# Palos Verdes Peninsula Landslides

The Palos Verdes Peninsula, a coastal region of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, has a long history of landslides and land movements. The Palos Verdes Peninsula is home to the cities of Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates, and the unincorporated communities of Academy Hills and Westfield. In 2024, the Palos Verdes Peninsula was rocked with another round of landslides.

# Landslide History
## Rancho Palos Verdes
### Ancient Altamira Landslide Complex

The city of Rancho Palos Verdes sits on four out of five sub-slides of the Ancient Altamira Landslide Complex, including Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, the Abalone Cove Landslide Complex and the Klondike Canyon Landslide Complex, and Beach Club Landslides.

### 1956 Portuguese Bend Landslide

Beginning in September 1956 and continuing until early 1957, the area experienced a landslide concurrent with the construction of a road (the Crenshaw Boulevard extension, south of Crest Road) along the top of an ancient landslide complex.The impacted area ranged from approximately 240 acres to roughly two square miles A 1958 video newsreel showed the effects of the landslide’s impact: 140 of the 170 homes in the area were destroyed or displaced.
In 1961, area homeowners filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County and won a $10 million settlement.

### Abalone Cove Slide

From 1974 to 1978, an 80 acre landslide occurred in the Abalone Cove area. The lower part of the landslide started to move in February 1974. The "Abalone Cove Slide" was moving so slow that geologists did not verify that it was an actual slide until 1976, after it had damaged roughly twenty homes.
The upper part of the slide may have started to shift in the spring of 1978. That year, the city restricted building new homes in areas impacted by the landslides, "Landslide Moratorium Map." Since 1980, efforts to control landslide movement have involved removing ground water from the landslide mass.

### Klondike Canyon Landslide Complex

The Klondike Canyon has been noted for landslides. Renewed movement occurred in 1979, and a Geologic Hazard Abatement Districts was created to study the Klondike Canyon landslides in 1982.

### Beach Club Landslide

The Portuguese Beach Club landslide is a minor slide within the area's landslide complex. In 2024, residents of Seaview and the Beach Club filed a lawsuit against the City of Rancho Palos Verdes.

### Portuguese Bend and Seaview Landslide

Since Spring 2023, there has been noticeable land movement and collateral damage in the Portuguese Bend Beach Club, Portuguese Bend Community Association, and Seaview neighborhoods. Several miles of trails have closed in the Abalone Cove Reserve, Filiorum Reserve, Forrestal Reserve, and Portuguese Bend Reserve areas.
In September 2024, more than 200 homeowners had to evacuate the Portuguese Bend and Seaview areas. The city of Rancho Palos Verdes issued an evacuation warning for residents in response to landslides that are moving at a rate of three-fourths to one foot per week. Gas to the Portuguese Bend neighborhood has been shutoff since August 2024. For safety reason, local utility companies planned to terminate all electricity for impacted residents.
On September 3, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. The city has extended a construction moratorium for the landslide areas until October 2025.

## Rolling Hills
### Rolling Hills Landslide Mitigation Project

In 2024, Congressman Ted Lieu secured one million dollars for the Rolling Hills Landslide Mitigation Project, which is expected to improve wastewater flow and reduce the risk of additional landslides in the Flying Triangle landslide area within the city boundaries.

## Rolling Hills Estates
### Peartree Lane Landslide

Rollings Hills Estates is located on the northern side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, an area that has a history of documented landslides. On July 8, 2023, the Peartree Lane Landslide destroyed several homes in Rolling Hills Estates. This landslide may have started in 2022.