Ritzy LA enclave faces new crisis as coast slips quicker into ocean

The ground is slipping out from under one of Los Angeles’ ritziest coastal enclaves, with million-dollar real estate creeping toward the Pacific — as a potentially soaking winter could accelerate the destruction.Portuguese Bend in Rancho Palos Verdes is now shifting more than an inch a week, a fresh uptick that has officials eyeing the battered coastline as another round of heavy rain looms.

The latest acceleration follows a mid-October pounding from tropical storm-fueled waves that chewed away at the Southern California coast.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story It’s an ugly turn for a place prized for its postcard views of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island.The scenery remains, but the landscape has been ripped apart by gaping chasms, with some cracks plunging 20 feet deep or stretching a dozen feet across.And the ground has already shown just how fast things can go sideways.After decades of relatively little movement, above-average rainfall in recent years sent the hillside into a far more dramatic slide, with some areas shifting as much as a foot per week.The pace has since eased, thanks in part to wells installed by the city to suck water out of the ground, but the damage is still there — and the underlying problem likely can’t be stopped altogether.Now, the enclave faces another test as a super El Nino is expected to drench Southern California in the coming weeks.

For a community already dealing with unstable land, another wet winter is hardly welcome news.There has been one encouraging sign.Winter preparations, including filling large fissures, “fared well” during recent rainfall, city officials said.California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube...