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RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (KABC) — As rain fell hard on the Rancho Palos Verdes peninsula Monday, residents of the Seaview neighborhood watched for signs of land movement in the already damaged community, worried that their homes could become unlivable as the earth below them slowly shifts toward the sea.
“You have water pipes that break and then they add more to the misery and then it becomes this vicious cycle,” said Nikki Noushkam, who’s lived in Rancho Palos Verdes for 19 years.
Right in front of her home near the intersection of Exultant and Dauntless Drive, one home already sits empty, its walls and windows showing what happens when heavy rains wash away the ground beneath it.
Farther to the west, the iconic Wayfarers Chapel was shut down last week, with more than 175 weddings and other events canceled through October 2025.
City officials say the hillside it rests on needs to be stabilized.
Many residents in the affected areas blame city officials for waiting too long to mitigate storm runoff.
“The land movement is caused by water. You should not let water flow freely year after year knowing that you’re not supposed to do this,” Houshkam told Eyewitness News.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn stopped by the Seaview community Monday afternoon to survey the damage. She says she has asked California Gov. Gavin Newsom to visit the area where dozens of homes are either damaged or threatened.
“I’ve reached out to the governor and asked him to help us, maybe declare a state of emergency,” Hahn said. “It’s going to take a lot of engineering and a lot of money.”
The city of Rancho Palos Verdes has put together a water mitigation plan that is currently going through regulatory channels for approval. The plan comes with a $35 million price tag and Hahn says she will try to get $10 million from the county to help pay for it.
“If the supervisor is willing to provide us those types of resources we would gladly take that,” said Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank.