Three days after Governor Gavin Newsom state of emergency declared In Rancho Palos Verdes, gas service will be shut off to more homes Friday afternoon due to ongoing landslides.
Southern California Gas Co. will cut service to 54 more homes at 3 p.m. The utility said there was a “sudden gas line rupture” on Exultant Drive in the Seaview area on Aug. 30, leaving 29 homes in the western Seaview area without power.
Problems with a separate gas line on Palos Verdes Drive South, which caused the termination of the gas supply to 135 homes in the Portuguese Bend area will have their power shut off Friday to 25 homes in the Portuguese Bend Beach Club area.
“At this time, SoCalGas does not know when it will be safe to restore service to these communities,” the Gas Co. said. “We understand that this situation remains difficult and uncertain for many in the community. Disaster assistance may be available to customers affected by these shutoffs. More information about SoCalGas’ disaster assistance program can be found at socalgas.com/EDR.
The governor declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, two days after hundreds of residents were left without power.
On Sunday, Southern California Edison has shut off power to 140 homes and 53 businesses in the Portuguese Bend area. On Monday, power was shut off to another 105 homes in the Sea View area, with 20 of those homes being shut off indefinitely.
The governor’s statement acknowledged that the major Portuguese landslide complex “has accelerated significantly following the heavy storms of 2023 and 2024, with an average slide of 23 to 30 centimeters per week.”
Officials with the city of Rancho Palos Verdes said no evacuation orders have been issued for the Seaview and Portuguese Bend Beach Club areas, meaning residents are allowed to remain in their homes even though their gas and electricity services are out.
While city officials have previously said they are grateful for the state’s involvement, they are hoping for more help.
“We appreciate the governor declaring a state of emergency. The money that would be allocated through the state of emergency is only for public entities, again, it would be city government and our landslide response. It’s not yet for individual homeowners,” Mayor John Cruikshank said in a Sept. 4 interview.
He said the city is pushing the governor to open up resources to individual residents. “They’re the ones that really have to convert. They’re out of gas, they’re out of power, they have to be off the grid, and they have to convert appliances so they can be off the grid,” Cruikshank said.
