Landslide in Southern California city threatens homes, prompts evacuations

An ongoing crisis stemming from a widening landslide is threatening multimillion-dollar homes in the Southern California city of Rancho Palos Verdes.

The landslide grew worse over the weekend and prompted an evacuation warning for more than 100 homes in the oceanside community, officials said.

Residents in the growing landslide zone, which has spread about 680 acres over the past year the community has been dealing with the issue, were advised Sunday to leave the area after the Southern California Edison (SCE) utility company shut off power to 140 homes and said another 105 residents will lose electricity by Monday night.

"SCE has determined there is a public safety threat," the utility company said in a statement. "Electricity service will be discontinued in these zones effective Sunday, September 1 at 12 p.m. PST. DO NOT USE WATER OR PLUMBING AFTER THE POWER IS SHUT OFF -- THIS COULD RESULT IN A SEWER SPILL."

Rancho Palos Verdes is located about 30 miles south of Los Angeles.

City officials said homes, roads and infrastructure have already been damaged by the landslide, which has been shifting for decades, but began to accelerate following heavy rains in the spring of 2023.

"There is no playbook for an emergency like this one," Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents the area, said at a news conference Sunday. "We're sparing no expense. This is bigger than Rancho Palos Verdes. This land movement is so gigantic and so damaging, that one city should not have to bear the burden alone."

Hahn said the county has committed $5 million to respond to the disaster.

Hahn called on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to visit the area in hopes he will declare a state of emergency.

"Yes, this landslide has been moving for decades, but the acceleration that's happening currently is beyond what any of us could have foretold, and it demands more response from the state, more response from the federal government," Hahn said.

On Monday, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said it's continuing to coordinate with emergency response officials in Los Angeles County.

"The Governor's Office of Emergency Services remains in communication with the City, County, and FEMA on the dynamic situation in Rancho Palos Verdes, including the recent actions by local utilities, as we evaluate the appropriate next steps," the agency said in a statement.

Officials said the shifting land has caused water and gas pipes to leak and the city has been forced to red-tag at least two homes that have been made uninhabitable by damage.

Officials said that earlier this month the landslide caused a 10,000-gallon sewer spill on private property.

"It's just kind of mind-blowing," one resident told ABC Los Angeles station KABC. "It doesn't feel legal."