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California McMansions on Verge of Collapsing Into the Sea

LIFE ON THE EDGE

At least four homes were left teetering after a “mini-landslide” engulfed a huge section of bluff.

Rancho Palos Verde, CA, Monday, September 29, 2025 - Part of a coastal bluff slipped approximately 50-60 feet in Rancho Palos Verdes this weekend, damaging several back yards, officials said today. The slippage was reported at about 8:20 p.m. Saturday along a coastal bluff off Marguerite Drive near Palos Verdes Drive West. According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, approximately 300-400 linear feet of the slope sloughed off, dropping approximately 50-60 feet toward the coastline.  (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A number of multi-million dollar properties on the California seafront are at risk of falling into the Pacific Ocean after a “mini-landslide” saw a 300-400ft section of bluff face slide into the sea over the weekend. No injuries were reported during the landslide, but several properties were affected by the “significant soil movement,” and residents are growing weary of future activity. “I live not too far from here, and occasionally see a crack in the foundation,” resident Scott Leslie told ABC7. “There’s so much movement going on down here, it is very concerning, and it’s not really evident what it is being attributed to.” The town of Rancho Palos Verdes has been plagued by hundreds of landslides, and the slides in the Portuguese Bend area remain a persistent problem that has damaged roads and rendered nearly 20 homes uninhabitable. Yet despite the dramatic earth movements, most residents appeared unfazed. News footage and eyewitness accounts showed people lounging by a pool just feet from the newly created precipice, which had damaged nearby fencing and teetered dangerously close to a 40-foot drop. City manager Ara Mihranian said he was “concerned” about the movements and had hired geologists to investigate the area, but stressed there was no need to evacuate the properties.

Read it at ABC7

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