Sept. 16, 2025 City Council Meeting Discussion Recap

Land Movement and Dewatering Well Update

At last night's meeting, the City Council received the latest updates on the progress of deep dewatering wells and recent monitoring of land movement. Several wells are undergoing repairs and re-drilling, with operations expected to return to normal in the coming weeks. The recently-installed Abalone Cove wells are effectively reducing movement, showing notable improvement compared to Portuguese Bend.

Preliminary monitoring for September indicated progress, with all land movement now measuring under three inches per month. Areas that had previously seen medium movement continue to shrink.

Budget Priorities

City Council approved the ranked priority list and budget for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26 Landslide Complex Program, which was developed with input from Geo-Logic Associates, Inc., Cotton, Shires and Associates, Inc., and City staff. Out of 19 identified priorities, the top three priorities are Palos Verdes Drive South Landslide Repair, Abalone Cove Sanitary Sewer Repair and GPS Surveying.

Council also recognized approximately $2 million in savings from winterization work, due to several projects performing better than expected and contractor quotes coming in lower than anticipated. A $200,000 contingency was authorized for the Altamira Canyon culvert and lower canyon winterization work, as requested by Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District (ACLAD).

The FY 2025-26 landslide budget is $18.6 million, with $3.9 million (21%) spent year-to-date. Funding sources include 73% from the CIP fund, 22% from restricted funds, and 5% from assessments.

As a part of financial actions, the Council also directed staff to bring back an amendment to the ACLAD loan terms, allowing unused funds to be redirected to winterization projects.

Trail Conditions

The City Council also directed staff to continue conducting trail condition assessments, due to the public's interest in restoring trail access to the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve when deemed safe to do so.