Public Meetings

February 20, 2024 City Council Landslide Update

On February 20, 2024, the City Council voted to urge Gov. Newsom to declare a state of emergency to expedite critical landslide remediation efforts and to request President Biden declare a federal disaster to potentially make federal funding and assistance available. The Council also directed City staff to complete the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and final engineering for the proposed long-term Portuguese Bend Landslide Remediation Project based on its original concept design, and to return with an update at the March 19, 2024 meeting. With this approach, the City expects to move up the project’s Final EIR release date to May 2024 instead of September 2024. This alternative approach could still allow the City to make changes to the project based on a concurrent analysis of options to reduce environmental impacts.

View staff report (PDF)  | Watch meeting video 

The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) subsequently determined that the City is able to utilize the current February 4, 2024 State of Emergency issued by Gov. Newsom to implement immediate emergency measures to help reduce further damage to the landslide area, including:

  • The installation of additional drainage systems and wells to extract groundwater and
  • Other measures that would prevent surface water from adding to the saturation.

What does this mean for the City and the Portuguese Bend Landslide Remediation Project?

Now that the City has received clarity from the state, Staff is determining what immediate emergency measures can be implemented, with the goal of starting work by the end of March or early April. This involves meeting with government agencies such as L.A. County OEM, Cal OES, the California Coastal Commission, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, to name a few, regarding next steps, including how permitting and environmental review requirements can be bypassed under the existing state of emergency. Those conversations are ongoing, and updates will be provided in the coming weeks. If the Governor requests a federal disaster be declared in response to February’s storms, federal assistance and funding could become available as part of the City’s response and recovery, including stabilizing the landslide.

City Staff continues to work toward completion of the long-term Portuguese Bend Landslide Remediation Project’s Final EIR, which is expected to go before the City Council this spring. Staff will provide an update on the Final EIR at the next regular City Council meeting on March 19, 2024, when the City’s local emergency declaration will be considered for extension. Stay tuned for meeting information.

Portuguese Bend Landslide Remediation Project Update 

On August 15, 2023, the City Council received an update on the proposed Portuguese Bend Landslide Remediation Project. The Council voted to proceed with final engineering plans while determining if modifications can be made to the project design based on public feedback on the project's Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), including potentially:

  • Minimizing or eliminating the flow-reduction area
  • Reducing drainage swales footprint and maximizing the ability to support native habitat
  • Relocating hydrauger batteries to more easily accessible areas and minimizing impacts on native habitat
  • Providing construction and maintenance logistics details

A Final EIR could be released in late 2024.

View staff report (PDF) Watch meeting video  

Public Hearing for Portuguese Bend Landslide Draft EIR 

On March 21, 2023, the City Council held a public hearing to solicit feedback on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Portuguese Bend Landslide Remediation Project. The hearing included a presentation of the findings of the Draft EIR.

View staff report (PDF) Watch meeting video  

After the Draft EIR public review period ends on April 14, 2023, the City's environmental consultant will review the comments, respond to them, and make final revisions to the report. A Final EIR will go before the City Council for certification at a future meeting, likely in late 2024. Certifying the EIR does not mean the City would or would not proceed with project construction.