The Landslide from Above
An independent, neutral information hub tracking land movement across the Palos Verdes Peninsula — centered on the Greater Portuguese Bend emergency, and covering every peninsula landslide from Sunken City to Rolling Hills: the data, the history, the public meetings, the official reports, and the programs available to affected residents.
From the City of Rancho Palos Verdes' August 2026 survey (published September 9) — these figures will be refreshed when the next survey cycle posts. On September 15 the Council extended the local emergency and the PV Drive South bike/motorcycle ban another 60 days; winterization work remains on track for mid-October. See Maps & Data for detail, or verify at the source: City land movement updates · GPS surveys & contour maps.
The southern slope of the Palos Verdes Peninsula sits atop an ancient landslide complex covering roughly two square miles. Part of it — the Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex — has been moving since 1956, when construction fill reactivated the ancient slide. It includes four connected landslides: Portuguese Bend, Abalone Cove, Klondike Canyon, and the Beach Club slide.
After record rains in 2023 and 2024, movement accelerated dramatically — in places reaching several inches per week — damaging hundreds of homes, breaking roads and utility lines, forcing power and gas shutoffs, and prompting the dismantling of the historic Wayfarers Chapel. Federal, state, and city agencies responded with emergency declarations, buyout programs, and a major dewatering effort that has since slowed the land significantly.
Dated entries tracking survey results, dewatering progress, council decisions, utility restorations, and road work as they happen.
Read the updates →From the ancient slide and the 1956 reactivation to the 2023–24 acceleration: a full timeline plus the geology underneath it all.
Learn the history →City Council landslide updates, the weekly Landslide Complex Working Group, and the ACLAD and KCLAD abatement districts.
Track the meetings →Official land movement reports, GPS survey data, the remediation project EIR, NASA/JPL analyses, and key scientific papers.
Browse the documents →Where the land is moving and how fast — city GPS surveys, NASA radar imagery, and landslide boundary maps explained.
See the data →Beyond Portuguese Bend: Flying Triangle, the Rolling Hills Estates collapse, Ocean Trails, Sunken City, White Point, and more — every peninsula slide, kept distinct.
See all the slides →Everything affected homeowners need: the buyout program, financial assistance, utilities, tax relief, insurance realities, and permits.
Get resources →| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Active area | The Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex spans roughly 700 acres within a ~2-square-mile ancient landslide on the peninsula's south side. |
| Moving since | 1956 (Portuguese Bend), 1974 (Abalone Cove), ~1980 (Klondike Canyon). The 2023–24 storms triggered the fastest movement ever recorded here. |
| Peak movement | Up to roughly 4 inches per week in residential areas in fall 2024 (NASA/JPL radar), with some areas faster at the peak of the acceleration. |
| Homes affected | About 650 homes sit in the affected communities — Portuguese Bend, Seaview, the Portuguese Bend Beach Club, and neighboring areas. |
| Response | Local emergency declarations, deep dewatering wells, hydraugers, winterization, FEMA/Cal OES-funded buyouts, and a major remediation project in environmental review (a $48.7M federal grant application is pending) — $64.4M in city spending from October 2022 through June 2026, about $15M of it in FY 2025–26 alone (~38% of the General Fund) — and the City now projects roughly $75M by June 2027. A one-time $5M state reimbursement (Sept. 2026) offsets part of last year's costs. |
| On the ballot | November 3, 2026: Measure RS would raise the hotel tax from 10% to 13% (about $2.2M a year) for public safety and City services, including landslide response. City details. |
| Building rules | Since September 2025, Ordinance 692 permanently bans new residential construction (including additions) in the complex — about 400 homes and 130 vacant lots — while allowing repair and replacement within existing footprints. |
| Today | Movement has slowed sharply since late 2024 — the complex's active-area average fell below 1 inch per week in August 2026 for the first time since October 2023. Seaview, the Beach Club, and Klondike Canyon show essentially no measurable movement; interior portions of Portuguese Bend and Abalone Cove still creep. |
Figures compiled from City of Rancho Palos Verdes land movement updates, NASA/JPL, and news reporting. See Reports & Documents for sources.
If you own property or live in the land movement area, there are active programs and protections you should know about — some with deadlines.
Life-threatening emergency: call 911.
Emergency alerts: text ALERTRPV to 888-777 to register with Alert SouthBay.
Evacuation zones: know your zone at PVPready.gov.
Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 (24/7 free counseling).
Have a report, meeting notice, photo, or correction we should include? Send it to contact@pvlandslide.com.
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