Desiree Myers was the subject of a citywide email last week and said that the city's claims about her were false and confusing.

|Updated Fri, Apr 28, 2023 at 10:42 am PT

PALOS VERDES ESTATES, CA — A city email that went out last week to residents of Palos Verdes Estates accused a former City Council candidate and a resident group of sending newsletters disguised as official city communication.

Desiree Myers and PreservePVE, the subjects of the city's email, said the city's claims were false and confusing because the newsletters don't include any city seals and clearly display the PreservePVE name multiple times throughout the email.

"It's mystifying to me because PreservePVE is clearly stated at the top of the email, it doesn't use any city seals, it doesn't claim to be from the city, and it's branded eight times in the newsletter," Myers said. "We're mystified what their motivation is."

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The city's email claimed the PreservePVE newsletters, of which only two have gone out so far for March and April, were created to support Myers' campaign efforts. However, Myers contends there is no connection between the newsletter and any campaign efforts. She ran for City Council in 2022 but lost the election.

PreservePVE's newsletters are created by residents of Palos Verdes Estates for residents, Myers said. The two newsletters that have been sent to subscribers, so far, include city updates such as job openings in the city, updates on City Council agenda items and general facts.

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"[PreservePVE] asked Mayor Roos twice to identify any information that was opinion over fact and any information that mentioned my name or did any campaigning. To date, he has been unable to identify any of those items," Myers said.

According to City Manager David Ready, Myers and PreservePVE submitted a public records request to get the list of all the people who were signed up to receive the city's newsletter. Myers explained that PreservePVE never submitted a public records request and members never saw that email list. Rather, they were requested for a separate reason and were never used for PreservePVE's subscriber list, she said.

"I am the one that requested the emails because I was investigating what was going on with a huge amount of emails that were used in a smear campaign last fall. The emails they sent me were never used," Myers said.

Myers said PreservePVE was motivated to create its newsletter because the organization and its members believe there is an information gap between the city and the residents. Myers believes the city's official newsletter leaves out critical information that residents need to know to stay up to date with what is happening in the small city.

Since the city email was sent, Myers said many people have reached out to her and PreservePVE in confusion, and subscribers for the organization's newsletter have risen in response. PreservePVE collects its own subscriber list via consensual sign-ups on the organization's website, requests through emails, signup events and canvassing.

Los Angeles is an amazing area with history (downtown and Pasadena), culture (Hollywood) and fantastic ocean beach cities (Manhattan Beach, Hermosa, Redondo, Torrance.)

But if you were to come visit me from out of town, and ask me to take you to the most breathtaking place to visit in all of L.A., I’d easily throw you in the car and haul you to the Palos Verdes Peninsula, our own little Hawaii in Southern California.

You have views from everywhere, it’s quiet, it’s remote, it’s woodsy, hiking trails abound, there’s no better spot for biking, and did I mention those views?

As a photographer, I always consider it a privilege to take a client up to PV for portraits.

And on the latest episode of #PhotowalksTV, I join forces with noted PV photographer Ute Reckhorn to explore the area, photographing her daughter Clara and friend Leia in 5 of PV’s best spots: Malaga Cove, Frog Creek Trail, Bluff Side Trail, Point Vincente and the top of the hill at the corner of Paseo Del Sol and Via Del Monte.

We didn’t have time to catch all of PV’s highlights in the video. But in blog form, I have all the room in the world, so here’s my top 11 reasons to love PV, starting just south of Malaga Cove. Using Google Maps as a guide, we’ll begin there, and continue towards San Pedro at the other side of the hill, before climbing back up to the top for a finale.

Note: We will be in Palos Verdes Estates for the first four on the list, then shift to Rancho Palos Verdes when we cross Hawthorne. But for many of us, it’s all just PV, right?

Frog Creek Trail

Immediately to the left of Malaga Cove Plaza is a trail that takes you into a woodsy, secluded area that gave us lots of room for great portraits of Leia and Clara. Just walk straight from the Plaza. You can’t miss it.

Malaga Cove Plaza

The European like plaza might resemble a little square in Italy and it should. The centerpiece of the plaza is the statue of King Neptune that was imported from Italy in 1930. The columns and bricks add to the nostalgia, and as I found out when doing wedding photos up there a few years ago, it makes a wonderful backdrop save in the case of rain. (Remember those days?) The Plaza has several businesses, including the beloved Malaga Cove Ranch Market, which sells supermarket food plus homemade sandwiches, pizzas and the like, the Yellow Vase restaurant, and several banks and real estate firms.

Malaga Cove Library

Just up from the Plaza, a block away, is the stunning five-level library, a noted historic landmark, also built in 1930 in the Mediterranean revival style, and offering five levels and an art gallery below. Many wedding and portrait photographers take advantage of the huge lawn out front, and the beautiful surroundings for group shots by the library. 2400 Via Campesina, PV Estates.

Neighborhood Church

A former private mansion from the 1920s with over 15,000 square feet of living space and 32 rooms, the home was designed by Italian architect Armand Monaco (see a pattern here?) “built to model a Mediterranean villa with ceiling murals, carved balustrades, wrought iron gates and decorations,” per the Church, the Estate featured sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean from PV to Malibu. By the 1930s, the original owner ran into financial trouble and sold it, and by 1951 it turned into the church that is today. This is a great place to visit, both inside and out, especially the exterior, for the views of the stunning grounds.

Bluff Cove

One of those great PV finds, an off the beaten path hike at the side of the road that will take you down the hill to a secluded, rocky beach, beloved by surfers. To get there, go straight down the hill by the library, past the stop sign and turn towards the water, then turn left. You’ll pass the Neighborhood Church. Head up the hill for about half a mile, and park when you see the cars pulled over on the side of the road.

Starbucks/Subway on Hawthorne

Go back up the road and turn right on PV Drive West. At the intersection of Hawthorne are the greatest Starbucks and Subway restaurants in the world. Here’s my criteria: they both have outdoor decks with that amazing PV ocean view. (31202 Palos Verdes Dr. West, Rancho Palos Verdes)

The Point Vincente lighthouse in Rancho Palos Verdes, with the island of Catalina behind it.

Point Vicente

Here’s where you’ll find the stately Point Vicente lighthouse, rarely open to the public (only one day a month), but just try to visit and not get a picture of it. Look directly across from Point Vicente and you’ll see Catalina Island. There’s also wonderful picnic grounds and the Interpretive Center, which offers information about the history of the area. (31501 Palos Verdes Dr W, Rancho Palos Verdes.)

Terranea

A big, beautiful, ritzy resort by the sea, which happens to have public access to the ocean trails. Walking the resort is free too. 100 Terranea Way, Rancho PV.

A wedding at the Wayfarers Chapel

Wayfarers Chapel

Across the street is the “glass church” designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son Lloyd, completed in 1951. A must-see! 5755 Palos Verdes Dr S, Rancho Palos Verdes.

Portuguese Bend Reserve Hike

Turn back towards Malaga Cove, and turn right and up the hill at Hawthorne to the very top, taking a right at Crenshaw and continuing it comes to a dead end. Here you’ll have an ocean view hike that will get you higher than a drone, with rolling hills, steep canyons and rock outcrops, per PV.

Via Del Monte view

Type “Paseo Del Sol and Via Del Monte” into your GPS, and take a short 10 minute, windy, hilly drive to another amazing overview, this one looking down at Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa, Manhattan and El Segundo, as well as Century City and even Hollywood. On a clear day, you can see the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory from up here. Is there a better sunset spot in Los Angeles? I don’t think so.

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The cliffs along Rosita Place in Palos Verdes Estates are still unstable, following the dramatic landslide that sent a 200-foot portion of Palos Verdes Peninsula hillside careening down to Torrance Beach on Friday, Dec. 9.

The City of Palos Verdes Estates declared a local emergency on Dec. 10, in an effort to protect life, property and the environment.

Mark Prestwich, city manager and director of emergency services, issued the order which is described as “a proclamation of existence and threatened existence due to the landslide and future risks of landslides.”

Last week’s landslide, though visually dramatic, involved no injuries and only minimum property damage, according to authorities. The slide sent boulders, dirt and debris hurling down the hillside near Rosita Place in the City of Palos Verdes Estates, adjacent to the City of Torrance.

The fast-moving dirt pummeled a Los Angeles County Beaches & Harbors truck that was parked at the bottom of the cliff. There was no one inside the truck, according to Nicole Mooradian, LA County Beaches & Harbors spokesperson.

The truck is still at the bottom of the landslide, said Mooradian, as the area is still active and they don’t want to endanger anyone to attempt a removal. The employee who drove the truck to the area was away from the landslide’s path talking to a supervisor when the hillside collapsed, Mooradian said.

“We were very lucky that no one was in that vehicle,” said lifeguard Capt. A.J. Lester of the Los Angeles County Fire Department in an interview Monday.

An unknown number of homeowners were evacuated on Friday, Dec. 9, as a safety precaution.

Related story: Peninsula landslide causes homeowner evacuation, beach closure, but no injuries

The slide impacted a portion of a back yard of an adjacent property, according to Prestwich, in a statement.

That property, according to Lester, is located directly above the landslide area. The homeowner has a golf putting green on the property, he said. The putting green now contains a sinkhole about 20-30 yards away from the cliff’s edge.

“From that sinkhole going west, it’s not a matter of IF, it’s a matter of WHEN (there will be another landslide),” Lester said. “That whole hillside is unstable.”

Indeed, a preliminary geotechnical analysis of the soil conditions indicates another portion of the slope is actively moving and could fall at any time, Prestwich said.

Authorities noticed additional movement in the area of the landslide over the weekend, said Mooradian. But it’s unclear if the additional sliding was caused by the unstable hillside or the weekend’s rain events, or a combination of the two.

Residents whose properties abut the steep hillside generally plant native vegetation that serves to prevent erosion, said Lester. But, it’s unclear if that was the case for the “lush hillside area” with the putting green.

A 1-mile portion of the beach is closed — from the southernmost portion of the Rat Beach lifeguard tower to the northernmost portion of the Torrance Beach lifeguard tower. It’s unclear when it can reopen.

Authorities are advising the public to stay away from the area until further notice. Lester even cautioned people in general from walking too close to embankments where there are super steep cliffs. If you look up and see a steep cliff, he said, stay clear.

“People should please stay away from that area,” Mooradian said. “It’s just common sense.”

Mooradian said the City of Palos Verdes Estates will be responsible for fencing off the area.

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A landslide took place Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, sending rock and debris down onto the beach below. The slide was located on the cliffside bordering Palos Verdes Estates and Torrance. (Photo by Chuck Bennett/Contributing Photographer)

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Conservationists are aiming to carve out nearly 100 acres on the Palos Verdes Peninsula to restore and protect native wildlife by shielding the area from development.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy and the city of Rancho Palos Verdes are partnering on a $30-million fundraiser to create a wildlife corridor across the peninsula.

The campaign, dubbed “Go Wild for the Peninsula,” aims to restore natural and coastal lands across the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve and create a 96-acre wildlife corridor to protect some of California’s — and the nation’s — most vulnerable species, such as the rare Palos Verdes blue butterfly, the El Segundo blue butterfly, the monarch butterfly and the coastal California gnatcatcher, among other threatened wildlife.

“We know that the results we are going to achieve by garnering all of this public support are going to help address a lot of what the public is concerned about, which is protecting this natural, open coastal land from development,” said Adrienne Mohan, executive director of land conservancy.

California

Jan. 29, 2021

Extensive habitat restoration efforts and wildfire risk mitigation will be needed, Mohan said. One plan is to replace invasive plants that pose a serious risk for wildfires, such as mustard weed, with drought-tolerant native plants, including California bush sunflowers. The organization also is bringing 300 goats to graze on overgrown invasive weeds, such as fennel, ice plant and other non-native plants.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy has already raised more than half of its fundraising goal. In 2021, the organization received a $12.6-million grant from the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Grants — the highest award for the year nationwide. California’s Wildlife Conservation Board also chipped in an additional $4.8 million, the city of Rancho Palos Verdes contributed $1.3 million and the L.A. County Regional Park and Open Space District donated $1 million, bringing the total amount raised so far to $19.7 million.

Mohan called the grants and donations “an alignment in the stars” and said the group will now rely on public and private donors to help reach the remaining $10.3-million goal.

In a statement, California Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi said he’s gratified to see how the project is helping California achieve it’s “30 by 30” initiative, an executive order signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October 2020 that aims to conserve 30% of its natural land and coastal waters by 2030.

“The partnership between nonprofits, local government and resource agencies are all working together to achieve environmental wins that will benefit everyone,” Muratsuchi said.

A landslide along the Palos Verdes cliff-lined coast erupted around 10 a.m., prompting a beach closure as a portion of the cliff fell to the beach below.

Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to a "public assist" call at around 10 a.m., when a passerby reported the first landslide along the Palos Verdes Estates coast adjacent to Torrance Beach.

"We were sitting there calmly, and the next thing you know, there's just dirt on the hillside and lots of smoke and dust flying through the air," said Tim French, who witnessed the event.

A Los Angeles County Beaches and Harbors maintenance worker rushed to the scene of the landslide, parking next to the lifeguard tower.

Our Sky9 chopper was investigating the area in response to the call when they caught the landslide in progress.

Rocks and dust were seen rushing down the cliff, near the RAT (Right After Torrance) lifeguard tower and into the worker's truck below, pushing it nearly 30 feet from the spot it was first parked.

The truck was unoccupied and no injuries were reported. The City of Palos Verdes Estates reported that engineering geologists and city staff will evaluate soil, rock, and groundwater conditions to evaluate the safety of the area and nearby structures.

"When the rock pulls away, the cliff behind is going to expand some, it's going to fracture more, it weakens, and it's very typical after a big landslide, to have a lot more landslides follow it," said Dr. Pat Abbot, a geologist. "Once one occurs in an area, back off."

Abbot says that the incoming storm front could bring even more danger to the area in coming days.

"Sea levels are rising, gravity is pulling, and now when you talk about heavy rains coming in this week, might that be a danger? Oh definitely. That's going to add to the problem," he said.

One homeowner, who lives just above the point where the earth gave way, was evacuated.

No injuries have been reported.

The beach has been closed and officials say the public should avoid the area until it is deemed safe as crews attempt to clear the debris in the area.

KCAL-News Staff

The KCAL News Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on KCALNews.com and CBSLA.com.

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