For residents of the Portuguese Bend community in Rancho Palos Verdes, the ground has been a source of constant anxiety for years. Homes have split open, roads have buckled into jagged ribbons of asphalt, and dozens of families have been forced to live without utility-powered electricity after the land shifted so violently that power lines became hazards. For nearly three years, the community has watched the land move—sometimes by more than a foot a week—while waiting for a federal lifeline.
That lifeline has finally arrived, though officials and residents warn We see a modest start to a massive problem. U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Ted Lieu announced Thursday that nearly $2.3 million in federal aid has been secured for two critical landslide mitigation projects. These represent the first federal funds directed toward the area since the city declared a local emergency in October 2023, when land movement reached unprecedented levels.
While the funding is a symbolic and practical victory, the scale of the disaster dwarfs the allotment. The money is earmarked for resident-funded abatement districts rather than the city’s general fund, leaving the municipality of Rancho Palos Verdes to continue grappling with a budget crisis triggered by its own desperate attempts to stabilize the cliffs.
Targeting the Root of the Movement
The federal funds are split between two distinct efforts to slow the descent of the Palos Verdes Peninsula into the Pacific. The primary goal of both projects is to manage groundwater—the invisible engine driving the landslides.
Approximately $1.145 million will be directed to the Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District. This volunteer-run, resident-funded organization will use the money to improve drainage at the “toe” of the Abalone Cove landslide. In geological terms, the toe is the lowest point of the slide. by improving drainage there, engineers hope to prevent the bottom of the slope from pushing outward, which in turn helps stabilize the land above it in the Portuguese Bend community.
The remaining funds will go to the Klondike Canyon Landslide Abatement District. This project focuses on “de-watering,” the process of installing wells to pump out groundwater that increases pore pressure within the soil, effectively lubricating the landslide and making it more prone to movement. This effort is designed to protect residents in the Seaview and Portuguese Bend Beach Club neighborhoods.
| Recipient District | Primary Objective | Target Neighborhoods |
|---|---|---|
| Abalone Cove | Toe-of-slope drainage improvement | Portuguese Bend |
| Klondike Canyon | Groundwater de-watering wells | Seaview, Portuguese Bend Beach Club |
A City on the Financial Brink
For Rancho Palos Verdes city manager Ara Mihranian, the federal news is “huge” because it shifts some of the financial burden away from the residents. However, the city itself remains in a precarious financial position. Since 2022, the city has spent approximately $61 million on landslide mitigation—a staggering sum for a small municipality.
Mihranian noted that this expenditure has “decimated” the city’s capital improvement budget, meaning funds originally intended for general infrastructure, parks, and public services have been diverted to keep the hillsides from collapsing. While land movement has slowed in recent months—with some areas now shifting only one to two inches per week compared to the peak of over 12 inches—the financial damage is already done.
“Things are getting better in terms of the land movement, but financially, the city is now starting to realize we are running out of money,” Mihranian said.
The Human Cost and the FEMA Limbo
Beyond the balance sheets is a human crisis. Dozens of residents remain displaced or are living in homes that are no longer structurally sound. Some continue to reside in their properties without power, as utility companies have deemed the shifting terrain too dangerous for traditional electrical infrastructure.
The struggle is compounded by a bureaucratic bottleneck. In late 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) agreed to a $42 million buyout program intended to compensate the owners of roughly 20 ruined homes. However, that money has not yet reached the homeowners.
Many of these residents are currently trapped in a “double payment” nightmare: paying a mortgage on a home they cannot safely inhabit while simultaneously paying for alternative rental housing. Mihranian expressed hope that the approval process would conclude and funds would reach homeowners sometime this year.
Constraints and the Road Ahead
The current $2.3 million allocation is a fraction of what local advocates believe is necessary. Gordon Leon, chair of the Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District, pointed out that his community had initially requested more than $20 million for a single mitigation project. With only a small portion of that available, the district will be forced to “tighten our belts” to maximize the impact of the federal funds.
The current situation highlights several critical constraints:
- Funding Gaps: The gap between the $2.3 million provided and the $20 million+ requested for comprehensive mitigation.
- Administrative Delays: The lag in FEMA buyout distributions leaving residents in financial peril.
- Budgetary Depletion: The exhaustion of the city’s capital improvement funds due to the $61 million spent since 2022.
Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Ted Lieu have framed this funding as a “first step,” pledging to continue fighting for additional resources. The goal is not just to treat the symptoms of the current slides but to establish a formal pathway for ongoing federal support as the peninsula continues to shift.
The next critical milestone for the community will be the disbursement of the FEMA buyout funds, which city officials hope will begin reaching homeowners within the current calendar year. Until then, residents of Portuguese Bend remain in a state of watchful waiting, eyeing the cracks in their driveways and the slow movement of the earth beneath them.
Do you live in the Palos Verdes area or have you been affected by the landslides? Share your experience in the comments or reach out to our newsroom.
