adopting an urgency
ordinance prohibiting new construction within one or more
of the various landslides within the greater Portuguese Bend
Landslide Complex.
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Document 6 City of Rancho Palos Verdes City Council Agenda Report,
December 19, 2023. 22 pages.
Agenda Title: Consideration and possible action to receive
an update report and to extend the local emergency
declaration for the greater Portuguese Bend Landslide
Complex.
Document 7 City of Rancho Palos Verdes City Council Agenda Report, May 7,
2024. 31 pages.
Agenda Title: Consideration and possible action to receive
a report on the Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide
Complex and approve work to be conducted on the
Portuguese Bend Landslide Emergency Hydraugers Project.
Receive updates, approve funding appropriation, award
contracts.
Document 8 City of Rancho Palos Verdes City Council Agenda Report, August
20, 2024. 76 pages.
Agenda Title: Consideration and possible action to receive
an update report on the Portuguese Bend. Landslide /
Emergency Hydraugers Project and a 10-day report on the
proposed extension of the Interim Urgency Ordinance.
Provides recommended council action.
Document 9 City of Rancho Palos Verdes Status Report, September 26, 2024. 19
slides.
PowerPoint Title: Status of the Investigation and Remediation
of The Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex,
Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Document 10 City of Rancho Palos Verdes City Council Agenda Report,
September 3, 2024. 22 pages.
Agenda Title: Consideration and possible action to declare
a Local State of Emergency based on a sudden and severe
energy shortage due to planned de-energization events.
Includes recommended council action.
Document 11 City of Rancho Palos Verdes City Council Agenda Report, October
1, 2024. 77 pages.
Agenda Title: Consideration and possible action on the
Greater Portuguese Bend-Ancient Altamira Landslide
Complex. Includes recommended council action.
Document 12 City of Rancho Palos Verdes, October 1, 2024. 41 pages.
PowerPoint from City's consulting geologist to the RPV City
Council
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Document 13 City of Rancho Palos Verdes City Council Agenda Report, October
15, 2024. 5 pages.
Consideration and possible action to reconfirm continuing
the emergency justification for work and emergency
contract for the Greater Portuguese Bend-Ancient Altamira
Landslide Emergency Project.
Document 14 City of Rancho Palos Verdes, Undated. Request for Qualifications,
Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex / Ancient
Altamira Landslide Complex, 15 pages.
Summary of Reviewed Doc uments
The CGS was provided the documents listed above for our review. Additionally, CGS
reviewed published documents relevant to the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, as
well as documents related to typical landslide repairs. These additional documents are
included in the References section at the end of this report. While the reviewed
documents provided context for the last several years of events related to landslide
movement, the focus of this memo is on the most recent emergency measures. These
are the emergency measures undertaken by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes that
began in August 2024 and are intended to provide emergency protection leading into
the rainy season of Winter 2024/2025.
Documents 1, 2, and 3 provide context to the efforts by the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes to pursue a mitigation project for the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex.
Based on our review, these recent efforts started in 2017 with a series of public meetings
about the project and a feasibility study prepared by Daniel B Stephens (linked to in
Document 2). The proposed project includes three phases of construction: surface
fracture infilling; surface water improvements; and groundwater mitigation
improvements (Documents 1 and 3). In the time since 2017, our understanding is that
this project has proceeded through planning and design steps that included
preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR; Document 2) and a public
comments period (Documents 3 and 4).
Document 4, from August 2023, notes an increase in landslide movement rate
compared with previous years, described as starting approximately October 2022.
Movement is also noted in a City Council Agenda Report from October 2023
(Document 5), when the City Council adopted a state of local emergency related to
accelerated landslide movement.
Documents 6 through 10 contain updates about the DEIR and the ongoing engineering
task work for construction, as well as emergency updates about increased landslide
movement rates. Of note, in December 2023, discussion was had about extending the
local State of Emergency within the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex (Document
6). In May 2024, that Local State of Emergency was extended and work was approved
for the Portuguese Bend Landslide Emergency Hydraugers Project. The project involved
planning for two emergency hydrauger systems preceded by vertical test borings
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(Document 7). In August 2024, test borings were drilled for the emergency hydraugers
project (Document 8).
Those vertical test borings provided new information about the landslide (Document
11). The new information obtained from the vertical test borings indicated that there
was a deeper slide plane encountered approximately 245 to 345 feet below the
ground surface of the boring elevation and that the borings encountered “pressurized”
water, possibly water from a confined aquifer layer or condition. As a result, in August
2024, the City Council authorized an alternative emergency solution that included
drilling deep dewatering wells (DDW).
City Council documents dated October 1, 2024 (Documents 11 and 12), present
information about five DDWs that had been installed at that time, as well as one in-
progress DDW, and two planned DDWs. Piezometers were also installed for planning
purposes and to monitor the DDWs. It was noted that these DDWs were expected to
shear due to landslide movement and require re-drilling. In these same documents, a
recent deceleration of landslide movement rates is described and presented in several
figures and plots. At the same time, the City Council approved plans for winterization
work and for additional vertical DDWs.
In Document 13, the City Council on October 15, 2024, reaffirms the plans for the
emergency dewatering project and winterization work. A total of six DDWs had been
installed, a seventh was in progress, and an eighth planned. Winterization was in
progress for Altamira Canyon and planned for Portuguese, Ishibashi, and Paintbrush
canyons, and for three sections of the Seaview community. These winterization efforts
are focused on reducing the potential for water infiltration, mainly by filling fissures and
other water infiltration areas.
Document 14 is an undated Request for Qualifications (RFQ) prepared by the City for a
consulting firm to perform future emergency work. This work calls for preparing a
drainage and groundwater infiltration study, providing solutions for the mitigation of
stormwater infiltration, preparing timelines and estimates for proposed improvements,
and bidding and construction support.
Discussion
To date, several generations of engineering geologists and geotechnical engineers
have consulted on or learned from peers about the Portuguese Bend Landslide
Complex. The landslide events and the various remediation efforts are documented in
publications and case studies, of which only a handful are briefly referenced in this
document (see References). While the focus of this document is to review only the most
recent emergency efforts, understanding the scope and history of the Portuguese Bend
Landslide is critical. The history of movement and remediation efforts provides guidance
about solutions that have and have not worked in the past. The following section
provides a brief overview of our understanding of the problems encountered at the site
and our understanding of the current emergency repair efforts. The authors of this CGS
memo have not worked in a consulting capacity on the Portuguese Bend Landslide
Complex, so the descriptions and understandings represented here are based on
generally available engineering geology and geotechnical engineering sources.
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Detailed study of subsurface geologic models and boring logs, hydrologic models, and
engineering designs were beyond the scope of our review.
In the following sections, we discuss typical approaches to landslide movement in the
context of the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex. This discussion is necessary to
understand the scope of the problem and to recognize the history of various
remediation efforts. The Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex is well-known for its size,
often classified as a mega-landside. The terminology of “complex” is also important,
because included in the complex are distinct landslide features both within and
adjacent to a mapped area called the ancient Portuguese Bend landslide (CGS, 2007).
These other features include the Abalone Cove, Klondike Canyon, Beach Club, and
adjacent Flying Triangle landslides (CGS, 2007). Collectively, these will be considered to
constitute the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex in this memo.
To start, it is noted that the preferred solution for landslide movement is avoidance.
Avoidance can include zoning efforts or the diversion and relocation of impacted
structures away from areas of known, anticipated or suspected landslide movement.
This approach has been used in several portions of the Portuguese Bend Landslide
Complex in the past (Ehlig, 1992). This approach has also been used in California for
other very large landslides, such as Devil’s Slide near Pacifica where landslide
movement was bypassed (Caltrans, 2014). However, at Portuguese Bend, development
of some areas predates the current observed landslide movement, and this approach
may be insufficient for the scale of the landslide and the impacts to City infrastructure
and the residents who live there. Avoidance approaches may include the relocation of
utilities or possible relocation assistance for affected homeowners (Los Angeles Times,
2024).
Beyond avoidance, in ideal situations the movement of landslides is arrested by
changes to the mass balance of the landslide. This involves grading and earth
movement to eliminate driving forces and/or provide buttressing forces. This work often
involves removing soil and rock that is driving the movement of the landslide deposit
and placing soil and rock as a buttress with a keyway where it can resist the landslide
movement. However, the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex is well-known for its size
and geometric constraints that make earthwork difficult. These constraints include a
landslide geometry that likely “toes-out” (extends) offshore in the Pacific Ocean
(Bilodeau et al, 2007; Bishop, Ehlert, & Steiner, 2001). Another constraint is the underlying
geology that is driving movement, including weak bentonitic clay layers in the
subsurface and geologic layers inclined (dipping) towards the Pacific Ocean to the
south/south-west (Bilodeau et al, 2007; Bishop, Ehlert, & Steiner, 2001). These layers are
not likely to be remedied using earthwork alone, as the problematic layers are too
deep to expose with conventional earth moving techniques. Additionally, the scale of
earthwork required is likely impractical due to the presence of existing structures built on
the body of the landslide, as well as the near impossibility of any earthwork at the toe of
the landslide either along the shoreline or offshore.
Other similar mass balance solutions for landslide repairs include structural solutions.
Structural solutions arrest driving movements and provide resisting forces using the
construction of systems of piles, tie-back anchors and beams, and/or other kinds of
retaining structures. Some structural repairs have been attempted at Portuguese Bend
in the past (Ehlig, 1992), with limited success. Structural solutions can have similar
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geometric limitations as earthwork for large landslides. Additionally, large loads on
structural elements, and deep depths to more stable load bearing strata below the
slide planes, can reduce the effectiveness of structural solutions.
After considering earthwork or structural solutions, the next avenue for remedying
landslide movement involves controlling the hydrostatic forces, or water pressure, within
the landslide. Water within a landslide functions as a driving force of movement.
Reducing the hydrostatic forces provides resistance against movement of the slide
mass. Reducing hydrostatic forces includes reducing the infiltration of water into the
slide and/or reducing subsurface water levels. Reducing water infiltration can help to
reduce the quantity of water that ends up infiltrating into the slide mass and potentially
furthering landslide movement. Infiltration comes from both climatic sources, such as:
rainfall and resultant overland flow and watercourse runoff; and anthropogenic
sources, such as: runoff from paved surfaces and roofs; sources of subsurface water
from septic systems, pools, and utilities; and water used for landscaping. Reducing
subsurface water levels can be achieved by pumping from well points (vertical wells),
installing horizonal well arrays (hydraugers), and/or installing dewatering galleries. The
control of surface water and dewatering of subsurface water are critically important
and is most effective when used in combination with other robust landslide repair
techniques (Terzaghi, 1950; Transportation Research Board (TRB), 1996; Blake, T. F., et al.,
2002; Caltrans, 2020). Reducing surface infiltration and dewatering efforts are not
usually employed as a stand-alone landslide remediation method unless there are
limited options for mass-balance or structural solutions. Controlling hydrostatic forces is
complicated because these methods need active and on-going maintenance and
system adjustments in perpetuity, as hydraulic conditions change with time, and
subsurface hydrostatic control methods, such a well points or hydraugers, may become
less effective with time.
At the Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, both surficial control of infiltration and
groundwater pumping have been performed for various past phases of remediation
attempts. Groundwater pumping attempts appear to have been relatively successful in
the past (Ehlig, 1992; Bishop, Ehlert, & Steiner, 2001), with several periods of generally
slower rates. However, while remediation efforts that include groundwater pumping
have led to periods of reduced landslide movement, they were sometimes then
followed by periods of increased rates of movement. The current landslide movement
emergency follows a similar pattern as has occurred in the past at the Portuguese Bend
Landslide Complex (Calabro, Schmidt, & Roering, 2010). As described more within the
CGS Memo dated December 2, 2024 (see References), the current period of somewhat
slower landslide movement rates extends back to at least 2015 and ended with the
historical high winter rainfall of 2022/2023.
Due to the recent increase in landslide movement rates, the City has begun
emergency mitigation efforts and prepared an RFQ for further studies, as explained in
the previous section. Based on review of a selection of guidance documents for
landslide remediation [Terzaghi, 1950; Transportation Research Board (TRB), 1996; Blake,
T. F., et al., 2002; Caltrans, 2020], as well as the context of the history of the Portuguese
Bend Landslide Complex movement and repair history, the City's approach appears
consistent with common practice for rapidly increased movement of a mega-landslide.
It is noted that the past success of groundwater pumping at the site may support the
use of this technique for future remediation efforts within the Portuguese Bend Landslide
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Complex. Controlling surface water infiltration can also help reduce the quantity of
water within the landslide complex. With the possibility of coming winter rains,
controlling surface and subsurface water levels is important. By controlling the infiltration
of surficial water and by pumping groundwater, rates of movement may be reduced.
As discussed in Documents 11 and 12, there are observations from October 2024 of
reduced landslide movement rates. However, it is prudent to keep monitoring and
evaluating the success of the current groundwater pumping efforts. There are several
reasons to keep monitoring and evaluating this remediation effort, including that
landslide movement rates can slow for many reasons, that groundwater pumping may
become less effective with time, and that any future changes in hydrology, such as
precipitation from winter storms, will affect the landslide complex and pumping
program. Additionally, this monitoring will be helpful in future engineering work.
The City also plans to pursue services for a hydraulic study of the landslide and to scope
and prepare construction plans for limiting stormwater infiltration at the site (Document
13). These steps are consistent with the approach of limiting surface and subsurface
water levels within the landslide area. The hydraulic study should provide understanding
of the mass balance of the water within the landslide complex, the effectiveness of
current pumping efforts, and provide insight into subsurface hydrology for use in the
design of longer-term stabilization efforts. Construction efforts that limit infiltration may
help to reduce hydrostatic forces that drive movement of the landslide.
Intended Use and Disclaimers
It should be noted that the rapidly conducted observations and recommendations
included in this memo are intended to support the city’s short-term (2024 to 2025)
emergency mitigation efforts and should not be considered an expression of
concurrence for any long-term repair solution for this landslide complex. This review is
not intended to be fully comprehensive and/or conclusive, but rather to serve as a
preliminary tool to assist emergency responding agencies (e.g., City of Rancho Palos
Verdes, County of Los Angeles, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, utility
companies, and other responsible agencies) in the development of more detailed
emergency protective measures and response plans. It is intended that the
emergency responding agencies will use the information presented in this report as a
preliminary guide to assist in completing detailed evaluations and attendant
emergency response plans and mitigations.
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Derek Bays, CalOES - Mission Task No. 2024-SOC-00115577
Landslide Emergency Assessment – Los Angeles County
December 13, 2024
Page 9 of 10
Margaret Parks, Ph.D., CEG #2767
Senior Engineering Geologist Exp. 01/31/2025
Concur:
David L. Slayter, GISP, PG#6662
Supervising Engineering Geologist Exp. 01/31/2026
References
Bilodeau, W. L., Bilodeau, S. W., Gath, E. M., Oborne, M., & Proctor, R. J., 2007,
Geology of Los Angeles, California, United States of America. Environmental
& Engineering Geoscience, 13(2), 99-160.
Bishop, K. M., Ehlert, K. W., & Steiner, E. A., 2001, Engineering Geology of Palos
Verdes Peninsula: in Dunne. G. and Cooper, J., Compilers, Geologic
Excursions in Southwest California, Pacific Section SEPM, Book, 89, 1-20.
Blake, T. F., et al., 2002, Recommended Procedures for Implementation of DMG
Special Publication 117 Guidelines for Analyzing and Mitigating Landslide
Hazards in California. Los Angeles Section Geotechnical Group, Document
published by the Southern California Earthquake Center.
Calabro, M. D., Schmidt, D. A., & Roering, J. J., 2010, An examination of seasonal
deformation at the Portuguese Bend landslide, southern California, using
radar interferometry. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 115(F2).
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), 2014, Taming the Devil:
Project Spotlight, https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/risk-
strategic-management/documents/mm-2014-q1-project-spotlight-a11y.pdf
Caltrans, 2020, Landslides Module, Caltrans Geotechnical Manual, dated
January. https://dot.ca.gov/programs/engineering-
services/manuals/geotechnical-manual
CGS, 2024, CalOES Mission Task No. 2024-SOC-00115577 – Assessment of Recent
Landslide Movement, Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, dated
December 2.
Ehlig, Perry L., 1992, Evolution, mechanics and mitigation of the Portuguese Bend
landslide, Palos Verdes Peninsula, California (in Engineering geology practice
in Southern California, Bernard W. Pipkin (editor) and Richard J. Proctor
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Derek Bays, CalOES - Mission Task No. 2024-SOC-00115577
Landslide Emergency Assessment – Los Angeles County
December 13, 2024
Page 10 of 10
(editor)). Special Publication - Association of Engineering Geologists (1992) 4:
531-553.
Los Angeles Times, 2024, “Feds to use $42 million buying landslide damaged
homes in Rancho Palos Verdes,” dated October 29, 2024:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-10-29/feds-to-spend-42-million-
buying-landslide-damaged-homes-in-rancho-palos-verdes
Terzaghi, K., 1950, Mechanism of Landslides. Application of Geology to
Engineering Practice, 83–123. https://doi.org/10.1130/berkey.1950.83
Transportation Research Board (TRB), 1996, Chapter 17: Stabilization of Soil Slopes,
in Landslides, Investigation and Mitigation, Special Report 247, Transportation
Research Board, National Research Council.
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PO Box 4351
Rolling Hills Estates, California 90274
AbalonecoveLAD@yahoo.com
Abalonecovelad.com
Mayor David L. Bradley February 24, 2025
Mayor Pro Tem Paul Seo
Council Member Barbara Ferraro
Council Member George Lewis
Council Member Stephen Perestam
Re: Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District
City Loan of $1,610,000
Dear Mayor Bradley, Mayor Pro Tem Seo, and Council Members:
This letter is a request from the City Council for a modification in the
terms of the above referenced loan to the Abalone Canyon Landslide Abatement
District (ACLAD).
In the final version of the Loan Agreement between the City and ACLAD,
Exhibits” B” and “C” included a twelve (12) year amortization with an initial
payment being made on December 1, 2025.
Since signing that agreement things have changed. No funds from the
original loan agreement have been distributed to date. The use of funds will now
be applied to the drilling of eight to ten (8-10) Deep Dewatering Wells (DDW’s)
and two (2) monitoring wells. To the extent the wells can be drilled for less
than $1,600,000, the excess will be applied to ACLAD reserves or refunded to the
city. If the loan amount is consumed by less than eight (8) wells, ACLAD will
fund the cost of one well from the balance of the loan proceeds and its well
drilling budget for the shortfall.
ACLAD requests that the City change the start date of the loan repayments to
December 1, 2026, so that all of ACLAD’s revenues can be applied to the
administration of the district and to drilling eight to ten (8-10) new DDW’s and
two (2) monitoring wells. ACLAD believes that the work done by the City and
ACLAD to date and to be done between now and July 1, 2026, will result in the
ability to adjust the 2026-2027 budget to allow it to reduce the budget category
of Well Drilling and into debt service of the City loan.
Attached is a copy of the actual budget of the 2024-2025 budget, the proposed
2025-2026 budget and a proforma twelve (12) year budget. The twelve (12) year
repayment term was structured to minimize the need for budget increases. ACLAD is
requesting the disbursement of the entire 1.6 million dollar loan as soon as
possible. We currently have 3 drill rigs in the community. Thank you for the
City loan and for giving this request your consideration.
Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District
Name: Gordon Leon
Title: Chairman
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01201.0005/989203.1
LOAN AGREEMENT
Between
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES
and
ABALONE COVE LANDSLIDE ABATEMENT DISTRICT
(Abalone Cove Subslide of Portuguese Bend Landslide Stabilization Project)
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LOAN AGREEMENT
(Portuguese Bend Landslide Abatement Project))
This Loan Agreement is dated as of this ___ day of March, 2025, by and between the
City of Rancho Palos Verdes (“City”) and the Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District, a
district of the State of California (“Borrower”), to be effective as of July 2, 2024.
RECITALS
A. Borrower is a geologic hazard abatement district duly organized pursuant to
Public Resources Code §§ 26500 et seq. (the “Law”).
B. Borrower desires to take certain steps mitigate and stabilize the effects of the
Portuguese Bend Landslide within its area, as described herein on Exhibit “A” attached hereto
(the “Project”).
C. Due to the recent rainstorms in Southern California which affected the landslide,
Borrower needs to commence work on a portion of the Project to mitigate further detrimental
effects on the landslide.
D. Borrower has requested that the City assist the Borrower and loan it money to
commence a portion of the Project.
E. Pursuant to the Law, the City is permitted to provide financial assistance to the
District.
F. The financial assistance effectuates a public purpose as the Project is part of the
overall stabilization of the Portuguese Bend Landslide within the City including Palos Verdes
Drive South which is a major arterial roadway supporting approximately 16,000 daily trips.
G. As described herein, the City desires to loan funds to Borrower to allow Borrower
to commence and continue with portions of the Project.
NOW THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual agreements, obligations, and
representations, and in further consideration for the making of the Loan (described below),
Borrower and City hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
The following terms have the meanings and content set forth in this section wherever
used in this Loan Agreement, attached Exhibits, or documents incorporated into this Loan
Agreement by reference.
1.1 “AMORTIZATION SCHEDULE” means the total amount and due date of each
payment due pursuant to this Loan Agreement and the Promissory Note as well as the portion
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of Principal and Interest contained in each payment. The Amortization Schedule shall be
attached to the Loan Agreement as Exhibit “C”.
1.2 “BORROWER” is the Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District, a geologic
hazard abatement district duly organized pursuant to Public Resources Code Sections 26500 et
seq.
1.3 “CITY” is the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
1.4 “CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE”, the best guess as to the timing of the
phases of the Project as shown in the attached Exhibit “D”.
1.5 “COUNTY” means the County of Los Angeles, political subdivision of the State
of California.
1.6 “DRAW” or “DRAW DOWN” means each disbursement of funds to Borrower
pursuant to this Loan Agreement.
1.7 “FINANCE DIRECTOR” means the Finance Director of the City.
1.8 “LOAN” means the contribution of funds to help finance the Project from the
City in an amount not to exceed One Million Six and Ten Hundred Thousand Dollars
($1,610,000.00).
1.9 “LOAN DOCUMENTS” means collectively this Loan Agreement and the Note,
as they may be amended, modified, or restated from time to time, along with all exhibits and
attachments to these documents.
1.10 “NOTE” means the promissory note executed by the Borrower in favor of City in
the amount of the Loan to evidence the Loan of City funds in connection with the Project, as
well as any amendments to, modifications of, or restatements of said promissory note,
substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “B.”
1.11 “PROJECT” means the certain work described on Exhibit “A” hereto related to
the mitigation of the effects of the Portuguese Bend Landslide in the area of Borrower as
described in Exhibit “A”, attached hereto..
ARTICLE II
TERMS OF THE LOAN
On and subject to the terms and conditions of the Loan Documents, City agrees to make
and Borrower agrees to accept a loan with the following terms:
2.1 FUNDS ON LOAN. The total principal amount of the Loan shall not exceed
One Million Six Hundred and Ten Thousand Dollars ($1,610,000.00) (“Maximum Amount”).
The Loan shall consist of two or more disbursements of funds to Borrower by City (each
disbursement a “Draw Down”) pursuant to the terms of Section 3.2. Each Draw Down shall
constitute a portion of the Loan.
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2.1.1 TERM OF FUNDS ON LOAN; REPAYMENT. The principal and all
current and accrued interest on the Loan and Note shall be due and payable commencing on the
first drawdown date on the Loan in accordance with the terms hereof, and on each subsequent
draw down of principal as described hereunder. The maximum term of the loan shall be twelve
(12) years from the first draw down date. Payments of principal and interest shall be made
annually on December 1,of each year, commencing December 1, 2026.
A. The Finance Director will prepare an initial amortization schedule of the
Loan based subsequent to each Draw Down and attach that amortization schedule to this Loan
Agreement as Exhibit “C”. As the Draws are actually made, the Finance Director shall prepare
a revised amortization schedule and that revised amortization schedule bearing the date of its
preparation shall replace the previous Exhibit “C” to this Loan Agreement. Notwithstanding the
modification of the amortization statement to reflect the timing of the Draws, the term of the
Loan shall remain 12 years from the initial disbursement. Each amortization schedule shall be
approved, in writing by the Finance Director and the Chairman of the Borrower.
B. The City retains the right, in its sole discretion, to forgo the physical
payment of that portion of its annual assessment payable to the Borrower in an amount equal to
the next payment to be made by Borrower under the Loan per the then applicable amortization
schedule.
2.1.2 EVIDENCE. Borrower shall evidence and secure its obligation to repay
the Loan of by executing the Promissory Note, in substantially the form attached hereto as
Exhibit “B”.
2.2 INTEREST. The Note shall bear interest on the unpaid principal amount of the
loan at any time at a rate of 2.5 percent (2.5%) per year from the date of the initial disbursement
until the Loan is repaid in full.
2.3 USE OF FUNDS. Loan proceeds may be used only for the purpose of
constructing the Project as described within Exhibit “A”, which purposes include, but are not
limited to, the costs of required professionals under this Loan Agreement, including a
professional engineer, construction inspector, a project bookkeeper/accountant and Builder’s
Risk insurance premiums. Operational expenditures including administrative costs, legal and or
litigation costs, and ongoing maintenance are not permitted uses of the loan.
2.4 CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROJECT. Borrower hereby agrees to use the
Loan to assist with the costs to develop the Project as described in Exhibit “A”. Borrower
shall also carry out the Project in compliance with all applicable State and local law and
regulations promulgated thereunder.
2.5 DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT. Borrower shall commence and
diligently prosecute the completion of the Project within the time provided and otherwise in
strict compliance with this Agreement. Construction of the Project shall commence within ten
(10) calendar days of the initial Draw as well as subsequent to any additional Draws and all
phases of the Project shall be completed by December 31, 2026. [Board needs to discuss]
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2.6 LIMIT ON ASSISTANCE. Except as is expressly provided for in this
Agreement, the City shall have no obligation to provide Borrower with additional financial
assistance, to make any monetary or financial contribution toward the Project, to pay any
development costs, or to carry-out or complete the Project. Notwithstanding the previous
sentence, the City Council may, at its discretion, offer in-kind assistance such as professional
services to the Borrower and contract with the Borrower with respect thereto.
2.7 GRANT FUNDS. ACLAD is actively pursuing and identifying additional
sources of funding, including Congressional Directed Spending and FEMA grants which are
directly tied to the timely passage of the federal fiscal year budget. The federal funds will be a
significant supplement to the ACLAD operating budget thereby possibly reducing or even
eliminating the amount of the Loan required to complete the Projects.
ARTICLE III
LOAN DISBURSEMENT AND REPAYMENT
3.1 CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO DISBURSEMENT. City shall not be
obligated to make any disbursements of the Loan proceeds or take any other action under the
Loan Documents unless the following conditions precedent are satisfied prior to the
disbursement of the Loan and by the dates set forth herein, as may be extended by the City
Manager:
3.1.1 Borrower has provided and City has received a certified Engineer’s Report
(“Report”), in connection with the portion of the Project being undertaken, which Report
purports to describe that the work being undertaken will have the effect of stabilizing the
Landslide for which disbursements will be made from this Loan.
3.1.2 Borrower has provided, and City has received a report on the Project for
the landscape mitigation measures which has been prepared by licensed geotechnical engineering
company. The report shall be completed by August 15, 2024. [Board to discuss]
3.1.3 Borrower has provided to the City the plans and specifications certified to
meet all applicable codes and standards by a licensed Professional Engineer.
3.1.4 Borrower has deployed a qualified construction inspector on all days that
construction is performed, to assure that construction is performed in accordance with plans and
specifications; Borrower shall submit daily construction reports to the City detailing all activities
and conditions.
3.1.5 Borrower has delivered to City executed contracts and schedules for the
portion of the Project being undertaken, and all required proof of insurance in a form acceptable
to City; and
3.1.6 Borrower has received all approvals necessary to commence construction
of the Project.
3.1.7 The City has received a resolution of the Borrower approving the Loan
Agreement and the City has approved the Loan Agreement.
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3.1.8 Borrower has worked with the City to develop a 10-Year Financial Model
outlining estimated Sources of Revenues and Expenditures. The Financial Model tool shall assist
in upholding Borrower’s repayment obligations to the City and in identifying financial
challenges early, if any, allowing for appropriate measures to be taken. The Financial Model
shall be completed by July 31, 2024.
The Loan funds are to be used by Borrower for the construction of the Project and shall
be disbursed as described in Sections 3.2 through 3.3.
Conditions 2.5 and 3.1.2 may, upon approval of the City Manager, may be continued to a
date certain following a loan disbursement.
3.2 DISBURSEMENT OF LOAN. The Loan shall be disbursed by City to
Borrower from time to time at such times and amounts as contained within the Construction
Schedule in Exhibit “D” and shall not exceed the Maximum Amount or the amount required
for the Project, if lower. Disbursements shall occur as follows: (i) Borrower may request a
draw down on amounts necessary to pay City–approved costs, which draw, if requested, shall
be funded, provided that Borrower has submitted all required documentation to the City in
connection with such draw (as further described below) and (ii) after construction has
commenced, construction disbursements shall be disbursed to contractors or the District
following receipt of invoices and contracts relating to the work for which a disbursement is
requested, also pursuant to 3.3.
3.2.1 ENGINEERING; CONSTRUCTION COSTS. City agrees to provide
the Loan to Borrower, to provide financial assistance to Borrower for certain Project costs such
that the Draw Downs on the Loan shall be in phases or from time to time. Soft costs (excluding
the costs of the professional engineer, construction inspector, a project bookkeeper/accountant
and Builder’s Risk Insurance premiums) may not be paid for from the Draw Downs of the Loan
unless agreed to by the City Manager.
3.2.2 APPROVAL AND PAYMENT. Upon receipt of the Application for
Disbursement the City Finance Director and City Engineer or Public Works Director shall
review the same and shall approve the same subject to such exceptions as the City deems
reasonably necessary and appropriate under the then current circumstances. Such approval may
not unreasonably be withheld or delayed. The City shall pay, or cause to be paid, any approved
disbursements within twenty (20) days following the City's receipt of the corresponding
complete Application for Disbursement. In addition, on or about the 10th_of each month, a City
representative , shall attend a monthly job site inspection, conducted by the Borrower, to verify
that the portion of the application for disbursement is complete.
3.3 APPLICATIONS FOR DISBURSEMENT. From time to time after execution
of this Loan Agreement and continuing until all of the Loan has been disbursed, subject to the
limitations of Section 3.2, Borrower may submit to the City an "Application for Disbursement."
Each Application for Disbursement shall include:
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3.3.1 A written, itemized statement, signed by a representative of the Borrower
which sets forth: (i) a description of the work performed, being performed, or to be performed,
material supplied, and/or costs incurred or due for which disbursement is requested; and (ii) the
total amount incurred, expended and/or due for the requested disbursement. Back up
documentation shall be presented to substantiate the disbursement request, including contracts,
invoices, etc. All moneys applied for and disbursed pursuant to this Section shall be applied only
for the corresponding improvements and the statement(s) by the representative of the Borrower
shall so affirm, in a writing signed under penalty of perjury.
3.3.2 Certification that items in the Application for Disbursement have not been
subject to a previous request and that there are no mechanics liens in connection with the work or
that upon payment, a release of mechanics lien shall be made for such progress payment and that
upon the final payment, an unconditional waiver and release shall be made.
3.3.3 Certification that in completing work pursuant to this Section, the
Borrower has complied or will comply with all applicable laws or is complying with all
applicable laws.
Each Application for Disbursement by the Borrower shall constitute a representation and
warranty by the Borrower that all work encompassed by the Application has been or will be
accomplished in accordance with sound construction practices and laws, and that the Borrower is
in compliance with all of the provisions of this Agreement.
Review by the City of any Application For Disbursement, document invoice, engineer’s
report, or other item required herein is for the purpose of administering the loan under this
Agreement. The City is not responsible for any of the work and does not, by its review, intend to
take responsibility for the appropriateness, quality or standards or anything else related to the
work.
3.4. CITY CREATED ACCOUNT. The City shall create a separate account in which
it shall record the loan/note proceeds described herein and from which it shall make
disbursements to pay Borrower or Borrower’s contractors related to the Note upon approval of
the Borrower’s Application for Disbursement.
ARTICLE IV
CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROJECT; RELATED COVENANTS
4.1 RECORDS. Borrower shall be accountable to City for all funds disbursed to
Borrower pursuant to the Loan Documents and agrees to maintain records that accurately and
fully show the date, amount, purpose, and payee of all expenditures drawn from Loan funds,
and to keep all invoices, receipts, and other documents related to expenditures from said Loan
funds for not less than the term of the Loan. Records must be kept accurate and current.
Borrower shall provide such records to City upon request of City. City shall notify Borrower of
y records it deems insufficient. Borrower shall have seven (7) calendar days from the date of
said notice to correct any deficiency in the records specified by City in said notice, or, if more
than seven (7) days shall be reasonably necessary to correct the deficiency, Borrower shall
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begin to correct the deficiency within seven (7) days and correct the deficiency as soon as
reasonably possible.
Borrower shall promptly comply with all requirements or conditions of the Loan
Documents relating to notices, extensions and other events required to be reported or requested.
Borrower shall promptly supply, upon the request of City, any and all information and
documentation which involves the development of the Project. Borrower shall provide City with
all records and books requested by City within one day of such request.
Borrower shall provide that City shall have access to quarterly financial reports,
including Balance Sheets, Statement of Revenues and Expenditures, Detailed Accounting Reports of
Expenditures and Revenues. Borrower shall provide such items to City quarterly on the 15 days of a
subsequent quarter for the previous quarter, commencing December 15, 2024.
Borrower shall provide to the City monthly updates of current expenditures, expected
future expenditures and progress reports on the Project.
4.2 AUDITS. Borrower shall make available for examination to City at reasonable
intervals throughout the term of this Loan and during normal business hours all books,
accounts, reports, files, and other papers or property with respect to all matters covered by these
Loan Documents, and shall permit City to audit, examine, and make excerpts or transcripts
from such records. City may make audits of any conditions relating to this Loan. Borrower
shall provide the City with its annual financial audit report by Dember 1 of each year,
commencing on December 1, 2026 for its financial transactions for FY 2024-25.
4.3 BORROWER RESPONSIBILITIES DURING WORK. The Borrower shall
be solely responsible for all actions necessary for the construction of work on the Project and
cause all construction of the Project to be performed in accordance in accordance with all other
applicable laws and regulations. The cost of constructing all of the improvements or work
required to be done on the Project shall be borne by Borrower.
Borrower acknowledges and agrees that the Project would be considered to be a "public
work" "paid for in whole or in part out of public funds," as described in California Labor Code
Section 1720 such that Borrower shall pay prevailing wages in connection with the construction
of the Project. Accordingly, Borrower shall indemnify, defend and hold the City and the City
Council and City employees and City consultants harmless from and against any all liability,
loss, damage, costs, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and court costs) arising
from or as a result of any action or determination that Borrower’s construction of the Project
failed to comply with any applicable prevailing wage laws
4.4 SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCE; PROGRESS REPORTS. Borrower shall
begin and complete all construction and/or work in accordance with the Project schedule to be
provided by Borrower to the City by August 31, 2025. Once construction is commenced, it
shall be diligently pursued to completion, and shall not be abandoned for more than thirty (30)
consecutive days. Borrower shall keep the City informed of the progress of construction and
shall submit monthly written reports of the progress of the construction to the City in the form
required by the City. Borrower shall also provide monthly reports on all expenditures on the
Project.
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ARTICLE V
INDEMNITY AND INSURANCE
5.1 GENERAL INDEMNITY. To the full extent permitted by law, Borrower
expressly agrees to and shall indemnify, defend, release, and hold City and City and their
officers, officials, agents, servants, employees, attorneys and contractors harmless from and
against, any claim, liability, loss, damage, entry, cost, or expense (including, but not limited to,
attorneys’ fees, expert fees, and court costs) which arises out of or is in any way connected with
Borrower’s construction of and/or work on the Project and any act, omission or item related to
or arising out of the Loan Documents. City shall not be responsible for any acts, errors or
omissions of any person or entity and their respective officers, agents, servants, employees or
contractors. The parties expressly agree that the obligations of Borrower under this Section
shall survive the expiration or early termination of the Agreement.
5.2 INSURANCE. Prior to the commencement of any construction by Borrower on
the Project, Borrower or its contractors shall procure and maintain, at its sole cost and expense,
in a form, amount and content satisfactory to City and appropriate for the type of work, during
the entire term of such entry or construction, insurance satisfactory to the work being performed
on the Project, including but not limited to casualty insurance, workers compensation, and
Builders Risk insurance.
All the policies of insurance, [except the Builder’s Risk insurance], shall be primary
insurance and shall name City, City, and their officers, employees, and agents as additional
insureds. The insurer shall waive all rights of subrogation and contribution it may have against
City, and their officers, employees and agents and their respective insurers. All of said policies
of insurance shall provide that said insurance may not be amended or cancelled without
providing thirty (30) days prior written notice to City and City. In the event any of said policies
of insurance are cancelled, Borrower shall, prior to the cancellation date, submit new evidence of
insurance in conformance with this Section to the City. No work or services under this
Agreement shall commence until the Borrower has provided City with Certificates of Insurance
or appropriate insurance binders evidencing the above insurance coverages and said Certificates
of Insurance or binders are approved by City.
The Borrower agrees that the provisions of this Section shall not be construed as limiting
in any way the extent to which the Borrower may be held responsible for the payment of
damages to any persons or property resulting from the Borrower’s activities or the activities of
any person or persons for which the Borrower is otherwise responsible.
5.3 NON-LIABILITY OF OFFICIALS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS. No
officials, employees and agents of City shall be personally liable to Borrower for any obligation
created under the terms of these Loan Documents.
5.4 RIGHTS OF ACCESS. Representatives of the City shall have the reasonable
right to access the Project without charges or fees, at any time during normal construction hours
during the period of construction and upon reasonable notice to Borrower, for the purpose of
assuring compliance with this Agreement, including but not limited to the inspection of the
construction work being performed by or on behalf of Borrower. Such representatives of City
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shall be those who are so identified in writing by the City Manager, City Engineer, or Public
Works Director.
ARTICLE VI
DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
6.1 EVENTS OF DEFAULT. The occurrence of any of the following events shall
constitute an “Event of Default” under this Loan Agreement:
6.1.1 Monetary. (A) Borrower's failure to pay when due any sums payable
under the Note and Loan; and (B) Borrower's use of Loan funds for costs other than approved
costs or for uses inconsistent with other terms and restrictions in the Loan Documents;
6.1.2 General Performance of Loan Obligations. Any substantial breach by
Borrower beyond applicable notice and cure periods of any material obligations on Borrower
imposed in the Loan Document.
6.1.3 Representations and Warranties. A determination by City that any of
Borrower’s representations or warranties made in the Loan Documents, or any certificates,
documents, or schedules supplied to City by Borrower were untrue in any material respect when
made, or that Borrower concealed or failed to disclose a material fact from City.
6.1.4 Damage to Property. Material damage or destruction of the Project by
fire or other casualty, if Borrower does not take steps to reconstruct the Project; or
6.1.5 Bankruptcy, Dissolution, and Insolvency. Borrower's: (A) filing for
bankruptcy, dissolution, or reorganization, (B) making a general assignment for the benefit of
creditors; (C) applying for the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, or liquidator; (D)
insolvency; or (E) failure, inability or admission in writing of its inability to pay its debts as they
become due.
6.2 NOTICE OF DEFAULT AND OPPORTUNITY TO CURE. For all Events of
Default, City shall give written notice to Borrower of any Event of Default by specifying: (a)
the nature of the event or deficiency giving rise to the Default, (b) the action required to cure
the deficiency, if an action to cure is possible, and (c) a date, which shall not be less than thirty
(30) days from the date of receipt of the notice or the date the notice was refused, by which
such action to cure must be taken or if a cure is not possible within thirty (30) days, to begin
such cure and diligently prosecute such cure to completion which shall, in any event, not
exceed ninety (90) days after the date of receipt of the notice to cure. The City has the sole
discretion to determine whatever additional reasonable time is needed to cure. Following an
Event of Default, interest shall accrue at five percent rate (5%).
6.3 CITY'S REMEDIES. Upon the happening of an Event of Default by Borrower
and a failure to cure said Event of Default within the time specified in Section 6.2 above, City's
obligation to disburse Loan proceeds shall terminate, and City may also, in addition to other
rights and remedies permitted by the Loan Documents or applicable law, proceed with any or
all of the following remedies in any order or combination City may choose in its sole discretion
and/or any other remedy provided by Law or equity:
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6.3.1 Terminate this Loan Agreement, in which event the entire principal
amount outstanding and all accrued interest under the Note as well as any other monies advanced
to Borrower by City under the Loan Documents including administrative costs, shall
immediately become due and payable at the option of City;
6.3.2 Bring an action in equitable relief (A) seeking the specific performance by
Borrower of the terms and conditions of the Loan Documents, and/or (B) enjoining, abating, or
preventing any violation of said terms and conditions, and/or (C) seeking declaratory relief;
6.3.3 Accelerate the Loan and demand immediate full payment of the principal
amount outstanding and all accrued interest under the Note as well as any other monies advanced
to Borrower by City under the Loan Documents;
6.3.4 Disburse from Loan proceeds any amount necessary to cure any monetary
default;
6.3.5 Provide for an offset of any amounts due and amounts incurred in
pursuing remedial action against the City’s annual assessment due to the District, as such
assessment becomes due. City may treat such offset as a remedy or an advance.
6.3.6 Pursue any other remedy allowed at law or in equity.
ARTICLE VII
GENERAL PROVISIONS
7.1 BORROWER'S WARRANTIES. Borrower represents and warrants (A) that it
has access to professional advice and support to the extent necessary to enable Borrower to
fully comply with the terms of the Loan Agreement and to otherwise carry out the Project, (B)
that it is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of
California, (C) that it has the full power and authority to undertake the Project and to execute
the Loan Agreement and related agreements, (D) that the persons executing and delivering the
Loan Documents are authorized to execute and deliver such document on behalf of Borrower,
(E) and (E) that all representations in the Borrower's submissions of materials related to the
loan or the annual assessments are true, correct and complete in all material respects and are
offered to induce City to make this loan.
7.2 PROPOSITION 218. Borrower shall comply with Proposition 218 to the extent
it applies to Borrower’s increase of assessments.
7.3 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. Borrower covenants that no person who
exercises or has exercised any functions or responsibilities with respect to the activities funded
pursuant to this contract or who is in a position to participate in a decision-making process or
gain inside information with regard to such activities, may obtain a personal or financial interest
or benefit from the activity, or have an interest in any contract, subcontract or agreement with
respect thereto, or the proceeds thereunder, either for themselves or those with whom they have
family or business ties, during, or at any time after, such person's tenure. Borrower shall
exercise due diligence to ensure that the prohibition in this Section is followed.
J-11
-11-
7.4 TERM OF THIS AGREEMENT. This Loan Agreement shall commence on
the date set forth above and remain in full force and effect throughout the term of the loan.
7.5 GOVERNING LAW. The Loan Documents shall be interpreted under and be
governed by the laws of the State of California, except for those provisions relating to choice of
law or those provisions preempted by federal law.
7.6 STATUTORY REFERENCES. All references in the Loan Documents to
particular statutes, regulations, ordinances, or resolutions of the United States, the State of
California, or the County of Los Angeles, or the City of Rancho Palos Verdes shall be deemed
to include the same statute, regulation, ordinance, or resolution as hereafter amended or
renumbered, or if repealed, to such other provisions as may thereafter govern the same subject
as the provision to which specific reference was made.
7.7 TIME. Time is of the essence in these Loan Documents.
7.8 CONSENTS AND APPROVALS. Any consent or approval of City or Borrower
required under the Loan Documents shall not be unreasonably withheld. Any approval required
under the Loan Documents shall be in writing and executed by an authorized representative of
the party granting the approval.
7.9 NOTICES, DEMANDS AND COMMUNICATIONS. Formal notices,
demands and communications between Borrower and City shall be sufficiently given and shall
not be deemed given unless dispatched by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return
receipt requested, or delivered personally, to the principal offices of Borrower and City as
follows:
CITY: City of Rancho Palos Verdes
30940 Hawthorne Boulevard
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
Attention: City Manager
BORROWER: Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District
30940 Hawthorne Boulevard
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
Attention: ACLAD
and
P.O. Box 365
Palos Verdes Peninsula 90274
Attn: ACLAD
7.10 RELATIONSHIP OF PARTIES. The relationship of Borrower and City for
this Project under this Loan Agreement is and at all times shall remain solely that of a debtor
and a creditor, and shall not be construed as a joint venture, equity venture, partnership, or any
J-12
-12-
other relationship. City neither undertakes nor assumes any responsibility or duty to Borrower
or any third party with respect to the Project, or the Loan.
7.11 ASSIGNMENT AND ASSUMPTION. Borrower shall not assign any of its
interests under this Loan Agreement or the Loan Documents to any other party, except as
specifically permitted under the terms of the Loan Documents, without the prior written consent
of City. Any unauthorized assignment shall be void.
7.12 WAIVER. Any waiver by City of any obligation in these Loan Documents must
be in writing. No waiver will be implied from any delay or failure by City to take action on any
breach or default of Borrower or to pursue any remedy allowed under the Loan Documents or
applicable law. Any extension of time granted to Borrower to perform any obligation under the
Loan Documents shall not operate as a waiver or release from any of its obligations under the
Loan Documents. Consent by City to any act or omission by Borrower shall not be construed to
be a consent to any other or subsequent act or omission or to waive the requirement for City's
written consent to future waivers.
7.13 INTEGRATION. This Loan Agreement and the other Loan Documents,
including exhibits, executed by Borrower for the Property, if any, contain the entire agreement
of the parties relating to this Project and supersede any and all prior negotiations.
7.14 OTHER AGREEMENTS. Borrower represents that it has not entered into any
agreements that are inconsistent with the terms of the Loan Documents. Borrower shall not
enter into any agreements that are inconsistent with the terms of the Loan Documents without
an express waiver by City in writing.
7.15 AMENDMENTS AND MODIFICATIONS. Any amendments or modifications
to the Loan Documents must be in writing, and shall be made only if executed by both
Borrower and City.
7.16 SEVERABILITY. Every provision of this Loan Agreement is intended to be
severable. If any provision of this Loan Agreement shall be held invalid, illegal, or
unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, then the validity, legality, and enforceability
of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired.
[Signatures on next page.]
J-13
-13-
In witness whereof, the parties have executed this Loan Agreement as of the date first
written above.
CITY: BORROWER:
City of Rancho Palos Verdes ABALONE COVE LANDSLIDE ABATEMENT
DISTRICT
By: ___________________________
Mayor
By:_______________________________
GORDON LEON
Chairman
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_______________________________
William W. Wynder, City Attorney
J-14
B-1
EXHIBIT “A”
The loan amount of One Million Six Hundred Ten Thousand Dollars ($1,610,000.00) will be
used for the drilling of eight to ten (8-10) Deep Dewatering Wells (DDW’s) and two (2)
monitoring wells. To the extent the wells can be drilled for less than $1,600,000, the excess will
be applied to ACLAD reserves or refunded to the city. If the loan amount is consumed by less
than eight (8) wells, ACLAD will fund the cost of one well from the balance of the loan proceeds
and its well drilling budget for the shortfall.
ACLAD and City Staff along with the City’s consultant engineering geologists are coordinating
with the plan on a near daily basis. Upon implementation of the ACLAD’s DDW Plan, data from
the monitoring wells and GPS surveys will be analyzed to determine the effect of the DDWs.
Accordingly, updates will be provided to the City Council.
J-15
B-2
EXHIBIT “B
PROMISSORY NOTE
$1,610,000 (“Loan Amount”)
March __, 2025 (“Note Date”)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned (herein, “Maker” or “Borrower”) hereby
promises to pay to the order of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, a municipal corporation
(“Holder” or “City”), at a place designated by Holder, the principal sum of (“Note Amount”),
plus any accrued interest. The maximum Note Amount shall not exceed One Million Six
Hundred Ten Thousand Dollars ($1,610,000.00). This “Loan” is the result of a loan from City to
Maker to assist in the cost of certain projects of stabilizing the Abalone Cove Landslide a sub-
slide of the greater Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex in the geographical area of Maker
(“Project”) pursuant to a Loan Agreement executed immediately preceding this Promissory Note
(“Note”) between City and Maker. The term “Loan” herein shall only refer to the amounts
actually paid out by City and any interest thereon, if any, as provided herein.
Except as otherwise provided herein, the defined terms used in this Note shall have the
same meaning as set forth in the Agreement.
1. Purpose of Loan.
Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Loan Agreement, the Holder has contributed
the Loan amount for the implementation and/or construction of the Project. The Holder accepts
this Note as evidence of the Loan.
2. Loan Amount.
The maximum principal amount of the Loan shall not exceed One Million Six Hundred
Ten Thousand Dollars ($1,610,000.00). The amount of the Loan shall be a draw down loan
starting from zero and will increase with each disbursement on the Loan, with each disbursement
to be agreed upon by City and Maker as to amount and timing. Repayment of the Note shall
include interest payments at the rate of two and a half percent (2.5%) per year on the Note.
Payment of the Note shall be as described in Section 4.
3. Prepayment.
Maker may prepay the outstanding balance of the Note, in whole or in part, at anytime
without penalty.
4. Term of Fund Loan; Repayment.
The Loan shall be amortized over a twelve (12) year period commencing with the initial
disbursement under the Loan. Payments on the Loan shall be in the amounts and at such times
as indicated on the amortization schedules prepared by City and amended as each additional
disbursement under the Loan is made. Payments shall be due on December 1 of each year,
J-16
B-3
commencing on December 1, 2026, and continuing on each subsequent December 1 thereafter.
All accrued and unpaid interest and all unpaid principal shall be due and payable on December 1
of the twelfth (12th) year following the initial draw down under the Note. An amortization
schedule for the Loan shall be prepared by the Finance Director of the City as if the total amount
of One Million Six Hundred Ten Thousand Dollars ($1,610,000.00) had been disbursed at one
time shall be attached to the Loan Agreement and this Note. The amortization schedule shall be
updated by the Finance Director at the time of the initial disbursement and each subsequent
disbursement thereafter reflecting all disbursements on the Loan and shall replace the prior
amortization schedule. In all events the term shall remain twelve (12) years from the initial
disbursement. The updated amortization schedules shall be acknowledged by the Chairman of
the Board of the Maker. The initial and updated amortization schedules shall be attached hereto
as Exhibit “C”.
J-17
B-4
The City retains the right, in its sole discretion, to forgo the physical payment of that
portion of its annual assessment payable to the Borrower in an amount equal to the next payment
to be made by Borrower under the Loan per the then applicable amortization schedule
5. Default; Cross-Default; Acceleration.
5.1 In addition to Maker’s failure to perform the requirements of this Note,
Maker shall also be in default of this Note if Maker violates or fails to perform any provision of
the Loan Agreement.
5.2 Default by Maker of this Note or of the Loan Agreement, shall constitute a
default of this Note and all of the Loan Agreement.
5.3 In the event Maker fails to perform hereunder or under the Loan
Agreement, for a period of thirty (30) days after the date of written notice from Holder that such
performance was due, Maker shall be in default of this Note. Prior to exercising any of its
remedies hereunder, City shall give Maker written notice of such default, and Maker shall
thereafter have thirty (30) days to cure such default; provided, however, that if the default
hereunder is solely as a result of a default under the Loan Agreement, the default, notice, and
cure provisions of the applicable document shall apply. If Maker cures a default within the cure
period set forth in the applicable document, Maker shall be deemed to have also cured that
default under this Note. If Maker does not cure a default within the cure period, Maker shall be
deemed in default under this Note and the Loan Agreement. In the event Maker is deemed in
default under this Note, and has not cured the default within the time set forth in the applicable
notice of default, Holder may, at its option, declare this Note and the entire obligations hereby
evidenced immediately due and payable and collectible then or thereafter as Holder may elect,
regardless of the date of maturity. Upon such occurrence, the balance of the Note will be due
and owing together with interest which shall accrue from the date of the default at five percent
(5%) per year.
In addition, City may advance and/or credit funds from City’s annual assessment
due to ACLAD for the default and any interest costs. At the time of such advance, City may, in
its discretion determine that such amount is an advance and the event of default continues to
accrue or City may determine that the credit cures such default.
6. Collection Costs; Attorneys’ Fees.
If, because of any event of default under this Note or the Loan Agreement, any attorney is
engaged by Holder, including the City Attorney, to enforce or defend any provision of this
instrument, whether or not suit is filed hereon, then Maker shall pay upon demand reasonable
attorneys’ fees, expert witness fees and all costs so incurred by Holder together with interest
thereon until paid at the applicable rate of interest payable hereunder, as if such fees and costs
had been added to the principal owing hereunder.
7. Financial and Audit Reports.
Borrower shall submit quarterly financial reports to the City due on the 15th day of the
first month of the following reporting quarter and shall provide the City an annual financial
J-18
B-5
audit report on December 1, commencing on December 1, 2025 for its financial transactions for
FY 2023-24.
Prior to issuance of the first draw down, the Borrower shall work with the Director of
Finance to develop a 12-Year Financial Model outlining estimated Sources of Revenues and
Expenditures. The Financial Model tool shall assist in upholding Borrower’s repayment
obligations to the City and in identifying financial challenges early, if any, allowing for
appropriate measures to be taken. The Financial Model shall be completed by July 31, 2024.
8. Waivers by Maker.
Maker and all endorsers, guarantors and persons liable or to become liable on this Note
waive presentment, protest and demand, notice of protest, demand and dishonor and nonpayment
of this Note and any and all other notices or matters of a like nature, and consent to any and all
renewals and extensions near the time of payment hereof and agree further that at any time and
from time to time without notice, the terms of payment herein may be modified between Holder
and Maker.
9. Severability.
The unenforceability or invalidity of any provision or provisions of this Note as to any
persons or circumstances shall not render that provision or those provisions unenforceable or
invalid as to any other provisions or circumstances, and all provisions hereof, in all other
respects, shall remain valid and enforceable.
10. Notices.
All notices, demands, requests, elections, approvals, disapprovals, consents or other
communications given under this Note shall be in writing and shall be given by personal
delivery, certified mail, return receipt requested, or overnight guaranteed delivery service and
addressed as follows:
If to Holder: City of Rancho Palos Verdes
30940 Hawthorne Boulevard
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
Attn: City Manager
If to Maker: ACLAD
30940 Hawthorne Boulevard
Rancho Palos Verde, CA 90274
Attention: ACLAD
And
P.O. Box 365
Palos Verdes Peninsula 90274Attention: ACLAD
.
J-19
B-6
Notices shall be effective upon the earlier of receipt or three days after the notice is
placed in the mail. Each party shall promptly notify the other party of any change(s) of address
to which notice shall be sent pursuant to this Note.
11. Attorneys' Fees.
If this Note is not paid when due or if any Event of Default occurs, Maker promises to
pay all costs of enforcement and collection, including but not limited to, reasonable attorneys'
fees, whether or not any action or proceeding is brought to enforce the provisions hereof.
12. Modifications.
Neither this Note nor any term hereof may be waived, amended, discharged, modified,
changed or terminated orally; nor shall any waiver of any provision hereof be effective except by
an instrument in writing signed by Maker and Holder. No delay or omission on the part of
Holder in exercising any right hereunder shall operate as a waiver of such right or of any other
right under this Note.
13. No Waiver by Holder.
No waiver of any breach, default or failure of condition under the terms of this Note shall
be implied from any failure of the Holder to take action, or any delay be implied from any failure
by the Holder in taking action, with respect to such breach, default or failure from any prior
waiver of any similar or unrelated breach, default or failure.
14. Nonassignability.
Maker may not transfer, assign, or encumber this Note in any manner without the prior,
express, written authorization of Holder, which may be given or withheld by Holder in Holder’s
sole and absolute discretion. It shall be deemed reasonable for Holder to refuse authorization for
any reason or no stated reason. Holder may freely transfer, assign, or encumber Holder’s interest
in this Note in any manner, at Holder’s sole discretion.
15. Governing Law.
This Note has been executed and delivered by Maker in the State of California and is to
be governed and construed in accordance with the laws thereof. Any litigation arising in
connection with this Note shall be instituted in a court within the County of Los Angeles,
California.
16. Time of Essence.
Time is of the essence in the performance of the obligations and provisions set forth in
this Note.
[SIGNATURES ON FOLLOWING PAGE]
J-20
B-7
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Note as of the date first above
written.
“MAKER”
ABALONE COVE LANDSLIDE
ABATEMENT DISTRICT
By:
Gordon Leon
Its: Chairman
By:
Michael A. Barth
Its: Vice-Chairman
J-21
C-1
EXHIBIT “C”
Loan Summary (ACLAD)
Loan amount $1,610,000 Scheduled payment
Annual interest rate 2.50%Scheduled number of payments
Loan period in years 12 Actual number of payments
Number of payments per year 1 Total early payments
Start date of loan 12/1/2026 Total interest
Payment
Number
Payment
Date
Beginning
Balance
Scheduled
Payment
Total
Payment Principal Interest Ending
balance
Cumulative
interest
1 12/1/2026 $1,610,000 $156,954 $156,954 $116,704 $40,250 $1,493,296 $40,250
2 12/1/2027 $1,493,296 $156,954 $156,954 $119,622 $37,332 $1,373,674 $77,582
3 12/1/2028 $1,373,674 $156,954 $156,954 $122,612 $34,342 $1,251,061 $111,924
4 12/1/2029 $1,251,061 $156,954 $156,954 $125,678 $31,277 $1,125,384 $143,201
5 12/1/2030 $1,125,384 $156,954 $156,954 $128,820 $28,135 $996,564 $171,335
6 12/1/2031 $996,564 $156,954 $156,954 $132,040 $24,914 $864,524 $196,249
7 12/1/2032 $864,524 $156,954 $156,954 $135,341 $21,613 $729,183 $217,863
8 12/1/2033 $729,183 $156,954 $156,954 $138,725 $18,230 $590,458 $236,092
9 12/1/2034 $590,458 $156,954 $156,954 $142,193 $14,761 $448,265 $250,854
10 12/1/2035 $448,265 $156,954 $156,954 $145,748 $11,207 $302,517 $262,060
11 12/1/2036 $302,517 $156,954 $156,954 $149,391 $7,563 $153,126 $269,623
12 12/1/2037 $153,126 $156,954 $153,126 $149,298 $3,828 $0 $273,451
$156,954
12
1
$273,451
J-22
D-1
EXHIBIT “D”
ACLAD and City Staff along with the City’s consultant engineering geologists are coordinating
with ACLAD’s Deep Dewatering Plan on a regular basis. Upon implementation of the ACLAD’s
DDW Plan, data from the monitoring wells and GPS surveys will be analyzed to determine the
effect of the DDWs. Accordingly, updates will be provided to the City Council. Additional
requirements are included in Section 4.4 Schedule of Performance; Progress Reports.
J-23
From: Mickey Rodich <mickeyrodich@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 9:36 AM
To: Teresa Takaoka <TeriT@rpvca.gov>
Subject: Fwd: InSAR
EXTERNAL EMAIL: Do not click links or open any attachments unless you recognize the
sender and know the content is safe!!!.
Teri, please include this correspondence for tonight’s meeting under the landslide agenda
item.
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Beale, Geoff" <gbeale@piteau.com>
Date: February 27, 2025 at 10:58:48 AM PST
To: Mickey Rodich <mickeyrodich@gmail.com>
Subject: InSAR
Hi Mickey
InSAR is used all over the world to look a ground movements. Most mines use it, so we
have some good applications.
It is satellite based and can measure ground movements to 1 mm accuracy. There are no
sensors on the ground.
The best data for the LA area would come from ascending and descending data from the
Sentinel-1 satellite which can provide an interpretation of the deformation fleld in space
and time, correlating with rainfall and other external variables.
K-1
Below is the best publicly available displacement map we can get, covering the time
interval Sept 18-Oct 17 2024. If we went to an InSAR provider, we could get very high
resolution images every 9 days and we could see which areas of the landslide were moving
most, when, trends with time, etc, etc.
We work with a guy called Paolo Farina who is an expert on InSAR and remote sensing. If
we are asked to get more involved, we would use Paolo and we could set up a regular
monitoring program as needed.
We should be able to see the exact area of infiuence of the dewatering wells that have
already been installed on the beach. That would for sure help planning and optimization of
additional dewatering wells and would help make the best use of the $1.6M budget.
Geoff
K-2
From: Mickey Rodich <mickeyrodich@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2025 11:46 PM
K-3
To: Beale, Geoff <gbeale@piteau.com>
Subject: Re:
⚠ CAUTION: This email originated from an external sender. Verify the source before
opening links or attachments. ⚠
I forgot to ask you these questions.
How are you able to use InSAR?
How do you reach the sensors on the ground?
How often does the satellite pass by?
How much is the slide moving and where?
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 26, 2025, at 3:26 AM, Beale, Geoff <gbeale@piteau.com> wrote:
Hi Mickey,
I saw last week there had been some acceleration. We track it on InSAR.
Wells in the toe area an essential (and now proven) component of the remediation
plan. But there is probably also a need to think about the other components of: (i) gravity
drainage holes into the headscarp of the instability, and (ii) improved surface water control
upgradient of the instability.
K-4
Thanks for keeping us in the loop. Let me know if and when you need anything from us.
Geoff
From: Mickey Rodich <mickeyrodich@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2025 7:49 PM
To: Beale, Geoff <gbeale@piteau.com>; Dowling, Jeremy <jdowling@piteau.com>
Subject:
⚠ CAUTION: This email originated from an external sender. Verify the source before
opening links or attachments. ⚠
This is the latest on the landslide. The ACLAD (Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement
District) area mentioned is the extreme Western end of the landslide. That area is still
moving at a decent rate. They are a separate assessment district that is funded by property
taxes and they have much easier rules than the City as far as regulations they must follow
for drilling, which are much cheaper. The City is loaning them $1.6 million to start drilling
these new wells.
Geoff, during your visit, this is the area that did not have any wells at the toe of the slide
next to the 6 wells they were drilling next to the Beach Club.
February 19, 2025
February 18, 2025 City Council Meeting Discussion Recap
At last night’s meeting, the City Council received a more reflned plan from the Abalone
Cove Landslide Abatement District (ACLAD) to use a $1.6 million loan from the City to
install up to 10 deep dewatering wells 250 feet underground to relieve water pressure that
is fueling land movement.
K-5
The flgure above shows the approximate locations of the proposed wells, which are
numbered in order of priority. These locations were selected based on proximity to ACLAD’s
historically most productive wells, gaps in dewatering areas, expected survivability, drilling
access, and drainage availability. However, they may change as the project progresses and
data is collected after each well is drilled. Construction could begin in as soon as in two
weeks. Data assessing the wells’ effectiveness will be provided during regular landslide
updates at City Council meetings.
ACLAD estimates the dewatering wells will cost up to $200,000 each, and a pair of
monitoring wells that will measure water pressure will cost about $125,000. Annual
operations and maintenance is expected to cost approximately $550,000. The City will
provide $100,000 worth of in-kind services for project/construction management and
geological services. The City’s loan has a 12-year term with a 2.5% interest rate, and the
flrst estimated payment is scheduled for December 2025. ACLAD is expected to request an
extension for the flrst payment since no amount has been disbursed yet this flscal year. If
ACLAD requests additional flnancial assistance for its dewatering efforts in the future, it
will go to the Council for consideration.
Update on Red-Tagged Home at 4361 Exultant Drive
During a closed session at last night’s meeting, the Council authorized the abatement of
4361 Exultant Drive, the vacant, bank-owned home on the corner of Dauntless and Exultant
Drives that was the flrst property to be red-tagged in the City in 2023 due to damage from
accelerated land movement. The condition of the blighted and sunken property has
signiflcantly worsened since, drawing complaints, spectators, and posing a public
nuisance. The City Attorney will seek a court order of abatement so the property can be
demolished for public safety as soon as possible.
K-6