Rancho Palos Verdes urging Newsom to declare state of emergency in response to gas shutoff
LOS ANGELES - Days after their gas services were abruptly shutoff, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes is now urging Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency to help impacted residents.
On July 29, SoCalGas cut off natural gas services to 135 homes in the Portuguese Bend community of Rancho Palos Verdes due to concerns about land movement that started more than a year ago.
In a statement, the city council said residents are scrambling to find alternate means of heating water, cooking meals, and warming homes. A day after their gas was turned off, Southern California Edison informed residents that their electricity may also be turned off in the future, if conditions warrant.
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The city council, along with Mayor John Cruikshank, sent a letter to the state requesting a state of emergency be declared. This would provide both financial and in-person assistance to be available to the community.
The letter also requested permitting requirements be waived or suspended for projects to help impacted residents.
The council also voted to extend the city’s existing local emergency in the landslide area. Both local declarations must be renewed every 60 days to remain in effect.
So far, the state nor Newsom have yet to respond to their request.