California
Map: Where Landslides in California Quicken Their Pace
Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Data from Sept. 18 to Oct. 17, 2024
Along the sparkling coast of Southern California, a string of landslides creeping toward the sea has transformed the wealthy community of Rancho Palos Verdes into a disaster zone.
New data from a NASA plane shows the widening threat of these slow-moving landslides, which have destabilized homes, businesses, and infrastructure like roads and utilities. Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory documented how the landslides have pushed westward, almost doubling in area since the state mapped them in 2007.
The landslides have also sped up in recent years. A month of aerial radar images taken by NASA in the fall revealed how land in the Palos Verdes Peninsula slid toward the ocean by as much as four inches each week between mid-September and mid-October. Before that, a city report showed more than a foot of weekly movement in July and August.
Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Present boundary includes areas where landslides moved faster than one centimeter per week between Sept. 18 and Oct. 17, 2024.
The mass of slides in Los Angeles County, known as the Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, reactivated in 1956 after road construction destabilized the once-dormant slope. For decades, it slid just a few inches every year. But heavy rain in 2023 and early 2024 accelerated that movement, leading Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency, citing “conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property.”
Homes in Rancho Palos Verdes began collapsing in June and August of 2023. Streets have fissured. Walls have shifted and floors have cracked open to reveal the dynamic earth below. A downed power line related to the slides started a small brush fire in August. A $42 million buyout program helps property owners voluntarily sell and relocate, but homeowner insurance policies do not typically cover landslides.
A stretch of coastline where landslides meet the beach in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Loren Elliott for The New York Times
Damage in a residential area of Rancho Palos Verdes in August.
Loren Elliott for The New York Times
Mitigating such a disaster is extremely expensive. By the end of this fiscal year, the city said it will have spent more than $35 million, almost 90 percent of its general fund operations budget, on addressing the landslide. That includes the installation of 11 wells that have worked to pump out 145 million gallons of groundwater that could further destabilize the slope. The investment has yielded results: The landslide slowed by about 3 percent on average between December and February thanks to the wells and a lack of rain, the city said.
Slow-moving slides are common around the world, and especially in California, where several hundred have been mapped in coastal mountain ranges. Normally moving at a sluggish pace, these slides can grind nearly to a halt during the dry summer months before a wet winter makes them crawl again.
But last summer, the landslide complex in Rancho Palos Verdes exhibited strange behavior when it failed to slow. The best guess for why has to do with a very wet 2023, said Alexander Handwerger, a research scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory who has studied the behavior of slow-moving landslides for well over a decade. Typically triggered tens of meters underground, they remain an ongoing area of research.
“Of all the things we know,” Dr. Handwerger said, “we know the least about what’s happening under the ground.”
Last week, other parts of Los Angeles County faced additional landslides, ones that move quickly, running at meters per second instead of centimeters per week. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles issued warnings for post-fire debris flows — a tangle of mud, rocks and trees that start on burn scars — ahead of heavy rainfall on Thursday. Los Angeles neighborhoods scorched by wildfires like the Eaton and Palisades fires last month faced some of the greatest dangers as those flows hit business and homes in Southern California.
But slower-moving landslides, like the ones in Rancho Palos Verdes, are more predictable. They ooze rather than race. They typically need a season of rain, rather than a single storm, to accelerate. And it’s extremely rare for them to suddenly collapse or slide in a catastrophic way.
It’s unclear what triggers that kind of sudden catastrophe, said Luke McGuire, an associate professor in geomorphology at the University of Arizona. He pointed to one of the few known examples of such an event, in 2017, when the Mud Creek Landslide in Big Sur gave way after eight years of stable sliding. More than 65 feet of rocks and dirt covered a quarter-mile of Highway 1, the scenic drive winding along the California coast.
Experts say that the city of Rancho Palos Verdes probably will not experience that kind of sudden event. “You can never say never, but the likelihood that this would go into a catastrophic movement phase is quite low,” said Dave Petley, a landslide expert who collects global landslide data for the American Geophysical Union. “It’s likely it’ll continue to cause substantial property damage, but the risk of the thing suddenly sliding into the sea and taking everyone with it is not particularly high.”
A 2019 Nature study by Dr. Handwerger showed that the Mud Creek Landslide could have been triggered by a shift from drought to record rainfall. In a warming world, an increase in extreme rain events could cause more landslides to quicken, according to the study.
More precipitation could also cause more landslides to emerge from hibernation into slow-moving slides.
“Rainfall under climate change can wake a landslide back up,” Dr. Petley said, adding that a vast number of dormant landslides with this potential exist across the globe.
Fireworks Safety Guide
Essential safety tips for buying, handling, and watching fireworks to ensure a safe celebration.
With July 4 falling on a Saturday this year, many businesses and organizations are taking the day off Friday, July 3, to mark America’s 250th birthday. From banking to mail service, here’s what’s open and closed for the holiday weekend.
Most federal offices closed, mail service to continue
Non-essential federal offices will be closed on July 3. However, mail service will continue as normal, and post offices are scheduled to remain open.
Most California government offices to remain open
Most California government offices will be open on July 3, with some exceptions.
DMV offices throughout the state will be open. However, the Employment Development Department will be closed.
DMV offices that offer Saturday hours will be closed on July 4.
Private parcel services to remain open
UPS and FedEx are both scheduled to operate normally on July 3, but will suspend service on July 4.
Stock markets closed
Both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will be closed on July 3.
Most banks to stay open
While most banks were expected to operate normally on July 3, some may operate under modified holiday hours. All banks will be closed on July 4.
Online banking services should remain operational.
Grocery stores
Most major grocery chains will be open on both July 3 and July 4. Trader Joe’s locations will be open for regular business on July 3 but will close early at 5 p.m. on the Fourth of July.
Retailers
Many major retail stores, such as Walmart and Target, plan to operate under normal business hours on both July 3 and 4. All Costco warehouse stores operate under normal business hours on July 3, but will close on July 4.
Restaurants
Most major restaurant chains remain open on July 4, but some will have limited hours. All Raising Cane’s locations will close on July 4.
Bruce Lee Day aims to honour the San Francisco-born martial arts legend as a cultural bridge and Asian-American icon.
Published On 2 Jul 2026
Martial arts icon Bruce Lee will become the first Chinese American in California history to be honoured with an annual namesake day.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law on Tuesday afternoon, officially designating May 17 as Bruce Lee Day.
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Lee was born in San Francisco in 1940 and returned to the city on May 17, 1959, aged 18, after spending his childhood in Hong Kong.
His daughter, Shannon Lee, CEO of the Bruce Lee Foundation, said the honour reflects her father’s enduring legacy as a bridge between cultures.
“From young people who found confidence and possibility in his philosophy, to families who finally saw themselves represented on screen, to athletes who still draw on his teachings of discipline and inner strength, his reach is profound,” she said in a statement.
State Assembly member Matt Haney, who represents San Francisco, called Lee the “epitome of the best of California”.
“At a time when Asian Americans were too often absent from or stereotyped on screen, Bruce Lee helped generations see themselves represented with strength and dignity,” he said.
The Bruce Lee Foundation and Asian-American groups hope Bruce Lee will be celebrated each year with voluntary activities, including cultural exhibits, public events and classroom lessons.
Born to Chinese parents touring the US with an opera, Lee held birthright citizenship. He moved to Hong Kong as an infant, became a child actor, and studied Chinese kung fu before returning to the US in 1959.
He enrolled at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1961, but dropped out to teach martial arts.
In the 1960s, Lee appeared in Hollywood, most notably as Kato in the TV series The Green Hornet, but said studios typecast him in racist roles and paid him less than white actors.
He returned to Hong Kong and starred in martial arts films, including The Big Boss and Fist of Fury.
Lee died tragically in 1973 at the age of 32 after an allergic reaction to pain medication.
His name and likeness remain widely popular.
Fans gather on his birthday, and a treatment he wrote for a television series inspired the HBO Max show “Warrior”.
See the best High Desert fireworks through the years
Fireworks have long lit up the California High Desert, from community shows in Victorville and Apple Valley to backyard celebrations that filled the night sky. Revisit Fourth of July moments through the years.
Each year, fireworks light up the sky across the United States for the nation’s Independence Day. With 2026 marking the nation’s 250th birthday, fireworks shows may be a bigger draw.
With California being so fire-prone, the state has strict fireworks laws, but does that mean that people won’t enjoy fireworks without risking jail time on July 4?
Are fireworks illegal in California?
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, is the agency in charge of managing fireworks and classifying which ones are safe to light.
The California Fireworks Law was passed in 1938 and designated the Office of the State Fire Marshal as the only fireworks classification authority in the state, according to CalFire.
The fire marshal’s office classifies fireworks through lab analysis and field testing. It also requires that all parties dealing in fireworks, such as pyrotechnic operators, manufacturers, and retailers, have licensing.
Along with the aforementioned law, the State’s Explosive Law authorizes the fire marshal to “adopt regulations for the safe use, handling, storage and transportation of explosives,” CalFire says.
“Safe and Sane” fireworks are less likely to cause injury and generally mean that the fireworks do not explode or fly, according to the City of Fontana.
There are almost 300 communities in the state that allow “Safe and Sane” fireworks.
It is illegal in the state to sell, transport, or use fireworks that don’t carry the “Safe and Sane” seal or use any in a nonpermitted community. If convicted, you can face a fine up to $50,000, a year in jail or both, according to CalFire.
All other fireworks are considered illegal in the state and are prohibited from being operated by unauthorized parties in most jurisdictions.
Some illegal fireworks include:
- Wire Core Sparklers
- Sky rockets
- Bottle rockets
- Roman candles
- Aerial shells
- Firecrackers
- Other fireworks that explode, go into the air, or move on the ground in an “uncontrollable manner.”
How to safely use fireworks
CalFire has put out a list of safety tips to avoid injury when handling fireworks.
CalFire recommends:
- Use only State Fire Marshal-approved fireworks
- Verify local ordinances before purchasing or using fireworks.
- Always read the directions on labels.
- Children should always have an adult present.
- Only use fireworks outdoors.
- Avoid using fireworks near dry grass or other flammable materials.
- Only light one firework at a time.
- Have a bucket of water and a hose nearby in case of fire.
- During a drought, it is recommended that you use a bucket of reused water to submerge your firework after use to ensure it’s completely extinguished.
- Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse.
- Back up several feet immediately after lighting a firework.
- Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
- Never attempt to relight or fix fireworks.
- Never experiment with fireworks.
- Do not wear loose-fitting clothing while lighting fireworks.
- Never carry fireworks in your pockets.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
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