Palos

Since 1982, Sallie Reeves and her husband have lived atop a serene Rancho Palos Verdes canyon, overlooking the sparkling Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island, with little reason to worry about the slow-moving landslide complex beneath their feet.“We’ve been here 41 years, never had a problem,” said Reeves, 80.In just the last month, however, their Portuguese Bend home has started shifting under stress from intensifying land movement: Cracks have snaked up their walls, cupboards can no longer close, doorways have split at…

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake was reported offshore Monday morning at 8:27 a.m. Pacific time 11 miles from Rancho Palos Verdes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.The earthquake occurred 12 miles from Palos Verdes Estates, 13 miles from Rolling Hills Estates, 13 miles from Los Angeles and 15 miles from Torrance.In the past 10 days, there has been one earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.An average of five earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0 and 5.0 occur per year in the greater Los Angeles area,…

The Palos Verdes Peninsula — a land of rolling hills, jagged cliffs and sweeping views of the city and ocean — boasts some of the most beautiful terrain in Southern California.It’s also long proven to be some of the most dangerous.For hundreds of thousands of years, the peninsula has been plagued by an ancient landslide complex that slowly reshapes the topography. The earth lurches and warps, sometimes slowly, sometimes rapidly, destroying homes and infrastructure along the way.The latest damage was dealt to Rolling…

A drive along the ocean on the Palos Verdes Peninsula is Southern California at its finest. Sunlight dances on the water. Coves are pristine, unsullied by development. Catalina Island appears so near you can almost spot the bison.Look a bit closer, though, and you’ll see signs of a disaster waiting to happen.An above-ground sewage pipe snakes along the road. The pavement on Palos Verdes Drive South is rutted and warped, jutting up and down like an asphalt roller coaster. The hills are strewn with houses on makeshift…

By Elvia Limón and Jason SanchezHello, it’s Wednesday, Sept. 28, and before we dive into our top stories, we’d like to highlight a story about “Wall Street Whiz Kid” David Bloom, who has been convicted and accused of hurting real people and bottoming out real bank accounts, all to feed one man’s ego and lifestyle. Times staffer James Queally told us: “This story is why you don’t delete the crazy e-mails. At least not the ones your editor forwards you. I had no idea who Bloom was a few weeks ago, and when I was reading the…

A fault system running nearly 70 miles along the coast of Los Angeles and Orange counties has the potential to trigger a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, according to a new study that is the latest to highlight the seismic threats facing Southern California.Known as the Palos Verdes fault zone, the system runs deep beneath the Palos Verdes Peninsula. It previously was thought to be a segmented network of smaller faults, but a closer look by scientists at Harvard University suggests it’s a system of interconnected, closely spaced…