The issues shaping the Hill

Vincent Thomas Bridge: a 16-month full closure from 12:01 am Saturday, November 7

Caltrans' October 22 announcement set the 16-month closure of the Vincent Thomas Bridge (State Route 47), which links San Pedro to Terminal Island, the ports and Long Beach, to begin at 12:01 am on Saturday, November 7, to replace its deck, with reopening targeted for early March 2028. It lists detours primarily along Interstates 110 and 710, State Route 103 and Harry Bridges Boulevard; Caltrans says traffic control officers will work 18 key intersections and local police will step up enforcement against commercial trucks. The project costs $750 million, Caltrans says, and its FAQ says crews will work around the clock. The Port of Los Angeles says the new Harbor Boulevard on-ramp from its just-finished SR 47 interchange project will stay closed in coordination with the bridge work (Port release, October 29). Rancho Palos Verdes passed the notice along in its October 28 administrative report. Caltrans holds a drop-in information session Saturday, October 31, 10 am–2 pm, at the Wilmington Branch Library, 1300 N. Avalon Blvd (details). Email and text alerts: the Caltrans project page.

RPV council asked to accept $56 million in federal landslide grants and to choose Geo-Logic over Geosyntec for remediation design

The Rancho Palos Verdes council's Wednesday, November 4 agenda carries its 60-day landslide update. Staff ask the council to formally accept $55,964,462 in federal grants already awarded: $54,024,898 to buy 27 residential properties, 22 in Round 1 and five in Round 2, and cover program management costs, plus $1,939,564 to connect five dewatering wells to the power grid in place of generators, work due by September 29, 2027 unless an extension is approved. Seventeen of the 27 homes are red-tagged and 10 yellow-tagged; the city will buy them a few at a time starting in the coming months, and a $19 million third round for about eight more homes remains waitlisted. On the long-term fix, the council continued a $6 million Geosyntec Consultants design amendment on October 20. Staff now recommend adding $2.9 million to Geo-Logic Associates' contract, bringing it to $3,125,000, to design the two remaining remediation projects, and $150,937 to LSA Associates' contract for environmental permits, both from the city's capital fund. Because Geo-Logic helped shape the projects, staff assume FEMA will reimburse none of its fee; they put Geosyntec's cost to the city at about $3.98 million after expected reimbursement, with its design finishing about two and a half months later. The report also lets the council proceed with Geosyntec instead, subject to confirmation of federal procurement compliance and grant eligibility. The draft Geosyntec, Geo-Logic and LSA amendments, which the staff report listed as forthcoming, were posted Monday, November 2, with the agenda's late correspondence; some of their figures don't match the staff report's, which we use here. The city's internal schedule calls for bid-ready plans by March 31, 2027, construction starting around July 1, 2027, and all three projects finished by December 31, 2028. The draft Geo-Logic amendment, which assumes a notice to proceed around October 21, 2026, lists May 31, 2027 for 100 percent design and bid documents. The late correspondence also includes written objections from two owners on the so-called Monks lots who say their homes are red-tagged and that the city has deemed the Monks lot homes ineligible for the buyout program. One writes through a lawyer, whose letter asks the city to name in writing by November 12 the eligibility criterion behind that decision and to accept and rank the owner's application for Round 3 and later rounds; the letter reserves the right to go to court. Staff also report that the city is pursuing nine grants for projects totaling about $176 million, including $36.9 million in required local match, and that it lacks the budget or reserves to cover all of the match. The council is also asked to extend three items by 60 days each, all of which otherwise lapse November 14: the landslide emergency, the separate utility-shutoff emergency for Portuguese Bend, the Beach Club and Seaview, and the ban on bicycles and motorcycles on Palos Verdes Drive South through the landslide area. If extended, the landslide and utility-shutoff emergencies would run through January 3, 2027, the staff report says. A consent item would ratify an amendment raising AAA Oil's contract to fuel the well generators from $93,500 to $400,000 (staff report). Separately, the city has written to owners whose property may need easements for remediation drains, wells and related infrastructure, inviting them to an informational meeting Thursday, November 5, at 5 pm at the Ladera Linda Community Center. The council meets at 7 pm in McTaggart Hall at Hesse Park and on Zoom; the agenda also includes adopting the Updated Trails Network Plan, a report on Cal Water's infrastructure plan and updated terms for the city's Public Safety Reimbursement Grant Program, and a 6 pm closed session covers the City Manager's employment agreement and a pending lawsuit. After November 4 the council next meets Tuesday, November 17; the city's tentative agenda for that meeting lists a report on landslide hydrology and hydraulics, an update from SCE on outages and infrastructure, and an agreement with Run for Myles (October 28 administrative report).

Palos Verdes and Peninsula high schools reach the CIF-SS flag football finals

Palos Verdes beat Corona del Mar 19–12 on the road in the Division 1 semifinals on Saturday, October 31, and Peninsula beat Westridge 26–6 at home in Division 5. The CIF-SS bracket lists Peninsula's semifinal at 2:30 pm on Friday, October 30; our October 29 item had given Saturday (Division 5 bracket). Both teams play for section titles on Saturday, November 7 at Huntington Beach High School, according to the CIF-SS brackets: Palos Verdes, listed as the host team, meets Oxnard at 4:30 pm in Division 1, and Peninsula meets Loma Linda Academy at 6:30 pm in Division 5. Oxnard beat El Toro 19–9 in its semifinal, and Loma Linda Academy won 14–12 at Village Christian. Peninsula meets Loma Linda Academy for the Division 5 title at 6:30 pm Saturday, November 7 at Huntington Beach High School, according to the CIF-SS bracket. In football, Palos Verdes beat Leuzinger 45–0 at home on Friday, October 30 to finish the regular season 9–1 and 3–1 in the Bay League, second behind Inglewood (MaxPreps; standings). Peninsula lost 21–7 at home to South Torrance that night to finish 5–5 (MaxPreps). In the CIF-SS playoff pairings posted November 1, Palos Verdes is in Division 2, and Peninsula, an at-large entry from the Ocean League, is in Division 12 (CIF-SS brackets). On Friday, November 6, PV hosts Serra of Gardena, which it beat 17–14 in its August 21 opener, with the winner meeting the Inglewood–Huntington Beach winner on November 13, and Peninsula plays at Arroyo Valley in San Bernardino; as of Sunday both games were listed for 7 pm. For the November 13 round, the CIF-SS pre-flips show that a PV win would mean hosting Inglewood or playing at Huntington Beach, and a Peninsula win would mean hosting Rancho Alamitos or playing at Costa Mesa. In the CIF-SS boys water polo playoffs, Palos Verdes beat Roosevelt 23–8 at home in the Division 2 first round on October 29 and plays at Murrieta Valley in the second round at 5 pm Tuesday, November 3; Peninsula lost 12–6 to Foothill Tech in Division 4 (Division 2 bracket; Division 4). In girls team tennis, Palos Verdes (16–3), which tied Mira Costa for first in the Bay League, is in Division 1, formerly the Open Division, and plays Orange Lutheran, the listed host, at the Anaheim Tennis Center at 1:30 pm Friday, November 6, according to the CIF-SS bracket. Chadwick (12–0), first in the Prep League, is in Division 2 and hosts Calabasas at 2 pm Wednesday, November 4 (CIF-SS draw). In cross country, league finals end by Friday, November 6, and qualifiers from Palos Verdes (Division 3) and Peninsula (Division 2) run in the CIF-SS prelims at Mt. SAC on Saturday, November 14 (CIF-SS bulletin; divisions).

PVPUSD's draft screen-time policy: no one-to-one device time in TK and kindergarten, weekly limits through fifth grade

At its October 14 meeting the PVPUSD board heard a summary of screen-time feedback from more than 800 community members, including about 300 teacher survey responses, and directed staff to draft a policy ending one-to-one student device use in TK and kindergarten and cutting it consistently in grades 1–5, the district's board highlights say. The draft, Board Policy 6162.7, with a companion regulation, was posted for a first reading at the board's Wednesday, October 28 meeting (draft policy). Its recommended weekly limits cover students' own work on devices, alone or in groups, during the school day: 0 minutes in TK and kindergarten, up to 45 minutes in grades 1 and 2, 75 in grade 3, 90 in grade 4 and 140 in grade 5, with teachers using professional judgment. The limits apply to student device use; the draft treats teacher-led lessons on a classroom screen, such as a math lesson on an interactive whiteboard, as a separate category. They make exceptions for state and district tests and practice for them, and for accessibility accommodations required by law or a student's IEP or 504 plan. Staff say that is about 40% less one-to-one device time than most teachers reported. The draft would also make elementary PE screen-free except in bad weather or for safety, limit teacher-led screen use in music and arts classes to 10 minutes per hour-long class, minimize videos and shows during brain breaks, rewards, indoor recess and other non-instructional time, favor read-alouds from physical books, and require a non-digital homework alternative when a parent asks for one. It also encourages teachers to tell families, at the start of the year and throughout it, which platforms and software they use, for what purpose and for about how long. Separately, proposed revisions to Policy 0441, on artificial intelligence, also up for a first reading, would bar independent, student-directed use of AI in grades TK–8. Neither is adopted at a first reading; the staff report says board members can suggest changes before a second reading and final vote. Update, Oct 29: The board reached both first readings on October 28; the chapter list on the district's meeting video marks about 67 minutes on Policy 6162.7 and its regulation and about 16 minutes on Policy 0441. Update, Nov 2: The district has posted its October 28 board highlights. On the screen-time policy, board members gave feedback and directed staff to refine it for a second reading, taking teacher experience, student needs and evolving technologies into consideration. On the AI policy, they asked for a detailed audit of the AI-powered programs and curriculum now available to students; it returns for a second reading at a future meeting. The highlights give no date for either second reading. The superintendent also said no commitment has been made on a possible artificial-turf field at Palos Verdes Intermediate; the district is still exploring it and will take it up again on November 18. The district is taking applications through Wednesday, November 11, for its Measure M Citizens' Oversight Committee. The board's next regular meeting on its 2026–27 schedule is Wednesday, November 18. Open session begins at 5:30 pm at the Malaga Cove Administration Center, 375 Via Almar; the district explains how to comment at pvpusd.net/feedback. Our schools guide →

Rolling Hills Estates proposes dropping PV Drive East to 35 mph, and the Dapplegray road contractor gets a default notice

The Rolling Hills Estates council's October 27 agenda introduces Ordinance 765. It would lower the speed limit on Palos Verdes Drive East from 40 to 35 mph between the city's southern limit and Palos Verdes Drive North, a stretch of about 2,000 feet, under a state law that allows an extra 5 mph reduction on corridors with concentrations of pedestrians or cyclists. The package also moves the limit line at Harbor Sight Drive about 5 feet closer to the intersection and replaces and adds intersection warning signs. The Traffic and Safety Committee recommended the speed cut, the limit-line move and tree trimming on September 23, after a request about poor visibility for drivers turning out of Harbor Sight Drive. The trimming is done, and the sign changes come from the traffic engineer's October 7 memo (staff report). Update, Nov 1: The city has posted the 57-minute video of the October 27 meeting, but as of Sunday its Legistar record showed no minutes and no recorded action on Ordinance 765, so there is no written record yet of whether the council introduced it. Staff had asked to bring Ordinance 765 back for a second reading and adoption on Tuesday, November 10. On the Palos Verdes Drive North–Dapplegray School intersection project, which missed its deadline to finish Phase 1 before the school year (draft October 13 minutes), the city's project page says its construction managers issued the contractor a preliminary notice of default on October 9, with a response due October 16. With no updated schedule from the contractor, the city says it can't give a reliable completion date. It is adding a second crossing guard at drop-off and pick-up, has added an all-red signal interval, and posts updates every other Thursday.

Palos Verdes Estates readies its first full study of city fees since 2017

The Palos Verdes Estates council's October 27 agenda includes a draft request for proposals for a citywide study of what the city's permits, plan checks, inspections and other fee-based services actually cost. Staff propose issuing it around November 16, with a council award targeted for January 26, 2027 and a public hearing on new fees in June–July 2027 (staff report). The council called for the study in September while reviewing a community-submitted list of 40 fiscal reforms. The last comprehensive study, in December 2017, estimated that fees recovered about 63% of costs, leaving a general-fund subsidy of about $589,000 a year. A consent item would raise the interim City Clerk services contract from $25,000 to $80,000; the City Clerk resigned effective October 16 (staff report). Draft minutes of the October 13 meeting, posted with the agenda, record a 4–0 vote (Mayor Kemps absent) approving the five-item consent calendar, including two notable items. One spends up to $275,000 in state COPS law-enforcement funds on police radio service, a 911-recording warranty and ballistic helmets and shields. The other lets the mayor sign an agreement with Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates on managing and funding the Peninsula's Pano AI wildfire-detection cameras (minutes). The same agenda asked the council to weigh labor-costing software from TrueComp, formerly GovInvest, which already runs the city's pension-planning dashboard: labor costing at $15,000 a year, or $25,000 a year with TrueComp's compensation-analysis tool; staff said no contract approval was requested (staff report). Update, Nov 1: As of Sunday the city's meeting archive still had only the agenda and the video (2 hours 21 minutes) for October 27, so the council's direction on the fee study and its vote on the clerk contract are not in writing yet; the minutes of the October 13 meeting are now posted there. The council next meets Tuesday, November 10, at 6:30 pm. Its tentative agenda forecast lists items including a Cal Water centennial proclamation, a budget adjustment and amendment with Cali State Paving for a slope retaining wall, and adoption of the city's conflict of interest code.

RPV Planning Commission upheld approval of a radon vent system on Cedarbluff Drive

On Tuesday, October 27, the Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commission denied a neighbor's appeal and upheld the Community Development Director's approval of mechanical equipment, with screening, in the side yards of a house at 28711 Cedarbluff Drive, adopting Resolution No. 2026-12, according to the follow-up agenda in the city's October 28 administrative report. The staff report says the equipment is a radon fan and venting system, approved through an after-the-fact application, that it has been kept off while the appeal was pending, and that the city does not regulate radon itself. Commissioner Crossman was recused; the staff report lists him as living within 500 feet of the property. The commission next meets Tuesday, November 10, at 7 pm at Hesse Park; its tentative pre-agenda lists an informational presentation on fire-hardening construction practices.

RPVBiz, a Neighborhood Watch–style crime-prevention program for Rancho Palos Verdes businesses, is coming

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes is preparing RPVBiz, which its October 20 council highlights describe as "similar to Neighborhood Watch, but for RPV businesses." The city says its Public Safety Division, which supplements Sheriff's Department services in RPV, will launch it "in the coming months," and that participating businesses will work with the Division and the Sheriff's Lomita Station on crime prevention. The Division's quarterly report to the council lists voluntary business security assessments done with the Sheriff's Department, roundtables on crime trends and prevention, more information sharing among businesses, deputies and city staff, and says the next phase is a business safety page on the city's website and direct outreach to owners. Spokesperson Megan Barnes told Patch that participation will be free and that the city expects to launch it by the end of the year; Patch says an exact launch date has not been announced. Patch also reports that owners will be able to sign a letter of agency letting deputies enforce trespassing laws after hours, and that sign-up will likely be a form on the city's website; neither detail appears in the city's October 20 highlights or quarterly report.

On Rolling Hills' Oct 26 agenda: whether to order a $15,000 ground study before adding an emergency siren near recent land movement

Rolling Hills has three outdoor warning sirens, at City Hall, Fire Station 56 and the Crest Road East Gate, and approved a fourth for Upper Blackwater Canyon Road in March. In July the council agreed to add two more, on Saddleback Road and on Portuguese Bend Road near No. 54, and asked for a geological study of the Portuguese Bend Road site. The Rolling Hills Community Association approved licenses for both sites on October 15. The council's Monday, October 26 agenda asks whether to still require that site-specific geotechnical study, estimated at about $15,000, according to the city's staff report. LA County says its permit doesn't require one for a standard utility pole. The association's latest monitoring (July 8 to August 5) found no significant horizontal movement at the nearest survey point. But Coast Geotechnical, which does that monitoring, advised that the site is near the boundary of recent land movement. Staff also offer the option of reinforcing the wood pole with concrete and rebar, which the siren contractor roughly estimates at $1,500 per pole. Residents' feedback on the September 30 full-scale test ranged from hearing the sirens clearly to not hearing them at all. Staff expect to bring the contract amendment and funding back on November 9, though a geotechnical study could take longer. Update, Nov 1: As of Sunday the city's meeting portal still had only the agenda, packet and video for October 26 and no minutes, so the council's decision on the study is not in writing yet. The council next meets Monday, November 9, at 7 pm.

Man accused in the 2009 killing of Rolling Hills Estates attorney Jeffrey Tidus pleads not guilty

Richard Wall Sr., 73, a former Whittier business owner, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, October 21, to two counts of conspiracy to commit murder in the December 2009 shooting death of attorney Jeffrey Tidus outside his Rolling Hills Estates home and the 2011 killing of a former employee of Wall's business in Whittier, Patch and City News Service reported. Murder counts were dismissed in September under the terms of his extradition from Montenegro; prosecutors said that was not about the evidence. He is being held without bail and is due back in court November 3. The charges are allegations, and he is presumed innocent (the District Attorney's June announcement has the original case).

U.S. News ranks Cornerstone at Pedregal 23rd and Rancho Vista 33rd among California's public elementary schools

In U.S. News & World Report's 2027 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings, released October 20, Cornerstone at Pedregal in Rancho Palos Verdes placed No. 23 among California public elementary schools and Rancho Vista in Rolling Hills Estates No. 33; Patch reported that both were among the 10 highest-ranked in Los Angeles County. PVPUSD's other ranked elementary schools: Soleado No. 43, Silver Spur No. 59, Montemalaga No. 163, Mira Catalina No. 203, Vista Grande No. 340, Point Vicente No. 422, Dapplegray No. 692 and Lunada Bay No. 877. Among California middle schools, Ridgecrest placed No. 66, Palos Verdes Intermediate No. 149 and Miraleste No. 312 (U.S. News). U.S. News says it analyzed 107,223 pre-K, elementary and middle schools, rating reading and math achievement with expanded state data. The state's own scores are on the CAASPP results site. Our schools guide →

RPV council approves contracts to finish storm-drain inspections by March, and gets a ceremonial check for its $5 million in state landslide money

At its October 20 meeting the council approved contracts to finish inspecting the city's storm drains by March 2027 and to make urgent repairs, the city's meeting highlights and the city manager's October 21 report say (the report files them under an "October 6" heading, but they were October 20 agenda items). The city owns about 25 miles of storm-drain pipe, and LA County owns another 24 miles of storm drains in RPV. About 70% of the city's pipe, 17.5 miles, has been inspected; more than 80% of that was in good condition, 5% had significant defects and 2% had the most serious defects, needing immediate attention. The staff report proposed up to $234,738 for Pipe Tec to inspect the last 7.5 miles and on-call repair agreements with four contractors, outside the Portuguese Bend slide area. The highlights also report that of 14 major projects tied to the council's 2026–27 goals, eight are in progress, three need attention and three are at risk, and that the city's Public Safety Division, which supplements Sheriff's Department services, will launch RPVBiz, a Neighborhood Watch–style program for businesses, in the coming months. Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi presented a ceremonial check for the $5 million in state landslide funding he announced in September. The draft minutes, posted with the November 4 agenda, show the consent calendar passed 5–0, adopting Ordinance 702, the private-property wireless rules. The $6 million amendment to Geosyntec Consultants' contract to design two of the three Portuguese Bend remediation projects (staff report) was pulled for public comment; Geo-Logic Associates, which is designing the first of the three projects, wrote the council opposing it. The council voted 5–0 to reconfirm the need for continued emergency landslide work and deferred the amendment to a date uncertain; in their report for the November 4 meeting, staff recommended that Geo-Logic do that design work instead (staff report).

Storm prep: RPV finishes its winterization and PV Drive South drainage work, with free sandbags

The Oct 21–23 storm brought 0.52 inch to LA County Public Works' Point Vicente gauge and 0.47 inch to its Rolling Hills Fire Station 56 gauge (preliminary), most of it by 6 pm Wednesday, Oct 21; the National Weather Service issued no flood watch for the Peninsula. Rancho Palos Verdes' October 14 report says its planned winterization (canyon liners, drain clearing, sandbags, fissure filling and erosion control) was finished in the first week of October, that drainage improvements on Palos Verdes Drive South near the former Wayfarers Chapel and Klondike Canyon are also complete, and that crews are cleaning about 1,300 catch basins. On October 6 the council proclaimed a citywide local emergency in anticipation of El Niño, separate from the landslide-area emergency, in a unanimous vote, the Daily Breeze reported. The city's staff report says it lets the city move faster to buy, stage and pre-position equipment and supplies and to seek mutual aid, and can support later requests for help, though it guarantees no reimbursement; it lasts 60 days unless the council renews it, and a renewal is on its tentative agenda for December 1 (city manager's report). RPV residents can fill up to 10 free sandbags at the Ken Dyda Civic Center (bring a shovel). After rain, LA County Public Health advises staying out of the ocean for at least 72 hours. What to do now →

Palos Verdes High football bounces back, beating Mira Costa 34–14

A week after its first loss, to Inglewood, PV beat Mira Costa in a Bay League game on Thursday, October 15, behind four touchdown passes from quarterback Ryan Rakowski, three of them to Jalen Flowers; Rakowski also ran for a score. The Sea Kings are 7–1 (1–1 in league), the Daily Breeze reported.

Palos Verdes High's flag football team edges Redondo to share the Bay League title

In the regular-season finale at Redondo Beach on Tuesday, October 13, the No. 2-ranked Sea Kings beat top-ranked Redondo Union 27–26 on Emily Law's late touchdown, set up by her own interception, to finish tied with Redondo atop the Bay League at 5–1 (18–3 overall), the Daily Breeze reported.

State test scores: 74% of PVPUSD students met or exceeded math standards, 80% in English

Ahead of the state's October 15 release of CAASPP results, Superintendent Devin Serrano's October 12 message reports that 74% of the district's students met or exceeded state standards in math (75% last year) and 80% in English language arts (81% last year), a one-point dip in each. The district says it is working on intervention plans, including tutoring, for students not yet meeting standards. The California Department of Education released the statewide results on October 15 ("New Statewide Data Shows Continued Progress for California Students"); school-by-school scores are on the state's CAASPP results site. More on the district in our schools guide.

RPV's draft Trails Network Plan is out for comment — more than 73 miles of trail in one plan

The draft pulls the city's trail plans into one document: about 31 miles in the Nature Preserve and 28 miles of arterial trails, plus neighborhood trails, Miraleste's paths, the 7.5-mile Coastal Trail, and RPV's 13-mile stretch of the PV Loop Trail. Read it at the city's Trails Network Plan page and send comments to trails@rpvca.gov or (310) 544-5267. On October 13 the Planning Commission received and filed an informational presentation on the draft and gave feedback and recommendations that go to the City Council with the plan. The council's November 4 agenda asks it to adopt the Updated Trails Network Plan, which would combine the 1984 Trails Network Plan, the Conceptual Trails Plan, the Conceptual Bikeways Plan and the Preserve Public Use Master Plan into one document.

A Peninsula record: a Palos Verdes Estates oceanfront compound sells for $24.3 million

The gated compound at 245 Rocky Point Rd, on more than an acre at the westernmost point of the bluff, closed August 14 for $24,258,063 — the most expensive home sale on record on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, topping a $22.4 million Rolling Hills sale in October 2018, the Daily Breeze reported September 30. Finished in 2016 in the Santa Barbara Spanish style, it pairs a 7,022 sq ft main house with a 5,450 sq ft guest pavilion; it first listed at $35 million in September 2023 and sold 18.5% below its last $29.75 million asking price. Recent sales on the Hill →

Single-lane traffic on Palos Verdes Drive South's east end through February for a county sewer rehab

Since Monday, September 28, flaggers have been alternating traffic through a single lane in the work zone on Palos Verdes Drive South between the Rancho Palos Verdes border with San Pedro, east of La Rotonda Drive, and west of Schooner Drive, while the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts reline a trunk sewer. Expect it about 8:30 am–6 pm weekdays and 8 am–6 pm Saturdays through February 2027. Patch reports that the larger four-segment project will rehabilitate about 11,300 feet of sewer and 27 manholes on the way to the Districts' Whites Point Pumping Plant, with a $19 million budget and overall completion in June 2028. Project page: Sanitation Districts; the Districts' 24-hour line is 562-437-6520.

School board adds $15.7 million for Measure SOS work at Peninsula High and Miraleste

At its September 23 meeting, the PVPUSD board approved another $15.7 million for Measure SOS bond projects at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School and Miraleste Intermediate, where the pool project is due to finish in December. The district aims to finish roofing before the winter storms, expects Rancho Vista's projects to clear state review soon, and authorized bids for an artificial-turf field at Palos Verdes Intermediate while staff weigh turf against grass (bidding doesn't commit the district). It also noted that the Palos Verdes Drive North construction at Dapplegray is a Rolling Hills Estates city project, with no completion date set. Our schools guide →

Palos Verdes Estates police seize an unserialized AR-15-style rifle and two handguns

PVE police announced two arrests in unrelated incidents on consecutive days, recovering the rifle, two handguns, and several high-capacity magazines. They did not release locations, charges, or names (Patch).

Miraleste Intermediate lands $2 million for its kitchen and campus infrastructure

Rep. Ted Lieu presented $2 million in congressionally appropriated funds to Miraleste Intermediate. Per the district, the money must go to the projects in its grant application: failing electrical, fire-alarm, sewage and related utility systems, after campus failures that included a power outage that left the school on a generator for much of a prior school year. Miraleste's central kitchen prepares meals for every PVPUSD school, so the work supports the whole district (Sept 23 board highlights). It stacks on the district's Measure SOS bond work. Our schools guide →

RPV gets $5 million from the state after a landslide year officials then put at $15 million

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi announced the $5 million in state landslide-mitigation funding on Monday, September 21. It offsets part of a roughly $15 million slide bill in fiscal 2025–26, and city officials told Patch the money will go to future remediation work. It matters to every RPV resident, not just the slide zone: that bill was about 38% of the city's roughly $40 million general fund (Patch). Update, Nov 2: The city's November 4 staff report puts draft year-end landslide spending for fiscal 2025–26 at about $12.9 million from all funding sources. Slide-zone detail at pvlandslide.com.

Measure PVE: Palos Verdes Estates asks voters to renew — and raise — its police parcel tax

Measure E, the parcel tax that supplies about $5.1 million a year (roughly 20% of general-fund revenue) to PVE's police department, expires June 30, 2027. Measure PVE on the November 3 ballot would replace it for six years at a new rate: the per-parcel base rises from $342 to $1,025 — $683 more per year for every parcel — with the 20¢-per-square-foot improvement rate unchanged and a 2% annual adjustment, raising about $8.7 million a year, including $1 million a year toward the city's unfunded pension liability. It needs a two-thirds vote. Full cost tables and the fact sheet: the city's Measure PVE page. The council held a town hall on the measure on September 24; the video is on the city's meeting portal.

The case for it, as city leaders made it in an October 14 Daily Breeze story: the paper reports Measure E has raised $45 million over nine years; Police Chief Luke Hellinga says burglaries are down to three this year through September, an 85% drop, with average response times under three minutes. City Manager Kerry Kallman says passage keeps the department at its current level, closes the operating deficit and puts $1 million toward pensions; losing the roughly $5.1 million a year, on top of a $1.5 million operating deficit, would mean about 30% of the budget and cuts across departments. Mayor Pro Tem Derek Lazzaro says failure could mean contracting with the Sheriff's Department and cutting hillside weed abatement and even the paramedic squad vehicle. Measure E passed in 2018 with nearly 70%; June's citizen initiative, Measure PF, which needed only a simple majority, drew 41%.

Result: election-night and updated counts for Measure PVE are posted at results.lavote.gov; we'll note the outcome here once LA County certifies it.

Measure RS: Rancho Palos Verdes asks voters to raise its hotel tax from 10% to 13%

The tax is paid only by hotel and motel guests staying 30 days or less — at Terranea and the city's other lodging — not by residents. The extra three points would raise about $2.2 million a year for wildfire and disaster readiness, roads and storm drains, sinkholes, landslide response, and general city services, with audits and spending disclosures. As a general tax it needs a simple majority. Ballot text and FAQ: the city's Measure RS page.

The backdrop, per an October 19 Daily Breeze story: the city estimates that by June it will have spent about $75 million on land-movement costs since the winter of 2022–23. City Manager Ara Mihranian told the paper the measure won't solve the city's finances but would help pay for street repaving, wildfire response and the landslide response; the city says the money stays under local control, with independent annual audits.

Result: election-night and updated counts for Measure RS are posted at results.lavote.gov; we'll note the outcome here once LA County certifies it.

Enrollment is drifting down — and the district is planning for it

PVPUSD's adopted 2026–27 budget projects 9,867 students for 2026–27, down from 10,179 in 2025–26, and 9,758 the year after (budget PDF, pp. 77–78). The demographic slide continues, driving facilities questions and budget trade-offs even as programs grow (Lunada Bay's Spanish dual-immersion adds a second kindergarten class this year). The Peninsula Education Foundation's annual campaign matters more each year. Our schools guide →

State housing mandates meet the Hill's geography

Each city must zone for its state-assigned share of new housing. On a peninsula defined by open space, slide zones, and single-story covenants, finding compliant sites is genuinely hard — and the compliance choices (granny flats, mixed-use corridors, the Promenade) will quietly reshape parts of the Hill.

Peartree Lane's lesson for canyon-rim homeowners

The sudden July 2023 landslide that destroyed a dozen Rolling Hills Estates homes above a canyon — on ground with no slide history — pushed drainage, irrigation, and slope-monitoring practice up every Hill homeowner's list. If your lot backs a canyon, an occasional geotechnical checkup is cheap insurance. Background on Peartree and every other peninsula slide: pvlandslide.com's peninsula-wide tracker.

Fire season on a one-way-up hill

Coastal sage and canyon fuel make the Peninsula a very-high fire-hazard zone. Brush clearance is enforced each spring; residents should register every phone with Alert SouthBay (or text ALERTRPV to 888-777), know two routes off the Hill, and keep the go-bag honest.

Coyotes, peafowl, and the price of living wild

Coyote activity cycles with the seasons — small pets stay in at night, period. The Hill's famous peafowl (descendants of the Vanderlip flock) are beloved, loud, and formally managed by several cities through relocation programs. Both are permanent residents; plan accordingly.

Power, the PV Drive South ban, and buyout Round 3 — the slide zone's practical docket

The Portuguese Bend Community Association area remains de-energized while SCE talks proceed; the bicycle/motorcycle prohibition on PV Drive South was extended another 60 days on September 15 along with the local emergency; and FEMA has formally awarded the city more than $54 million for 27 buyouts, and a third round (about eight homes) remains waitlisted. The running record: pvlandslide.com/updates.

A new George F Canyon Nature Center breaks ground

Rolling Hills Estates and the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy broke ground at the end of March on a new nature center of about 3,300 square feet at the George F Canyon trailhead, with completion expected around summer 2027. The canyon trail stays open during construction, with reduced programming — and the east side's canyon walk gets a proper front door.

Arson suspect arrested after a Palos Verdes Estates brush fire

A brush fire in the parkland near the 1700 block of Paseo La Cresta on September 17 was held to a small patch with no structure loss, and police arrested a suspect (CBS LA). A live reminder mid-fire-season: keep clearance current and alerts on — text ALERTRPV to 888-777.

RPV is rewriting its cell-site rules — taller small cells and signal poles ahead

On September 1 the council introduced changes to the city's rules for wireless equipment in the public right of way: small cells may stand 2 feet taller, equipment can mount on traffic signals, and requirements for underground equipment, photo renderings and landscape plans loosen. The ordinance came back for its second reading on September 15 (staff report), and matching rules for antennas on private property had their public hearing on October 6 (agenda), when the council approved code changes meant to encourage carriers to add sites on private property; the ordinance (No. 702) was on the October 20 consent calendar for its second reading (agenda), and the minutes that will record the vote aren't posted yet. Coverage vs. aesthetics is the classic Hill trade-off — follow it on the city's wireless facilities page.

RPV asks Sacramento for a landslide insurance program

Standard homeowners policies exclude land movement — in a 2024 survey of slide-area residents, not one had landslide coverage. After concluding that a city-run insurance pool isn't allowed under state law, the RPV council approved a letter asking state lawmakers and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to create a basic landslide program modeled on the California Earthquake Authority and the FAIR Plan, and is recruiting other slide-affected cities to sign on (Patch). It's the policy fight to watch for every hillside owner. Background and updates: pvlandslide.com.

Whale season returns to Point Vicente

The gray whale migration streams past the Peninsula each winter, with the volunteer census counting from the Interpretive Center bluff daily. The season's first sighting is the Hill's own little new year. Guide →