More than 100 additional homes in Rancho Palos Verdes will experience power outages due to worsening landslides in the region, city officials said Monday.
This time, 105 of the 270 homes in the Seaview neighborhood will be without lights starting at 7 p.m. Monday, authorities said. The earth movements endanger electrical equipment and, if power lines are live, could spark a wildfire, among other dangers, authorities said.
The power outage will impact large parts of Seaview, a midcentury modern-style complex designed in 1960 by master architect Paul Williams that features details such as stone fireplaces, futuristic lamps and striking pops of color on a seaside cliff.
City officials said 47 households will be without power for just 24 hours, but 38 will be without power for one to three weeks and 20 more will be without power indefinitely.
This is the second power outage in as many days in the area, a peninsula about 30 miles south of downtown Los Angeles known for its ocean breezes, gorgeous views and expensive homes. On Sunday, authorities cut power to 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes, about a mile further up the coast. In that case, authorities also issued an evacuation warning, meaning residents had to prepare to leave if they were ordered to do so.
Power outages could also occur in other parts of the city if conditions worsen.
The crisis is due to landslides in the region, which have been slowly shifting the earth for decades, suddenly becoming more rapid, recently moving at up to 30 centimeters per week. Officials say the causes include the heavy rains of the past two winters. Roads have buckled. Houses have collapsed.
“There is no playbook for an emergency like this,” said Janice Hahn, Los Angeles County Councilwoman, on Sunday. “The crisis is getting worse every day.”
Hahn said she has pledged $5 million from the county to respond to the disaster, but the community needs federal assistance. She said she wants Gov. Gavin Newsom to “come to Rancho Palos Verdes and look at the landslide for himself.”
City officials have said they cannot solve the problem alone. The city, which has a population of about 42,000, has poured resources into a solution. While the landslide only affects a small portion of the city’s homes, fixing the problem will require much more than the city can do, officials said.
The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council will hold a special meeting at 3 p.m. Tuesday to declare a local emergency. The council could also vote to authorize the mayor to ask Newsom to declare a state of emergency and provide assistance.
“This is much larger than the city itself and without the help of our partners at the county, state and federal levels, we cannot find real solutions to slow the movement of land,” said City Councilman Dave Bradley.
