Latest news with #RanchoPalosVerdes
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Wayfarers Chapel announces prospective campus in Rancho Palos Verdes
After the ongoing land movement in Palos Verdes forced its closure last year, the Wayfarers Chapel may have found a new hilltop to call home. The National Historic Landmark's prospective campus is located on Battery Barnes next to Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall, above Point Vicente Lighthouse and Golden Cove. It's roughly 1.7 miles away from the shuttered Portuguese Bend location. The National Historic Landmark's prospective campus is located on Battery Barnes next to Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall, above Point Vicente Lighthouse and Golden Cove. It's roughly 1.7 miles away from the shuttered Portuguese Bend location. Wayfarers Chapel Over the last two years, land movement has severely damaged roads, homes and utilities in Rancho Palos Verdes, eventually leading the region's major natural gas and electricity providers to shut off their services to hundreds of residents. Since August, the Portuguese Bend slide has impacted about 650 homes. The ongoing natural disaster prompted FEMA and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services to implement a $42 million voluntary buyout program, allowing residents to sell their homes at "fair market value." In October, geologists gave residents a small glimmer of hope after confirming that the slide had decelerated from an average of 13 inches a week to 8 inches, a roughly 38% decrease. Further studies conducted by researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory showed that the movement slowed to about 4 inches a week in the fall of 2024. Once rebuilt, the Wayfarers Chapel campus would include a visitors center, a museum, a cafe and gardens. The 100-seat, glass chapel designed by famous architect Lloyd Wright originally opened in 1951. Wayfarers Chapel gained its National Landmark status in 2023. However, the decades-long Portuguese Bend landslide forced it to close in February 2024. In July 2024, construction crews fully disassembled the historic church while it waited for a new location. "We look forward to rebuilding and serving the community for another 75+ years," Wayfarers Chapel wrote on its website.
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
SoCal Gas begins work to restore natural gas services to residents in Rancho Palos Verdes
Crews from SoCal Gas will begin work to restore natural gas to hundreds of residents in the Rancho Palos Verdes area, a year after services were shut off. After nearly a year of not having natural gas, residents can see the finish line getting closer. In July 2024, the utility company SoCal Gas cut off natural gas service to the Portuguese Bend community of Rancho Palos Verdes after continued land movement in the area. In September 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in the area, saying severe storms had significantly accelerated land movement to an average of 9 to 12 inches per week. The city also declared a local emergency and issued evacuation warnings urging residents to gather important documents and items. Last summer, Mayor John Cruikshank said he was worried the gas service would be the first domino to fall, a prediction that ended up being correct. Crews were seen Friday morning digging into the ground so they can install new equipment and infrastructure. Once they complete that, they will go door to door and start restoring natural gas service to homes. There are some properties in the areas that were red or yellow tagged and are too badly damaged to have service restored. SoCal Gas said there are about 22 customers who should get their services back by July. A spokesperson from the utility company said thy are doing upgrades to make sure they're able to adjust to changing conditions. "We're installing automatic shutoff valves, monitoring, reassessing and figure out where to go from there," Brian Haas, a SoCal Gas spokesperson, said. Unfortunately, there are still hundreds of homeowners in Rancho Palos Verdes who are dealing with the ongoing land movement. Some people have chosen to leave, taking advantage of a $42 million voluntary buyout program from FEMA and the state of California. SoCal Gas has said it does appear the land movement has slowed in some areas like Seaview, Portuguese Bend Beach Club and Rolling Hills. Crews will continue monitoring other areas to see if it's safe to bring back utilities there too.
CBS News
27-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Gas service to be restored in some Palos Verdes communities impacted by land movement
As landslide movement on the Palos Verdes Peninsula has slowed, Southern California Gas Co. is restoring natural gas service to some areas where the utility was cut last year out of safety concerns. In 2024, accelerating landslide movement wreaked havoc in some communities on the peninsula, damaging homes, cutting off utility services, and even forcing some residents in impacted areas to relocate. The Portuguese Bend Landslide has impacted about 650 homes and is considered an ongoing natural disaster. Beginning Tuesday, SoCalGas will begin upgrading and testing its infrastructure in the Seaview area of Rancho Palos Verdes to complete gas restoration for homeowners who request it. The restoration of natural gas to the Seaview community is expected to take four to five weeks. The city of Rancho Palos Verdes noted that red-tagged and yellow-tagged properties will not be considered for restoration. "We are grateful to these communities for their patience during what we know has been a difficult time," said Maria Martinez, director of gas engineering for SoCalGas in a statement. "Given the sustained decreases in land movement, we look forward to the safe restoration of natural gas service for those who are ready to reconnect." The land movement in the Seaview, Portuguese Bend Beach Club, and Rolling Hills communities has drastically slowed since October 2024. The utility company reported that extensive monitoring over the past seven months shows that land movement in these communities is now minimal, with no measurable land movement in Seaview and Portuguese Bend Beach Club since February. Additional safety equipment, such as automatic shut-off valves is part of the upgrade to SoCalGas infrastructure. The restoration of natural gas services does not include the Portuguese Bend Community Association neighborhood, according to the city of Rancho Palos Verdes. Related: FEMA, Cal OES announce $42 million voluntary buyout program to Rancho Palos Verdes homeowners impacted by land movement
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
SoCalGas to begin restoration process for Rancho Palos Verdes neighborhood
After roughly eight months, the first homes in Rancho Palos Verdes could have their natural gas service restored by July. The restoration process will begin on May 27 in the Seaview neighborhood, specifically homes on Dauntless Exultant and Admirable Drives, according to the utility company SoCalGas. The process is expected to finish in about four to five weeks. Once completed, SoCalGas crews will evaluate the homes along Palos Verdes Drive South and determine if they can restore services to residents there. The utility company added that engineers are developing designs and plans to restore service to Portuguese Bend Beach Club communities and Rolling Hills. "We are grateful to these communities for their patience during what we know has been a difficult time," said Maria Martinez, director of gas engineering. "Given the sustained decreases in land movement, we look forward to the safe restoration of natural gas service for those who are ready to reconnect." Over the last two years, land movement has severely damaged roads, homes and utilities in Rancho Palos Verdes, eventually leading the region's major natural gas and electricity providers to shut off their services to hundreds of residents. Since August, the Portuguese Bend slide has impacted about 650 homes. The ongoing natural disaster prompted FEMA and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services to implement a $42 million voluntary buyout program, allowing residents to sell their homes at "fair market value." In October, geologists gave residents a small glimmer of hope after confirming that the slide had decelerated from an average of 13 inches a week to 8 inches, a roughly 38% decrease. Further studies conducted by researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory showed that the movement slowed to about 4 inches a week in the fall of 2024. SoCalGas stressed that if land movement increases in the future, the company may be forced to shut off services again. For more information about the restoration process, click here.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
The luxury homes threatened by cliff erosion in California enclave
A wealthy California town was facing the threat of falling into the ocean, but it has recently received a surprise reprieve. The unlikely savior of the idyllic town of Rancho Palos Verdes in Southern California is an ongoing drought in the area. The region, located southwest of downtown Los Angeles, has received 46 percent less rainfall than normal since the start of the rainy season this year. Until recently, residents had been watching their properties slip in to the sea at a terrifying rate of four inches a week, or 17 feet per year. However, local geologist Mike Phipps (pictured) informed residents at a city council meeting on May 6 that the rate has now stabilized or at least decelerated, SF Gate reported. 'Mr. Phipps believes this is largely due to significantly below-average rainfall through April,' the city council said in a write up of the meeting. The city said 'winterization efforts' and 'ongoing dewatering efforts' have also helped to bring about the slowdown. Last year the town experienced such heavy rainfall that the land became so soaked that it began to slip off into the sea . Houses became detached from their foundations as well as from municipal gas and power lines. Ranchos Palos Verdes, which has been dubbed America's richest retirement town, is home to 135 properties. More than a quarter of the city's 42,000 residents are over 65, with a median income of around $166,747. In February, the Wayfarers Chapel, which boasts with stunning views out to the Pacific Ocean, had to close completely - leaving almost 200 weddings in limbo. In October the federal government set aside $42 million to buy out Rancho Palos Verdes homeowners who were forced to abandon their properties. Under the Trump administration, however, landslide aid funds promised by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could be withdrawn, the Daily Breeze reported. Despite the current reprieve, the city is still working to pump excess water out of the ground to help ease the strain below the surface. A recent report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that 44 percent of California and Nevada will be in some stage of drought this summer. Higher temperatures and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent in California. As a result, the state is facing a home insurance crisis with State Farm hiking its premiums and other companies, including Allstate and Farmers Direct limiting cover or stopping doing business entirely in the Golden State . Experts had warned that price hikes were inevitable as insurers faced massive payouts for deadly wildfires that severely damaged the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and thousands of other homes across Los Angeles County. State Farm says the latest round of price increases is necessary to stop the company going bust, especially in the wake of the fires which damaged its bottom line further. State Farm has so far received nearly 12,700 claims from wildfire victims, and has paid customers more than $3.5 billion, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
