Rancho Palos Verdes seeks landslide safety net

Rancho Palos Verdes is trying to solve a problem that standard homeowner insurance often does not: paying for damage caused by moving ground. City officials have been pressing for a state-backed landslide insurance option after a local survey found no reported land-movement coverage among residents living in the city’s slide areas. The push comes as Rancho Palos Verdes continues to spend heavily on emergency response, utility work and long-term stabilization in the Portuguese Bend landslide complex. City materials say homeowners in the landslide area are also pursuing tax relief and reassessments as property damage and market losses mount. ### Why is the city talking about insurance now? Rancho Palos Verdes has been in an extended landslide emergency since accelerated movement damaged roads, utilities and homes in neighborhoods including Seaview, Portuguese Bend Beach Club and Portuguese Bend Community Association. City FAQ materials say the acceleration has been linked to heavy winter rainfall and a deeper slide plane that is moving faster than previously known. The city says the active landslide complex expanded from 380 acres to 700 acres. (rpvca.gov) August 2026 city updates show the land is still moving, though much more slowly than during the 2024 surge. The city said movement that had peaked at nearly 1 foot per week in summer 2024 was averaging 1.1 inches per week by late August 2026. Officials tied part of that slowdown to deep dewatering wells that have removed more than half a billion gallons of groundwater since fall 2024. Patch reported that Rancho Palos Verdes is now seeking a California-backed safety net because a city survey found zero of 62 residents in landslide zones reported having land-movement insurance. (rpvca.gov) That survey result became the city’s clearest public evidence that homeowners facing geologic risk may have little or no private insurance protection. ### What is missing from ordinary homeowner coverage? Rancho Palos Verdes’ insurance resources page says residents should review their policies carefully because land-movement damage is not usually covered by most homeowners insurance policies in California. (rpvca.gov) The city does not present that as a blanket legal determination for every policy, but as a practical warning to affected homeowners. March 2025 city guidance shows how officials have been directing residents toward other forms of relief while insurance remains limited. (rpvca.gov) The city said owners of red-tagged or yellow-tagged homes, and applicants for decline-in-value or misfortune-and-calamity relief, could expect reassessment notices and adjusted property tax bills from Los Angeles County. That leaves a gap between immediate property damage and longer-term public assistance. (rpvca.gov) The city has already waived permitting fees for repairs related to land movement, according to its FAQ, but fee waivers do not replace insurance proceeds for structural losses or relocation costs. ### What kind of safety net is Rancho Palos Verdes considering? A 2026 community update posted by the city said the City Council would receive an informational report on September 1 exploring the feasibility of developing a joint powers authority, or JPA, to provide landslide insurance coverage to individuals. (rpvca.gov) The notice did not say the program had been approved, only that staff would revisit the concept and present options. (rpvca.gov) January 2026 council materials also show landslide funding and related advocacy were written into the city’s legislative platform for contacts with regional, state and federal officials. That means the insurance discussion is part of a broader lobbying effort tied to landslide response, infrastructure and public safety. (rpvca.gov) ### How much is the city already spending on the emergency? Rancho Palos Verdes said in late August that it is spending about $53,000 a month to rent and fuel generators powering deep dewatering wells and another roughly $12,000 a month for generators serving the sewer system in the Portuguese Bend Community Association area. City officials say reliable electric service is important to keeping the remediation system running. (citizenportal.ai) July 2026 city updates also show the city moving ahead with formation of a third Geological Hazard Abatement District for the Portuguese Bend Landslide. Startup costs were estimated at $500,000, and staff said a consultant agreement could come back to the council in September 2026. ### What other help is already in motion for homeowners? October 2024 program materials show Rancho Palos Verdes, FEMA and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services launched a voluntary buyout program for threatened homes in the Greater Portuguese Bend landslide area. (rpvca.gov) The city said it received 85 eligible applications, selected 22 homes in Round 1 and later selected five more in Round 2. (rpvca.gov) The next concrete step on the insurance question was the City Council’s September 1 review of the staff report on a possible JPA structure, according to the city’s 2026 community updates archive. Separate September council action was also expected on a consultant agreement tied to the third hazard abatement district. (rpvca.gov 1) (rpvca.gov 2)